Fuel Cycle Facility Regulations, Guidance, Communications, and Fuel Facility Stakeholders Meetings
On this page:
Regulations
NRC's regulations are found in Chapter I of Title 10, "Energy," of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Chapter I is divided into Parts 1 through 199. The following are for the licensing and operation of fuel cycle facilities:
Guidance
Regulatory guides are issued in 10 divisions and are intended to aid licensees in implementing regulations. The guides most applicable to nuclear fuel and fuel cycle facilities are in:
Web (HTML or PDF) versions of some regulatory guides are available for viewing or downloading. Those available are highlighted in the index to our Regulatory Guide Document Collection. All active final and draft guides are also available in NRC's Agency-wide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS).
Other guidance documents that may be useful to licensees and other stakeholders are:
- Standard Format and Content Acceptance Criteria for the Material Control and Accounting (MC&A) Reform Amendment (NUREG-1280)
- Integrated Safety Analysis Guidance Document (NUREG-1513)
- Standard Review Plan for the Review of a License Application for a Fuel Cycle Facility (NUREG-1520)
- Standard Review Plan for the Review of an Application for a Mixed-Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility (NUREG-1718)
- Acceptable Standard Format and Content for the Fundamental Nuclear Material Control (FNMC) Plan Required for Low-Enriched Uranium Facilities (NUREG-1065)
- Recommendations to the NRC on Acceptable Standard Format and Content for the Fundamental Nuclear Material Control (FNMC) Plan Required for Low-Enriched Uranium Enrichment Facilities (NUREG/CR-5734)
- Handbook of Nuclear Safeguards Measurement Methods (NUREG/CR-2078)*
- Passive Nondestructive Assay of Nuclear Materials (NUREG/CR-5550)*
- Statistical Methods for Nuclear Material Management (NUREG/CR-4604)*
*These large documents can be obtained from the NRC Public Document Room.
Web (HTML) versions of some guidance documents are available in our NRC Formal Publication Collection. Some are also are available in ADAMS (see our table listing their availability). Also available in this collection on the Web site are guidance and information on many types of materials licenses in Volumes 1–20 of NUREG-1556. For additional information, see Uranium Recovery Regulations, Guidance, and Communications.
Communications
Generic communications are NRC's primary method of sending information to specific classes of licensees. There are several types:
Newsletters are another way of sending information to NRC licensees. The NMSS Licensee Newsletter (NUREG/BR-0117) is published quarterly and contains information about fuel cycle facilities.
Fuel Facility Stakeholders Meetings
The Fuel Facility Stakeholders Meeting represents a continuing effort by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in conjunction with interested stakeholders to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the development of regulations and guidance.
Major regulatory activities for fuel cycle facilities are summarized in a Gantt Chart entitled "Integrated Schedule of Regulatory Activities for Fuel Cycle." The chart, shown below, lists the current regulatory activities, the major milestones, dates for meetings and public interactions, and the drivers. This chart is used by the agency and industry to more effectively coordinate rulemaking and other regulatory improvement efforts to avoid scheduling conflicts, and to focus the work on important regulatory projects.
| Integrated Schedule of Major Regulatory Activities for Fuel Cycle (updated 11-01-2024) |
 |
The Supplement to the Fuel Cycle Integrated Schedule, provides additional information on regulatory activities listed on the Gantt chart. The document contains a purpose statement for each activity, an overview of the project's status, a list of related documents, and information on the public interactions scheduled.
The Fuel Facility Stakeholders public meetings are scheduled bi-annually between the Division of Fuel Management and stakeholders. During these meetings the NRC staff provides updates on the Integrated Schedule for Fuel Cycle Facilities and seeks feedback from stakeholders. These meetings support the Commission's direction in Staff Requirements Memorandum – SECY-12-0137. Information on upcoming meetings and summaries of past meetings are provided below.
