Federal Register #NRC-2026-4456

NRC Seeks Comment on Material Control and Accounting Rules for Irradiated Fuel Reprocessing Plants

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on proposed safeguards rules for irradiated fuel reprocessing plants. - Government agency: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); no sub-agency or office is identified. - The NRC docketed a rulemaking petition from Howard L. Hall, Ph.D., and is considering whether to address the petition’s issues through rulemaking. - The petition proposes removing irradiated fuel reprocessing plants from an existing exclusion and establishing material control and accounting (MC&A) requirements suited to those facilities. - Proposed requirements include applying or adapting 10 CFR part 74, subpart E; safeguards provisions for continuous bulk chemical processing; and clarifications for research and pilot-scale operations. The petition also raises the possibility of a separate regulatory subpart for reprocessing plants. - This is a regulatory notice, not a procurement: no OEMs, vendors, products, or services are requested.

Description

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission received a petition for rulemaking asking it to remove the exclusion of irradiated fuel reprocessing plants from material control and accounting requirements and establish requirements appropriate to those facilities. The petition proposes applying or adapting 10 CFR part 74 subpart E requirements, adding provisions for bulk chemical processing, and clarifying requirements for research and pilot-scale operations. The NRC has docketed the petition and is examining whether the issues should be considered in rulemaking. The agency requests public comment by November 23, 2026.

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