[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 241 (Thursday, December 16, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75359-75360]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-27493]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Draft Regulatory Guide; Issuance, Availability

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued for public 
comment a draft revision to an existing guide in the agency's 
Regulatory Guide Series. This series has been developed to describe and 
make available to the public such information as methods that are 
acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the 
NRC's regulations, techniques that the staff uses in evaluating 
specific problems or postulated accidents, and data that the staff 
needs in its review of applications for permits and licenses.
    The draft Revision 2 of Regulatory Guide 1.152, entitled ``Criteria 
for Use of Computers in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants,'' is 
temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1130, which should be 
mentioned in all related correspondence. The regulatory guide describes 
a method that is acceptable to the NRC staff for complying with the 
NRC's regulations for promoting high functional reliability and design 
quality for the use of computers in safety systems of nuclear plants. 
For the purposes of DG-1130, the term ``computer'' means a system that 
includes computer hardware, software, firmware, and interfaces.
    The guidance provided in DG-1130 is consistent with General Design 
Criterion (GDC) 21, ``Protection System Reliability and Testability,'' 
of appendix A, ``General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants,'' to 
title 10, part 50, ``Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization 
Facilities,'' of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR part 50). 
Among other things, GDC 21 requires that protection systems (or safety 
systems) must be designed for high functional reliability, commensurate 
with the safety functions to be performed. In addition, Criterion III, 
``Design Control,'' of appendix B, ``Quality Assurance Criteria for 
Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants,'' to 10 CFR part 50 
requires, among other things, that quality standards must be specified, 
and design control measures must be provided, for verifying or checking 
the adequacy of design.
    The new draft regulatory guide DG-1130 also contains the staff's 
regulatory position on the ``Standard Criteria for Digital Computers in 
Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Generating Stations,'' \1\ which the 
Nuclear Power Engineering Committee of the Institute of Electrical and 
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has promulgated as IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-2003. 
The NRC staff has collaborated in the development of IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-
2003 to ensure that the guidance provided by the consensus standard is 
consistent with the NRC's regulations. This standard evolved from IEEE 
Std 7-4.3.2-1993 and reflects advances in digital technology. It also 
represents a continued effort by IEEE to support the specification, 
design, and implementation of computers in safety systems of nuclear 
power plants. In addition, IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-2003 specifies computer-
specific requirements to supplement the criteria and requirements of 
IEEE Std 603-1998, ``Standard Criteria for Safety Systems for Nuclear 
Power Generating Stations.''
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    \1\ IEEE publications may be purchased from the IEEE Service 
Center, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
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    It is the staff's intent to endorse IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-2003, with 
certain exceptions, in the final regulatory guide as an acceptable 
method for satisfying the NRC's regulations with respect to (1) high 
functional reliability and design requirements for computers used in 
safety systems of nuclear power plants,

[[Page 75360]]

and (2) independence between safety software and nonsafety software 
residing on the same computer.
    The NRC staff is soliciting comments on draft regulatory guide DG-
1130, and comments may be accompanied by relevant information or 
supporting data. Please mention DG-1130 in the subject line of your 
comments. Comments on this draft regulatory guide submitted in writing 
or in electronic form will be made available to the public in their 
entirety on the NRC's rulemaking Web site. Personal information will 
not be removed from your comments. You may submit comments by any of 
the following methods.
    Mail comments to: Rules and Directives Branch, Office of 
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001.
    E-mail comments to: [email protected]. You may also submit comments 
via the NRC's rulemaking Web site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov. Address 
questions about our rulemaking Web site to Carol A. Gallagher (301) 
415-5905; email [email protected].
    Hand-deliver comments to: Rules and Directives Branch, Office of 
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11555 Rockville 
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on 
Federal workdays.
    Fax comments to: Rules and Directives Branch, Office of 
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at (301) 415-5144.
    Requests for technical information about draft regulatory guide DG-
1130 may be directed to Satish Aggarwal, Senior Program Manager, at 
(301) 415-6005 or via email to [email protected].
    Comments would be most helpful if received by February 11, 2005. 
Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical 
to do so, but the NRC is able to ensure consideration only for comments 
received on or before this date. Although a time limit is given, 
comments and suggestions in connection with items for inclusion in 
guides currently being developed or improvements in all published 
guides are encouraged at any time.
    Electronic copies of the draft regulatory guide are available 
through the NRC's public Web site under Draft Regulatory Guides in the 
Regulatory Guides document collection of the NRC's Electronic Reading 
Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/. Electronic 
copies are also available in the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS) at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, 
under Accession No. ML043170314. Note, however, that the NRC has 
temporarily suspended public access to ADAMS so that the agency can 
complete security reviews of publicly available documents and remove 
potentially sensitive information. Please check the NRC's Web site for 
updates concerning the resumption of public access to ADAMS.
    In addition, regulatory guides are available for inspection at the 
NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), which is located at 11555 Rockville 
Pike, Rockville, Maryland; the PDR's mailing address is USNRC PDR, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001. The PDR can also be reached by telephone at 
(301) 415-4737 or (800) 397-4205, by fax at (301) 415-3548; and by 
email to [email protected]. Requests for single copies of draft or final 
guides (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 20555-0001, Attention: Reproduction and 
Distribution Services Section; by email to [email protected]; or by 
fax to (301) 415-2289. Telephone requests cannot be accommodated. 
Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and Commission approval is not 
required to reproduce them.
    (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of December, 2004.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael E. Mayfield,
Director, Division of Engineering Technology, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 04-27493 Filed 12-15-04; 8:45 am]
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