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{{#Wiki_filter:[7590-01-P] | {{#Wiki_filter:[7590-01-P] | ||
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION | NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION | ||
[Docket No. 07007004; EA-23-018; NRC-2023-0157] | [Docket No. 07007004; EA-23-018; NRC-2023-0157] | ||
In the Matter of American Centrifuge Operating, LLC; American Centrifuge Operating Oak Ridge AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. | |||
In the Matter of American Centrifuge Operating, LLC; | |||
American Centrifuge Operating Oak Ridge | |||
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. | |||
ACTION: Confirmatory order; issuance. | ACTION: Confirmatory order; issuance. | ||
==SUMMARY== | ==SUMMARY== | ||
: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a | : The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a Conf irmatory | ||
Order (Order) to American Centrifuge Operating, LLC (ACO, the l icensee), as a result of | |||
a successful alternative dispute resolution mediation session c ompleted on | |||
June 27, 2023. The commitments outlined in the Order were made as part of a | |||
settlement agreement concerning apparent violations by ACO for failing to meet NRC | |||
regulatory requirements related to protection of classified inf ormation. Details regarding | |||
the apparent violations contain security-related information an d are therefore | |||
documented in a non-public version of the Order. The Order is e ffective upon issuance. | |||
DATES: The Order was issued on September 21, 2023. | DATES: The Order was issued on September 21, 2023. | ||
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0157 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You may obtain publicly available information related to this document using any of the following methods: | |||
* Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2023-0157. Address questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; | ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0157 when contacting the NRC | ||
Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the | |||
* NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the | about the availability of information regarding this document. You may obtain publicly | ||
* NRCs PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an | |||
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Toth, Region II, telephone: 404-997-4445; email: Matthew.Toth@nrc.gov and Mark Kowal, Region II, telephone: 404-997-4523, email: Mark.Kowal@nrc.gov. Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. | available information related to this document using any of the following methods: | ||
* Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and | |||
search for Docket ID NRC-2023-0157. Address questions about Docket IDs in | |||
Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; ema il: | |||
Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the in dividual listed in the | |||
For Further Information Contact section of this document. | |||
* NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System | |||
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADAM S Public | |||
Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.ht ml. To begin the | |||
search, select Begin Web-based ADAMS Search. For problems wit h ADAMS, please | |||
contact the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at | |||
301-415-4737, or by email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. The Confirma tory Order | |||
modifying the license of American Centrifuge Operating, LLC, is available in ADAMS | |||
under Accession No. ML23263B067. | |||
* NRCs PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies of publicly | |||
available documents, is open by appointment. To make an appoint ment to visit the PDR, | |||
please send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415- | |||
4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday throu gh Friday, except | |||
Federal holidays. | |||
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Toth, Region II, telephone: 404- | |||
997-4445; email: Matthew.Toth@nrc.gov and Mark Kowal, Region II, telephone: 404- | |||
997-4523, email: Mark.Kowal@nrc.gov. Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory | |||
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. | |||
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of the Order is attached. | SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of the Order is attached. | ||
Dated: September 22, 2023. | Dated: September 22, 2023. | ||
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. | For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. | ||
/RA/ | |||
Laura A. Dudes, Regional Administrator, NRC Region II. | Laura A. Dudes, Regional Administrator, NRC Region II. | ||
Attachment - CONFIRMATORY ORDER MODIFYING LICENSE - AMERICAN CENTRIFUGE OPERATING - OAK RIDGE | |||
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | |||
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION | |||
In the Matter of ) Docket Number 07007004 | |||
) | |||
American Centrifuge Operating, LLC ) License Number SNM-2011 | |||
) | |||
American Centrifuge Operating Oak Ridge ) EA-23-018 | |||
CONFIRMATORY ORDER MODIFYING LICENSE | |||
I | |||
American Centrifuge Operating, LLC (ACO or Licensee) is the hol der of Materials | |||
License No. SNM-2011 issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comm ission (NRC or | |||
Commission) pursuant to part 95 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations | |||
(10 CFR). The license authorizes the operation of the ACO facil ity in Piketon, Ohio | |||
(ACO-Piketon), the ACO facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ACO-OR ), and the ACO | |||
headquarters facility in Bethesda, Maryland, in accordance with conditions specified | |||
therein. | |||
This Confirmatory Order (CO) is the result of an agreement reac hed during an | |||
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mediation session conducte d on June 27, 2023, | |||
in Rockville, Maryland. | |||
Enclosure 1 II | |||
On March 30, 2023, the NRC issued Special Inspection Report (IR ) | |||
07007004/2023401 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management Sy stem | |||
(ADAMS) ML23074A222, public cover letter) to ACO-OR which docum ented the | |||
identification of apparent violations that were being considere d for escalated | |||
enforcement action in accordance with the NRC Enforcement Polic y. The apparent | |||
violations involved the licensees failure to meet regulatory r equirements. Details | |||
regarding the apparent violations contain security-related info rmation and are therefore | |||
documented in the non-public version of the Confirmatory Order. | |||
By the same letter, dated March 30, 2023, the NRC notified ACO of the results of | |||
the inspection with an opportunity to: (1) provide a response i n writing, (2) attend a | |||
predecisional enforcement conference or (3) participate in an A DR mediation session in | |||
an effort to resolve these concerns. | |||
In response to the NRCs letter of March 30, 2023, ACO requeste d the use of the | |||
NRCs ADR process to resolve differences it had with the NRC. On June 27, 2023, the | |||
NRC and ACO met in an ADR session mediated by a professional me diator arranged | |||
through the U.S. Department of Energy. The ADR process is one i n which a neutral | |||
mediator, with no decision-making authority, assists the partie s in reaching an | |||
agreement on resolving any differences regarding the dispute. T his Confirmatory Order | |||
is issued pursuant to the agreement reached during the ADR proc ess. | |||
III | |||
During the ADR session, ACO and the NRC reached a preliminary s ettlement | |||
agreement. The elements of the agreement include the following: | |||
: 1. ACO acknowledged that the violations occurred as documented in NRC IR number | |||
07007004/2023401 (ADAMS Accession No. ML23074A222, public cover letter) | |||
issued on March 30, 2023, and as described in Section II of thi s Order. | |||
