[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 130 (Monday, July 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40773-40776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16285]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[EA-13-040; NRC-2013-0144]
Order Imposing Requirements for the Protection of Certain
Safeguards Information (Effective Immediately); In the Matter of
Licensee Identified in Attachment 1 and All Other Persons Who Obtain
Safeguards Information Described Herein
I
The Licensee, identified in Attachment 1 \1\ to this Order, holds a
[[Page 40774]]
license issued in accordance with the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended, (AEA) by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or an
Agreement State, authorizing it to possess, use, and transfer items
containing radioactive material quantities of concern. The NRC intends
to issue security Orders to this licensee in the near future. The Order
will require compliance with specific Additional Security Measures to
enhance the security for certain radioactive material quantities of
concern. The Commission has determined that these documents will
contain Safeguards Information, will not be released to the public, and
must be protected from unauthorized disclosure. Therefore, the
Commission is imposing the requirements, as set forth in Attachments 2
and 3 to this Order and in Order EA-13-041 (NRC-2013-0145), so that the
Licensee can receive these documents. This Order also imposes
requirements for the protection of Safeguards Information in the hands
of any person,\2\ whether or not a licensee of the Commission, who
produces, receives, or acquires Safeguards Information.
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\1\ Attachment 1 contains sensitive information and will not be
released to the public.
\2\ Person means (1) any individual, corporation, partnership,
firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution,
group, government agency other than the Commission or the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE), except that the DOE shall be considered
a person with respect to those facilities of the DOE specified in
section 202 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (88 Stat.
1244), any State or any political subdivision of, or any political
entity within a State, any foreign government or nation or any
political subdivision of any such government or nation, or other
entity; and (2) any legal successor, representative, agent, or
agency of the foregoing.
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II
The Commission has broad statutory authority to protect and
prohibit the unauthorized disclosure of Safeguards Information. Section
147 of the AEA grants the Commission explicit authority to ``. . .
issue such orders, as necessary to prohibit the unauthorized disclosure
of safeguards information . . . .'' This authority extends to
information concerning the security measures for the physical
protection of special nuclear material, source material, and byproduct
material. Licensees and all persons who produce, receive, or acquire
Safeguards Information must ensure proper handling and protection of
Safeguards Information to avoid unauthorized disclosure in accordance
with the specific requirements for the protection of Safeguards
Information contained in Attachments 2 and 3 to this Order. The
Commission hereby provides notice that it intends to treat violations
of the requirements contained in Attachments 2 and 3 to this Order
applicable to the handling and unauthorized disclosure of Safeguards
Information as serious breaches of adequate protection of the public
health and safety and the common defense and security of the United
States.
Access to Safeguards Information is limited to those persons who
have established the need-to-know the information, are considered to be
trustworthy and reliable, and meet the requirements of Order EA-13-041.
A need-to-know means a determination by a person having responsibility
for protecting Safeguard Information that a proposed recipient's access
to Safeguards Information is necessary in the performance of official,
contractual, or licensee duties of employment.
The Licensee and all other persons who obtain Safeguards
Information must ensure that they develop, maintain and implement
strict policies and procedures for the proper handling of Safeguards
Information to prevent unauthorized disclosure, in accordance with the
requirements in Attachments 2 and 3 to this Order. The Licensee must
ensure that all contractors whose employees may have access to
Safeguards Information either adhere to the licensee's policies and
procedures on Safeguards Information or develop, or maintain and
implement their own acceptable policies and procedures. The Licensee
remains responsible for the conduct of their contractors. The policies
and procedures necessary to ensure compliance with applicable
requirements contained in Attachments 2 and 3 to this Order must
address, at a minimum, the following: the general performance
requirement that each person who produces, receives, or acquires
Safeguards Information shall ensure that Safeguards Information is
protected against unauthorized disclosure; protection of Safeguards
Information at fixed sites, in use and in storage, and while in
transit; correspondence containing Safeguards Information; access to
Safeguards Information; preparation, marking, reproduction and
destruction of documents; external transmission of documents; use of
automatic data processing systems; removal of the Safeguards
Information category; the need-to-know the information; and background
checks to determine access to the information.
