Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Allison Macfarlane yesterday called for regulationis to better reflect the status of decommissioning plants during remarks made at the National Press Club. Macfarlane’s comments came in the context of lessons-learned during her time at the Commission, especially in light of her impending departure. Macfarlane announced last month her plans to leave the NRC at the end of the year to take a position at George Washington University. Exemptions for decommissioning plants proved troublesome during Macfarlane’s tenure with push-back from Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) over the perceived safety reductions. The NRC has maintained that the exemptions reflect the risks of a decommissioning plant, something Macfarlane suggested should have its own rulemaking. “While I believe that these regulations provide a robust framework for the NRC’s operating reactor oversight, I question whether exemptions remain appropriate at a time when multiple plants have entered the decommissioning process,” Macfarlane said. “I believe it’s time for the NRC to develop regulations specific to the decommissioning of nuclear power plants, both to help utilities through decommissioning and to structure public expectations of the process.”
Macfarlane also tried to counter the increasing enthusiasm for Yucca Mountain during her remarks. With the recent release of Volume Three of the Safety Evaluation Report saying the design at Yucca Mountain meets regulatory requirements for post-closure and the Senate flipping to Republican control, Yucca supporters have sought to breathe new life into the project. Macfarlane , however, reminded those supporters that without a willing applicant, the NRC could not move forward in the licensing process. “I want to emphasize that the Department of Energy and the Administration have been clear that they’re not pursuing a license for Yucca Mountain, and Congress hasn’t provided resources for them to do so,” Macfarlane said. “Without a willing applicant, the NRC cannot pursue the remaining portion of the licensing process.”
She also suggested the NRC begin looking at a rulemaking that would help streamline the licensing of other future sites besides Yucca Mountain. The current NRC regulations for siting standards only reflect Yucca Mountain currently, which we impede progress on a new site or second location that will eventually be needed. The new rulemaking, Macfarlane said, would help establish a generic standard. “Since our current siting standards for deep geologic disposal are specific to the Yucca Mountain site, I believe it’s appropriate and necessary to begin a rulemaking to address a generic standard,” she said.
