[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 20, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75501-75502]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7545]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Availability of and Solicitation of Public Comments on Report on 
Seismic Considerations for the Transition Break Size

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of opportunity for public comment.

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SUMMARY: On November 7, 2005, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
published for public comment a proposed rule in the Federal Register 
(70 FR 67598) on Risk-Informed Changes to Loss-of-Coolant Accident 
Technical Requirements. Under the proposed Sec.  50.46a rule, nuclear 
power plant licensees would be allowed to implement a voluntary, risk-
informed alternative to the current requirements for analyzing the 
performance of emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) during loss-of-
coolant accidents (LOCAs). In addition, the proposed rule would 
establish procedures and criteria for requesting changes in plant 
design and procedures based upon the results of the new analyses of 
ECCS performance during LOCAs. In the Federal Register notice 
associated with the publication of the proposed alternative Sec.  
50.46a rule, the Commission noted that the potential for seismically-
induced pipe breaks was not considered in determining the area of the 
transition break sizes \1\ (TBSs). The Commission stated that work was 
ongoing to investigate the possible effect of seismically-induced pipe 
breaks on the TBS selections and committed to put a report on the NRC 
Web site to facilitate public comment on the technical aspects of the 
issue. The NRC staff has completed its report and has posted it on the 
Rulemaking Forum Web site, http://ruleforum.llnl.gov.
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    \1\ Different values for TBS were specified for PWRs and BWRs.

DATES: Comment period expires on February 6, 2006. Comments received 
after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but 
assurance of consideration cannot be given to comments received after 
this date.

[[Page 75502]]


ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the seismic report and the 
proposed rule by any one of the following methods. Please include the 
following number, RIN 3150-AH29, in the subject line of your comments. 
Comments on rulemakings submitted in writing or in electronic form will 
be made available for public inspection. Because your comments will not 
be edited to remove any identifying or contact information, the NRC 
cautions you against including any information in your submission that 
you do not want to be publicly disclosed.
    Mail comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff.
    E-mail comments to: [email protected]. If you do not receive a reply e-
mail confirming that we have received your comments, contact us 
directly at (301) 415-1966. You may also submit comments via the NRC's 
rulemaking Web site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov. Address questions 
about our rulemaking website to Carol Gallagher (301) 415-5905; e-mail 
[email protected]. Comments can also be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal http://www.regulations.gov.
    Hand deliver comments to: 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 
20852, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Federal workdays. (Telephone 
(301) 415-1966).
    Fax comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at 
(301) 415-1101.
    Publicly available documents related to this rulemaking may be 
viewed electronically on the public computers located at the NRC's 
Public Document Room (PDR), O1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The PDR reproduction contractor 
will copy documents for a fee. Selected documents, including comments, 
may be viewed and downloaded electronically via the NRC rulemaking Web 
site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov.
    Publicly available documents created or received at the NRC after 
November 1, 1999, are available electronically at the NRC's Electronic 
Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this 
site, the public can gain entry into the NRC's Agencywide Document 
Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image 
files of NRC's public documents. 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 e-mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Dudley, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC 
20555-0001; telephone (301) 415-1116; e-mail: [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 14th day of December, 2005.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Eileen McKenna,
Chief, Financial, Policy and Rulemaking Branch, Division of Policy and 
Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
 [FR Doc. E5-7545 Filed 12-19-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P