Regulations last checked for updates: Nov 25, 2024
Title 10 - Energy last revised: Nov 19, 2024
§ 70.1 - Purpose.
(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, the regulations of this part establish procedures and criteria for the issuance of licenses to receive title to, own, acquire, deliver, receive, possess, use, and transfer special nuclear material; and establish and provide for the terms and conditions upon which the Commission will issue such licenses.
(b) The regulations contained in this part are issued pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (68 Stat. 919) and Title II of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (88 Stat. 1242).
(c) The regulations in part 72 of this chapter establish requirements, procedures, and criteria for the issuance of licenses to possess:
(1) Spent fuel, power reactor-related Greater than Class C (GTCC) waste, and other radioactive materials associated with spent fuel storage in an independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI), or
(2) Spent fuel, high-level radioactive waste, power reactor-related GTCC waste, and other radioactive materials associated with the storage in a monitored retrievable storage installation (MRS), and the terms and conditions under which the Commission will issue such licenses.
(d) As provided in part 76 of this chapter, the regulations of this part establish procedures and criteria for physical security and material control and accounting for the issuance of a certificate of compliance or the approval of a compliance plan.
(e) As provided in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, the regulations in this part establish requirements, procedures, and criteria for the issuance of licenses to uranium enrichment facilities.
[21 FR 764, Feb. 3, 1956, as amended at 32 FR 4056, Mar. 15, 1967; 40 FR 8791, Mar. 3, 1975; 43 FR 6924, Feb. 17, 1978; 45 FR 74712, Nov. 12, 1980; 53 FR 31682, Aug. 19, 1988; 59 FR 48960, Sept. 23, 1994; 62 FR 6669, Feb. 12, 1997; 66 FR 51838, Oct. 11, 2001]
§ 70.2 - Scope.
Except as provided in §§ 70.11 to 70.13, inclusive, the regulations in this part apply to all persons in the United States. This part also gives notice to all persons who knowingly provide to any licensee, applicant, contractor, or subcontractor, components, equipment, materials, or other goods or services, that relate to a licensee's or applicant's activities subject to this part, that they may be individually subject to NRC enforcement action for violation of § 70.10.
[63 FR 1898, Jan. 13, 1998]
§ 70.3 - License requirements.
No person subject to the regulations in this part shall receive title to, own, acquire, deliver, receive, possess, use, or transfer special nuclear material except as authorized in a license issued by the Commission pursuant to these regulations.
[32 FR 2562, Feb. 7, 1967, as amended at 43 FR 6924, Feb. 17, 1978]
§ 70.4 - Definitions.
Act means the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (68 Stat 919), including any amendments thereto;
Acute, as used in this part, means a single radiation dose or chemical exposure event or multiple radiation dose or chemical exposure events occurring within a short time (24 hours or less).
Agreement State as designated in part 150 of this chapter means any State with which the Commission has entered into an effective agreement under subsection 274b. of the Act. Non-agreement State means any other State.
Alert means events may occur, are in progress, or have occurred that could lead to a release of radioactive material[s] but that the release is not expected to require a response by an offsite response organization to protect persons offsite.
Atomic energy means all forms of energy released in the course of nuclear fission or nuclear transformation;
Atomic weapon means any device utilizing atomic energy, exclusive of the means for transporting or propelling the device (where such means is a separable and divisible part of the device), the principal purpose of which is for use as, or for development of, a weapon, a weapon prototype, or a weapon test device;
Available and reliable to perform their function when needed, as used in subpart H of this part, means that, based on the analyzed, credible conditions in the integrated safety analysis, items relied on for safety will perform their intended safety function when needed, and management measures will be implemented that ensure compliance with the performance requirements of § 70.61 of this part, considering factors such as necessary maintenance, operating limits, common-cause failures, and the likelihood and consequences of failure or degradation of the items and measures.
Commencement of construction means taking any action defined as “construction” or any other activity at the site of a facility subject to the regulations in this part that has a reasonable nexus to:
(1) Radiological health and safety; or
(2) Common defense and security.
Commission means the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or its duly authorized representatives;
Common defense and security means the common defense and security of the United States;
Configuration management (CM) means a management measure that provides oversight and control of design information, safety information, and records of modifications (both temporary and permanent) that might impact the ability of items relied on for safety to perform their functions when needed.
