§ 40.31 - Application for specific licenses.

§ 40.31 Application for specific licenses.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 85 FR 65662, Oct. 16, 2020.

(a) A person may file an application for specific license on NRC Form 313, “Application for Material License,” in accordance with the instructions in § 40.5 of this chapter. Information contained in previous applications, statements or reports filed with the Commission may be incorporated by reference provided that the reference is clear and specific.

(b) The Commission may at any time after the filing of the original application, and before the expiration of the license, require further statements in order to enable the Commission to determine whether the application should be granted or denied or whether a license should be modified or revoked. All applications and statements shall be signed by the applicant or licensee or a person duly authorized to act for and on his behalf.

(c) Applications and documents submitted to the Commission in connection with applications will be made available for public inspection in accordance with the provisions of the regulations contained in parts 2 and 9 of this chapter.

(d) An application for a license filed pursuant to the regulations in this part will be considered also as an application for licenses authorizing other activities for which licenses are required by the Act: Provided, That the application specifies the additional activities for which licenses are requested and complies with regulations of the Commission as to applications for such licenses.

(e) Each application for a source material license, other than a license exempted from part 170 of this chapter, shall be accompanied by the fee prescribed in § 170.31 of this chapter. No fee will be required to accompany an application for renewal or amendment of a license, except as provided in § 170.31 of this chapter.

(f) An application for a license to possess and use source material for uranium milling, production of uranium hexafluoride, or for the conduct of any other activity which the Commission has determined pursuant to subpart A of part 51 of this chapter will significantly affect the quality of the environment shall be filed at least 9 months prior to commencement of construction of the plant or facility in which the activity will be conducted and shall be accompanied by any Environmental Report required pursuant to subpart A of part 51 of this chapter.

(g) An applicant for a license to possess and use source material, or the recipient of such a license shall report information to the Commission as follows:

(1) In response to a written request by the Commission, a uranium or thorium processing plant, and any other applicant for a license to possess and use source material, shall submit facility information described in § 75.10 of this chapter on Form N-71 and associated IAEA Design Information Questionnaire forms and site information on DOC/NRC Form AP-A, and associated forms;

(2) As required by the Additional Protocol, a uranium or thorium processing plant, and any other applicant for a license to possess and use source material, shall submit location information described in § 75.11 of this chapter on DOC/NRC Form AP-1 and associated forms; shall permit verification of this information by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); and shall take other actions as may be necessary to implement the US/IAEA Safeguards Agreement, as described in part 75 of this chapter; or

(3) As required by the Additional Protocol, an ore processing plant or a facility using or storing ore concentrates or other impure source materials shall submit the information described in § 75.11 of this chapter, as appropriate, on DOC/NRC Form AP-1 and associated forms; shall permit verification of this information by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); and shall take other actions as may be necessary to implement the US/IAEA Safeguards Agreement, as described in part 75 of this chapter.

(h) An application for a license to receive, possess, and use source material for uranium or thorium milling or byproduct material, as defined in this part, at sites formerly associated with such milling shall contain proposed written specifications relating to milling operations and the disposition of the byproduct material to achieve the requirements and objectives set forth in appendix A of this part. Each application must clearly demonstrate how the requirements and objectives set forth in appendix A of this part have been addressed. Failure to clearly demonstrate how the requirements and objectives in appendix A have been addressed shall be grounds for refusing to accept an application.

(i) As provided by § 40.36, certain applications for specific licenses filed under this part must contain a proposed decommissioning funding plan or a certification of financial assurance for decommissioning. In the case of renewal applications submitted before July 27, 1990, this submittal may follow the renewal application but must be submitted on or before July 27, 1990.

(j)

(1) Each application to possess uranium hexafluoride in excess of 50 kilograms in a single container or 1000 kilograms total must contain either:

(i) An evaluation showing that the maximum intake of uranium by a member of the public due to a release would not exceed 2 milligrams; or

(ii) An emergency plan for responding to the radiological hazards of an accidental release of source material and to any associated chemical hazards directly incident thereto.

(2) One or more of the following factors may be used to support an evaluation submitted under paragraph (j)(1)(i) of this section:

(i) All or part of the radioactive material is not subject to release during an accident because of the way it is stored or packaged;

(ii) Facility design or engineered safety features in the facility would reduce the amount of the release; or

(iii) Other factors appropriate for the specific facility.

(3) An emergency plan submitted under paragraph (j)(1)(ii) of this section must include the following:

(i) Facility description. A brief description of the licensee's facility and area near the site.

(ii) Types of accidents. An identification of each type of accident for which protective actions may be needed.

(iii) Classification of accidents. A classification system for classifying accidents as alerts or site area emergencies.

