[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 88 (Monday, May 8, 1995)] [Notices] [Pages 22573-22574] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 95-11266] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Forms RW-859, ``Nuclear Fuel Data,'' and RW-859S, ``Nuclear Fuel Data Supplement'' AGENCY: Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of proposed revision to the Form RW-859, ``Nuclear Fuel Data,'' and solicitation of comments on proposed new supplemental schedule, RW-859S, ``Nuclear Fuel Data Supplement.'' ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Energy Information Administration (EIA), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and response burden as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, is providing the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed revisions to the Form RW-859, ``Nuclear Fuel Data,'' and implementation of a new, five-year supplemental schedule, RW-859S, ``Nuclear Fuel Data Supplement.'' By doing so, the EIA seeks to ensure that requested data is provided in the desired format, reporting burden is minimized, reporting forms are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents is properly assessed. DATES: Written comments must be submitted by no later than June 7, 1995. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the contact listed below of your intention to do so as soon as possible. ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ms. Kathy Gibbard, Program Manager, Forms RW-859 and RW-859S, U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EI-531), 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington DC 20585, (202)254-5559. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the forms and instructions should be directed to Ms. Gibbard at the address listed above. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background II. Current Actions III. Request for Comments I. Background The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 as amended (NWPA), 42 U.S.C. 10101 et seq., requires that the Secretary develop and implement programs to dispose of spent nuclear fuel. The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) uses the information from Form RW- 859 to understand and explore the specific requirements of developing and conducting programs to effectuate the purposes of the NWPA. The EIA administers the Form RW-859, ``Nuclear Fuel Data'', which is used to collect data from owners of commercial nuclear power plants and owners and caretakers of spent nuclear fuel. The Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 761 et seq.) authorizes the EIA to collect data. The current Form RW-859 collects data on [[Page 22574]] every fuel assembly discharged from domestic commercial nuclear reactors, spent fuel projected to be discharged, and spent fuel storage pool inventories and capacities. The form has been approved through December 31, 1997. Major revisions to Form RW-859 necessitate that the proposed form and new supplemental schedule be approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). II. Current Actions This notice is to solicit comments on proposed revisions to Form RW-859 and corresponding instructions. The extension request to OMB will be through December 31, 1998. The DOE is proposing to reduce the content of the Form RW-859 survey to only collect data elements that require annual update. Data that are not subject to annual revision will be collected every five years on a new Form RW-859S supplementary survey form. A summary of the proposed changes follows. The following items will no longer be collected on the survey:Capacity data other than licensed capacity and current usable capacity Temporarily discharged fuel (all discharged fuel will now be designated as permanently discharged) and changes in assembly status Cross-reference assembly identifiers including American National Standard Institute (ANSI) identifier and fuel fabricator assembly identifiers Data on reconstituted fuel. The following items will no longer be collected annually on the Form RW-859 survey, but will be collected once every five years on the Form RW-859S survey supplement: Dates not subject to annual revision (license renewal, reactor retirement, etc.) Cask-handling data Specific data on canisters and their contents Nonfuel components data. The following items have been added to the annual Form RW-859 survey: Questions on quality assurance procedures and traceability Assembly-specific information on initial uranium content, initial enrichment, and burnup Current cycle start date. The following will now be collected on the five-year Form RW-859S supplement: Reactor information including type, nuclear steam system supplier, design type, operational status, location, and rating Pool site configuration Crane data including capacity, limiting factors, dimensions, and clearance Site specific access and configuration data for the receiving/upending area, cask handling area, pool cask loading area, and set-down platform area Transportation data including information on on-site roads, rail, and barge Historical assembly-specific data not previously reported. III. Request for Comments Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment on the proposed revisions to the form and instructions and proposed supplement. The following general guidelines are provided to assist in the preparation of responses. As a Potential Respondent A. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If not, which instructions require clarification? B. Can the data be submitted using the definitions included in the instructions? C. Can data be submitted within the response time specified in the instructions? D. Public reporting burden for the annual Form RW-859 data collection is estimated to average 40 hours per response. Public reporting burden for the five year Form RW-859S supplement is estimated to be 100 hours for the initial data collection and 20 hours for subsequent data collections. How much time, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information do you estimate it will require you to complete and submit the required forms? E. What is the estimated cost of completing these forms, including the direct and indirect costs associated with the data collection? Direct costs should include all costs, such as administrative cost, directly attributable to providing this information. F. How can the forms be improved? G. Do you know of any other Federal, State, or local agency that collects similar data? If you do, specify this agency, the data element(s), and the means of collection. As a Potential User A. Can you use data at the level of detail indicated on the forms? B. For what purpose would you use the data? Be specific. C. How could the forms be improved to better meet your specific need? D. Are there alternate sources of data and do you use them? What are their strengths and/or weaknesses? EIA is also interested in receiving comments from persons regarding their views on the need for the information contained in the Form RW- 859, ``Nuclear Fuel Data,'' and the Form RW-859S, ``Nuclear Fuel Data Supplement.'' Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the requests for OMB approval of the forms; they also will become a matter of public record. Statutory Authority: Sections 5(a), 5(b), 13(b), and 52 of Public Law 93-275, Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974, 15 U.S.C. 764(a), 764(b), 772(b) and 790a. Issued in Washington, DC May 1, 1995. Douglas R. Hale, Acting Director, Office of Statistical Standards, Energy Information Administration. [FR Doc. 95-11266 Filed 5-5-95; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P