Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION:

Notice of pending NRC action to submit an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and solicitation of public comment.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment about our intention to request the OMB's approval for renewal of an existing information collection that is summarized below. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

Information pertaining to the requirement to be submitted:

1. The title of the information collection: NRC Forms 540 and 540A, Uniform Low-Level Radioactive Waste Manifest (Shipping Paper) and Continuation Page; NRC Forms 541 and 541A, Uniform Low-Level Radioactive Waste Manifest, Container and Waste Description, and Continuation Page; NRC Forms 542 and 542A, Uniform Low-Level Radioactive Waste Manifest, Index and Regional Compact Tabulation, and Continuation Page.

2. Current OMB approval number:

NRC Form 540 and 540A: OMB #3150-0164.

NRC Form 541 and 541A: OMB #3150-0166.

NRC Form 542 and 542A: OMB #3150-0165.

3. How often the collection is required: Forms are used by shippers whenever radioactive waste is shipped. Quarterly or less frequent reporting is made to Agreement States depending on specific license conditions. No reporting is made to the NRC.

4. Who is required or asked to report: All NRC or Agreement State low-level waste facilities licensed pursuant to Part 61 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) or equivalent Agreement State regulations. All generators, collectors, and processors of low-level waste intended for disposal at a low-level waste facility must complete the appropriate forms.

5. The number of annual respondents:

NRC Form 540 and 540A: 220.

NRC Form 541 and 541A: 220.

NRC Form 542 and 542A: 22.

6. The number of hours needed annually to complete the requirement or request:

NRC Form 540 and 540A: 4,305.

NRC Form 541 and 541A: 18,480.

NRC Form 542 and 542A: 567.

7. Abstract: NRC Forms 540, 541, and 542, together with their continuation pages, designated by the A suffix, provide a set of standardized forms to meet Department of Transportation (DOT), NRC, and State requirements. The forms were developed by NRC at the request of low-level waste industry groups. The forms provide uniformity and efficiency in the collection of information contained in manifests which are required to control transfers of low-level radioactive waste intended for disposal at a land disposal facility. The NRC Form 540 contains information needed to satisfy DOT shipping paper requirements in 49 CFR Part 172 and the waste tracking requirements of the NRC in 10 CFR Part 20. The NRC Form 541 contains information needed by disposal site facilities to safely dispose of low-level waste and information to meet NRC and State requirements regulating these activities. The NRC Form 542, completed by waste collectors or processors, contains information which facilitates tracking the identity of the waste generator. That tracking becomes more complicated when the waste forms, dimensions, or packagings are changed by the waste processor. Each container of waste shipped from a waste processor may contain waste from several different generators. The information provided on the NRC Form 542 permits the States and Compacts to know the original generators of low-level waste, as authorized by the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985, so they can ensure that waste is disposed of in the appropriate Compact.

Submit, by September 9, 2013, comments that address the following questions:

1. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the NRC to properly perform its functions? Does the information have practical utility?

2. Is the burden estimate accurate?

3. Is there a way to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected?

4. How can the burden of the information collection be minimized, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology?

The public may examine and have copied for a fee publicly available documents, including the draft supporting statement, at the NRC's Public Document Room, Room O-1F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC's Web site: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comment/omb/. The document will be available on the NRC's home page site for 60 days after the signature date of this notice.

Comments submitted in writing or in electronic form will be made available for public inspection. Because your comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or contact information, the NRC cautions you against including any information in your submission that you do not want to be publicly disclosed. Comments submitted should reference Docket Nos. NRC-2013-0117, -0118, -0119. You may submit your comments by any of the following methods. Electronic comments: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket Nos. NRC-2013-0117, -0118, -0119. Mail comments to the NRC Clearance Officer, Tremaine Donnell (T-5 F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Questions about the information collection requirements may be directed to the NRC Clearance Officer, Tremaine Donnell (T-5 F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6258, or by email: INFOCOLLECTS.Resource@NRC.GOV.