: 2. In recognition of the prompt and comprehensive corrective ac tions taken in response | |||
to the apparent violations, as documented in this CO, discussed at the ADR, and | |||
documented in IR 07007004/2023401 issued on March 30, 2023, ACO is not | |||
required to provide a written response in accordance with 10 CF R 2.201. The | |||
licensee initiated a root cause analysis investigation and esta blished additional | |||
corrective actions based on results from that investigation. Co rrective actions and | |||
enhancements completed by ACO contain security-related informat ion and are | |||
therefore contained in the non-public version of the Confirmato ry Order. | |||
: 3. For the purposes of this agreement, portions of the Confirma tory Order, as | |||
designated herein, will apply to ACO Oak Ridge (Oak Ridge), ACO -Piketon | |||
(Piketon), or both. | |||
: 4. Based on ACOs review of the incident and NRCs concerns wit h respect to | |||
precluding recurrence of the violations, ACO agrees to implemen t corrective actions | |||
and enhancements that contain security-related information and are therefore | |||
documented in the non-public version of the Confirmatory Order. | |||
Within 15 months from the date of the Confirmatory Order, ACO w ill submit to the | |||
NRC for approval a revision to the Oak Ridge and Piketon Standa rd Practice | |||
Procedure Plans to reflect the commitments which include markin g requirements, | |||
searching requirements, training, and root cause evaluation cri teria. Details | |||
regarding the commitments contain security-related information and are in the | |||
described in the non-public version of the Confirmatory Order. | |||
: 5. Upon implementation of all the actions required of ACO in th e Confirmatory Order, | |||
ACO will notify the NRC Region II Regional Administrator. | |||
: 6. The NRC considers the correct ive actions discussed above to be appropriately | |||
prompt and comprehensive to address the causes which resulted i n the incidents | |||
discussed in the NRCs IR dated March 30, 2023. | |||
: 7. In consideration of the commitments delineated above, the NR C agrees not to cite | |||
the violations and agrees not to propose a civil penalty for al l matters discussed in | |||
the NRCs IR dated March 30, 2023. | |||
: 8. The NRC agrees that the Confirmatory Order will not count as escalated enforcement in the civil penalty assessment process for future enforcement cases | |||
involving ACO. | |||
: 9. The Regional Administrator, NRC Region II, may relax or resc ind, in writing, any of | |||
the above conditions of the Confirmatory Order upon a showing b y ACO of good | |||
cause. | |||
: 10. The NRC and ACO agree that the above elements will be incor porated into issuance | |||
of a Confirmatory Order, with a Waiver of Hearing Rights. | |||
: 11. This agreement is binding upon successors and assigns of AC O. | |||
Based on the completed actions described above, and the commitm ents | |||
described in Section V below, the NRC agrees to not pursue any further enforcement | |||
action based on the apparent vio lations identified in the NRCs {{letter dated|date=March 30, 2023|text=March 30, 2023, letter}} | |||
and the Order will not count as escalated enforcement in the civil penalty assessment | |||
process for future enforcement cases involving ACO. | |||
On September 12, 2023, ACO consented to issuing this Confirmato ry Order with | |||
the commitments, as described in Section V below. ACO further a greed that this | |||
Confirmatory Order is to be effective upon issuance, the agreem ent memorialized in this | |||
Confirmatory Order settles the matter between the parties, and that ACO has waived its | |||
right to a hearing. | |||
IV | |||
I find that ACOs actions completed and planned, as described i n Section III | |||
above, combined with the commitments as set forth in Section V are acceptable and | |||
necessary, and conclude that with these commitments the public health and safety are | |||
reasonably assured. In view of the foregoing, I have determined that public health and | |||
safety require that ACOs commitments be confirmed by this Conf irmatory Order. Based | |||
on the above and ACOs consent, this Confirmatory Order is effe ctive upon issuance. | |||
V | |||
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 81, 161b, 161i, 161o, 182 and 187 of the | |||
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the Commission's reg ulations in | |||
10 CFR 2.202 and 10 CFR part 95, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, EFFECTIV E UPON | |||
ISSUANCE, THAT ACO License No. SNM-2011 IS MODIFIED AS FOLLOW S: | |||
Within 15 months from the date of the Confirmatory Order, ACO w ill submit to the | |||
NRC for approval a revision to the Oak Ridge and Piketon Standa rd Practice Procedure | |||
Plans to reflect the commitments which include marking requirem ents, searching | |||
requirements, training, and root cause evaluation criteria. Det ails regarding the | |||
commitments contain security-related information and are in the described in the non- | |||
public version of the Confirmatory Order. | |||
This agreement is binding upon successors and assigns of ACO. T he Regional | |||
Administrator, Region II, may, in writing, relax or rescind any of the above conditions | |||
upon demonstration by ACO or its successors of good cause. | |||
VI | |||
Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information | |||
(SUNSI) for Contention Preparation: | |||
A. This Confirmatory Order contains instructions regarding how potential parties to | |||
this proceeding may request access to documents containing SUNS I. | |||
B. Within 10 days after publication of this notice of hearing a nd opportunity to petition | |||
for leave to intervene, any potential party who believes access to SUNSI is | |||
necessary to respond to this notice may request such access. A "potential party" is | |||
any person who intends to participate as a party by demonstrati ng standing and | |||
filing an admissible contention under 10 CFR 2.309. Requests for access to SUNSI | |||
submitted later than 10 days after publication of this notice will not be considered | |||
absent a showing of good cause for the late filing, addressing why the request | |||
could not have been filed earlier. | |||
C. The requester shall submit a letter requesting permission to ac cess SUNSI to the | |||
Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Wa shington, DC | |||
20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, and provide a copy to | |||
the Associate General Counsel for Hearings, Enforcement and Adm inistration, | |||
Office of the General Counsel, Washington, DC 20555-0001. The e xpedited | |||
delivery or courier mail address for both offices is: U.S. Nucl ear Regulatory | |||
Commission, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Th e e-mail addresses for the Office of the Secretary and the Office of the General Counsel are | |||
Hearing.Docket@nrc.gov and OGCmailcenter@nrc.gov, respectively1. The request | |||
must include the following information: | |||
: 1. A description of the licensing action with a citation to thi s Federal Register | |||
notice; | |||
: 2. The name and address of the potential party and a descriptio n of the potential | |||
party's particularized interest that could be harmed by the act ion identified in | |||
C.(1); and | |||
: 3. The identity of the individual or entity requesting access t o SUNSI and the | |||
requester's basis for the need for the information in order to meaningfully | |||
participate in this adjudicatory proceeding. In particular, the request mu st | |||
explain why publicly available versions of the information requ ested would not | |||
be sufficient to provide the basis and specificity for a proffe red contention. | |||
D. Based on an evaluation of the information submitted under pa ragraph C.(3) the | |||
NRC staff will determine within 10 days of receipt of the request whether: | |||
: 1. There is a reasonable basis to believe the petitioner is lik ely to establish | |||
standing to participate in this NRC proceeding; and | |||
