NRC Adds Tribal Nation Map to Website

NRC 06-14 FR Tribal Adv Note update.pdf

On June 14, 2013 (78 FR 35746), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a final rule announcing they are maintaining and providing a list of Tribal contacts and an interactive map of Tribal boundaries of participating Federally-recognized Tribes on the NRC’s public Web site for licensees who must provide an advance notice of shipments of irradiated reactor fuel meeting the 10 CFR 73.37 criteria and other nuclear wastes meeting the criteria in 10 CFR 71.97 before passing through or crossing the border of their reservations. For the purposes of the Advance Tribal Notification Rule, an “Indian tribe” is defined as an Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994. Tribal participation is voluntary. Tribes may express interest in participating in the advance notifications and may discontinue their participation at any time. Currently, 27 Tribes have expressed interest in receiving the advance notifications. Tribes meeting the criteria may receive advance notifications after certifying that the Safeguards Information associated with the shipments of these materials will be adequately protected by complying with the requirements in 10 CFR 73.21 and 73.22. After the NRC receives this certification and the contact information for the Tribal official or Tribal official’s designee, the NRC will add the Tribe to the list of advance notification contacts and the Tribal reservation information to the interactive map of Tribal boundaries at http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/state-tribal/tribal-advance-notification.html . Current contact information can also be accessed throughout the year at http://nrc-stp.ornl.gov/special/designee.pdf . The list is published annually in the Federal Register on or about June 30 to reflect any changes in information. Licensees should check these sites to determine whether they need to provide advance notification when they have any shipments meeting the criteria in 10 CFR 71.97 or 73.37 that will pass within or across a participating Tribe’s reservation. Currently (as of June 14, 2013) there are no tribes that have met the prerequisites required to receive advance notifications. This final rule is effective on June 14, 2013.