Tag: Maryland

NRC to Hold Fuel Cycle Information Exchange

Posted on by MidwestCompact

On June 13-14, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will host the 11th Fuel Cycle Information Exchange at the agency’s headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.  This event enables NRC staff, licensees, international counterparts, members of the public and other stakeholders to discuss issues related to uranium enrichment and conversion, and nuclear fuel fabrication.  Online registration is now open.  Onsite registration will also be available during the conference.

Agenda Overview  On the morning of June 13, 2017, NRC Executive Director for Operations Victor McCree will deliver opening remarks and Eileen Supko, Principal at Energy Resources International, will give a keynote address.  The conference will also include discussions and presentations on safety culture, advanced fuels, small modular and advanced reactors, waste disposal, fees, operating experience, and cybersecurity.

Logistics  The conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. on June 13 and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on June 14.  It will be held in the NRC Auditorium.  A telephone bridge line has been set up for those who cannot attend the conference in person.  An operator will moderate the bridge line, allowing participants to ask questions at designated times.  Anyone choosing to phone in should call (888) 790-9948 and use passcode 3424316.

For additional information, please contact Maureen Conley of the NRC at (301) 415-8200. 

Registration Opens for NRC’s 2017 Regulatory Information Conference

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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has opened registration for its 29th annual Regulatory Information Conference (RIC), which is scheduled for March 14-16, 2017.  The conference will be held at the Bethesda North Marriott, which is located at 5701 Marinelli Road in Bethesda, Maryland.

Overview

Approximately 3,000 people are expected to attend the RIC including industry executives, representatives from state governments, non-governmental organizations, individual community members, and representatives from dozens of foreign countries.  The conference is an opportunity for attendees to discuss issues related to the safety and security of commercial nuclear facilities and current regulatory activities.

The RIC program will feature NRC Chair Stephen Burns as the keynote speaker.  Additional program highlights will include plenary sessions with Commissioner Kristine Svinicki and Commissioner Jeff Baran.

NRC’s Executive Director for Operations Victor McCree will deliver remarks.  Bill Dean, Director of NRR, will give welcome and introductory remarks.  This year’s special guest speaker is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations Robert Willard. Located in Atlanta, INPO is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the highest levels of safety and reliability—to promote excellence—in the operation of nuclear electric generating plants.

Other technical sessions will address significant domestic and international issues such as cybersecurity, subsequent license renewal, advanced and small modular reactors, spent fuel research activities, recent reactor material issues and the reactor oversight process.

Background

The NRC’s offices of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and Nuclear Regulatory Research jointly host the RIC.  The conference is open to the public.  Registration is required, but there is no registration fee.

The deadline for online registration is February 28, 2017.  Early registration is encouraged; however, onsite registration will also be available during the conference.

Additional RIC information, including a copy of the agenda and online registration links, is available on the NRC website at www.nrc.gov.  

ACRS Subcommittee Discusses Proposed Part 61 Final Rule

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The Subcommittee on Radiation Protection and Nuclear Materials of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) met from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on October 18, 2016.  The meeting, which was open to the public, was held in Room T–2B3 of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.

The Subcommittee discussed the proposed final rule 10 CFR Part 61, ‘‘Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal’’ and associated guidance.  The Subcommittee heard presentations by and held discussions with the NRC staff and other interested persons regarding this matter.  The Subcommittee gathered information, analyzed relevant issues and facts, and formulated proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the full Committee.

During the meeting, the subcommittee requested that the NRC make publicly available the agency’s draft final Part 61 guidance document (Guidance for Conducting Technical Analyses for 10 CFR Part 61) to support a public meeting with the full ACRS that is scheduled for November 3, 2016.

Accordingly, NRC staff has made the draft document publicly available in ADAMS (Accession No. ML14357A072).  In addition, NRC staff has made a redline/strikeout version of the draft final rule language available in ADAMS (Accession No. ML16293A112).

In releasing the documents, NRC stresses that the comment period on this rulemaking is closed and that the staff is not soliciting comments on the draft final guidance and the draft final rule language. The draft final rule language is with the Commission for their review.

The proposed final Part 61 final rule and associated documents are available on the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/rulemaking/potential-rulemaking/uw-streams.html.  For additional information regarding the proposed final Part 61 rule, please see related story in this issue.

For additional information on the ACRS meeting, please see 81 Federal Register 68,474 (October 4, 2016).  Detailed meeting agendas and meeting transcripts are available on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acrs.

Workshop Scheduled for February 2-4, 2016 re Using Robotic Technologies at Nuclear Power Plants

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From February 2-4, 2016, the International Workshop on the Use of Robotic Technologies at Nuclear Facilities will be held in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in conjunction with its U.S. and foreign counterparts is sponsoring the workshop, which will include the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Nuclear Energy Agency; the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE/OEM); the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, Office of Standards; the United Kingdom’s Atomic Energy Authority; and, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The American Nuclear Society (ANS), ASTM International and IEEE Robotics and Automation Society are also collaborating on the workshop.

The workshop is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. on February 2, 2016 at the Green Auditorium on the NIST campus at
100 Bureau Drive in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Interested stakeholders must register to attend the meeting and pay the associated $71.00 registration fee.

The workshop will cover existing and potential future uses of robotic technologies in safety applications and activities at nuclear facilities. The workshop will examine topics including how robots can evaluate plant systems; how robots can locate and recover radioactive material; and, how non- nuclear applications can be adapted to nuclear situations. The workshop will include discussion of lessons learned from historic nuclear applications and experiences (e.g., Three Mile Island, Sellafield, and Fukushima Daiichi); ongoing research; and, other relevant applications (e.g., NASA’s Martian rovers).

For additional information, please contact Scott Burnell of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at (301) 415-8200.

NRC Update on Common Prioritization and Re-Baselining (Project AIM)

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On January 14, 2016, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will hold a public meeting and teleconference to provide an update on Common Prioritization and Re-Baselining of NRC Activities (Project AIM Initiative) since the September 1, 2015 public meeting to solicit input from stakeholders on the agency’s work. This input assisted the agency in evaluating what activities can be shed (stopped), performed with fewer resources, or performed with a different priority, while still fulfilling its regulatory mission in a manner consistent with the NRC’s Principles of Good Regulation and its Organizational Values.

The meeting is scheduled from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. in Room 01C05 of NRC Three White Flint North at 11601 Landsdown Street in Rockville, Maryland. Interested stakeholders that are unable to attend the meeting in person may participate via teleconference by calling 1-888-972-9342 and entering pass code 6813340.

The agenda for the meeting will include welcome and introductory remarks; overview of comments received; activities completed and in progress; next steps; public questions and answers; summary and closing comments; and, adjournment. NRC’s Office of the Executive Director for Operations will participate in the meeting.

For additional information, please contact Rani Franovich at (301) 287-3533 or at rani.franovich@nrc.gov or Gina Davis at (301) 415-5776 or at gina.davis@nrc.gov.

For additional information, please go to http://meetings.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg?do=details&Code=20151893.