[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 16, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7973-7974]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2950]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Draft Regulatory Guide; Extension of Comment Period

    On December 16, 2004 (69 FR 75359-75360), the U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued for public comment a draft revision 
to an existing guide in the agency's Regulatory Guide Series. Draft 
Regulatory Guide DG-1130, entitled ``Criteria for Use of Computers in 
Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants,'' is the proposed Revision 2 of 
Regulatory Guide 1.152. As such, DG-1130 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. In addition, DG-
1130 contains the staff's regulatory position on the ``Standard 
Criteria for Digital Computers in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power 
Generating Stations,'' * 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. It is the staff's intent to 
endorse IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-2003, with certain exceptions, 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, and (2) independence 
between safety software and nonsafety software residing on the same 
computer.
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    * IEEE publications may be purchased from the IEEE Service 
Center, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
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    To date, the NRC has received only one comment letter concerning 
draft regulatory guide DG-1130; however, several stakeholders have 
asked the NRC to extend the comment period, which is currently 
scheduled to expire on February 11, 2005. Given that the draft 
regulatory guide addresses a relatively new area of technology (i.e., 
cyber-security), stakeholders may need additional time to assess the 
proposed regulatory guidance. Consequently, the NRC has decided to 
extend the comment period until March 14, 2005.
    Comments received after March 14, 2005, 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 that date. Although a time limit is 
given, the NRC welcomes comments and suggestions at any time in 
connection with items for inclusion in guides that are currently being 
developed, as well as improvements to previously published guides.
    Comments on draft regulatory guide DG-1130 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 in the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access 
andManagement System (ADAMS). 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; e-mail [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 K. Aggarwal, Senior Program Manager, at 
(301) 415-6005 or via e-mail to [email protected].
    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 e-
mail to [email protected]. Requests for single copies of draft or final 
guides (which may be reproduced) or for placement on an automatic

[[Page 7974]]

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 e-mail 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 February, 2005.

    For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael E. Mayfield,
Director, Division of Engineering Technology, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 05-2950 Filed 2-15-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P