NRC to Senators: No Plans to Change Exemption Process

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has no plans to change its exemption process for decommissioning sites, according to a letter sent by NRC Chair Allison Macfarlane to a group of Senate lawmakers led by Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) this week. Markey sent a letter back in early May to the NRC, along with four other Senators from states with decommissioning sites, in an attempt to sway the NRC’s decision-making process on exemptions. Both Markey and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) have made the exemption process a point of criticism in their oversight responsibilities with the NRC, but their criticism seems to have had no effect on the NRC. “I appreciate you sharing your views on this very important topic,” Macfarlane wrote in the letter. “Please be assured that we give them serious consideration. At this time, the NRC believes it is reasonable and appropriate to continue following the regulatory process that allows for site-specific, case-by-case evaluation of EP and security exemption requests from licensees during the decommissioning process.”