1 While a request for hearing or petition to intervene in this proceeding must comply with the filing requirements of the NRC's "E-Filing Rule," the initial request to access SUNSI under these procedures should be submitted as described in this paragraph. | |||
: 2. The requester has established a legitimate need for access t o SUNSI. | |||
E. If the NRC staff determines that the requester satisfies both D.(1) and D.(2) above, | |||
the NRC staff will notify the requestor in writing that access to SUNSI has been | |||
granted. The written notification will contain instructions on how the requestor may | |||
obtain copies of the requested documents, and any other conditi ons that may apply | |||
to access to those documents. These conditions may include, but are not limited | |||
to, the signing of a Non-Disclosure Agreement or Affidavit, or Protective Order2 | |||
setting forth terms and conditions to prevent the unauthorized or inadvertent | |||
disclosure of SUNSI by each individual who will be granted access to SUNSI. | |||
F. Filing of Contentions. Any contentions in these proceedings that are based upon | |||
the information received as a result of the request made for SU NSI must be filed by | |||
the requestor no later than 25 days after the requestor is granted access to that | |||
information. However, if more than 25 days remain between the d ate the petitioner | |||
is granted access to the information and the deadline for filin g all other contentions | |||
(as established in the notice of hearing or opportunity for hea ring), the petitioner | |||
may file its SUNSI contentions by that later deadline. This pro vision does not | |||
extend the time for filing a request for a hearing and petition to intervene, which | |||
must comply with the requirements of 10 CFR 2.309. | |||
2 Any motion for Protective Order or draft Non-Disclosure Affidavit or Agreement for SUNSI must be filed with the presiding officer or the Chief Administrative Judge if the presiding officer has not yet been designated, within 30 days of the deadline for the receipt of the written access request. | |||
G. Review of Denials of Access. | G. Review of Denials of Access. | ||
: 1. If the request for access to SUNSI is denied by the NRC staff | : 1. If the request for access to SUNSI is denied by the NRC staff a fter a | ||
: 2. The requester may challenge the NRC staffs adverse | |||
H. Review of Grants of Access. A party other than the requester may challenge an NRC staff determination granting access to SUNSI whose release would harm that party's interest independent of the proceeding. Such a challenge must | determination on standing and need for access, the NRC staff sh all | ||
If challenges to the NRC staff determinations are filed, these procedures give way to the normal process for litigating disputes concerning access to information. The availability of interlocutory review by the Commission of | |||
immediately notify the requestor in writing, briefly stating th e reason or | |||
reasons for the denial. | |||
: 2. The requester may challenge the NRC staffs adverse determinatio n by filing | |||
a challenge within 5 days of receipt of that determination with : (a) the | |||
presiding officer designated in this proceeding; (b) if no pres iding officer has | |||
been appointed, the Chief Administrative Judge, or if he or she is unavailable, | |||
another administrative judge, or an administrative law judge wi th jurisdiction | |||
pursuant to 10 CFR 2.318(a); or (c) officer if that officer has been designated | |||
to rule on information access issues. | |||
H. Review of Grants of Access. A party other than the requester may challenge an | |||
NRC staff determination granting access to SUNSI whose release would harm that | |||
party's interest independent of the proceeding. Such a challenge must b e filed with | |||
the Chief Administrative Judge within 5 days of the notificatio n by the NRC staff of | |||
its grant of access. | |||
If challenges to the NRC staff determinations are filed, these procedures give way | |||
to the normal process for litigating disputes concerning access to information. The | |||
availability of interlocutory review by the Commission of order s ruling on such NRC staff determinations (whether granting or denying access) is go verned by | |||
10 CFR 2.311.3 | |||
The Commission expects that the NRC staff and presiding officer s (and any other | |||
reviewing officers) will consider and resolve requests for acce ss to SUNSI, and | |||
motions for protective orders, in a timely fashion in order to minimize any | |||
unnecessary delays in identifying those petitioners who have st anding and who | |||
have propounded contentions meeting the specificity and basis r equirements in | |||
10 CFR part 2. Attachment 2 to this Order summarizes the genera l target schedule | |||
for processing and resolving requests under these procedures. | |||
VII | |||
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.202 and 10 CFR 2.309, any person ad versely | |||
affected by this Confirmatory Order, other than ACO, may reques t a hearing within thirty | |||
(30) calendar days of the date of issuance of this Confirmatory Order. Where good | |||
cause is shown, consideration will be given to extending the ti me to request a hearing. A | |||
request for extension of time must be made in writing to the Di rector, Office of | |||
Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, and | |||
include a statement of good cause for the extension. | |||
3 Requestors should note that the filing requirements of the NRC's E-Filing Rule (72 FR 49139; August 28, 2007) apply to appeals of NRC staff determinations (because they must be served on a presiding officer or the Commission, as applicable), but not to the initial SUNSI request submitted to the NRC staff under these procedures. | |||
All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings, including a request for | |||
hearing, a petition for leave to intervene, any motion or other document filed in the | |||
proceeding prior to the submission of a request for hearing or petition to intervene | |||
(hereinafter petition), and documents filed by interested gov ernmental entities | |||
participating under 10 CFR 2.315(c), must be filed in accordanc e with the NRCs E-Filing | |||
rule (72 FR 49139; August 28, 2007, as amended at 77 FR 46562, August 3, 2012). The | |||
E-Filing process requires participants to submit and serve all adjudicatory documents | |||
over the internet, or in some cases to mail copies on electroni c storage media. | |||
Participants may not submit paper copies of their filings unles s they seek an exemption | |||
in accordance with the procedures described below. | |||
All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings, including documents filed | |||
by an interested State, local governmental body, Federally reco gnized Indian Tribe, or | |||
designated agency thereof that requests to participate under 10 CFR 2.315(c), must be | |||
filed in accordance with 10 CFR 2.302. The E-Filing process req uires participants to | |||
submit and serve all adjudicatory documents over the internet, or in some cases, to mail | |||
copies on electronic storage media, unless an exemption permitting an alternative filing | |||
method, as further discussed, is granted. Detailed guidance on electronic submissions is | |||
located in the Guidance for El ectronic Submissions to the NRC (ADAMS Accession | |||
No. ML13031A056) and on the NRCs public website at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e- | |||
submittals.html. | |||
To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at leas t 10 days prior to | |||
the filing deadline, the participant should contact the Office of the Secretary by email at Hearing.Docket@nrc.gov, or by telephone at 301-415-1677, to (1) request a digital | |||
identification (ID) certificate, which allows the participant ( or its counsel or | |||
representative) to digitally sign submissions and access the E-Filing system for any | |||
proceeding in which it is participating; and (2) advise the Sec retary that the participant | |||
will be submitting a petition or other adjudicatory document (e ven in instances in which | |||
