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	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
	Office of Public Affairs	Telephone: 301/415-8200
	Washington, DC 20555-001	E-mail: opa@nrc.gov

No. 97-035

February 27, 1997

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to amend the licensing,

inspection and annual fees charged to its license applicants and licensees.

The proposed amendments implement the requirements of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 which mandates that the NRC recover approximately 100 percent of its budget authority -- less appropriations from the Nuclear Waste Fund -- in fiscal years 1990 through 1998 by assessing license and annual fees.

The Commission's budget authority for fiscal year 1997 is $476.8 million, of which about $11 million has been appropriated from the Nuclear Waste Fund, and $3.5 million from the General Fund, for activities related to commercial vitrification of waste stored at the Department of Energy's Hanford, Washington site. Both activities are excluded from licensee fee revenues by law. This leaves a budget of approximately $462.3 million which NRC must collect in fees. The total amount to be recovered remains unchanged from fiscal year 1996. However, the distribution of the amount between licensing and inspection fees and annual fees would change.

In the proposed rule, NRC is increasing the fiscal year 1997 annual fees approximately eight percent above those for fiscal year 1996 due to a decrease in licensing and inspection fees, and a decrease in the number of licenses.

The 1997 annual fees are:

-- $2,972,000 for power reactor licensees, from $2,746,000 in fiscal year 1996;

-- $57,200 for nonpower (research and test) reactor licensees, from $52,800 in fiscal year 1996;

-- $2,600,000 for high-enriched uranium fuel facility licensees, from $2,403,000 in fiscal year 1996;

-- $1,276,000 for low-enriched fuel fabrication facility licensees which manufacture fuel for nuclear power plants, from $1,179,000 in fiscal year 1996;

-- $14,000 for radiographers, from $13,000; and

-- $23,500 for broad scope medical licensees, from $21,700.

The Commission's proposed amendments also include revisions to hourly rates charged for the reactor and nuclear materials programs, as well as revisions to licensing application and amendment fees to reflect the agency's cost of reviewing these documents.

Written comments on the proposed amendments to Parts 170 and 171 of the Commission's regulations should be received by March 31. They should be addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, Attention: Docketing and Services Branch. The proposed amendments were published in the Federal Register on February 27.