SEQUESTRATION UNLIKELY TO IMPACT NRC’S WASTE CONFIDENCE WORK

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s waste confidence efforts are unlikely to be among the programs impacted by sequestration, NRC Executive Director of Operations Bill Borchardt said yesterday at the agency’s Regulatory Information Conference. “The waste confidence rule is a very high-priority activity, so I think I can say with a fairly high degree of confidence that sequestration would not impact that activity,” Borchardt said. The sequestration cuts that went into effect this month will cut 5 percent from the NRC’s budget, or about $52 million this fiscal year. Following a court order last summer, the agency’s staff has been completing an in-depth environmental impact statement and rulemaking on waste confidence, and will not issue new licenses dependent on waste confidence until the issue is addressed.

 

While NRC officials have vowed not to furlough employees, a number of programs will be delayed or deferred, Borchardt said. “Impacts will include elimination of the grants to universities and minority-serving institutions program, elimination of funding to the new reactor licensing long-term work, reductions in several long-term research activities, delays and infrastructure upgrades and staff training and delays to fuel cycle uranium recovery and spent fuel storage and transportation environmental reviews,” he said. Contractors supporting the NRC’s work are likely to suffer cuts, and along with licensees will be contacted by NRC offices in the coming weeks to “provide specific details as we gain a more clear understanding of the impacts,” Borchardt said.