NRC roundup: Crane EA/FONSI; new Agreement State

The breakneck speed at which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been moving for the past year-plus showed no sign of slowing down last week, with a slew of new updates being announced. The environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for the Crane nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania was officially issued, Indiana became an NRC Agreement State, and a new Executive Order 14300-related rulemaking was proposed.

Crane EA/FONSI: Constellation is working to restart the currently shuttered Three Mile Island-1, renamed Crane. In June, the NRC issued a draft of the EA/FONSI. An update published in the Federal Register on Friday makes that decision official following the conclusion of a public comment period.

Achieving this milestone allows Constellation to move ahead on the restart project without completing an environmental impact statement, leading to significant time savings. The company aims to have the plant back on line as early as next year.

In June, NRC Executive Director for Operations Mike King said of the draft EA/FONSI, "Our review of the Crane Clean Energy Center environmental requirements demonstrates the NRC's focus on core mission delivery, ensuring both regulatory efficiency and absolute safety. The staff is applying a disciplined, thorough approach to this restart review, executing our safety and environmental oversight without unnecessary duplication or delay."

Draft rulemaking: In a similar incremental follow-up, the NRC published a proposed rule and draft regulatory guides in the Federal Register on Thursday that had already been unveiled several weeks ago.

That proposal, "Regulatory Enhancements for Reactor Licensing, Decommissioning, and Operational Oversight," is the newest chapter in the NRC's response to EO 14300, which broadly calls for the agency to reduce regulatory barriers to deploying new nuclear technologies.

This new proposal, already covered at length by Nuclear News, was described as a major modernization of the NRC's reactor regulations by NRC Chair Ho Nieh. In a statement, Nieh said that the proposal "replaces outdated requirements with smarter, risk-informed approaches that reflect today's technologies, knowledge, and operating experience."

The rule includes changes to earthquake design requirements, the expiration date for standard design approvals, licensing requirements for reactor control room staff, and much more.

The proposal is available in full on the Federal Register and is currently open for public comment. That window will close on November 9.

New Agreement State: On Thursday, the NRC announced that Indiana has become the nation's 41st Agreement State. When a state becomes an Agreement State it assumes responsibilities previously held by the NRC for the regulation of certain radioactive materials used within its borders.

Specifically, Indiana will now be responsible for the management of approximately 213 licenses for radioactive materials spanning medical uses, academic research, and industrial applications, according to the NRC.

Nieh said of this milestone, "Indiana has demonstrated that its regulatory program can meet the NRC's standards for protecting public health and safety. As an Agreement State, Indiana can apply that expertise to address the needs of its communities while maintaining the high safety standards Americans expect."

Meanwhile, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun was quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying, "State control of the regulatory environment provides certainty, speed, and efficiency. As demand for electricity continues to accelerate, the country will soon be divided into states that can deliver, and those who can't."

The NRC now directly regulates radioactive materials in only nine states: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia-along with Puerto Rico; Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Virgin Islands; and U.S. Pacific Territories like Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.

Webinar opportunity: Looking ahead, the future is likely to be just as busy in terms of changes, updates, and decisions from the NRC. Immediately on the horizon, on Wednesday, September 30, at 12:30 p.m. (EDT), the NRC is hosting a four-hour-long public workshop. This workshop will introduce participants to the licensing pathways available to advanced reactor developers through 10 CFR Parts 50, 52, 53, and the proposed Part 57. It is the first installment in a new "License to Launch" workshop series that will aim to support reactor designers, developers, and stakeholders in navigating the NRC licensing process.