Construction means the installation of foundations, or in-place assembly, erection, fabrication, or testing for any structure, system, or component of a facility or activity subject to the regulations in this part that are related to radiological safety or security. The term “construction” does not include:
(1) Changes for temporary use of the land for public recreational purposes;
(2) Site exploration, including necessary borings to determine foundation conditions or other preconstruction monitoring to establish background information related to the suitability of the site, the environmental impacts of construction or operation, or the protection of environmental values;
(3) Preparation of the site for construction of the facility, including clearing of the site, grading, installation of drainage, erosion and other environmental mitigation measures, and construction of temporary roads and borrow areas;
(4) Erection of fences and other access control measures that are not related to the safe use of, or security of, radiological materials subject to this part;
(5) Excavation;
(6) Erection of support buildings (e.g., construction equipment storage sheds, warehouse and shop facilities, utilities, concrete mixing plants, docking and unloading facilities, and office buildings) for use in connection with the construction of the facility;
(7) Building of service facilities (e.g., paved roads, parking lots, railroad spurs, exterior utility and lighting systems, potable water systems, sanitary sewerage treatment facilities, and transmission lines);
(8) Procurement or fabrication of components or portions of the proposed facility occurring at other than the final, in-place location at the facility; or
(9) Taking any other action that has no reasonable nexus to:
(i) Radiological health and safety, or
(ii) Common defense and security.
Contiguous sites means licensee controlled locations, deemed by the Commission to be in close enough proximity to each other, that the special nuclear material must be considered in the aggregate for the purpose of physical protection.
Corporation means the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), or its successor, a Corporation that is authorized by statute to lease the gaseous diffusion enrichment plants in Paducah, Kentucky, and Piketon, Ohio, from the Department of Energy, or any person authorized to operate one or both of the gaseous diffusion plants, or other facilities, pursuant to a plan for the privatization of USEC that is approved by the President.
Critical mass of special nuclear material (SNM), as used in Subpart H, means special nuclear material in a quantity exceeding 700 grams of contained uranium-235; 520 grams of uranium-233; 450 grams of plutonium; 1500 grams of contained uranium-235, if no uranium enriched to more than 4 percent by weight of uranium-235 is present; 450 grams of any combination thereof; or one-half such quantities if massive moderators or reflectors made of graphite, heavy water, or beryllium may be present.
Decommission means to remove a facility or site safely from service and reduce residual radioactivity to a level that permits—
(1) Release of the property for unrestricted use and termination of the license; or
(2) Release of the property under restricted conditions and termination of the license.
Department and Department of Energy means the Department of Energy Organization Act (Pub. L. 95-91, 91 Stat. 565, 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), to the extent that the Department, or its duly authorized representatives, exercises functions formerly vested in the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, its Chairman, members, officers and components and transferred to the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration and to the Administrator thereof pursuant to sections 104(b), (c) and (d) of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-438, 88 Stat. 1233 at 1237, 42 U.S.C. 5814) and retransferred to the Secretary of Energy pursuant to section 301(a) of the Department of Energy Organization Act (Pub. L. 95-91, 91 Stat. 565 at 577-578, 42 U.S.C. 7151).
Double contingency principle means that process designs should incorporate sufficient factors of safety to require at least two unlikely, independent, and concurrent changes in process conditions before a criticality accident is possible.
Effective dose equivalent means the sum of the products of the dose equivalent to the body organ or tissue and the weighting factors applicable to each of the body organs or tissues that are irradiated. Weighting factors are: 0.25 for gonads, 0.15 for breast, 0.12 for red bone marrow, 0.12 for lungs, 0.03 for thyroid, 0.03 for bone surface, and 0.06 for each of the other five organs receiving the highest dose equivalent.
Effective kilograms of special nuclear material means: (1) For plutonium and uranium-233 their weight in kilograms; (2) For uranium with an enrichment in the isotope U-235 of 0.01 (1%) and above, its element weight in kilograms multiplied by the square of its enrichment expressed as a decimal weight fraction; and (3) For uranium with an enrichment in the isotope U-235 below 0.01 (1%), by its element weight in kilograms multiplied by 0.0001.
Formula quantity means strategic special nuclear material in any combination in a quantity of 5000 grams or more computed by the formula, grams = (grams contained U-235) + 2.5 (grams U-233 + grams plutonium). This class of material is sometimes referred to as a Category I quantity of material.