In order to provide assurance that the Licensee is implementing
prudent measures to achieve a consistent level of protection to
prohibit the unauthorized disclosure of Safeguards Information, the
Licensee shall implement the requirements identified in Attachments 2
and 3 to this Order. In addition, pursuant to 10 CFR Part 2.202, I find
that in light of the common defense and security matters identified
above, which warrant the issuance of this Order, the public health,
safety and interest require that this Order be effective immediately.
III
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 81, 147, 161b, 161i, 161o, 182
and 186 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the
Commission's regulations in 10 CFR 2.202, 10 CFR Part 30, 10 CFR Part
32, 10 CFR Part 35, 10 CFR Part 70, and 10 CFR Part 73, it is hereby
ordered, effective immediately, that all licensees identified in
attachment 1 to this order and all other persons who produce, receive,
or acquire the additional security measures identified above (whether
draft or final) or any related safeguards information shall comply with
the requirements of attachments 2 and 3 to this order.
The Director, Office of Federal and State Materials and
Environmental Management Programs, may, in writing, relax or rescind
any of the above conditions upon demonstration of good cause by the
licensee.
IV
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.202, the Licensee must, and any other
person adversely affected by this Order may, submit an answer to this
Order within twenty (20) days of the date of this Order. In addition,
the Licensee and any other person adversely affected by this Order may
request a hearing of this Order within twenty (20) days of the date of
the Order. Where good cause is shown, consideration will be given to
extending the time to request a hearing.
A request for extension of time must be made, in writing, to the
Director, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental
Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001, and include a statement of good cause for the extension.
The answer may consent to this Order. If the answer includes a
request for a hearing, it shall, under oath or affirmation,
specifically set forth the matters of fact and law on which the
Licensee relies and the reasons as to why the Order should not have
been issued. If a person other than the Licensee requests a hearing,
that person shall set forth with particularity the manner in which his
interest is adversely affected by this Order and shall address the
criteria set forth in 10 CFR 2.309(d).
[[Page 40775]]
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, and documents filed by
interested governmental entities participating under 10 CFR 2.315(c),
must be filed in accordance with the NRC E-Filing rule (72 FR 49139,
August, 28, 2007). The E-Filing process requires participants to submit
and serve all adjudicatory documents over the internet, or in some
cases to mail copies on electronic storage media. Participants may not
submit paper copies of their filings unless they seek an exemption in
accordance with the procedures described below.
To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least
ten (10) days prior to the filing deadline, the participant should
contact the Office of the Secretary by email at [email protected],
or by telephone at (301) 415-1677, to request (1) a digital
identification (ID) certificate, which allows the participant (or its
counsel or representative) to digitally sign documents and access the
E-Submittal server for any proceeding in which it is participating; and
(2) advise the Secretary that the participant will be submitting a
request or petition for hearing (even in instances in which the
participant, or its counsel or representative, already holds an NRC-
issued digital ID certificate). Based upon this information, the
Secretary will establish an electronic docket for the hearing in this
proceeding if the Secretary has not already established an electronic
docket.
Information about applying for a digital ID certificate is
available on NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/apply-certificates.html. System requirements for accessing
the E-Submittal server are detailed in NRC's ``Guidance for Electronic
Submission,'' which is available on the agency's public Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. Participants may
attempt to use other software not listed on the Web site, but should
note that the NRC's E-Filing system does not support unlisted software,
and the NRC Meta System Help Desk will not be able to offer assistance
in using unlisted software.
If a participant is electronically submitting a document to the NRC
in accordance with the E-Filing rule, the participant must file the
document using the NRC's online, Web-based submission form. In order to
serve documents through Electronic Information Exchange, users will be
required to install a Web browser plug-in from the NRC Web site.
Further information on the Web-based submission form, including the
installation of the Web browser plug-in, is available on the NRC's
public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html.
Once a participant has obtained a digital ID certificate and a
docket has been created, the participant can then submit a request for
a hearing or petition for leave to intervene. Submissions should be in
Portable Document Format (PDF) in accordance with NRC guidance
available on the NRC public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. A filing is considered complete at the time the
documents are submitted through the NRC's E-Filing system. To be
timely, an electronic filing must be submitted to the E-Filing system
no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. Upon receipt of
a transmission, the E-Filing system time-stamps the document and sends
the submitter an email notice confirming receipt of the document. The
E-Filing system also distributes an email notice that provides access
to the document to the NRC Office of the General Counsel and any others
who have advised the Office of the Secretary that they wish to
participate in the proceeding, so that the filer need not serve the
document on those participants separately. Therefore, applicants and
other participants (or their counsel or representative) must apply for
and receive a digital ID certificate before a hearing request/petition
to intervene is filed so that they can obtain access to the document
via the E-Filing system.
