Notice of Availability

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 160 / Thursday, August 18, 2011 / Notices

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TABLE 2—NET BURDEN CHANGE—Continued

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2011–2012

2012–2013

Change

%
Change

Total Applicants ....................................

23,611,500

24,705,864

+1,094,364

+4.63

Total Applicant Burden .........................

32,239,328

29,357,853

¥2,881,475

¥8.94

Total Annual Responses .......................
Cost for All Applicants ..........................

32,239,328
$159,370.20

46,447,024
$234,804.24

+14,207,696
$75,434.04

+44.07
+47.33

The Department is proud that efforts
to simplify the FAFSA submission
process have resulted in a continued
decrease in the burden associated with
the application process, even as the
Department serves more students each
year. The results demonstrate the
significant improvements that have been
made to the application process. The
Department believes that these changes
will contribute to more students
completing the FAFSA and will assist
more students with their pursuit of
postsecondary education.
Request for Copies: Comments should
be submitted to the Department as
indicated. All comments will become a
matter of public record. Requests for
copies of the proposed information
collection request may be accessed from
http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the
‘‘Browse Pending Collections’’ link and
by clicking on link number 4703. When
you access the information collection,
click on ‘‘Download Attachments’’ to
view. Written requests for information
should be addressed to U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW., LBJ, Washington, DC 20202–4537.
Requests may also be electronically
mailed to [email protected] or faxed
to 202–401–0920. Please specify the
complete title of the information
collection when making your request.
Comments regarding burden and/or the
collection activity requirements should
be electronically mailed to
[email protected]. Individuals who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–
800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m. Eastern time, Monday through
Friday.
[FR Doc. 2011–20992 Filed 8–17–11; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Availability: American
Assured Fuel Supply
The U.S. Department of Energy.
Notice of availability.

AGENCY:
ACTION:

The U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) is creating the American
Assured Fuel Supply (AFS), a reserve of
low enriched uranium (LEU) to serve as
a backup fuel supply for foreign
recipients to be supplied through U.S.
persons, or for domestic recipients, in
the event of a fuel supply disruption.
DOE is committed to making the AFS
available to eligible recipients in the
case of supply disruptions in the
nuclear fuel market. This effort supports
DOE’s nuclear nonproliferation
objectives by supporting civil nuclear
energy development while minimizing
proliferation risks. This notice
announces the availability of the AFS
and the DOE policy and process for
eligible recipients to purchase LEU from
the AFS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rich
Goorevich, Senior Policy Advisor,
Office of Nonproliferation and
International Security, National Nuclear
Security Administration, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Ave., SW., Washington,
DC 20585, Tel: 202–586–0589, Fax:
202–586–1348.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:

I. Background
The Secretary of Energy is authorized
pursuant to the Atomic Energy of 1954,
as amended (Pub. L. 83–703), and the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978
(NNPA) (Pub. L. 95–242) to encourage
the widespread use of atomic energy for
peaceful purposes, and to enter into and
distribute nuclear material in
cooperation with other nations where
appropriate safeguard measures are in
place to ensure the material is properly
controlled and used for peaceful
purposes. Consistent with those

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Burden disposition
Net decrease in burden. The increase
in applicants is offset by the results
of the Department’s simplification
changes. This has created an overall decrease in burden of 8.94% or
2,881,475 hours.

responsibilities and missions, in 2005,
Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman
announced that the United States would
set aside 17.4 metric tons of surplus
highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to be
down-blended to LEU and held in
reserve to address disruptions in the
nuclear fuel supply of foreign recipients
that have good nonproliferation
credentials. This initiative was
originally referred to as the Reliable
Fuel Supply Initiative, and more
recently renamed the American Assured
Fuel Supply (AFS).
Congress appropriated $49,540,000 in
the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2008 (Pub. L. 110–161) to fund a portion
of the International Atomic Energy
Agency’s (IAEA) International Nuclear
Fuel Bank (INFB) initiative, which is
envisioned as an LEU reserve that will
be administered by the IAEA and that
will serve as a back-up for global supply
disruptions. Congress, in the
Explanatory Statement accompanying
the House Appropriations Committee
Print (which in this Act was given the
same effect as a joint explanatory
statement), noted that the INFB freed up
the LEU set-aside initiated pursuant to
Secretary Bodman’s 2005
announcement, and recommended DOE
also ‘‘allow U.S. interests to purchase
uranium fuel from the Reliable Fuel
Supply [now the AFS] in the event of
supply disruption.’’ (H. Approp. Cmte.
Print at 592.)
The AFS is intended to complement
the INFB. Specifically, the AFS will
support countries that pursue peaceful
civilian nuclear programs by providing
a back-up source of fuel in the event of
a supply disruption that threatens the
normal operation of their programs. In
addition, in accordance with the
congressional request, the AFS will be
available to address supply disruptions
affecting domestic nuclear power plants.
The AFS reserve is modest in size and
designed to not disrupt or replace
market mechanisms. Rather, it is to be
drawn upon only in the event of

