96-32951. Draft Standard Review Plans on Antitrust and Financial Qualifications and Decommissioning Funding Assurance

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 250 (Friday, December 27, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68309-68310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-32951]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Draft Standard Review Plans on Antitrust and Financial 
Qualifications and Decommissioning Funding Assurance

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft Standard Review Plans.

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SUMMARY: The NRC is seeking public comment on Draft Standard Review 
Plans (SRPs) on Antitrust and Financial Qualifications and 
Decommissioning Funding Assurance. The Draft SRP on Antitrust Reviews 
reflects current staff practice in carrying out the antitrust mandate 
required by the Atomic Energy Act in review of construction permit and 
operating license applications, amendment applications, and in 
antitrust enforcement actions. The Draft SRP on Financial 
Qualifications and Decommissioning Funding Assurance provides 
procedures used to evaluate initial license applications and license 
transfer applications with respect to financial qualifications and to 
determine if licensees are complying with NRC requirements for ensuring 
that adequate decommissioning funds are available. The SRPs are being 
published to obtain public comments and do not reflect the Commission's 
final positions. The public comments will be considered in evaluating 
whether the NRC review process in this area should be changed. The 
Draft SRPs will be available on NRC electronic bulletin boards and in 
the NRC's Public Document Room.

DATES: The public is invited to submit comments on the draft SRPs by 
March 15, 1997. Comments received after this date will be considered if 
it is practical to do so, but assurance of consideration cannot be 
given except as to comments received on or before this date. On the 
basis of the submitted comments, the Commission will determine whether 
to modify the draft SRPs before issuing them in final form.

ADDRESSES: Mail comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555, Attention: Docketing and Service 
Branch.
    Deliver comments to: 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 
between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., Federal workdays.
    Comments may be submitted electronically, in either ASCII text or 
WordPerfect format (version 5.1 or later), by calling the NRC 
electronic Bulletin Board (BBS) on FedWorld. The bulletin board may be 
accessed by using a personal computer, a modem, and one of the commonly 
available communications software packages, or directly via Internet.
    If using a personal computer and modem, the NRC-EDIN subsystem on 
FedWorld can be accessed directly by dialing the toll free number (800) 
303-9672. Communication software parameters should be set as follows: 
parity to none, data bits to 8, and stop bits to 1 (N,8,1). Using ANSI 
or VT-100 terminal emulation, the NRC-EDIN subsystem can then be 
accessed by selecting the ``Rules Menu'' option from the ``NRC Main 
Menu.'' Many NRC subsystems and data bases also have a ``Help/
Information Center'' option that is tailored to the particular 
subsystem.
    The NRC subsystem on FedWorld can also be accessed by a direct dial 
telephone number for the main FedWorld BBS, [phone], or by using 
Telnet via Internet: fedworld.gov. If using [phone] to contact 
FedWorld, the NRC subsystem will be accessed from the main FedWorld 
menu by selecting the ``Regulatory, Government Administration and State 
Systems,'' then selecting ``Regulatory

[[Page 68310]]

Information Mail.'' At that point, a menu will be displayed that has an 
option ``U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission'' that will take you to the 
NRC Online main menu. The NRC Online area also can be accessed directly 
by typing ``/go nrc'' at a FedWorld command line. If you access NRC 
from FedWorld's main menu, you may return to FedWorld by selecting the 
``Return to FedWorld'' option from the NRC Online Main Menu. However, 
if you access NRC at FedWorld by using the NRC's toll-free number, you 
will have full access to all NRC systems, but you will not have access 
to the main FedWorld system.
    If you contact FedWorld using Telnet, you will see the NRC area and 
menus, including the NRC-EDIN Menu. Although you will be able to 
download documents and leave messages, you will not be able to write 
comments or upload files (comments). If you contact FedWorld using FTP, 
all files can be accessed and downloaded but uploads are not allowed; 
all you will see is a list of files without descriptions (normal Gopher 
look). An index file listing all files within a subdirectory, with 
descriptions, is available. There is a 15-minute time limit for FTP 
access.
    Although FedWorld can also be accessed through the World Wide Web, 
like FTP that mode only provides access for downloading files and does 
not display the NRC-EDIN Menu.
    For more information on NRC bulletin boards call Mr. Arthur Davis, 
Systems Integration and Development Branch, NRC, Washington, DC 20555, 
telephone [phone]; e-mail [e-mail].
    Examine copies of comments received at: The NRC Public Document 
Room, 2120 L Street NW (Lower Level), Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert S. Wood, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555, telephone [phone], e-mail [e-mail]; or for the 
Antitrust SRP, Michael J. Davis, telephone [phone], e-mail 
[e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft Standard Review Plan on Antitrust 
describes the procedures used by the NRC staff to implement the 
antitrust review and enforcement prescribed in Sections 105 and 186 of 
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended and will replace the original 
NUREG-0970. These procedures are principally covered by the 
Commission's Rules and Regulations in 10 CFR 2.101, 2.102, 2.2, 50.33a, 
52.77, 50.80, and 50.90. These procedures set forth the steps and 
criteria the staff applies in the antitrust review of combined 
construction permit/operating license applications and amendments to 
construction permits, operating licenses, and combined licenses. In 
addition, the procedures describe how the staff enforces compliance by 
licensees with antitrust license conditions.
    The Draft Standard Review Plan on Power Reactor Licensee Financial 
Qualifications and Decommissioning Funding Assurance describes the 
process the NRC staff uses to review the financial qualifications and 
methods of providing decommissioning funding assurance required of 
power reactor licensees. This draft SRP will be used as the basis for 
reviews as the electric utility industry moves from an environment of 
rate regulation toward greater competition. The NRC is concerned that 
rate deregulation and disaggregation resulting from various 
restructuring actions involving power reactor licensees could have 
adverse effects on the protection of public health and safety.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of December, 1996.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John C. Hoyle,
Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 96-32951 Filed 12-26-96; 8:45 am]
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