This page includes links to files in non-HTML format. See Plugins, Viewers, and Other Tools for more information.
| Upcoming Meetings |
Title |
| November 13, 2024 |
Fuel Facility Stakeholder Meeting |
| |
| Completed Meetings |
Title |
| 05/1/2024 |
Summary of May 1, 2024 Fuel Facility Stakeholders Meeting |
| 11/08/2023 |
Summary of November 8, 2023 Fuel Facility Stakeholders Meeting |
| 05/03/2023 |
Summary of May 3, 2023 Fuel Facility Stakeholders Meeting |
| 10/19/2022 |
Summary of October 19, 2022 Fuel Facility Stakeholders Meeting |
| 5/17-18/2022 |
Summary of May 17 – 18, 2022 Fuel Facility Stakeholders Public Meeting |
| 10/20/2021 |
Summary of October 20, 2021 Fuel Facility Stakeholders Public Meeting |
| 06/15/2021 |
Summary of June 15, 2021 Fuel Facility Stakeholder Public Meeting |
| 03/24-25/2021 |
Summary of March 24-25, 2021, Fuel Facility Stakeholder Public Meeting |
| 10/29/2020 |
Summary of October 28-29, 2020, Meeting With the Nuclear Energy Institute, Industry Representatives, And Stakeholders to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities And Cumulative Effects of Regulation |
| 07/22/2020 |
Summary of July 22, 2020, Meeting With Industry And Stakeholders to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities And Cumulative Effects of Regulation |
| 04/22/2020 |
Summary of April 22, 2020, Meeting With Industry And Stakeholders to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities and Cumulative Effects of Regulation |
| 09/25/2019 |
Summary of September 25, 2019, Meeting to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities and Cumulative Effects of Regulation |
| 04/02/2019 |
April 2, 2019, Summary of Meeting to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities and Cumulative Effects of Regulation |
| 09/25/2018 |
September 25, 2018 Summary of Meeting to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities and Cumulative Effects of Regulation |
| 04/11/2018 |
April 11, 2018 Summary of Meeting to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities and Cumulative |
| 09/26/2017 |
September 26, 2017 Summary of Meeting to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities and Cumulative Effects of Regulation |
| 03/29/2017 |
March 29, 2017 Summary of Meeting to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities and Cumulative Effects of Regulation |
| 10/12/2016 |
October 12, 2016, Summary of NRC Public Meeting with NEI and Industry to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities |
| 03/16/2016 |
March 16, 2016, Summary of NRC Public Meeting with NEI and industry to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities |
| 09/23/2015 |
September 23, 2015, Summary of NRC Public Meeting with NEI and industry to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities |
| 06/11/2015 |
June 11, 2015, Summary of NRC Public Meeting with NEI and Industry to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities |
| 04/04/2015 |
March 4-5 2015, Summary of NRC Public Meeting with NEI and Industry to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities |
| 09/22/2014 |
Summary of September 22-23, 2014, Meeting with the Nuclear Energy Institute And Stakeholders to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities and the Cumulative Effects of Regulation |
| 12/11/2014 |
Summary of December 11, 2014, Meeting with the Industry and Stakeholders to Discuss Fuel Cycle Regulatory Activities and the Cumulative Effects of Regulation |
| 06/09/2014 |
FCSS Cumulative Effects of Regulation June 2014 Quarterly Meeting |
| 03/03-06/2014 |
Summary of NRC Meeting with NEI/Industry at the Industry Initiated Fuel Cycle Oversight Conference in Atlanta GA on March 3, 5, and 6, 2014 |
| 01/14/2014 |
FCSS Cumulative Effects of Regulation Meeting Summary for January 14, 2014 Public Meeting with Industry |
| 10/01/2013 |
Summary of the October 1, 2013, Public Meeting to Discuss Cumulative Effects of Regulation on Fuel Cycle Facilities |
Building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Licensing and Oversight Programs
On April 26, 2019, the NRC staff issued two working group charters to conduct a holistic assessment of the Fuel Cycle licensing and oversight programs for the purpose of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the programs. The working groups, composed experienced supervisors and experienced NRC staff members, will look for areas of transformation and innovation in the Fuel Cycle licensing and oversight programs while adhering to the key principles of good regulation that guide the manner in which we conduct our work and make decisions. A description of the activities, an integrated schedule of major regulatory activities for the fuel cycle facilities, and opportunities for public involvement are described. The documents provided on this webpage contains information being used to support this review effort.