the participant, or its counsel or representative, already hold s an NRC-issued digital ID | |||
certificate). Based upon this information, the Secretary will e stablish an electronic docket | |||
for the proceeding if the Secretary has not already established an electronic docket. | |||
Information about applying for a digital ID certificate is avai lable on the NRCs | |||
public website at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/ge tting-started.html. After a | |||
digital ID certificate is obtained and a docket created, the pa rticipant must submit | |||
adjudicatory documents in Portable Document Format. Guidance on submissions is | |||
available on the NRCs public website at https://www.nrc.gov/si te-help/electronic-sub-ref- | |||
mat.html. A filing is considered complete at the time the docum ent is submitted through | |||
the NRCs E-Filing system. To be timely, an electronic filing m ust be submitted to the | |||
E-Filing system no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the due date. Up on receipt of a | |||
transmission, the E-Filing system time-stamps the document and sends the submitter an | |||
email confirming receipt of the document. The E-Filing system a lso distributes an email | |||
that provides access to the document to the NRCs Office of the General Counsel and | |||
any others who have advised the Office of the Secretary that th ey wish to participate in | |||
the proceeding, so that the filer need not serve the document o n those participants | |||
separately. Therefore, applicants and other participants (or th eir counsel or representative) must apply for and receive a digital ID certificate before adjudicatory | |||
documents are filed to obtain access to the documents via the E -Filing system. | |||
A person filing electronically u sing the NRCs adjudicatory E-Filing system may | |||
seek assistance by contacting the NRCs Electronic Filing Help Desk through the | |||
Contact Us link located on the NRCs public website at https: //www.nrc.gov/site-help/e- | |||
submittals.html, by email to MSHD.Resource@nrc.gov, or by a toll-free call at 1-866- | |||
672-7640. The NRC Electronic Filing Help Desk is available betw een 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., | |||
ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. | ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. | ||
certificates and you will be automatically directed to the | Participants who believe that they have good cause for not subm itting documents | ||
With respect to copyrighted works, except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of the adjudicatory filings and would constitute a Fair Use | |||
The Commission will issue a notice or order granting or denying a hearing request or intervention petition, designating the issues for | electronically must file an exemption request, in accordance wi th 10 CFR 2.302(g), with | ||
If a person (other than ACO) requests a hearing, that person shall set forth with particularity the manner in which his interest is adversely | |||
If a hearing is requested by a person whose interest is | their initial paper filing stating why there is good cause for not filing electronically and | ||
requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in pap er format. Such filings | |||
must be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(b)-(d). Parti cipants filing | |||
adjudicatory documents in this manner are responsible for servi ng their documents on all | |||
other participants. Participants granted an exemption under 10 CFR 2.302(g)(2) must | |||
still meet the electronic formatting requirement in 10 CFR 2.30 2(g)(1), unless the | |||
participant also seeks and is granted an exemption from 10 CFR 2.302(g)(1). | |||
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in the NRCs | |||
electronic hearing docket, which is publicly available at https ://adams.nrc.gov/ehd, | |||
unless excluded pursuant to an order of the presiding officer. If you do not have an NRC- | |||
issued digital ID certificate as previously described, click c ancel when the link requests certificates and you will be automatically directed to the NRC s electronic hearing | |||
dockets where you will be able to access any publicly available documents in a particular | |||
hearing docket. Participants are requested not to include perso nal privacy information | |||
such as social security numbers, home addresses, or personal ph one numbers in their | |||
filings unless an NRC regulation or other law requires submissi on of such information. | |||
With respect to copyrighted works, except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of | |||
the adjudicatory filings and would constitute a Fair Use applic ation, participants should | |||
not include copyrighted materials in their submission. | |||
The Commission will issue a notice or order granting or denying a hearing | |||
request or intervention petition, designating the issues for an y hearing that will be held | |||
and designating the Presiding Officer. A notice granting a hear ing will be published in the | |||
Federal Register and served on the parties to the hearing. | |||
If a person (other than ACO) requests a hearing, that person shall set forth with | |||
particularity the manner in which his interest is adversely aff ected by this Confirmatory | |||
Order and shall address the criteria set forth in 10 CFR. 2.309 (d) and (f). | |||
If a hearing is requested by a person whose interest is adverse ly affected, the | |||
Commission will issue an order designating the time and place o f any hearings. If a | |||
hearing is held, the issue to be considered at such hearing sha ll be whether this | |||
Confirmatory Order should be sustained. | |||
In the absence of any request for hearing, or written approval of an extension of | |||
time in which to request a hearing, the provisions specified in Section V above shall be | |||
final 30 days from the date of this Confirmatory Order without further order or | |||
proceedings. If an extension of time for requesting a hearing h as been approved, the | |||
provisions specified in Section V shall be final when the extension expires if a hearing | |||
request has not been received. | |||
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission | |||
Laura A. Dudes /RA/ | |||
Regional Administrator NRC Region II | |||
Dated this 21st day of September 2023 | |||
Attachments: As stated | |||
ALL FACILITIES OWNED AND OPERATED BY AMERICAN CENTRIFUGE OPERATING, LLC | ALL FACILITIES OWNED AND OPERATED BY AMERICAN CENTRIFUGE OPERATING, LLC | ||
: 1) American Centrifuge Operating, LLC Larry Cutlip President 400 Centrifuge Way Oak Ridge, TN 37830 | : 1) American Centrifuge Operating, LLC | ||
Larry Cutlip President 400 Centrifuge Way Oak Ridge, TN 37830 | |||
: 2) American Centrifuge Operating, LLC - Piketon (ACO-Piketon) | : 2) American Centrifuge Operating, LLC - Piketon (ACO-Piketon) | ||
Docket No.: 07007004 License No.: SNM-2011 Mathew Snider Enrichment Operations Plant Manager/Operations Manager 3930 U.S. Route 23 South P.O. Box 628 Mail Stop 7560 Piketon, Ohio 45661 | Docket No.: 07007004 License No.: SNM-2011 | ||
Mathew Snider Enrichment Operations Plant Manager/Operations Manager 3930 U.S. Route 23 South P.O. Box 628 Mail Stop 7560 Piketon, Ohio 45661 | |||
: 3) American Centrifuge Operating, LLC - Oak Ridge (ACO-OR) | : 3) American Centrifuge Operating, LLC - Oak Ridge (ACO-OR) | ||
Docket No.: 07007004 License No.: SNM-2011 Mark McClure Site Director 400 Centrifuge Way Oak Ridge, TN 37830 Attachment 1 | Docket No.: 07007004 License No.: SNM-2011 | ||
Mark McClure Site Director 400 Centrifuge Way Oak Ridge, TN 37830 | |||
Attachment 1 General Target Schedule for Processing and Resolving Requests f or Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information in this Proce eding | |||
Day Event/Activity | |||
0 Publication of Federal Register notice of hearing and opportunity to petition for leave to intervene, including order with instructions for acces s requests. | |||
