[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 1997)] [Notices] [Pages 8462-8463] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-4571] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Operator Licensing Examination Standards Interim Revision; Notice of Availability AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). ACTION: Notice of Availability. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued interim Revision 8 of NUREG-1021, ``Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors,'' (formerly ``Operator Licensing Examiner Standards''). The Commission uses this document to provide policy and guidance for the development, administration, and grading of written examinations and operating tests used to determine the qualifications of individuals who apply for operator and senior operator licenses at nuclear power plants pursuant to Part 55 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 55). The NUREG provides similar guidance for verifying the continued qualifications of licensed operators when the staff determines that NRC requalification examinations are necessary. NUREG-1021 has been revised to incorporate the examination development process described in Generic Letter 95-06, ``Changes in the Operator Licensing Program,'' dated August 15, 1995, and permits power reactor facility licensees to continue preparing their initial operator licensing examinations on a voluntary basis pending an amendment to 10 CFR Part 55 that will require facility participation. Interim Revision 8 incorporates lessons learned during a pilot examination program conducted from October 1995 to April 1996 and industry recommendations submitted in response to the NRC's request for public comments published in the Federal Register on February 22, 1996 (61 FR 6869). The guidance that was previously contained in NUREG/BR-0122, ``Examiners' Handbook for Developing Operator Licensing Written Examinations,'' has been appended to NUREG-1021, and a number of minor improvements and clarifications that were recommended by industry groups, licensed operators, and NRC examiners and managers have also been adopted. The entire NUREG has been reformatted to more clearly identify the various organizational responsibilities and is being reissued in its entirety. The NRC intends to solicit comments on this interim revision during the rulemaking process and to issue the final version of Revision 8 in conjunction with the final rule. For examinations prepared by the NRC, interim Revision 8 will become effective 60 days after the date of this notice. The corporate notification letters issued after the effective date will give facility licensees at least 120 days of advance notice that the examinations will be administered in accordance with the revised procedures. Facility licensees that volunteered to prepare their examinations before the date of this notice are expected to prepare the examinations based on the guidance in interim Revision 8 or the pilot examination guidance in Generic Letter 95-06, as arranged with their NRC Regional Office. Facility licensees that volunteer after the date of this notice are expected to prepare the examinations based on the guidance in interim Revision 8. Facility licensees may propose deviations from the specific guidance in NUREG-1021, and the NRC will review and approve the deviations, as appropriate. However, the NRC will not approve any deviation that would compromise its statutory responsibility of prescribing uniform conditions for the licensing of nuclear power plant operators. Copies of NUREG-1021, interim Revision 8, are being mailed to the plant or site manager at each nuclear power facility regulated by the NRC. A copy is available for inspection and/or copying for a fee in the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW (Lower Level), Washington, DC. NUREG-1021 is also electronically available for downloading from the Internet at ``http://www.nrc.gov''. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of February 1997. [[Page 8463]] For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Stuart A. Richards, Chief, Operator Licensing Branch, Division of Reactor Controls and Human Factors, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 97-4571 Filed 2-24-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P