[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 188 (Thursday, September 27, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 49324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-24177]


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 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 188 / Thursday, September 27, 2001 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 49324]]



NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 52


Early Site Permits; Standard Design Certifications; and Combined 
Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Availability of draft rule wording.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is making available 
the draft wording of a possible amendment of its regulations. The 
proposal would amend Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 
CFR) part 52, ``Early Site Permits; Standard Design Certifications; and 
Combined Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants,'' and associated 
regulations based on experience gained from design certification 
reviews and discussions with stakeholders on the early site permit and 
combined license processes. The changes should reduce the regulatory 
burden for future applicants and improve the effectiveness of 10 CFR 
part 52. The availability of the draft wording is intended to inform 
stakeholders of the current status of the NRC staff's activities to 
amend 10 CFR part 52 and to provide stakeholders the opportunity to 
comment on the draft changes.

DATES: Comments should be submitted within 45 days from the date of 
this notice. Any comments received after this date may not be 
considered during drafting of the proposed rule.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: 
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, Mail Stop O-16C1 or deliver 
written comments to One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal 
workdays.
    You may also provide comments via the NRC's interactive rulemaking 
Web site through the NRC's home page at http://www.ruleforum.llnl.gov. 
This site provides the capability to upload comments as files (any 
format), if your web browser supports that function. For information 
about the interactive rulemaking Web site, contact Ms. Carol Gallagher 
at (301) 415-5905 or by e-mail to [email protected]. Copies of any comments 
received and certain documents related to this rulemaking may be 
examined at the NRC Public Document Room, located at One White Flint 
North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. The NRC 
maintains an Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), 
which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. These 
documents may be accessed through the NRC's Public Electronic Reading 
Room on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/ NRC/ADAMS/index.html. If 
you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing 
the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room 
(PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by email to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry N. Wilson, New Reactor Licensing 
Project Office, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; Telephone: (301) 415-
3145; Internet: [email protected]. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATON: Part 52 of 10 CFR was originally issued to 
reform the licensing process for nuclear power plant applications. The 
licensing processes in Part 52 include early site permits, standard 
design certifications, and combined licenses. These licensing processes 
provide procedures for the early resolution of safety and environmental 
issues in licensing proceedings. Three nuclear plant designs have been 
certified under Subpart B of Part 52, by the NRC [U.S. Advanced Boiling 
Water Reactor, System 80+, and AP600], and were codified in Appendices 
A, B, and C of Part 52, respectively.
    The NRC intends to update Part 52 based on experience gained in the 
use of the rule and discussions with stakeholders in public meetings 
and from comments on SECY-00-0092, ``Combined License Review Process,'' 
dated April 20, 2000. As a result of the above, the NRC has initiated 
this rulemaking to: (i) Make corrections to Parts 21, 50, 52, including 
the three design certification rules, 72 and 140; (ii) Modify Part 52 
to enhance its provisions; and (iii) Consider comments on the draft 
rule.
    This rulemaking began with the issuance of SECY-98-282, ``Part 52 
Rulemaking Plan,'' dated December 4, 1998. The Commission issued a 
staff requirements memorandum, dated January 14, 1999, approving the 
NRC staff's plan for revising Part 52. Notification of this rulemaking 
was included in the NRC's rulemaking Web site on June 16, 1999, and 
letters were sent to ten stakeholders alerting them to this rulemaking 
on September 3, 1999. Comments on this rulemaking were submitted by the 
Nuclear Energy Institute on April 3, 2001 (ADAMS Accession Number 
ML011100405) and are being considered by the NRC staff.
    The NRC has now developed draft wording for the changes to its 
regulations and has made them available on the NRC's rulemaking Web 
site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov. This draft rule language is 
preliminary and may be incomplete in one or more respects. This draft 
rule language was released to inform stakeholders of the current status 
of the 10 CFR Part 52 update rulemaking and to provide stakeholders 
with an opportunity to comment on the draft revisions. Comments 
received prior to publishing the proposed rule will be considered in 
the development of the proposed rule. As appropriate, the Statements of 
Consideration for the proposed rule will briefly discuss substantive 
changes made to the rule language as a result of comments received. 
Comments may be provided through the rulemaking Web site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov/ or by mail as indicated under the ADDRESSES 
heading. The NRC may post updates periodically on the rulemaking Web 
site that may be of interest to stakeholders.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of September 2001.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

James E. Lyons,
Director New Reactor Licensing Project Office, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-24177 Filed 9-26-01; 8:45 am]
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