10 Deadline for submitting requests for access to Sensitive Unc lassified Non-Safeguards Information (SUNSI) with information: supporting the standing of a potential party identified by name and address; describing the need for the information in order for the potential party to participate mea ningfully in an adjudicatory proceeding. | |||
60 Deadline for submitting petition for intervention containing : (i) demonstration of standing; and (ii) all contentions whose formulation does not r equire access to SUNSI (+25 Answers to petition for intervention; +7 petitioner/ requestor reply). | |||
20 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff informs the r equester of the status determination whether the request for access provides a reasonable basis to believe standing can be established and shows need for SUNSI. (NRC staff also informs any party to the proceeding whose interest indepen dent of the proceeding would be harmed by the release of the information.) If NRC staff makes the finding of need for SUNSI and likelihood of standing, NRC staff begins document processing (preparation of redactions or review of red acted documents). | |||
25 If NRC staff finds no "need" or no likelihood of standing, t he deadline for petitioner/requester to file a motion seeking a ruling to rever se the NRC starts denial of access; NRC staff files copy of access determination with the presiding officer (or Chief Administrative Judge or other designated offi cer, as appropriate). | |||
If NRC staff finds "need" for SUNSI, the deadline for any party to the proceeding whose interest independent of the proceeding would be harmed by the release of the information to file a motion seeking a ruling to reverse th e NRC staffs grant of access. | |||
30 Deadline for NRC staff reply to motions to reverse NRC staff determination(s). | |||
40 (Receipt +30) If NRC staff finds standing and need for SUNSI, deadline for NRC staff to complete information processing and file motion for Pr otective Order and draft Non-Disclosure Affidavit. Deadline for applicant/licensee to file Non-Disclosure Agreement for SUNSI. | |||
Attachment 2 Day Event/Activity | |||
A If access granted: issuance of presiding officer or other designat ed officer decision on motion for protective order for access to sensitive information (including schedule for providing access and submission of cont entions) or decision reversing a final adverse determination by the NRC sta ff. | |||
A + 3 Deadline for filing executed Non-Disclosure Affidavits. A ccess provided to SUNSI consistent with decision issuing the protective order. | |||
A + 28 Deadline for submission of contentions whose development depends upon access to SUNSI. However, if more than 25 days remain between t he petitioner's receipt of (or access to) the information and the deadline for filing all other contentions (as established in the notice of hearing or opportunity for hearing), the petitioner may file its SUNSI contentions by that later deadline. | |||
A + 53 (Contention receipt +25) Answers to contentions whose de velopment depends upon access to SUNSI. | |||
A + 60 (Answer receipt +7) Petitioner/Intervener reply to answe rs. | |||
>A + 60 Decision on contention admission. | |||
60 | |||
Attachment 2}} | Attachment 2}} | ||
Revision as of 11:31, 13 November 2024
| ML23264A091 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07007004 |
| Issue date: | 09/22/2023 |
| From: | Laura Dudes Region 2 Administrator |
| To: | |
| References | |
| EA-23-018, NRC-2023-0157 | |
| Download: ML23264A091 (21) | |
Text
[7590-01-P]
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 07007004; EA-23-018; NRC-2023-0157]
In the Matter of American Centrifuge Operating, LLC;
American Centrifuge Operating Oak Ridge
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Confirmatory order; issuance.
SUMMARY
- The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a Conf irmatory
Order (Order) to American Centrifuge Operating, LLC (ACO, the l icensee), as a result of
a successful alternative dispute resolution mediation session c ompleted on
June 27, 2023. The commitments outlined in the Order were made as part of a
settlement agreement concerning apparent violations by ACO for failing to meet NRC
regulatory requirements related to protection of classified inf ormation. Details regarding
the apparent violations contain security-related information an d are therefore
documented in a non-public version of the Order. The Order is e ffective upon issuance.
DATES: The Order was issued on September 21, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2023-0157 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may obtain publicly
available information related to this document using any of the following methods:
- Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and
search for Docket ID NRC-2023-0157. Address questions about Docket IDs in
Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; ema il:
Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the in dividual listed in the
For Further Information Contact section of this document.
- NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADAM S Public
Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.ht ml. To begin the
search, select Begin Web-based ADAMS Search. For problems wit h ADAMS, please
contact the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at
301-415-4737, or by email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. The Confirma tory Order
modifying the license of American Centrifuge Operating, LLC, is available in ADAMS
under Accession No. ML23263B067.
- NRCs PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies of publicly
available documents, is open by appointment. To make an appoint ment to visit the PDR,
please send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-
4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday throu gh Friday, except
Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Toth, Region II, telephone: 404-
997-4445; email: Matthew.Toth@nrc.gov and Mark Kowal, Region II, telephone: 404-
997-4523, email: Mark.Kowal@nrc.gov. Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of the Order is attached.
Dated: September 22, 2023.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
/RA/
Laura A. Dudes, Regional Administrator, NRC Region II.
Attachment - CONFIRMATORY ORDER MODIFYING LICENSE - AMERICAN CENTRIFUGE OPERATING - OAK RIDGE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
In the Matter of ) Docket Number 07007004
)
American Centrifuge Operating, LLC ) License Number SNM-2011
)
American Centrifuge Operating Oak Ridge ) EA-23-018
CONFIRMATORY ORDER MODIFYING LICENSE
I
American Centrifuge Operating, LLC (ACO or Licensee) is the hol der of Materials
License No. SNM-2011 issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comm ission (NRC or
Commission) pursuant to part 95 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR). The license authorizes the operation of the ACO facil ity in Piketon, Ohio
(ACO-Piketon), the ACO facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ACO-OR ), and the ACO
headquarters facility in Bethesda, Maryland, in accordance with conditions specified
therein.
This Confirmatory Order (CO) is the result of an agreement reac hed during an
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mediation session conducte d on June 27, 2023,
in Rockville, Maryland.
Enclosure 1 II
On March 30, 2023, the NRC issued Special Inspection Report (IR )
07007004/2023401 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management Sy stem
(ADAMS) ML23074A222, public cover letter) to ACO-OR which docum ented the
identification of apparent violations that were being considere d for escalated
enforcement action in accordance with the NRC Enforcement Polic y. The apparent
violations involved the licensees failure to meet regulatory r equirements. Details
regarding the apparent violations contain security-related info rmation and are therefore
documented in the non-public version of the Confirmatory Order.
By the same letter, dated March 30, 2023, the NRC notified ACO of the results of
the inspection with an opportunity to: (1) provide a response i n writing, (2) attend a
predecisional enforcement conference or (3) participate in an A DR mediation session in
an effort to resolve these concerns.
