Public Meeting on Consideration of Rulemaking To Reduce the Likelihood of Funding Shortfalls for Decommissioning Under the License Termination Rule

Résumé

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is working on a proposed rule to reduce the likelihood that a licensee will have insufficient funds to decommission its facility in accordance with 10 CFR part 20, Subpart E, Radiological Criteria for License Termination. In the past, these funding shortfalls resulted in "legacy sites," which are sites that are in decommissioning but whose operators do not have enough funds to complete the work and terminate the license in accordance with NRC regulations. All of the legacy sites have been materials facilities, primarily those that processed uranium and thorium, with undetected subsurface contamination from operations arising as a significant problem during decommissioning. A risk- informed approach addressing subsurface contamination at operating facilities would affect materials licensees and operators of nuclear power reactors. The purpose of the meeting is to give stakeholders an opportunity to discuss their views and interact with other interested parties on the regulatory issues summarized in the Supplementary Information section of this document. To aid in the rulemaking process, NRC is holding a public meeting with a "roundtable" forma