Government agency means any executive department, commission, independent establishment, corporation, wholly or partly owned by the United States of America which is an instrumentality of the United States, or any board, bureau, division, service, office, officer, authority, administration, or other establishment in the executive branch of the Government;
Hazardous chemicals produced from licensed materials means substances having licensed material as precursor compound(s) or substances that physically or chemically interact with licensed materials; and that are toxic, explosive, flammable, corrosive, or reactive to the extent that they can endanger life or health if not adequately controlled. These include substances commingled with licensed material, and include substances such as hydrogen fluoride that is produced by the reaction of uranium hexafluoride and water, but do not include substances prior to process addition to licensed material or after process separation from licensed material.
Integrated safety analysis (ISA) means a systematic analysis to identify facility and external hazards and their potential for initiating accident sequences, the potential accident sequences, their likelihood and consequences, and the items relied on for safety. As used here, integrated means joint consideration of, and protection from, all relevant hazards, including radiological, nuclear criticality, fire, and chemical. However, with respect to compliance with the regulations of this part, the NRC requirement is limited to consideration of the effects of all relevant hazards on radiological safety, prevention of nuclear criticality accidents, or chemical hazards directly associated with NRC licensed radioactive material. An ISA can be performed process by process, but all processes must be integrated, and process interactions considered.
Integrated safety analysis summary means a document or documents submitted with the license application, license amendment application, license renewal application, or pursuant to § 70.62(c)(3)(ii) that provides a synopsis of the results of the integrated safety analysis and contains the information specified in § 70.65(b). The ISA Summary can be submitted as one document for the entire facility, or as multiple documents that cover all portions and processes of the facility.
Items relied on for safety mean structures, systems, equipment, components, and activities of personnel that are relied on to prevent potential accidents at a facility that could exceed the performance requirements in § 70.61 or to mitigate their potential consequences. This does not limit the licensee from identifying additional structures, systems, equipment, components, or activities of personnel (i.e., beyond those in the minimum set necessary for compliance with the performance requirements) as items relied on for safety.
License, except where otherwise specified, means a license issued pursuant to the regulations in this part;
Management measures mean the functions performed by the licensee, generally on a continuing basis, that are applied to items relied on for safety, to ensure the items are available and reliable to perform their functions when needed. Management measures include configuration management, maintenance, training and qualifications, procedures, audits and assessments, incident investigations, records management, and other quality assurance elements.
Person means (1) any individual, corporation, partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution, group, Government agency other than the Commission or the Department, except that the Department shall be considered a person within the meaning of the regulations in this part to the extent that its facilities and activities are subject to the licensing and related regulatory authority of the Commission pursuant to 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;
Plutonium processing and fuel fabrication plant means a plant in which the following operations or activities are conducted: (1) Operations for manufacture of reactor fuel containing plutonium including any of the following: (i) Preparation of fuel material; (ii) formation of fuel material into desired shapes; (iii) application of protective cladding; (iv) recovery of scrap material; and (v) storage associated with such operations; or (2) Research and development activities involving any of the operations described in paragraph (1) of this definition except for research and development activities utilizing unsubstantial amounts of plutonium.
Principal activities, as used in this part, means activities authorized by the license which are essential to achieving the purpose(s) for which the license was issued or amended. Storage during which no licensed material is accessed for use or disposal and activities incidental to decontamination or decommissioning are not principal activities.
Produce, when used in relation to special nuclear material, means (1) to manufacture, make, produce, or refine special nuclear material; (2) to separate special nuclear material from other substances in which such material may be contained; or (3) to make or to produce new special nuclear material;
Research and development means (1) theoretical analysis, exploration, or experimentation; or (2) the extension of investigative findings and theories of a scientific or technical nature into practical application for experimental and demonstration purposes, including the experimental production and testing of models, devices, equipment, materials, and processes;
Restricted Data means all data concerning (1) design, manufacture or utilization of atomic weapons; (2) the production of special nuclear material; or (3) the use of special nuclear material in the production of energy, but shall not include data declassified or removed from the Restricted Data category pursuant to section 142 of the Act;
Sealed source means any special nuclear material that is encased in a capsule designed to prevent leakage or escape of the special nuclear material.
Site Area emergency means events may occur, are in progress, or have occurred that could lead to a significant release of radioactive material and that could require a response by offsite response organizations to protect persons offsite.