In response to the NRCs letter of March 30, 2023, ACO requeste d the use of the
NRCs ADR process to resolve differences it had with the NRC. On June 27, 2023, the
NRC and ACO met in an ADR session mediated by a professional me diator arranged
through the U.S. Department of Energy. The ADR process is one i n which a neutral
mediator, with no decision-making authority, assists the partie s in reaching an
agreement on resolving any differences regarding the dispute. T his Confirmatory Order
is issued pursuant to the agreement reached during the ADR proc ess.
III
During the ADR session, ACO and the NRC reached a preliminary s ettlement
agreement. The elements of the agreement include the following:
- 1. ACO acknowledged that the violations occurred as documented in NRC IR number
07007004/2023401 (ADAMS Accession No. ML23074A222, public cover letter)
issued on March 30, 2023, and as described in Section II of thi s Order.
- 2. In recognition of the prompt and comprehensive corrective ac tions taken in response
to the apparent violations, as documented in this CO, discussed at the ADR, and
documented in IR 07007004/2023401 issued on March 30, 2023, ACO is not
required to provide a written response in accordance with 10 CF R 2.201. The
licensee initiated a root cause analysis investigation and esta blished additional
corrective actions based on results from that investigation. Co rrective actions and
enhancements completed by ACO contain security-related informat ion and are
therefore contained in the non-public version of the Confirmato ry Order.
- 3. For the purposes of this agreement, portions of the Confirma tory Order, as
designated herein, will apply to ACO Oak Ridge (Oak Ridge), ACO -Piketon
(Piketon), or both.
- 4. Based on ACOs review of the incident and NRCs concerns wit h respect to
precluding recurrence of the violations, ACO agrees to implemen t corrective actions
and enhancements that contain security-related information and are therefore
documented in the non-public version of the Confirmatory Order.
Within 15 months from the date of the Confirmatory Order, ACO w ill submit to the
NRC for approval a revision to the Oak Ridge and Piketon Standa rd Practice
Procedure Plans to reflect the commitments which include markin g requirements,
searching requirements, training, and root cause evaluation cri teria. Details
regarding the commitments contain security-related information and are in the
described in the non-public version of the Confirmatory Order.
- 5. Upon implementation of all the actions required of ACO in th e Confirmatory Order,
ACO will notify the NRC Region II Regional Administrator.
- 6. The NRC considers the correct ive actions discussed above to be appropriately
prompt and comprehensive to address the causes which resulted i n the incidents
discussed in the NRCs IR dated March 30, 2023.
- 7. In consideration of the commitments delineated above, the NR C agrees not to cite
the violations and agrees not to propose a civil penalty for al l matters discussed in
the NRCs IR dated March 30, 2023.
- 8. The NRC agrees that the Confirmatory Order will not count as escalated enforcement in the civil penalty assessment process for future enforcement cases
involving ACO.
- 9. The Regional Administrator, NRC Region II, may relax or resc ind, in writing, any of
the above conditions of the Confirmatory Order upon a showing b y ACO of good
cause.
- 10. The NRC and ACO agree that the above elements will be incor porated into issuance
of a Confirmatory Order, with a Waiver of Hearing Rights.
- 11. This agreement is binding upon successors and assigns of AC O.
Based on the completed actions described above, and the commitm ents
described in Section V below, the NRC agrees to not pursue any further enforcement
action based on the apparent vio lations identified in the NRCs March 30, 2023, letter
and the Order will not count as escalated enforcement in the civil penalty assessment
process for future enforcement cases involving ACO.
On September 12, 2023, ACO consented to issuing this Confirmato ry Order with
the commitments, as described in Section V below. ACO further a greed that this
Confirmatory Order is to be effective upon issuance, the agreem ent memorialized in this
Confirmatory Order settles the matter between the parties, and that ACO has waived its
right to a hearing.
IV
I find that ACOs actions completed and planned, as described i n Section III
above, combined with the commitments as set forth in Section V are acceptable and
necessary, and conclude that with these commitments the public health and safety are
reasonably assured. In view of the foregoing, I have determined that public health and
safety require that ACOs commitments be confirmed by this Conf irmatory Order. Based
on the above and ACOs consent, this Confirmatory Order is effe ctive upon issuance.
V
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 81, 161b, 161i, 161o, 182 and 187 of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the Commission's reg ulations in
10 CFR 2.202 and 10 CFR part 95, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, EFFECTIV E UPON
ISSUANCE, THAT ACO License No. SNM-2011 IS MODIFIED AS FOLLOW S:
Within 15 months from the date of the Confirmatory Order, ACO w ill submit to the
NRC for approval a revision to the Oak Ridge and Piketon Standa rd Practice Procedure
Plans to reflect the commitments which include marking requirem ents, searching
requirements, training, and root cause evaluation criteria. Det ails regarding the
commitments contain security-related information and are in the described in the non-
public version of the Confirmatory Order.
This agreement is binding upon successors and assigns of ACO. T he Regional
Administrator, Region II, may, in writing, relax or rescind any of the above conditions
upon demonstration by ACO or its successors of good cause.
VI
Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information
(SUNSI) for Contention Preparation:
A. This Confirmatory Order contains instructions regarding how potential parties to
this proceeding may request access to documents containing SUNS I.
B. Within 10 days after publication of this notice of hearing a nd opportunity to petition
for leave to intervene, any potential party who believes access to SUNSI is
necessary to respond to this notice may request such access. A "potential party" is
any person who intends to participate as a party by demonstrati ng standing and
filing an admissible contention under 10 CFR 2.309. Requests for access to SUNSI
submitted later than 10 days after publication of this notice will not be considered
absent a showing of good cause for the late filing, addressing why the request
could not have been filed earlier.
C. The requester shall submit a letter requesting permission to ac cess SUNSI to the
Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Wa shington, DC
20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, and provide a copy to
the Associate General Counsel for Hearings, Enforcement and Adm inistration,
Office of the General Counsel, Washington, DC 20555-0001. The e xpedited
delivery or courier mail address for both offices is: U.S. Nucl ear Regulatory
Commission, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Th e e-mail addresses for the Office of the Secretary and the Office of the General Counsel are
Hearing.Docket@nrc.gov and OGCmailcenter@nrc.gov, respectively1. The request
must include the following information:
- 1. A description of the licensing action with a citation to thi s Federal Register
notice;
- 2. The name and address of the potential party and a descriptio n of the potential
party's particularized interest that could be harmed by the act ion identified in
C.(1); and
- 3. The identity of the individual or entity requesting access t o SUNSI and the
requester's basis for the need for the information in order to meaningfully
participate in this adjudicatory proceeding. In particular, the request mu st
explain why publicly available versions of the information requ ested would not
be sufficient to provide the basis and specificity for a proffe red contention.
