Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material-Written Reports and Clarifying Amendments

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations related to reportable safety events involving special nuclear material. This rule increases the time licensees are allowed to submit a written follow-up report from within 30 days to within 60 days after the initial report of an event, updates the reporting framework for certain situations, and removes redundant reporting requirements. These amendments affect a licensee or an applicant that is, or plans to be, authorized to possess greater than a critical mass of special nuclear material. This action resulted from a petition for rulemaking (PRM) received by the NRC (PRM-70-8). As a result of this direct final rule, the NRC's "FCSS [Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards] Interim Staff Guidance-12, Revision 1, 10 CFR [Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations] Part 70--Reportable Safety Events" contains minor editorial updates that reflect the amendments.