A person, as defined in § 30.4 of this chapter, shall file an application for a specific license authorizing the use of licensed material in well logging on Form NRC 313, “Application for Material License.” Each application for a license, other than a license exempted from part 170 of this chapter, must be accompanied by the fee prescribed in § 170.31 of this chapter. The application must be sent to the appropriate NRC Regional Office listed in appendix D of part 20 of this chapter.

The Commission will approve an application for a specific license for the use of licensed material in well logging if the applicant meets the following requirements:

(a) The applicant shall satisfy the general requirements specified in § 30.33 of this chapter for byproduct material, in § 40.32 of this chapter for source material, and in § 70.23 of this chapter for special nuclear material, as appropriate, and any special requirements contained in this part.

(b) The applicant shall develop a program for training logging supervisors and logging assistants and submit to the Commission a description of this program which specifies the—

(1) Initial training;

(2) On-the-job training;

(3) Annual safety reviews provided by the licensee;

(4) Means the applicant will use to demonstrate the logging supervisor's knowledge and understanding of and ability to comply with the Commission's regulations and licensing requirements and the applicant's operating and emergency procedures; and

(5) Means the applicant will use to demonstrate the logging assistant's knowledge and understanding of and ability to comply with the applicant's operating and emergency procedures.

(c) The applicant shall submit to the Commission written operating and emergency procedures as described in § 39.63 or an outline or summary of the procedures that includes the important radiation safety aspects of the procedures.

(d) The applicant shall establish and submit to the Commission its program for annual inspections of the job performance of each logging supervisor to ensure that the Commission's regulations, license requirements, and the applicant's operating and emergency procedures are followed. Inspection records must be retained for 3 years after each annual internal inspection.

(e) The applicant shall submit a description of its overall organizational structure as it applies to the radiation safety responsibilities in well logging, including specified delegations of authority and responsibility.

(f) If an applicant wants to perform leak testing of sealed sources, the applicant shall identify the manufacturers and the model numbers of the leak test kits to be used. If the applicant wants to analyze its own wipe samples, the applicant shall establish procedures to be followed and submit a description of these procedures to the Commission. The description must include the—

(1) Instruments to be used;

(2) Methods of performing the analysis; and

(3) Pertinent experience of the person who will analyze the wipe samples.

(a) A licensee may perform well logging with a sealed source only after the licensee has a written agreement with the employing well owner or operator. This written agreement must identify who will meet the following requirements:

(1) If a sealed source becomes lodged in the well, a reasonable effort will be made to recover it.

(2) A person may not attempt to recover a sealed source in a manner which, in the licensee's opinion, could result in its rupture.

(3) The radiation monitoring required in § 39.69(a) will be performed.

(4) If the environment, any equipment, or personnel are contaminated with licensed material, they must be decontaminated before release from the site or release for unrestricted use; and

(5) If the sealed source is classified as irretrievable after reasonable efforts at recovery have been expended, the following requirements must be implemented within 30 days:

(i) Each irretrievable well logging source must be immobilized and sealed in place with a cement plug.

(ii) A means to prevent inadvertent intrusion on the source, unless the source is not accessible to any subsequent drilling operations; and

(iii) A permanent identification plaque, constructed of long lasting material such as stainless steel, brass, bronze, or monel, must be mounted at the surface of the well, unless the mounting of the plaque is not practical. The size of the plaque must be at least 17 cm [7 inches] square and 3 mm [ 1/8-inch] thick. The plaque must contain—

(A) The word “CAUTION”;

(B) The radiation symbol (the color requirement in § 20.1901(a) need not be met);

(C) The date the source was abandoned;

(D) The name of the well owner or well operator, as appropriate;

(E) The well name and well identification number(s) or other designation;

(F) An identification of the sealed source(s) by radionuclide and quantity;

(G) The depth of the source and depth to the top of the plug; and

(H) An appropriate warning, such as, “DO NOT RE-ENTER THIS WELL.”

(b) The licensee shall retain a copy of the written agreement for 3 years after the completion of the well logging operation.

(c) A licensee may apply, pursuant to § 39.91, for Commission approval, on a case-by-case basis, of proposed procedures to abandon an irretrievable well logging source in a manner not otherwise authorized in paragraph (a)(5) of this section.

(d) A written agreement between the licensee and the well owner or operator is not required if the licensee and the well owner or operator are part of the same corporate structure or otherwise similarly affiliated. However, the licensee shall still otherwise meet the requirements in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(5).

Each license is issued with the condition that the licensee will, at any time before expiration of the license, upon the Commission's request, submit written statements, signed under oath or affirmation, to enable the Commission to determine whether or not the license should be modified, suspended, or revoked.