(a) The regulations in this part establish for specific low-level radioactive waste:

(1) Criteria and procedures for granting emergency access under section 6 of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 (42 U.S.C. 2021) to any non-Federal or regional low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal facility or to any non-Federal disposal facility within a State that is not a member of a Compact, and

(2) The terms and conditions upon which the Commission will grant this emergency access.

(b) The regulations in this part apply to all persons as defined by this regulation, who have been denied access to existing regional or non-Federal low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities and who submit a request to the Commission for a determination pursuant to this part.

(c) The regulations in this part apply only to the LLW that the States have the responsibility to dispose of pursuant to section 3(1)(a) of the Act.

As used in this part:

Act means the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 (Pub. L. 99-240).

Agreement State means a State that—

(1) Has entered into an agreement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2021); and

(2) Has authority to regulate the disposal of low-level radioactive waste under such agreement.

Commission means the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or its duly authorized representatives.

Compact means a Compact entered into by two or more States pursuant to the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985.

Compact Commission means the regional commission, committee, or board established in a Compact to administer such Compact.

Disposal means the permanent isolation of low-level radioactive waste pursuant to the requirements established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under applicable laws, or by an Agreement State if such isolation occurs in this Agreement State.

Emergency access means access to an operating non-Federal or regional low-level radioactive waste disposal facility or facilities for a period not to exceed 180 days, which is granted by NRC to a generator of low-level radioactive waste who has been denied the use of those facilities.

Extension of emergency access means an extension of the access that had been previously granted by NRC to an operating non-Federal or regional low-level radioactive waste disposal facility or facilities for a period not to exceed 180 days.

Low-level radioactive waste (LLW) means radioactive material that—

(1) Is not high-level radioactive waste, spent nuclear fuel, or byproduct material (as defined in paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) of the definition of Byproduct Material set forth in § 20.1003 of this chapter); and

(2) The NRC, consistent with existing law and in accordance with paragraph (1) of this definition, classifies as low-level radioactive waste.

Non-Federal disposal facility means a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility that is commercially operated or is operated by a State.

Person means any individual, corporation, partnership, firm, association, trust, State, public or private institution, group or agency who is an NRC or NRC Agreement State licensed generator of low-level radioactive waste within the scope of § 62.1(c) of this part; any Governor (or for any State without a Governor, the chief executive officer of the State) on behalf of any NRC or NRC Agreement State licensed generator or generators of low-level radioactive waste within the scope of § 62.1(c) of this part located in his or her State; or their duly authorized representative, legal successor, or agent.

Regional disposal facility means a non-Federal low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in operation on January 1, 1985, or subsequently established and operated under a compact.

State means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Temporary emergency access means access that is granted at NRC's discretion under § 62.23 of this part upon determining that access is necessary to eliminate an immediate and serious threat to the public health and safety or the common defense and security. Such access expires 45 days after the granting and cannot be extended.

Except where otherwise specified, all communications and reports concerning the regulations in this part and applications filed under them should be sent by mail addressed: ATTN: Document Control Desk, Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; by hand delivery to the NRC's offices at 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland; or, where practicable, by electronic submission, for example, via Electronic Information Exchange, or CD-ROM. Electronic submissions must be made in a manner that enables the NRC to receive, read, authenticate, distribute, and archive the submission, and process and retrieve it a single page at a time. Detailed guidance on making electronic submissions can be obtained by visiting the NRC's Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html; by e-mail to [email protected]; or by writing the Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. The guidance discusses, among other topics, the formats the NRC can accept, the use of electronic signatures, and the treatment of nonpublic information.

Except as specifically authorized by the Commission in writing, no interpretation of the meaning of the regulations in this part by any officer or employee of the Commission other than a written interpretation by the General Counsel will be considered binding on the Commission.

The Commission may, upon application of any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant an exemption from the requirements of the regulations in this part that it determines is authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common defense and security and is otherwise in the public interest.

(a) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has submitted the information collection requirements contained in this part to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved the information collection requirements contained in this part under control number 3150-0143.

(b) The approved information collection requirements contained in this part appear in §§ 62.5, 62.11, 62.12, 62.13, 62.14, and 62.15.