| Date |
Description |
| April 12 2019 |
Industry Comments on U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Draft Working Group Charters on Building Smarter Licensing and Inspection Programs for Fuel Cycle Facilities Discussed During April 2, 2019 NRC Public Meeting |
| April 24 2019 |
UUSA Comments on the NRC Proposed Charters |
| April 26 2019 |
Approval of Working Group for building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Licensing Program |
| April 26 2019 |
Approval of Working Group for Building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Inspection Program |
| May 21, 2019 |
Summary of Brainstorming and Scoping Workshop on the NRC Initiatives for Building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Licensing and Oversight Program |
| June 27, 2019 |
Summary of Meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) on Building a Smarter Fuel cycle Inspection Program |
| June 27, 2019 |
NEI Presentation Material for June 27, 2019, Public Meeting |
| August 8, 2019 |
Summary of Meeting with NEI on Building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Inspection and Licensing Program |
| August 8, 2019 |
NRC Presentation Material for August 8, 2019, Public Meeting |
| August 8, 2019 |
Fuel Cycle Industry Presentation Material for August 8, 2019, Public Meeting |
| September 12, 2019 |
NRC Presentation Material for September 12, 2019, Public Meeting |
| September 12, 2019 |
URENCO USA Presentation Material for September 12, 2019, Public Meeting |
| September 12, 2019 |
Summary of Meeting on Building Smarter Fuel Cycle Inspection Program |
| October 15, 2019 |
NEI Letter on Industry Proposal 2 for Building a Fuel Cycle Inspection Program |
| October 17, 2019 |
Summary of Meeting with URENCO USA on Specific Recommendation for Building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Inspection Program |
| October 17, 2019 |
URENCO USA Presentation Material for October 17, 2019, Public Meeting |
| October 24, 2019 |
URENCO USA Proposal for Building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Inspection Programs |
| November 15, 2019 |
NEI Presentation Material for November 15, 2019, Public Meeting |
| November 15, 2019 |
NRC Presentation Material for November 15, 2019, Public Meeting – Smarter Inspection |
| November 15, 2019 |
NRC Presentation Material for November 15, 2019, Public Meeting – Smarter Licensing |
| November 15, 2019 |
Summary of Meeting on Building a Smarter Fuel Licensing and Oversight Program |
| February 25, 2020 |
NRC internal memo, "Working Group Recommendations for Building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Licensing Program – Final Draft Report" |
| March 5, 2020 |
NRC public meeting presentation |
| March 17, 2020 |
NEI Letter, "Industry Comments on Near Final Fuel Cycle Smarter Program Working Group Reports Post March 5, 2020, NRC Public Meeting" |
| March 18, 2020 |
Proposed Recommendations for Building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Inspection Program |
| March 18, 2020 |
Memorandum on the Final Decision for the Staff Recommendations for Building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Inspection Program |
| April 30, 2020 |
Working Group Recommendations for Building a Smarter Fuel Cycle Licensing Program - Final Report |
| May 6, 2020 |
NEI Letter, Follow Up Input to NRC April 22, 2020, Public Meeting and Supplement to NEI's March 17, 2020, letter on Final Working Group Reports on the Smarter Program Inspection and Licensing Program Enhancement Initiative |
| June 19, 2020 |
Response to NEI letter on Smarter Inspection and Licensing Program Enhancement Initiative |
| July 8, 2020 |
Implementation Plan Memorandum and Enclosure |
| July 10, 2020 |
Public Version of the Smarter Licensing Action Plan and Project Status |
| July 24, 2020 |
NEI Letter, "Industry Position Regarding Safety Margin: Dispositioning Degraded or Failed Management Measures Above and Beyond Regulatory Requirements, and Meeting Performance Criteria; Follow Up to May 6, 2020 letter on Smarter Program Inspection Priorities" |
| October 29, 2020 |
Smarter Inspection Enhancement Status Summary |
| November 24, 2020 |
Smarter Inspection Enhancement Status Summary |
| December 23, 2020 |
Smarter Inspection Enhancement Status Summary |
| January 27, 2021 |
Smarter Inspection Enhancement Status Summary |
| March 29, 2021 |
Implementation of Smarter Fuel Cycle Inspection Program |
| April 7, 2021 |
Smarter Inspection Enhancement Status Summary |
| June 30, 2021 |
Completed – Implementation of Smarter Fuel Cycle Inspection Program |
| July 31, 2021 |
Smarter Licensing One Pager Status Update |
| October 30, 2021 |
Smarter Licensing One Pager Status Update |
| May 18, 2022 |
Smarter Licensing One Pager Status Update |
| May 12, 2022 |
LIC-FM-1, “Overview and Expectations of the Certification and Licensing Process” |
| June 30, 2022 |
LIC-FM-2, “Acceptance Review Process” |
| July 27, 2022 |
LIC-FM-3, “Requests for Additional Information” |
| September 30, 2022 |
LIC-FM-4, “Safety Evaluation Reports” |
| October 19, 2022 |
October 2022 - Fuel Cycle Smarter Licensing Status Update from the Stakeholders Meeting |