Commission split 2-2 On expansion of NATIONAL RADIOACTIVE SOURCE TRACKING SYSTEM
– By Abby Gessner –
On a 2-2 vote, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was unable to reach a decision on the staff’s recommendation to issue a final rule expanding the number and type of radioactive sources covered under the National Source Tracking System (NSTS).
“I appreciate the effort Commissioner Lyons has dedicated to the successful implementation of the current National Source Tracking System and the diligent work the NRC staff did to prepare a draft final rule to further expand it,” Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko said. “Although the Commission did not approve the expansion of this system today, I look forward to working with my fellow Commissioners to continue to improve on this important piece of our radioactive source security efforts.”
The final rule would have expanded the NSTS to include Category 3 sources, requiring additional licensees to report information on the manufacture, transfer, receipt, disassembly and disposal of these radioactive sources to the NSTS. These sources include fixed industrial gauges (level gauges, conveyor gauges, thickness gauges, blast furnace gauges, dredger gauges, and pipe gauges); well-logging devices; medium and low-dose-range brachytherapy; and certain radiography devices. Additional details on the proposal can be found on NRC’s Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/secys/2009/.
As established in a final rule published in November 2006, the current NSTS tracks radioactive sources in Categories 1 and 2 as determined by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The rule requires reporting of certain inventory and transfer information to the NSTS. The NRC considers these sources to be the most significant from a security perspective. These sources are typically used in radiothermal generators, irradiators, radiation therapy, industrial gamma radiography and high- and medium-dose-range brachytherapy cancer treatments. That rule covers approximately 1,350 licensees nationwide who possess Category 1 and 2 sources. The current NSTS was launched in December 2008 and licensees have been reporting their information into the system since January 2009.
Additional details on the Commission vote will be available on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/combined/2009/.