[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 166 (Monday, August 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43792-43794]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21725]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Draft Regulatory Guide; Issuance, Availability

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued for public comment a 
draft of a guide planned for its Regulatory Guide Series. This series 
has been developed to describe and make available to the public such 
information as methods acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing 
specific parts of the

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Commission's regulations, techniques used by the staff in evaluating 
specific problems or postulated accidents, and data needed by the staff 
in its review of applications for permits and licenses.
    Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1047, ``Standard Format and Content for 
Applications to Renew Nuclear Power Plant Operating Licenses,'' is 
being issued for public comment as part of the implementation of 10 CFR 
Part 54, ``Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear 
Power Plants'' (referred to hereafter as the license renewal rule). 
This draft regulatory guide is being developed to provide a uniform 
format and content acceptable to the staff for structuring and 
presenting the information to be compiled and submitted in an 
application for renewal of a nuclear power plant operating license. 
This draft guide proposes to endorse the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 
guidance document NEI 95-10, ``Industry Guideline for Implementing the 
Requirements of 10 CFR Part 54--The License Renewal Rule,'' Revision 0, 
dated March 1, 1996, as an acceptable method for complying with the 
requirements of the license renewal rule.
    This draft regulatory guide supersedes Draft Regulatory Guide DG-
1009, ``Standard Format and Content of Technical Information for 
Applications To Renew Nuclear Power Plant Operating Licenses,'' which 
was issued for public comment in December 1990. DG-1009 would have 
provided guidance on implementing the license renewal rule that was 
adopted by the Commission on December 13, 1991 (56 FR 64943). However, 
the Commission amended the license renewal rule on May 8, 1995 (60 FR 
22461), to revise the requirements an applicant must meet for obtaining 
a renewed operating license. Therefore, the guidance contained in DG-
1009 no longer adequately reflects the current requirements for renewal 
of operating licenses.
    DG-1047 and NEI 95-10 are being developed to provide guidance 
regarding the contents of an application for license renewal that 
includes (1) required general information concerning the applicant and 
the plant, (2) information contained in the integrated plant 
assessment, (3) evaluation of time-limited aging analyses (TLAAs), (4) 
a supplement to the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), (5) technical 
specification changes and their justification, and (6) a supplement to 
the environmental report. Specifically, guidance is provided for (1) 
identifying the systems, structures, and components within the scope of 
the license renewal rule, (2) identifying the intended functions of 
systems, structures, and components within the scope of the license 
renewal rule, (3) identifying the structures and components subject to 
aging management review, (4) assuring that the effects of aging are 
managed, (5) identifying and evaluating TLAAs, and (6) establishing the 
format and content of the license renewal application and Final Safety 
Analysis Report supplement.
    The NRC staff is observing an NEI-sponsored program that will 
demonstrate plant-specific implementation of NEI 95-10. This program 
will test the ability of participating utilities to understand and use 
the guidance contained in NEI 95-10. This program is scheduled to be 
completed in September 1996, and the staff will issue trip reports 
documenting its observations of each participant's demonstration. At 
the conclusion of the program, the staff will compile its observations 
from the program into a lessons-learned report.
    During development of the draft guide and NEI 95-10, the NRC staff 
determined that development of final guidance for certain topics was 
best deferred until after completion of the demonstration program when 
additional experience with implementation of the license renewal rule 
and the existing NEI 95-10 guidance could be obtained. These topics 
include guidance on (1) the level of detail required for a license 
renewal application and the level of detail and content of the 
associated FSAR supplement, (2) the approach for using pre-approved 
topical reports in an application, and (3) the overall level of detail 
contained in NEI 95-10. Although preliminary guidance is proposed in 
the draft guide and NEI 95-10 for these topics, the staff intends to 
revisit these topics when finalizing the regulatory guide. The NRC 
staff solicits suggestions in these areas.
    The staff will use the experience gained through its observation of 
the plant-specific demonstrations and any information or comments 
received from members of the public to determine whether changes might 
be needed in NEI 95-10 or DG-1047.
    This draft guide is being issued to involve the public in the early 
stages of developing regulatory positions in this area. The draft guide 
has not received complete staff review and does not represent an 
official NRC staff position.
    Public comments are being solicited on the draft guide and NEI 95-
10. Comments should be accompanied by supporting data. Written comments 
may be submitted to 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. Copies of NEI 95-10 and of comments received may be examined or 
copied for a fee at the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street NW., 
Washington, DC. Comments are requested by November 29, 1996. 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.
    Comments may be submitted electronically, in either ASCII text or 
Wordperfect format (version 5.1 or later), by calling the NRC 
Electronic Bulletin Board on FedWorld. The bulletin board may be 
accessed using a personal computer, a modem, and one of the commonly 
available communications software packages, or directly via Internet.
    If using a personal computer and modem, the NRC subsystem on 
FedWorld can be accessed directly by dialing the toll free number: 1-
800-303-9672. Communication software parameters should be set as 
follows: parity to none, data bits to 8, and stop bits to 1 (N,8,1). 
Using ANSI or VT-100 terminal emulation, the NRC NUREGs and RegGuides 
for Comment subsystem can then be accessed by selecting the ``Rules 
Menu'' option from the ``NRC Main Menu.'' For further information about 
options available for NRC at FedWorld, consult the ``Help/Information 
Center'' from the ``NRC Main Menu.'' Users will find the ``FedWorld 
Online User's Guides'' particularly helpful. Many NRC subsystems and 
data bases also have a ``Help/Information Center'' option that is 
tailored to the particular subsystem.
    The NRC subsystem on FedWorld can also be accessed by a direct dial 
phone number for the main FedWorld BBS, 703-321-3339, or by using 
Telnet via Internet, fedworld.gov. If using 703-321-3339 to contact 
FedWorld, the NRC subsystem will be accessed from the main FedWorld 
menu by selecting the ``Regulatory, Government Administration and State 
Systems,'' then selecting ``Regulatory Information Mall.'' At that 
point, a menu will be displayed that has an option ``U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission'' that will take you to the NRC Online main menu. 
The NRC Online area also can be accessed directly by typing ``/go nrc'' 
at a FedWorld command line. If you access NRC from FedWorld's main 
menu, you may return to FedWorld by selecting the ``Return to 
FedWorld'' option from the NRC Online Main Menu. However, if you access 
NRC at FedWorld by using