D. Based on an evaluation of the information submitted under pa ragraph C.(3) the
NRC staff will determine within 10 days of receipt of the request whether:
- 1. There is a reasonable basis to believe the petitioner is lik ely to establish
standing to participate in this NRC proceeding; and
1 While a request for hearing or petition to intervene in this proceeding must comply with the filing requirements of the NRC's "E-Filing Rule," the initial request to access SUNSI under these procedures should be submitted as described in this paragraph.
- 2. The requester has established a legitimate need for access t o SUNSI.
E. If the NRC staff determines that the requester satisfies both D.(1) and D.(2) above,
the NRC staff will notify the requestor in writing that access to SUNSI has been
granted. The written notification will contain instructions on how the requestor may
obtain copies of the requested documents, and any other conditi ons that may apply
to access to those documents. These conditions may include, but are not limited
to, the signing of a Non-Disclosure Agreement or Affidavit, or Protective Order2
setting forth terms and conditions to prevent the unauthorized or inadvertent
disclosure of SUNSI by each individual who will be granted access to SUNSI.
F. Filing of Contentions. Any contentions in these proceedings that are based upon
the information received as a result of the request made for SU NSI must be filed by
the requestor no later than 25 days after the requestor is granted access to that
information. However, if more than 25 days remain between the d ate the petitioner
is granted access to the information and the deadline for filin g all other contentions
(as established in the notice of hearing or opportunity for hea ring), the petitioner
may file its SUNSI contentions by that later deadline. This pro vision does not
extend the time for filing a request for a hearing and petition to intervene, which
must comply with the requirements of 10 CFR 2.309.
2 Any motion for Protective Order or draft Non-Disclosure Affidavit or Agreement for SUNSI must be filed with the presiding officer or the Chief Administrative Judge if the presiding officer has not yet been designated, within 30 days of the deadline for the receipt of the written access request.
G. Review of Denials of Access.
- 1. If the request for access to SUNSI is denied by the NRC staff a fter a
determination on standing and need for access, the NRC staff sh all
immediately notify the requestor in writing, briefly stating th e reason or
reasons for the denial.
- 2. The requester may challenge the NRC staffs adverse determinatio n by filing
a challenge within 5 days of receipt of that determination with : (a) the
presiding officer designated in this proceeding; (b) if no pres iding officer has
been appointed, the Chief Administrative Judge, or if he or she is unavailable,
another administrative judge, or an administrative law judge wi th jurisdiction
pursuant to 10 CFR 2.318(a); or (c) officer if that officer has been designated
to rule on information access issues.
H. Review of Grants of Access. A party other than the requester may challenge an
NRC staff determination granting access to SUNSI whose release would harm that
party's interest independent of the proceeding. Such a challenge must b e filed with
the Chief Administrative Judge within 5 days of the notificatio n by the NRC staff of
its grant of access.
If challenges to the NRC staff determinations are filed, these procedures give way
to the normal process for litigating disputes concerning access to information. The
availability of interlocutory review by the Commission of order s ruling on such NRC staff determinations (whether granting or denying access) is go verned by
The Commission expects that the NRC staff and presiding officer s (and any other
reviewing officers) will consider and resolve requests for acce ss to SUNSI, and
motions for protective orders, in a timely fashion in order to minimize any
unnecessary delays in identifying those petitioners who have st anding and who
have propounded contentions meeting the specificity and basis r equirements in
10 CFR part 2. Attachment 2 to this Order summarizes the genera l target schedule
for processing and resolving requests under these procedures.
VII
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.202 and 10 CFR 2.309, any person ad versely
affected by this Confirmatory Order, other than ACO, may reques t a hearing within thirty
(30) calendar days of the date of issuance of this Confirmatory Order. Where good
cause is shown, consideration will be given to extending the ti me to request a hearing. A
request for extension of time must be made in writing to the Di rector, Office of
Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, and
include a statement of good cause for the extension.
3 Requestors should note that the filing requirements of the NRC's E-Filing Rule (72 FR 49139; August 28, 2007) apply to appeals of NRC staff determinations (because they must be served on a presiding officer or the Commission, as applicable), but not to the initial SUNSI request submitted to the NRC staff under these procedures.
All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings, including a request for
hearing, a petition for leave to intervene, any motion or other document filed in the
proceeding prior to the submission of a request for hearing or petition to intervene
(hereinafter petition), and documents filed by interested gov ernmental entities
participating under 10 CFR 2.315(c), must be filed in accordanc e with the NRCs E-Filing
rule (72 FR 49139; August 28, 2007, as amended at 77 FR 46562, August 3, 2012). The
E-Filing process requires participants to submit and serve all adjudicatory documents
over the internet, or in some cases to mail copies on electroni c storage media.
Participants may not submit paper copies of their filings unles s they seek an exemption
in accordance with the procedures described below.
All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings, including documents filed
by an interested State, local governmental body, Federally reco gnized Indian Tribe, or
designated agency thereof that requests to participate under 10 CFR 2.315(c), must be
filed in accordance with 10 CFR 2.302. The E-Filing process req uires participants to
submit and serve all adjudicatory documents over the internet, or in some cases, to mail
copies on electronic storage media, unless an exemption permitting an alternative filing
method, as further discussed, is granted. Detailed guidance on electronic submissions is
located in the Guidance for El ectronic Submissions to the NRC (ADAMS Accession
No. ML13031A056) and on the NRCs public website at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-
submittals.html.
To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at leas t 10 days prior to
the filing deadline, the participant should contact the Office of the Secretary by email at Hearing.Docket@nrc.gov, or by telephone at 301-415-1677, to (1) request a digital
identification (ID) certificate, which allows the participant ( or its counsel or
representative) to digitally sign submissions and access the E-Filing system for any
proceeding in which it is participating; and (2) advise the Sec retary that the participant
will be submitting a petition or other adjudicatory document (e ven in instances in which
the participant, or its counsel or representative, already hold s an NRC-issued digital ID
certificate). Based upon this information, the Secretary will e stablish an electronic docket
for the proceeding if the Secretary has not already established an electronic docket.
Information about applying for a digital ID certificate is avai lable on the NRCs
public website at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/ge tting-started.html. After a
digital ID certificate is obtained and a docket created, the pa rticipant must submit
adjudicatory documents in Portable Document Format. Guidance on submissions is
available on the NRCs public website at https://www.nrc.gov/si te-help/electronic-sub-ref-
mat.html. A filing is considered complete at the time the docum ent is submitted through
the NRCs E-Filing system. To be timely, an electronic filing m ust be submitted to the
E-Filing system no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the due date. Up on receipt of a
transmission, the E-Filing system time-stamps the document and sends the submitter an
email confirming receipt of the document. The E-Filing system a lso distributes an email
that provides access to the document to the NRCs Office of the General Counsel and
any others who have advised the Office of the Secretary that th ey wish to participate in
the proceeding, so that the filer need not serve the document o n those participants
separately. Therefore, applicants and other participants (or th eir counsel or representative) must apply for and receive a digital ID certificate before adjudicatory
documents are filed to obtain access to the documents via the E -Filing system.