Source material means source material as defined in section 11z. of the Act and in the regulations contained in part 40 of this chapter;
Special nuclear material means (1) plutonium, uranium 233, uranium enriched in the isotope 233 or in the isotope 235, and any other material which the Commission, pursuant to the provisions of section 51 of the act, determines to be special nuclear material, but does not include source material; or (2) any material artificially enriched by any of the foregoing but does not include source material;
Special nuclear material of low strategic significance means:
(1) Less than an amount of special nuclear material of moderate strategic significance as defined in paragraph (1) of the definition of strategic nuclear material of moderate strategic significance in this section, but more than 15 grams of uranium-235 (contained in uranium enriched to 20 percent or more in U-235 isotope) or 15 grams of uranium-233 or 15 grams of plutonium or the combination of 15 grams when computed by the equation, grams = (grams contained U-235) + (grams plutonium) + (grams U-233); or
(2) Less than 10,000 grams but more than 1,000 grams of uranium-235 (contained in uranium enriched to 10 percent or more but less than 20 percent in the U-235 isotope); or
(3) 10,000 grams or more of uranium-235 (contained in uranium enriched above natural but less than 10 percent in the U-235 isotope).
This class of material is sometimes referred to as a Category III quantity of material.
Special nuclear material of moderate strategic significance means:
(1) Less than a formula quantity of strategic special nuclear material but more than 1,000 grams of uranium-235 (contained in uranium enriched to 20 percent or more in the U-235 isotope) or more than 500 grams of uranium-233 or plutonium, or in a combined quantity of more than 1,000 grams when computed by the equation, grams = (grams contained U-235) + 2 (grams U-233 + grams plutonium); or
(2) 10,000 grams or more of uranium-235 (contained in uranium enriched to 10 percent or more but less than 20 percent in the U-235 isotope).
This class of material is sometimes referred to as a Category II quantity of material.
Special nuclear material scrap means the various forms of special nuclear material generated during chemical and mechanical processing, other than recycle material and normal process intermediates, which are unsuitable for use in their present form, but all or part of which will be used after further processing.
Strategic special nuclear material means uranium-235 (contained in uranium enriched to 20 percent or more in the U
235 isotope), uranium-233, or plutonium.
Transient shipment means a shipment of nuclear material, originating and terminating in foreign countries, on a vessel or aircraft which stops at a United States port.
Unacceptable performance deficiencies mean deficiencies in the items relied on for safety or the management measures that need to be corrected to ensure an adequate level of protection as defined in 10 CFR 70.61(b), (c), or (d).
United States, when used in a geographical sense, includes Puerto Rico and all territories and possessions of the United States.
Uranium enrichment facility means:
(1) Any facility used for separating the isotopes of uranium or enriching uranium in the isotope 235, except laboratory scale facilities designed or used for experimental or analytical purposes only; or
(2) Any equipment or device, or important component part especially designed for such equipment or device, capable of separating the isotopes of uranium or enriching uranium in the isotope 235.
Worker, when used in Subpart H of this Part, means an individual who receives an occupational dose as defined in 10 CFR 20.1003.
[21 FR 764, Feb. 3, 1956]
Editorial Note:For Federal Register citations affecting § 70.4, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.govinfo.gov.
§ 70.5 - Communications.
(a) Unless otherwise specified or covered under the regional licensing program as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, any communication or report concerning the regulations in this part and any application filed under these regulations may be submitted to the Commission as follows:
(1) By mail addressed to: ATTN: Document Control Desk, Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards or Director, Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
(2) By hand delivery to the Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards or Director, Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response at the NRC's offices at 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland.
(3) Where practicable, by electronic submission, for example, via Electronic Information Exchange, and CD-ROM. Electronic submissions must be made in a manner that enables the NRC to receive, read, authenticate, distribute, and archive the submission, and process and retrieve it a single page at a time. Detailed guidance on making electronic submissions can be obtained by visiting the NRC's Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html; by e-mail to [email protected]; or by writing the Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. The guidance discusses, among other topics, the formats the NRC can accept, the use of electronic signatures, and the treatment of nonpublic information.
