REVISED: TIME AND LOCATION CHANGE
NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING NOV. 1 IN ROCKVILLE, MD
ON PROPOSED REVISIONS TO LIMITED WORK AUTHORIZATION RULES
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on a supplemental proposed rule that would amend its regulations regarding the issuance of limited work authorizations (LWA) for construction related to new nuclear power plants.

The proposed changes supplement the NRC’s rulemaking to revise Part 52 of the agency’s regulations, which deal with licensing processes such as Early Site Permits (ESP), Design Certifications and Combined Licenses (COL). The Part 52 proposal would clarify its relationship to Part 50, which has license requirements for currently operating reactors.

The NRC will discuss the supplement in a public meeting Wednesday, Nov. 1, in room T9A1 of the Two White Flint North building, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville. The meeting, which will include opportunities for the public to ask questions on the proposal, will run from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.

The supplement’s changes would revise the definition of “construction” that requires either a LWA, a Part 50 construction permit or a COL. Under the proposed rule, no LWA would be required for activities such as site clearing, transmission line routing, road building and construction of permanent buildings not required in safety analysis reports for the nuclear power plant. A LWA, construction permit or COL would be required, however, for activities including excavation, pile-driving and foundation work for any structure, system or component required in a safety analysis report.

The proposed rule would allow LWA applications before submission of an application for a construction permit or COL. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board and NRC staff would have to render decisions on the LWA request before work could begin. For a site where a construction permit was issued but no plant was built, the LWA application could reference an existing environmental impact statement for the site, taking into account the possible need for updated information.

The text of the proposed changes is available on the NRC's RuleForum page at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov by clicking on the"Draft Rule Text for Comment" link. The proposed changes will be published soon in the Federal Register, and after publication the proposed rule can be accessed on RuleForum by clicking on the "Proposed Rules" link. The deadline for commenting on the changes is 30 days after publication of the proposed rule, to guarantee consideration by the NRC. Comments submitted later than this date may be considered if practical. Comments can be mailed to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C., 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff. Comments can be hand-carried to 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md., between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on federal work days, or they can be faxed to 301-415-1101. E-mail comments can also be sent to rulemaking.comments@nrc.gov. In addition, comments can also be submitted through the NRC’s eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.

NRC news releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site.

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Wednesday, April 30, 2008