A person filing electronically using the agency's adjudicatory E-
Filing system may seek assistance by contacting the NRC Meta System
Help Desk through the ``Contact Us'' link located on the NRC Web site
at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html, by email at
[email protected], or by a toll-free call at (866) 672-7640. The
NRC Meta System Help Desk is available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.,
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding government holidays.
Participants who believe that they have good cause for not
submitting documents electronically must file an exemption request, in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g), with their initial paper filing
requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in paper
format. Such filings must be submitted by: (1) First class mail
addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or
expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth
Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff.
Participants filing a document in this manner are responsible for
serving the document on all other participants. Filing is considered
complete by first-class mail as of the time of deposit in the mail, or
by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing
the document with the provider of the service. A presiding officer,
having granted an exemption request from using E-Filing, may require a
participant or party to use E-Filing if the presiding officer
subsequently determines that the reason for granting the exemption from
use of E-Filing no longer exists.
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in
NRC's electronic hearing docket which is available to the public at
http://ehd1.nrc.gov/ehd/, unless excluded pursuant to an order of the
Commission, or the presiding officer. Participants are requested not to
include personal privacy information, such as social security numbers,
home addresses, or home phone numbers in their filings, unless an NRC
regulation or other law requires submission 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
application, participants are requested not to include copyrighted
materials in their submission.
If a hearing is requested by the Licensee or a person whose
interest is adversely affected, the Commission will issue an Order
designating the time and place of any hearing. If a hearing is held the
issue to be considered at such hearing shall be whether this Order
should be sustained.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.202(c)(2)(i), the Licensee may, in addition to
requesting a hearing, at the time the answer is filed or sooner, move
the presiding officer to set aside the immediate effectiveness of the
Order on the ground that the Order, including the need for immediate
effectiveness, is not based on adequate evidence but on mere suspicion,
unfounded allegations, or error.
In the absence of any request for hearing, or written approval of
an
[[Page 40776]]
extension of time in which to request a hearing, the provisions
specified in Section III above shall be final twenty (20) days from the
date of this Order without further order or proceedings.
If an extension of time for requesting a hearing has been approved,
the provisions specified in Section III shall be final when the
extension expires if a hearing request has not been received. An answer
or a request for hearing shall not stay the immediate effectiveness of
this order.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 27th day of June, 2013.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Brian J. McDermott,
Director, Division of Materials Safety and State Agreements, Office of
Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs.
Attachment 1: List of Applicable Materials Licensees
Redacted
Attachment 2: Modified Handling Requirements for the Protection of
Certain Safeguards Information (SGI-M) General Requirement
Redacted
Attachment 3: Trustworthiness and Reliability Requirements for
Individuals Handling Safeguards Information
In order to ensure the safe handling, use, and control of
information designated as Safeguards Information, each licensee shall
control and limit access to the information to only those individuals
who have established the need-to-know the information, and are
considered to be trustworthy and reliable. Licensees shall document the
basis for concluding that there is reasonable assurance that
individuals granted access to Safeguards Information are trustworthy
and reliable, and do not constitute an unreasonable risk for malevolent
use of the information.
The Licensee shall comply with the requirements of this attachment:
1. The trustworthiness and reliability of an individual shall be
determined based on a background investigation:
(a) The background investigation shall address at least the past
three years and, at a minimum, include verification of employment,
education, and personal references. The licensee shall also, to the
extent possible, obtain independent information to corroborate that
provided by the employee (i.e., seeking references not supplied by the
individual).
(b) If an individual's employment has been less than the required
three-year period, educational references may be used in lieu of
employment history.
The licensee's background investigation requirements may be
satisfied for an individual that has an active Federal security
clearance.
2. The licensee shall retain documentation regarding the
trustworthiness and reliability of individual employees for three years
after the individual's employment ends.
In order for an individual to be granted access to Safeguards
Information, the individual must be determined to be trustworthy and
reliable, as described in requirement 1 above, and meet the
requirements of NRC Order EA-13-041.
[FR Doc. 2013-16285 Filed 7-5-13; 8:45 am]
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