[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 159 (Thursday, August 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47549-47550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-13559]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Proposed License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-03: 
Staff Guidance for Preparing Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives 
(SAMA) Analyses; Solicitation of Public Comment

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

ACTION: Solicitation of public comment.

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SUMMARY: NRC is soliciting public comment on its Proposed License 
Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-03 (LR-ISG) for preparing 
Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMA) analyses. This LR-ISG 
recommends that applicants for license renewal use the Guidance 
Document NEI 05-01, Rev. A (ADAMS Accession No. ML060530203) when 
preparing their SAMA analyses. The NRC staff issues LR-ISGs to 
facilitate timely implementation of the license renewal rule and to 
review activities associated with a license renewal application. Upon 
reviewing public comments, the NRC staff will evaluate the comments and 
make a determination to incorporate the comments, as appropriate. Once 
the NRC completes the LR-ISG, it will issue the LR-ISG for NRC and 
industry use. The NRC staff will also incorporate the approved LR-ISG 
into the next revision of Supplement 1 to Regulatory Guide 4.2, 
``Preparation of Supplemental Environmental Reports for Applications to 
Renew Nuclear Power Plant Operating Licenses.''

DATES: Comments may be submitted by September 18, 2006. Comments 
received after this date will be considered, if it is practical to do 
so, but the Commission is to ensure consideration only for comments 
received on or before this date.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to: Chief, Rules and Directives 
Branch, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001.
    Comments should be delivered to: 11545 Rockville Pike (first 
floor), Rockville, Maryland, Room T-6D59,

[[Page 47550]]

between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal workdays. Persons may also 
provide comments via e-mail at [email protected]. The NRC maintains an 
Agencywide Documents 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/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do 
not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the 
documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC Public Document Room 
(PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Richard L. Emch, Jr., Senior 
Project Manager, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, 20555-0001; telephone 301-415-
1590 or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Attachment 1 to this Federal Register 
notice, entitled Staff Position and Rationale for the Proposed License 
Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-03: Staff Guidance for 
Preparing Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMA) Analyses 
contains the NRC staff's rationale for publishing the proposed LR-ISG-
2006-03. Attachment 2 to this Federal Register notice, entitled 
Proposed License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-03: Staff 
Guidance for Preparing Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMA) 
Analyses, contains the guidance for preparing SAMA analyses related to 
license renewal applications.
    The NRC staff is issuing this notice to solicit public comments on 
the proposed LR-ISG-2006-03. After the NRC staff considers any public 
comments, it will make a determination regarding the proposed LR-ISG.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day of August 2006.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Pao-Tsin Kuo,
Deputy Director Division of License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation.

Attachment 1--Staff Position and Rationale for the Proposed License 
Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-03: Staff Guidance for 
Preparing Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMA) Analyses

Staff Position:

    The NRC staff recommends that applicants for license renewal 
follow the guidance provided in Nuclear Energy Institute NEI 05-01, 
``Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMA) Analysis--Guidance 
Document,'' Rev. A when preparing their SAMA analyses.

Rationale:

    The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) developed a generic Guidance 
Document NEI 05-01, Rev. A, to help clarify the NRC staff's 
expectations regarding the information that needs to be included in 
SAMA analyses. The NRC staff reviewed and concluded that NEI 05-01, 
Rev. A describes existing NRC regulations, and facilitates complete 
preparation of SAMA analysis submittals. The staff finds that 
utilization of the guidance provided in NEI 05-01, Rev. A will 
result in improved quality in SAMA analyses and a reduction in the 
number of requests for additional information.

Attachment 2--Proposed License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-
2006-03: Staff Guidance for Preparing Severe Accident Mitigation 
Alternatives (SAMA) Analyses

Introduction

    A Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMA) analyses is 
required as part of a license renewal application, if a SAMA 
analysis has not already been performed for the plant and reviewed 
by the NRC staff. SAMA analyses have been performed and submitted to 
the NRC as part of all the applications for license renewal received 
by the staff thus far. Therefore, this LR-ISG is being proposed 
consistent with our goal to more efficiently resolve license renewal 
issues identified by the staff or the industry.

Background and Discussion

    After receiving extensive requests for additional information 
regarding the SAMA analyses, several applicants for license renewal 
concluded that they did not fully understand the kind of information 
that the NRC staff was expecting to see in SAMA analyses.
    The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) developed a generic guidance 
document to help clarify the NRC staff's expectations regarding the 
information that needs to be submitted in SAMA analyses. On April 8, 
2005, NEI submitted NEI 05-01, ``Severe Accident Mitigation 
Alternatives (SAMA) Analysis--Guidance Document.'' The NRC staff 
reviewed this guidance document, and by letter, dated July 12, 2005, 
provided comments on NEI 05-01. The NRC staff's comments were 
discussed during a public meeting between NEI and NRC on July 21, 
2005.
    On February 17, 2006, NEI submitted its NEI 05-01, Rev. A, dated 
November 2005. The NRC staff reviewed and concluded that this 
version fully resolved the NRC staff's comments. In addition, the 
NRC staff concluded that NEI 05-01, Rev. A, describes existing NRC 
regulations, and facilitates complete preparation of SAMA analysis 
submittals.
    Some applicants for license renewal have submitted SAMA analyses 
using the guidance provided in NEI 05-01, Rev A. The NRC staff found 
improved quality in the submitted SAMA analyses and a reduction in 
the number of requests for additional information for those 
applications that followed the guidance provided in NEI 05-01, Rev. 
A.

Proposed Action

    The staff is proposing that applicants for license renewal 
follow the guidance provided in NEI 05-01, Rev. A when preparing 
their SAMA analyses. The staff finds that NEI 05-01, Rev. A, 
describes existing NRC regulations, and facilitates complete 
preparation of SAMA analysis submittals.
    Although this proposed LR-ISG does not convey a change in the 
NRC's regulations or how they are being interpreted, it is being 
provided to facilitate complete preparation of future SAMA analysis 
submittals in support of applications for license renewal. The NRC 
staff plans to incorporate the guidance provided in NEI 05-01, Rev. 
A, into a future update of Supplement 1 to Regulatory Guide 4.2, 
``Preparation of Supplemental Environmental Reports for Applications 
to Renew Nuclear Power Plant Operating Licenses.'' Because this LR-
ISG provides a clarification of existing guidance with no additional 
requirements, the staff did not perform a backfit evaluation. For 
those that are interested in reviewing NEI 05-01, Rev. A, the 
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession 
Number is ML060530203.

 [FR Doc. E6-13559 Filed 8-16-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P