[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 242 (Wednesday, December 17, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 66038]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32879]



[[Page 66038]]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 50

[Docket No. PRM-50-63A]


Peter G. Crane; Receipt of an Amended Petition for Rulemaking

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Amended petition for rulemaking: Notice of receipt.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received and 
requests public comment on an amended petition for rulemaking filed by 
Mr. Peter G. Crane. The amended petition has been docketed by the 
Commission and has been assigned Docket No. PRM-50-63A. The petitioner 
states, in this amendment to the earlier petition, that the rulemaking 
he seeks is to amend NRC's emergency planning regulations to require 
consideration of sheltering, evacuation, and the prophylactic use of 
potassium iodide for the general public in developing a range of 
emergency planning protective actions.

DATES: Submit comments by January 16, 1998. Comments received after 
this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but assurance 
of consideration cannot be given except to those comments received on 
or before this date.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Attention: Rulemakings and 
Adjudications Staff.
    Deliver comments to 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 
between 7:30 am and 4:15 pm on Federal workdays.
    You may also provide comments via the NRC's interactive rulemaking 
website through the NRC home page (http://www.nrc.gov). This site 
provides the availability to upload comments as files (any format), if 
your web browser supports that function. For information about the 
interactive rulemaking website, contact Ms. Carol Gallagher, 301-415-
5905; e-mail: [email protected].
    For a copy of the petition, write: Rules and Directives Branch, 
Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. A copy of the 
petition is also available for public inspection, and copying for a 
fee, in the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW (Lower Level), 
Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Jamgochian, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555. Telephone: 301-415-6534, e-mail: MTJ[email protected]; or Michael T. 
Lesar, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555. Telephone: 301-415-7163 or Toll Free: 1-800-368-
5642, e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The NRC received a petition for rulemaking dated September 9, 1995, 
submitted by Mr. Peter G. Crane on his own behalf. The petition was 
docketed as PRM-50-63 on September 12, 1995. The notice of receipt of 
this petition was published on November 27, 1995 (60 FR 58256). On 
November 12, 1997, the NRC received an amendment to this petition 
submitted by Mr. Crane in response to the Commission's invitation at a 
public meeting held on November 5, 1997, at which the petitioner spoke. 
The amended petition was assigned docket number PRM-50-63A. The amended 
petition revises the original petition by requesting that the NRC add 
one sentence to the planning standard in 10 CFR 50.47(b)(10) that 
refers to considering evacuation, sheltering, and the prophylactic use 
of potassium iodide for the general population in developing a range of 
emergency planning protective actions. In particular, as proposed, 10 
CFR 50.47 (b)(10) would include the use of potassium iodide (KI) as one 
action to be considered in emergency situations under onsite and 
offsite emergency plans.

Potassium Iodide

    The petitioner states that KI protects the thyroid gland, which is 
highly sensitive to radiation, from the radioactive iodide that could 
be released in extremely serious nuclear accidents; that by saturating 
the gland with iodide in a harmless form, KI can prevent inhaled or 
ingested radioactive iodide from lodging in the thyroid gland, where it 
could lead to thyroid cancer or other illnesses; and that KI itself has 
a long shelf life--at least five years--and causes negligible side 
effects.
    The petitioner further states that, in addition to preventing 
deaths from thyroid cancer, KI prevents radiation-caused illnesses. The 
petitioner states that thyroid cancer, curable in 90-95 percent of 
cases, generally means surgery, radiation treatment, and a lifetime of 
medication and monitoring. The petitioner asserts that the changes in 
medication that go with periodic scans put many patients on a 
physiological and psychological roller coaster. The petitioner also 
states that hypothyroidism can cause permanent retardation in children 
and, if undiagnosed, can condemn adults to a lifetime of fatigue, 
weakness, and chills.

The Petitioner's Proposed Amendment

    The petitioner initially requested that 10 CFR 50.47 be amended by 
revising paragraph (b)(10) to read as follows:


Sec. 50.47  Emergency plans.

* * * * *
    (b) *  *  *
    (10) A range of protective actions, including sheltering, 
evacuation, and prophylactic use of iodide, have been developed for the 
plume exposure pathway EPZ [emergency planning zone] for emergency 
workers and the public. Guidelines for the choice of protective actions 
during an emergency, consistent with Federal guidelines, are developed 
and in place, and protective actions for the ingestion exposure pathway 
EPZ appropriate to the locale have been developed.
* * * * *
    In the amended petition, the paragraph, as revised, would read as 
follows:


Sec. 50.47  Emergency plans.

 * * * * *
    (b) *  *  *
    (10) A range of protective actions have been developed for the 
plume exposure EPZ for emergency workers and the public. In developing 
this range of actions, consideration has been given to evacuation, 
sheltering, and the prophylactic use of potassium iodide (KI), as 
appropriate. Guidelines for the choice of protective actions during an 
emergency, consistent with Federal guidelines, are developed and in 
place, and protective actions for the ingestion exposure pathway EPZ 
appropriate to the locale have been developed.
* * * * *
    As part of the amended petition, the petitioner also attached a 
proposed Statement of Considerations and, as invited by the Commission, 
a draft mark-up of a document from the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency entitled ``Federal Policy on Distribution of Potassium Iodide 
Around Nuclear Power Sites for Use as a Thyroidal Blocking Agent.''

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of December, 1997.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John C. Hoyle,
Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 97-32879 Filed 12-16-97; 8:45 am]
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