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NRC's toll-free number, you will have full access to all NRC systems 
but you will not have access to the main FedWorld system.
    If you contact FedWorld using Telnet, you will see the NRC area and 
menus, including the Rules menu. Although you will be able to download 
documents and leave messages, you will not be able to write comments or 
upload files (comments). If you contact FedWorld using FTP, all files 
can be accessed and downloaded but uploads are not allowed; all you 
will see is a list of files without descriptions (normal Gopher look). 
An index file listing all files within a subdirectory, with 
descriptions, is included. There is a 15-minute time limit for FTP 
access.
    Although FedWorld can be accessed through the World Wide Web, like 
FTP that mode only provides access for downloading files and does not 
display the NRC Rules menu.
    For more information on NRC bulletin boards call Mr. Arthur Davis, 
Systems Integration and Development Branch, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555, telephone (301)415-5780; e-mail 
AXD[email protected]. For more information on this draft regulatory guide, 
contact S.T. Hoffman at the NRC, telephone (301)415-3245; e-mail 
[email protected].
    DG-1047 and NEI 95-10 are available for inspection or copying for a 
fee at the NRC's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street NW., Washington, 
DC (the PDR's mailing address is Mail Stop LL-6, Washington, DC 20555; 
telephone (202)634-3273; fax (202)634-3343). Requests for single copies 
of DG-1047 (which may be reproduced) or for placement on an automatic 
distribution list for single copies of future draft guides in specific 
divisions should be made in writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attention: Distribution and Mail 
Services Section; or by fax at (301)415-2260. Telephone requests cannot 
be accommodated. Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and Commission 
approval is not required to reproduce them.
    A public workshop will be scheduled during the public comment 
period to allow interested parties to obtain further information on the 
draft regulatory guide, NEI 95-10, and the staff's observations of the 
NEI sponsored demonstration program. Details concerning the workshop 
will be issued in a future Federal Register notice and press release.

(5 U.S.C. 552(a))

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of August 1996.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Bill M. Morris,
Director, Division of Regulatory Applications, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 96-21725 Filed 8-23-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P