(4) Classified communications shall be transmitted to the NRC Headquarters' classified mailing address as specified in appendix A to part 73 of this chapter or delivered by hand in accordance with paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(b) The Commission has delegated to the four Regional Administrators licensing authority for selected parts of its decentralized licensing program for nuclear materials as described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section. Any communication, report, or application covered under this licensing program must be submitted to the appropriate Regional Administrator. The Administrators' jurisdictions and mailing addresses are listed in paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
(1) The delegated licensing program includes authority to issue, renew, amend, cancel, modify, suspend, or revoke licenses for nuclear materials issued pursuant to 10 CFR parts 30 through 36, 39, 40, and 70 to all persons for academic, medical, and industrial uses, with the following exceptions:
(i) Activities in the fuel cycle and special nuclear material in quantities sufficient to constitute a critical mass in any room or area. This exception does not apply to license modifications relating to termination of special nuclear material licenses that authorize possession of larger quantities when the case is referred for action from NRC's Headquarters to the Regional Administrators.
(ii) Health and safety design review of sealed sources and devices and approval, for licensing purposes, of sealed sources and devices.
(iii) Processing of source material for extracting of metallic compounds (including Zirconium, Hafnium, Tantalum, Titanium, Niobium, etc.).
(iv) Distribution of products containing radioactive material under §§ 32.11 through 32.30 and 40.52 of this chapter to persons exempt from licensing requirements.
(v) New uses or techniques for use of byproduct, source, or special nuclear material.
(vi) Reviews pursuant to § 70.32(c).
(vii) Uranium enrichment facilities.
(2) Submissions—(i) Region I. The regional licensing program involves all Federal facilities in the region and non-Federal licensees in the following Region I non-Agreement States and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Delaware, and Vermont. All mailed or hand-delivered inquiries, communications, and applications for a new license or an amendment or renewal of an existing license specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section must use the following address: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region I, 475 Allendale Road, Suite 102, King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415; where email is appropriate it should be addressed to [email protected].
(ii) Region II. The regional licensing program involves all Federal facilities in the region and non-Federal licensees in the following Region II non-Agreement States and territories: West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. All mailed or hand-delivered inquiries, communications, and applications for a new license or an amendment, renewal, or termination request of an existing license specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section must use the following address: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region I, 475 Allendale Road, Suite 102, King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415; where e-mail is appropriate it should be addressed to [email protected].
(iii) Region III. (A) The regional licensing program for mining and milling involves all Federal facilities in the region, and non-Federal licensees in the Region III non-Agreement States of Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Region III Agreement States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. All mailed or hand-delivered inquiries, communications, and applications for a new license or an amendment, renewal, or termination request of an existing license specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section must use the following address: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region III, Material Licensing Section, 2443 Warrenville Road, Suite 210, Lisle, IL 60532-4352; where e-mail is appropriate it should be addressed to [email protected].
(B) Otherwise, the regional licensing program involves all Federal facilities in the region and non-Federal licensees in the following Region III non-Agreement States: Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri. All mailed or hand-delivered inquiries, communications, and applications for a new license or an amendment, or renewal of an existing license specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section must use the following address: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region III, Material Licensing Section, 2443 Warrenville Road, Suite 210, Lisle, IL 60532-4352; where e-mail is appropriate it should be addressed to [email protected]. Outside of this jurisdiction, concerning the licensing program involving mining and milling, the Agreement States of Illinois and Ohio should be contacted.
(iv) Region IV. (A) The regional licensing program for mining and milling involves all Federal facilities in the region, and non-Federal licensees in the Region IV non-Agreement States and territory of Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming and Guam and Region IV Agreement States of Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota. All mailed or hand-delivered inquiries, communications, and applications for a new license or an amendment or renewal of an existing license specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section must use the following address: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region IV, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, 1600 E. Lamar Blvd., Arlington, TX 76011-4511; where email is appropriate, it should be addressed to [email protected].
(B) Otherwise, the regional licensing program involves all Federal facilities in the region and non-Federal licensees in the following Region IV non-Agreement States and territory: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Guam. All mailed or hand-delivered inquiries, communications, and applications for a new license or an amendment or renewal of an existing license specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section must use the following address: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region IV, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, 1600 E. Lamar Blvd., Arlington, TX 76011-4511; where email is appropriate, it should be addressed to [email protected]. Outside of this jurisdiction, concerning the licensing program involving mining and milling, the Agreement States of Colorado, Utah, Texas and Washington should be contacted.
[48 FR 16032, Apr. 14, 1983]
Editorial Note:For Federal Register citations affecting § 70.5, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.govinfo.gov.
