Year
2003
Abstract
An overview is presented on progress made by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in consolidating all MC&A regulations for fuel cycle facilities. This effort resulted in the recent publication of MC&A requirements for Category II facilities. Previously, the MC&A requirements for Category II facilities and other general MC&A requirements were interspersed among the safety and general licensing requirements in Part 70 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 70). A Category II licensee is one that is licensed to possess and use special nuclear material (SNM) of moderate strategic significance (e.g., 10 kilograms of uranium enriched to 10 percent or more but less than 20 percent in the uranium-235 isotope, with limited quantities at higher enrichments). The final amendments consolidate, in 10 CFR Part 74, the MC&A requirements for all three facility categories. Furthermore, the MC&A requirements for Category II facilities have been revised to be more risk-informed and performance-based, consistent with the existing MC&A regulations for Category I and III facilities. The relocation and modification of the Category II MC&A requirements will enhance the regulatory process by providing the licensees with a better understanding of the procedures and requirements for MC&A, and also simplify locating the requirements for all licensees, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the regulations. The new rule is intended to reduce the regulatory burden on both licensees and the NRC staff, while maintaining adequate safeguards. This consolidation of regulations is another step towards NRC’s regulatory reform goal of providing a graded approach to MC&A regulations.