[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 72 (Thursday, April 14, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-8915]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 14, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 20

[Docket No. PRM-20-23]

 

Steve Gannis; Receipt of Petition for Rulemaking

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Petition for rulemaking; receipt.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing for 
public comment a notice of receipt of a petition for rulemaking, dated 
January 8, 1994, which was filed with the Commission by Steve Gannis. 
The petition was docketed by the NRC on February 8, 1994, and has been 
assigned Docket No. PRM-20-23. The petitioner requests that the NRC 
amend its regulations to limit the annual dose of ionizing radiation 
that is received by the general public from 100 millirems annually to 
under 1 millirem annually. The petitioner also requests that if the NRC 
does not establish a limit of 1 millirem annually, it establish a 
substantially lower limit than the current 100 millirems annually.

DATES: Submit comments by June 28, 1994. Comments received after this 
date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission 
is able to assure consideration only for comments received on or before 
this date.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to the Secretary of the Commission, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attention: 
Docketing and Service Branch. Hand deliver comments to: 11555 Rockville 
Pike, Rockville, Maryland, between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Federal 
workdays.
    For a copy of the petition, write the Rules Review and Directives 
Branch, Division of Freedom of Information and Publications Services, 
Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555.
    The petition and copies of comments received may be inspected and 
copied for a fee at the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW. 
(Lower Level), Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael T. Lesar, Chief, Rules Review 
Section, Rules Review and Directives Branch, Division of Freedom of 
Information and Publications Services, Office of Administration, U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Telephone: 301-
492-7758 or Toll Free: 800-368-5642.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The NRC has established standards for protection against ionizing 
radiation resulting from activities conducted under licensees and has 
issued these standards in the regulations codified in 10 CFR part 20. 
These regulations are intended to control the receipt, possession, use, 
transfer, and disposal of licensed material by its licensees. Licensed 
material is any source, byproduct, or special nuclear material 
received, possessed, used, transferred, or disposed of under a general 
or specific license issued by the NRC.

The Petition

    The petitioner believes that it is vital to the public interest and 
public health that a lower radiation dose limit be established because 
the higher dose limit is a possible source of an unacceptable number of 
additional cancers. The petitioner indicates that the NRC stated in its 
``Below Regulatory Concern'' policy statement (issued July 3, 1990; 55 
FR 27522, and withdrawn August 24, 1993; 58 FR 44610) that if the 
public is exposed to 100 millirems of radiation annually over a 
lifetime, 1 person out of every 285 people would get fatal cancer. The 
petitioner states that this number does not include the nonfatal 
cancers that would be caused. Furthermore, the petitioner states that 
the 100 millirems is in addition to the approximately 90 millirems of 
radiation the average person receives annually from natural background 
radiation sources.
    The petitioner states that the Federal Government standards on how 
much cancer can be caused among the public by cancer-causing pollutants 
and contaminants generally permit, at most, approximately 1 cancer per 
million people. The petitioner therefore requests that a lower 
radiation dose limit be established.
    Specifically, the petitioner requests that the NRC issue a 
regulation that would limit to under 1 millirem the annual dose of 
ionizing radiation received by any member of the public. The 
petitioner's requested limit would include the exposure received from 
the combined sources of radiation exposure resulting from activities 
regulated by the NRC. The petitioner also requests that in the event 
the NRC does not establish an exposure limit of under 1 millirem, the 
NRC establish a substantially lower limit than the current 100-millirem 
limit.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day of April, 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John C. Hoyle,
Assistant Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 94-8915 Filed 4-13-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P