§ 70.6 - Interpretations.
Except as specifically authorized by the Commission in writing, no interpretation of the meaning of the regulations in this part by any officer or employee of the Commission other than a written interpretation by the General Counsel will be recognized to be binding upon the Commission.
§ 70.7 - Employee protection.
(a) Discrimination by a Commission licensee, an applicant for a Commission license, or a contractor or subcontractor of a Commission licensee or applicant against an employee for engaging in certain protected activities is prohibited. Discrimination includes discharge and other actions that relate to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment. The protected activities are established in section 211 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended, and in general are related to the administration or enforcement of a requirement imposed under the Atomic Energy Act or the Energy Reorganization Act.
(1) The protected activities include but are not limited to:
(i) Providing the Commission or his or her employer information about alleged violations of either of the statutes named in paragraph (a) introductory text of this section or possible violations of requirements imposed under either of those statutes;
(ii) Refusing to engage in any practice made unlawful under either of the statutes named in paragraph (a) introductory text or under these requirements if the employee has identified the alleged illegality to the employer;
(iii) Requesting the Commission to institute action against his or her employer for the administration or enforcement of these requirements;
(iv) Testifying in any Commission proceeding, or before Congress, or at any Federal or State proceeding regarding any provision (or proposed provision) of either of the statutes named in paragraph (a) introductory text.
(v) Assisting or participating in, or is about to assist or participate in, these activities.
(2) These activities are protected even if no formal proceeding is actually initiated as a result of the employee assistance or participation.
(3) This section has no application to any employee alleging discrimination prohibited by this section who, acting without direction from his or her employer (or the employer's agent), deliberately causes a violation of any requirement of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended, or the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.
(b) Any employee who believes that he or she has been discharged or otherwise discriminated against by any person for engaging in protected activities specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section may seek a remedy for the discharge or discrimination through an administrative proceeding in the Department of Labor. The administrative proceeding must be initiated within 180 days after an alleged violation occurs. The employee may do this by filing a complaint alleging the violation with the Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration, Wage and Hour Division. The Department of Labor may order reinstatement, back pay, and compensatory damages.
(c) A violation of paragraphs (a), (e), or (f) of this section by a Commission licensee, an applicant for a Commission license, or a contractor or subcontractor of a Commission licensee or applicant may be grounds for—
(1) Denial, revocation, or suspension of the license.
(2) Imposition of a civil penalty on the licensee, applicant, or a contractor or subcontractor of the licensee or applicant.
(3) Other enforcement action.
(d) Actions taken by an employer, or others, which adversely affect an employee may be predicated upon nondiscriminatory grounds. The prohibition applies when the adverse action occurs because the employee has engaged in protected activities. An employee's engagement in protected activities does not automatically render him or her immune from discharge or discipline for legitimate reasons or from adverse action dictated by nonprohibited considerations.
(e)(1) Each specific licensee, each applicant for a specific license, and each general licensee subject to part 19 shall prominently post the revision of NRC Form 3, “Notice to Employees,” referenced in 10 CFR 19.11(c).
(2) The posting of NRC Form 3 must be at locations sufficient to permit employees protected by this section to observe a copy on the way to or from their place of work. Premises must be posted not later than 30 days after an application is docketed and remain posted while the application is pending before the Commission, during the term of the license, and for 30 days following license termination.
(3) Copies of NRC Form 3 may be obtained by writing to the Regional Administrator of the appropriate U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regional Office listed in appendix D to part 20 of this chapter, via email to [email protected], or by visiting the NRC's online library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/forms/.
(f) No agreement affecting the compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, including an agreement to settle a complaint filed by an employee with the Department of Labor pursuant to section 211 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended, may contain any provision which would prohibit, restrict, or otherwise discourage an employee from participating in protected activity as defined in paragraph (a)(1) of this section including, but not limited to, providing information to the NRC or to his or her employer on potential violations or other matters within NRC's regulatory responsibilities.
[58 FR 52413, Oct. 8, 1993, as amended at 60 FR 24552, May 9, 1995; 61 FR 6765, Feb. 22, 1996; 68 FR 58816, Oct. 10, 2003; 72 FR 63974, Nov. 14, 2007; 73 FR 30459, May 28, 2008; 79 FR 66605, Nov. 10, 2014]
§ 70.8 - Information collection requirements: OMB approval.