A person filing electronically u sing the NRCs adjudicatory E-Filing system may
seek assistance by contacting the NRCs Electronic Filing Help Desk through the
Contact Us link located on the NRCs public website at https: //www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-
submittals.html, by email to MSHD.Resource@nrc.gov, or by a toll-free call at 1-866-
672-7640. The NRC Electronic Filing Help Desk is available betw een 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.,
ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Participants who believe that they have good cause for not subm itting documents
electronically must file an exemption request, in accordance wi th 10 CFR 2.302(g), with
their initial paper filing stating why there is good cause for not filing electronically and
requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in pap er format. Such filings
must be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(b)-(d). Parti cipants filing
adjudicatory documents in this manner are responsible for servi ng their documents on all
other participants. Participants granted an exemption under 10 CFR 2.302(g)(2) must
still meet the electronic formatting requirement in 10 CFR 2.30 2(g)(1), unless the
participant also seeks and is granted an exemption from 10 CFR 2.302(g)(1).
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in the NRCs
electronic hearing docket, which is publicly available at https ://adams.nrc.gov/ehd,
unless excluded pursuant to an order of the presiding officer. If you do not have an NRC-
issued digital ID certificate as previously described, click c ancel when the link requests certificates and you will be automatically directed to the NRC s electronic hearing
dockets where you will be able to access any publicly available documents in a particular
hearing docket. Participants are requested not to include perso nal privacy information
such as social security numbers, home addresses, or personal ph one numbers in their
filings unless an NRC regulation or other law requires submissi on of such information.
With respect to copyrighted works, except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of
the adjudicatory filings and would constitute a Fair Use applic ation, participants should
not include copyrighted materials in their submission.
The Commission will issue a notice or order granting or denying a hearing
request or intervention petition, designating the issues for an y hearing that will be held
and designating the Presiding Officer. A notice granting a hear ing will be published in the
Federal Register and served on the parties to the hearing.
If a person (other than ACO) requests a hearing, that person shall set forth with
particularity the manner in which his interest is adversely aff ected by this Confirmatory
Order and shall address the criteria set forth in 10 CFR. 2.309 (d) and (f).
If a hearing is requested by a person whose interest is adverse ly affected, the
Commission will issue an order designating the time and place o f any hearings. If a
hearing is held, the issue to be considered at such hearing sha ll be whether this
Confirmatory Order should be sustained.
In the absence of any request for hearing, or written approval of an extension of
time in which to request a hearing, the provisions specified in Section V above shall be
final 30 days from the date of this Confirmatory Order without further order or
proceedings. If an extension of time for requesting a hearing h as been approved, the
provisions specified in Section V shall be final when the extension expires if a hearing
request has not been received.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Laura A. Dudes /RA/
Regional Administrator NRC Region II
Dated this 21st day of September 2023
Attachments: As stated
ALL FACILITIES OWNED AND OPERATED BY AMERICAN CENTRIFUGE OPERATING, LLC
- 1) American Centrifuge Operating, LLC
Larry Cutlip President 400 Centrifuge Way Oak Ridge, TN 37830
- 2) American Centrifuge Operating, LLC - Piketon (ACO-Piketon)
Docket No.: 07007004 License No.: SNM-2011
Mathew Snider Enrichment Operations Plant Manager/Operations Manager 3930 U.S. Route 23 South P.O. Box 628 Mail Stop 7560 Piketon, Ohio 45661
- 3) American Centrifuge Operating, LLC - Oak Ridge (ACO-OR)
Docket No.: 07007004 License No.: SNM-2011
Mark McClure Site Director 400 Centrifuge Way Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Attachment 1 General Target Schedule for Processing and Resolving Requests f or Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information in this Proce eding
Day Event/Activity
0 Publication of Federal Register notice of hearing and opportunity to petition for leave to intervene, including order with instructions for acces s requests.
10 Deadline for submitting requests for access to Sensitive Unc lassified Non-Safeguards Information (SUNSI) with information: supporting the standing of a potential party identified by name and address; describing the need for the information in order for the potential party to participate mea ningfully in an adjudicatory proceeding.
60 Deadline for submitting petition for intervention containing : (i) demonstration of standing; and (ii) all contentions whose formulation does not r equire access to SUNSI (+25 Answers to petition for intervention; +7 petitioner/ requestor reply).
20 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff informs the r equester of the status determination whether the request for access provides a reasonable basis to believe standing can be established and shows need for SUNSI. (NRC staff also informs any party to the proceeding whose interest indepen dent of the proceeding would be harmed by the release of the information.) If NRC staff makes the finding of need for SUNSI and likelihood of standing, NRC staff begins document processing (preparation of redactions or review of red acted documents).
25 If NRC staff finds no "need" or no likelihood of standing, t he deadline for petitioner/requester to file a motion seeking a ruling to rever se the NRC starts denial of access; NRC staff files copy of access determination with the presiding officer (or Chief Administrative Judge or other designated offi cer, as appropriate).
If NRC staff finds "need" for SUNSI, the deadline for any party to the proceeding whose interest independent of the proceeding would be harmed by the release of the information to file a motion seeking a ruling to reverse th e NRC staffs grant of access.
30 Deadline for NRC staff reply to motions to reverse NRC staff determination(s).
40 (Receipt +30) If NRC staff finds standing and need for SUNSI, deadline for NRC staff to complete information processing and file motion for Pr otective Order and draft Non-Disclosure Affidavit. Deadline for applicant/licensee to file Non-Disclosure Agreement for SUNSI.
Attachment 2 Day Event/Activity
A If access granted: issuance of presiding officer or other designat ed officer decision on motion for protective order for access to sensitive information (including schedule for providing access and submission of cont entions) or decision reversing a final adverse determination by the NRC sta ff.
A + 3 Deadline for filing executed Non-Disclosure Affidavits. A ccess provided to SUNSI consistent with decision issuing the protective order.
A + 28 Deadline for submission of contentions whose development depends upon access to SUNSI. However, if more than 25 days remain between t he petitioner's receipt of (or access to) the information and the deadline for filing all other contentions (as established in the notice of hearing or opportunity for hearing), the petitioner may file its SUNSI contentions by that later deadline.
A + 53 (Contention receipt +25) Answers to contentions whose de velopment depends upon access to SUNSI.
A + 60 (Answer receipt +7) Petitioner/Intervener reply to answe rs.
>A + 60 Decision on contention admission.
Attachment 2