(iv) Detection of accidents. Identification of the means of detecting each type of radioactive materials accident in a timely manner.

(v) Mitigation of consequences. A brief description of the means and equipment for mitigating the consequences of each type of accident, including those provided to protect workers onsite, and a description of the program for maintaining the equipment.

(vi) Assessment of releases. A brief description of the methods and equipment to assess releases of radioactive materials.

(vii) Responsibilities. A brief description of the responsibilities of licensee personnel should an accident occur, including identification of personnel responsible for promptly notifying offsite response organizations and the NRC; also responsibilities for developing, maintaining, and updating the plan.

(viii) Notification and coordination. A commitment to and a brief description of the means to promptly notify offsite response organizations and request offsite assistance, including medical assistance for the treatment of contaminated injured onsite workers when appropriate. A control point must be established. The notification and coordination must be planned so that unavailability of some personnel, parts of the facility, and some equipment will not prevent the notification and coordination. The licensee shall also commit to notify the NRC operations center immediately after notification of the offsite response organizations and not later than one hour after the licensee declares an emergency.^[1]

(ix) Information to be communicated. A brief description of the types of information on facility status, radioactive releases, and recommended protective actions, if necessary, to be given to offsite response organizations and to the NRC.

(x) Training. A brief description of the frequency, performance objectives and plans for the training that the licensee will provide workers on how to respond to an emergency including any special instructions and orientation tours the licensee would offer to fire, police, medical and other emergency personnel. The training shall familiarize personnel with site-specific emergency procedures. Also, the training shall thoroughly prepare site personnel for their responsibilities in the event of accident scenarios postulated as most probable for the specific site, including the use of team training for such scenarios.

(xi) Safe shutdown. A brief description of the means of restoring the facility to a safe condition after an accident.

(xii) Exercises. Provisions for conducting quarterly communications checks with offsite response organizations and biennial onsite exercises to test response to simulated emergencies. Quarterly communications checks with offsite response organizations must include the check and update of all necessary telephone numbers. The licensee shall invite offsite response organizations to participate in the biennial exercises. Participation of offsite response organizations in biennial exercises although recommended is not required. Exercises must use accident scenarios postulated as most probable for the specific site and the scenarios shall not be known to most exercise participants. The licensee shall critique each exercise using individuals not having direct implementation responsibility for the plan. Critiques of exercises must evaluate the appropriateness of the plan, emergency procedures, facilities, equipment, training of personnel, and overall effectiveness of the response. Deficiencies found by the critiques must be corrected.

(xiii) Hazardous chemicals. A certification that the application has met its responsibilities under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, title III, Pub. L. 99-499, if applicable to the applicant's activities at the proposed place of the use of the source material.

(4) The licensee shall allow the offsite response organizations expected to respond in case of an accident 60 days to comment on the licensee's emergency plan before submitting it to the NRC. The licensee shall provide any comments received within the 60 days to the NRC with the emergency plan.

(k) A license application for a uranium enrichment facility must be accompanied by an Environmental Report required under subpart A of part 51 of this chapter.

(l) A license application that involves the use of source material in a uranium enrichment facility must include the applicant's provisions for liability insurance.

(m) Each applicant for a license for the possession of source material at a facility for the production or conversion of uranium hexafluoride shall protect Safeguards Information against unauthorized disclosure in accordance with the requirements in §§ 73.21 and 73.22 of this chapter, as applicable. Each applicant for a license for source material shall protect Safeguards Information against unauthorized disclosure in accordance with the requirements in § 73.21 and the requirements of § 73.22 or § 73.23 of this chapter, as applicable.

[26 FR 284, Jan. 14, 1961, as amended at 31 FR 4669, Mar. 19, 1966; 34 FR 19546, Dec. 11, 1969; 36 FR 145, Jan. 6, 1971; 37 FR 5748, Mar. 21, 1972; 46 FR 13497, Feb. 23, 1981; 49 FR 9403, Mar. 12, 1984; 49 FR 19626, May 9, 1984; 49 FR 21699, May 23, 1984; 49 FR 27924, July 9, 1984; 53 FR 24047, June 27, 1988; 54 FR 14061, Apr. 7, 1989; 57 FR 18390, Apr. 30, 1992; 68 FR 58807, Oct. 10, 2003; 73 FR 63570, Oct. 24, 2008; 73 FR 78604, Dec. 23, 2008; 85 FR 65662, Oct. 16, 2020]

Footnotes - 40.31

^[1] These reporting requirements do not supersede or release licensees of complying with the requirements under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, Title III. Pub. L. 99-499 or other state or federal reporting requirements.