New rule aims to prevent creation of legacy sites

摘要

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced on November 30 that it has approved a final rule that is intended to prevent the creation of future "legacy" sites by requiring licensees to minimize the amount of residual radioactivity released during operations. A legacy site is a facility whose owner cannot complete decommissioning work for technical or financial reasons. Under the new rule, licensees will be required to keep survey records of residual radioactivity, including in subsurface soil and groundwater. Some licensees will also be required to report additional details in their decommissioning cost estimates and to amend some financial assurance mechanisms for decommissioning planning.