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demonstrated need and after all other
market options are exhausted.
The National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA), a semiautonomous agency within DOE, is
responsible for the administration and
implementation of the AFS. Downblending of the 17.4 metric tons of
surplus HEU began in 2007 and is
scheduled for completion in 2012.
When complete, the down-blending will
result in approximately 290 metric tons
of LEU, of which approximately 230
metric tons will form the reserve. The
remainder will be used to pay for the
down-blending and processing costs.
For additional information on the
potential environmental impacts of
DOE’s ongoing HEU disposition
activities and the AFS initiative in
particular, please see ‘‘Amended Record
of Decision: Disposition of Surplus
Highly Enriched Uranium
Environmental Impact Statement,’’ also
published in today’s Federal Register.
II. Policy and Process for Accessing
AFS Material
DOE intends to implement the
following policies and processes to
evaluate requests for purchases and the
sale of LEU from the AFS.
Policy. DOE intends for the AFS to be
made available to eligible recipients that
meet certain nonproliferation criteria in
the case of supply disruptions in the
nuclear fuel market. DOE will sell LEU
from the AFS consistent with applicable
laws, regulations, and Departmental
policies concerning excess uranium
disposition. DOE will sell LEU to U.S.
persons who will in turn sell to
domestic or foreign recipients only
where DOE has confirmed that there is
a fuel supply disruption that cannot be
addressed by normal market
mechanisms. If foreign reactor operators
face a supply disruption, the AFS will
be available to them through their U.S.
suppliers.
The sale of LEU from the AFS will be
conducted consistent with the policies
and guidance in the ‘‘Secretary of
Energy’s 2008 Policy Statement on
Management of Department of Energy’s
Excess Uranium Inventory’’ (March 11,
2008) and the DOE Excess Uranium
Inventory Management Plan. In all
cases, the U.S. person purchasing the
LEU must meet all applicable licensing
requirements and other authorizations
for the possession, use, and
transportation of nuclear materials. If
the AFS is used to supply a foreign
recipient, the U.S. person exporting the
LEU must obtain or possess an
appropriate license from the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission. DOE will
establish the price of the LEU at the

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time of delivery using commercially
acceptable market indices, to the extent
practical, and ensure that reasonable
value is obtained. All proceeds from the
sale will be deposited in the U.S.
Treasury.
Process. Any U.S. person requesting
to purchase LEU from the AFS must
submit a request in writing to the NNSA
Office of Nonproliferation and
International Security. The request must
set forth facts demonstrating that there
is a fuel supply disruption for which
fuel cannot be obtained through normal
market conditions and that the end-user,
if foreign, has good nonproliferation
credentials. In addition, the request
must include specific information about
the purchase, including but not limited
to: the time and place of delivery; the
desired quantity and composition of
LEU; the recipient and associated
country of final end-use; confirmation of
qualification for an export license, as
required; and, if applicable, information
on any intermediate consignee and
country. Any foreign persons requesting
to purchase LEU from the AFS can do
so through their U.S. supplier.
The U.S. person purchasing LEU from
the AFS will be solely responsible for
transportation, insurance, safety, and
liability issues once title to the LEU
transfers. The LEU will be in the form
of uranium hexafluoride at a specific
assay (generally 4.95% U–235); DOE
will assume no responsibility beyond
certification that the LEU meets ASTM
International, formerly American
Society for testing (ASTM),
specifications and is of a certain
quantity and assay.
DOE will respond to requests within
a reasonable time period, consistent
with the requester’s needs, the
circumstances surrounding the request,
and other relevant and necessary
governmental interests. DOE reserves
the right to prioritize requests, and to
seek additional information as necessary
to review the request.
DOE will establish an AFS
Committee, which will be responsible
for reviewing requests for LEU in the
AFS and make recommendations to the
Secretary of Energy on the sale of LEU
from the AFS. The Committee will be
chaired by the NNSA Office of
Nonproliferation and International
Security and include representatives
from NNSA’s Office of Fissile Material
Disposition, DOE’s Office of Nuclear
Energy, DOE’s Office of Environmental
Management, and the DOE and NNSA
Offices of General Counsel. For
transactions that trigger the
requirements of section 3112(d) of the
USEC Privatization Act, DOE will assess
the impact of a sale from the AFS on the

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domestic uranium market, and will
provide its recommendation to the
Secretary to make the requisite
determination that the transfer will not
have an adverse material impact on the
domestic uranium enrichment,
conversion, or mining industries.
DOE will receive concurrence from
the Department of State, and consult
with the Department of Commerce and
the Department of Defense, prior to the
approval and sale of AFS material to a
U.S. person for use in a foreign country.
For all sales from the AFS, DOE will
notify other federal agencies (e.g., U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Department of State, Department of
Commerce and the Department of
Defense) prior to the sale, as
appropriate.
III. Projected Timeline
The LEU for the AFS will come from
down-blending 17.4 metric tons of HEU.
When complete, the down-blending will
result in approximately 290 metric tons
of LEU, of which approximately 230
metric tons will form the reserve. The
remainder will be used to pay for the
down-blending and processing costs.
This will leave the AFS with
approximately 6 reloads for an average
1000 MW reactor. The down-blending
will be completed in 2012.
As of the publication of this notice,
most of the down-blending for the AFS
has been completed. DOE will begin
accepting requests for purchases of the
AFS material pursuant to the abovestated policy and process at this time.
Issued in Washington, DC, this 13th day of
May, 2011.
Steven Chu,
Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2011–21067 Filed 8–17–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security
Administration Amended Record of
Decision: Disposition of Surplus
Highly Enriched Uranium
Environmental Impact Statement
National Nuclear Security
Administration, U.S. Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Amended Record of Decision.
AGENCY:

The National Nuclear
Security Administration (NNSA), a
semi-autonomous agency within the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is
amending the August 5, 1996, Record of
Decision (the 1996 ROD) (61 FR 40619)
for the Disposition of Surplus Highly
Enriched Uranium Environmental

SUMMARY:

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