Revisions to Harmonize the Type B and Fissile Material Package Requirements with the Current International Transportation Regulations

Revisions to Harmonize the Type B and Fissile Material Package Requirements with theCurrent International Transportation RegulationsDavid W. Pstrak, Latif Hamdan, Andrew Barto, Bernard White, and Jeremy TappOffice of Nuclear Material Safety and SafeguardsU.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, USAABSTRACTThe U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), in consultation with the U.S. Department ofTransportation (DOT), is currently implementing a rulemaking initiative to revise its regulationsin Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 71 (10 CFR Part 71) for the transportation ofradioactive material to harmonize with the 2012 and 2018 editions of the International AtomicEnergy Agency’s (IAEA's) “Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, SpecificSafety Requirements No. SSR-6” (SSR-6). The NRC and the DOT jointly share responsibilityfor regulating the transportation of radioactive material. In addition to harmonizing NRCregulations for packaging and transportation of Type B and fissile material, the NRC initiativealso includes other staff-initiated administrative, editorial, and clarification changes to improve10 CFR Part 71 implementation. This paper describes the proposed rulemaking action,including issues of concern, assessments of the rulemaking alternatives, proposed revisions tothe existing regulations and regulatory guidance, and potential impacts of the proposedrulemaking on the NRC, certificate holders, licensees, Native American Tribes, and AgreementStates. The paper also highlights the public outreach plans that the NRC has exercised as partof the rulemaking process.