(a) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has submitted the information collection requirements contained in this part to the office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval as required by the Paperwork reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved the information collection requirements contained in this part under control number 3150-0009.
(b) The approved information collection requirements contained in this part appear in §§ 70.9, 70.17, 70.19, 70.20a, 70.20b, 70.21, 70.22, 70.24, 70.25, 70.32, 70.33, 70.34, 70.38, 70.39, 70.42, 70.50, 70.51, 70.52, 70.59, 70.61, 70.62, 70.64, 70.65, 70.72, 70.73, 70.74, and Appendix A.
(c) This part contains information collection requirements in addition to those approved under the control number specified in paragraph (a) of this section. These information collection requirements and the control numbers under which they are approved are as follows:
(1) In § 70.21(g), Form N-71 and associated forms are approved under control number 3150-0056.
(2) In § 70.38, NRC form 314 is approved under control number 3150-0028.
(3) In § 70.21(g), DOC/NRC Forms AP-1, AP-A, and associated forms are approved under control number 0694-0135.
[49 FR 19628, May 9, 1984, as amended at 52 FR 19305, May 22, 1987; 56 FR 40769, Aug. 16, 1991; 57 FR 18392, Apr. 30, 1992; 58 FR 39634, July 26, 1993; 62 FR 52189, Oct. 6, 1997; 65 FR 56225, Sept. 18, 2000; 67 FR 78142, Dec. 23, 2003; 73 FR 78606, Dec. 23, 2008]
§ 70.9 - Completeness and accuracy of information.
(a) Information provided to the Commission by an applicant for a license or by a licensee or information required by statute or by the Commission's regulations, orders, or license conditions to be maintained by the applicant or the licensee shall be complete and accurate in all material respects.
(b) Each applicant or licensee shall notify the Commission of information identified by the applicant or licensee as having for the regulated activity a significant implication for public health and safety or common defense and security. An applicant or licensee violates this paragraph only if the applicant or licensee fails to notify the Commission of information that the applicant or licensee has identified as having a significant implication for public health and safety or common defense and security. Notification shall be provided to the Administrator of the appropriate Regional Office within two working days of identifying the information. This requirement is not applicable to information which is already required to be provided to the Commission by other reporting or updating requirements.
[52 FR 49373, Dec. 31, 1987]
§ 70.10 - Deliberate misconduct.
(a) Any licensee, applicant for a license, employee of a licensee or applicant; or any contractor (including a supplier or consultant), subcontractor, employee of a contractor or subcontractor of any licensee or applicant for a license, who knowingly provides to any licensee, applicant, contractor, or subcontractor, any components, equipment, materials, or other goods or services that relate to a licensee's or applicant's activities in this part, may not:
(1) Engage in deliberate misconduct that causes or would have caused, if not detected, a licensee or applicant to be in violation of any rule, regulation, or order; or any term, condition, or limitation of any license issued by the Commission; or
(2) Deliberately submit to the NRC, a licensee, an applicant, or a licensee's or applicant's contractor or subcontractor, information that the person submitting the information knows to be incomplete or inaccurate in some respect material to the NRC.
(b) A person who violates paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section may be subject to enforcement action in accordance with the procedures in 10 CFR part 2, subpart B.
(c) For the purposes of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, deliberate misconduct by a person means an intentional act or omission that the person knows:
(1) Would cause a licensee or applicant to be in violation of any rule, regulation, or order; or any term, condition, or limitation, of any license issued by the Commission; or
(2) Constitutes a violation of a requirement, procedure, instruction, contract, purchase order, or policy of a licensee, applicant, contractor, or subcontractor.
[63 FR 1899, Jan. 13, 1998]
authority: Atomic Energy Act of 1954, secs. 51, 53, 57(d), 108, 122, 161, 182, 183, 184, 186, 187, 193, 223, 234, 274, 1701 (
42 U.S.C. 2071,
2073,
2077,
2138,
2152,
2201,
2232,
2233,
2234,
2236,
2237,
2243,
2273,
2282,
2021,
2297f; Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, secs. 201, 202, 206, 211 (
42 U.S.C. 5841,
5842,
5846,
5851; Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, secs. 135, 141 (
42 U.S.C. 10155,
10161;
44 U.S.C. 3504 note
source: 21 FR 764, Feb. 3, 1956, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 10 CFR 70.6