[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 164 (Thursday, August 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49953-49954]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-4647]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 4 of Regulatory Guide 1.97, entitled ``Criteria 
for Accident Monitoring Instrumentation for Nuclear Power Plants,'' is 
temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1128, which should be 
mentioned in all related correspondence. Like its predecessors, this 
proposed revision describes a method that the NRC staff considers 
acceptable for use in complying with the agency's regulations with 
respect to satisfying criteria for accident monitoring instrumentation 
in nuclear power plants. Specifically, the method described in this 
regulatory guide relates to General Design Criteria 13, 19, and 64, as 
set forth in Appendix A to Title 10, Part 50, of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR Part 50), ``Domestic Licensing of Production and 
Utilization Facilities.''
    This proposed revision of Regulatory Guide 1.97 represents an 
ongoing evolution in the nuclear industry's thinking and approaches 
with regard to accident monitoring systems for the Nation's nuclear 
power plants. Specifically, this revision endorses (with certain 
clarifying regulatory positions specified in Section C of Draft 
Regulatory Guide DG-1128) the ``Criteria for Accident Monitoring 
Instrumentation for Nuclear Power Generating Stations,'' which the 
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) promulgated as 
IEEE Std. 497-2002.
    This revised regulatory guide is intended for licensees of new 
nuclear power plants.\1\ Previous revisions of this regulatory guide 
remain in effect for licensees of current operating reactors,\1\ who 
are unaffected by this proposed revision. However, licensees of current 
operating reactors may voluntarily convert their entire accident 
monitoring program to the criteria in this proposed revision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The terms ``new nuclear power plant'' and ``new plant'' 
refer to any nuclear power plant for which the licensee obtained an 
operating license after the NRC issued Revision 4 of Regulatory 
Guide 1.97. The terms ``current operating reactor'' and ``current 
plant'' refer to any nuclear plant for which the licensee obtained 
an operating license before the NRC issued Revision 4 of Regulatory 
Guide 1.97.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The NRC staff is soliciting comments on Draft Regulatory Guide DG-
1128, and comments may be accompanied by relevant information or 
supporting data. Please mention DG-1128 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 through the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management 
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.
    Email 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-
1128 may be directed to George M. Tartal at (301) 415-0016 or by email 
to [email protected].
    Comments would be most helpful if received by October 14, 2005. 
Comments received after that 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

[[Page 49954]]

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 ML052150210. Note, however, that the NRC has 
temporarily limited 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 
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 15th day of August, 2005.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Richard J. Barrett,
Director, Division of Engineering Technology, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. E5-4647 Filed 8-24-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P