[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 28 (Monday, February 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6620-6622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-2372]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Final Regulatory Guides: Impending Issuance, Availability, and 
Applicability to New Reactor Licensing

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Issuance, Availability, and Applicability of Final Regulatory 
Guides for New Reactor Licensing.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently 
reviewing and revising numerous guides in the agency's Regulatory Guide 
(RG) Series. This series has been developed to describe, and make 
available to the public, 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.

Availability And Dates

    The NRC will make each new or revised RG publicly available through 
the following electronic distribution channels:

     The NRC's Electronic Reading Room on the agency's public 
Web site, in the Regulatory Guides document collection, at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/.
     The NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System 
(ADAMS), at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (using the ADAMS 
accession number specified in the footer on the first page of each 
regulatory guide).
    Please note that the NRC does not intend to distribute printed 
copies of these revised RGs unless specifically requested on an 
individual basis with adequate justification. Requests for single 
copies 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. In 
addition, the NRC does not intend to issue separate notices of issuance 
and availability. Consequently, interested parties should regularly 
peruse the previously specified electronic distribution channels to 
identify newly revised RGs.
    RGs are not copyrighted, and Commission approval is not required to 
reproduce them. Copies of each RG and other related publicly available 
documents, including public comments received, can be viewed 
electronically on computers in the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), 
which is located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland, Room O-1 F21, and is open to the public on Federal 
workdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. The PDR reproduction contractor 
will make copies of documents for a fee. Selected documents, including 
public comments on the DGs, can also be viewed and downloaded 
electronically via ADAMS at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/reading-rm/adams.html. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if you encounter 
problems in accessing the documents stored in ADAMS, contact the PDR 
Reference Staff at (800) 397-4209 or (301) 415-4737, or by e-mail to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The revised versions of the RGs will not be 
used as a backfit to any previously issued staff position for existing 
nuclear power reactors. The purpose of the ongoing revision of the 
NRC's RGs is to ensure that prospective applicants have complete, 
accurate, and current guidance for use in preparing early site permit 
(ESP), design certification (DC), and combined license (COL) 
applications for proposed new reactors. In particular, the NRC staff 
ensures that the agency's regulatory guidance is

[[Page 6621]]

consistent with the rulemaking, ``Licenses, Certifications, and 
Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants'' (Title 10, Part 52, of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR part 52)). The proposed rule was published 
in the Federal Register on March 13, 2006 (71 FR 12781).
    Over the past several months, the NRC has issued drafts of the 
revised RGs for a 45-day public comment period. The NRC staff is 
currently addressing the stakeholder comments received on these RGs.

Discussion

    The NRC regulates the siting, construction, and operation of 
commercially owned nuclear power facilities in the United States 
through a combination of regulatory requirements, licensing, and 
oversight (including inspection). These activities enable the agency to 
fulfill its mission to license and regulate the Nation's civilian use 
of byproduct, source, and special nuclear materials to ensure adequate 
protection of public health and safety, promote the common defense and 
security, and protect the environment.
    In late 2000, the NRC became aware that some electric companies 
were exploring the option of building new nuclear power plants in the 
United States. As a result, in February 2001, the Commission issued a 
staff requirements memorandum (SRM COMJSM-00-0003) directing the staff 
to (1) assess its technical, licensing, and inspection capabilities, as 
well as its readiness to review new license applications and inspect 
new nuclear power plants; (2) examine the regulatory infrastructure for 
10 CFR Parts 50 and 52, as well as other applicable regulations; and 
(3) identify any enhancements needed to ensure that the agency is 
prepared to review ESP, DC, and COL applications for new nuclear power 
plants.
    In response to the Commission's SRM, the staff issued SECY-01-0188, 
``Future Licensing and Inspection Readiness Assessment'' (FLIRA), in 
October 2001. In addition, although the FLIRA stated that the staff 
considers the agency's current regulatory infrastructure adequate to 
support new reactor licensing, the staff has undertaken major 
infrastructure changes to make new licensing reviews more effective and 
efficient, and to reduce unnecessary regulatory burden on future 
applicants. The staff's ongoing review and revision of the NRC's RGs is 
one significant aspect of these infrastructure changes.
    Through the years, the NRC has established 10 broad divisions of 
RGs, of which the following are the subject of the staff's particular 
efforts to support new reactor licensing.
     Division 1, Power Reactors
     Division 4, Environmental and Siting
     Division 8, Occupational Health
    Of these Divisions, the NRC identified a select group of RGs that 
required revision and are currently being updated to (1) ensure 
consistency with the rulemaking to update 10 CFR Part 52; (2) ensure 
coherence with NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan for the Review of 
Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants'' (SRP), which is also 
undergoing staff review and revision; and (3) provide prospective 
applicants with complete, accurate, and current guidance for use in 
preparing ESP, DC, and COL applications for proposed new reactors. 
Following is a list of RGs along with the Draft Guide (DG) numbers used 
during the public comment period.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  RG                                DG title
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.7 DG-1117..........................  Control of Combustible Gas
                                        Concentrations in Containment
                                        Following a Loss-of-Coolant
                                        Accident.
1.9 DG-1172..........................  Application and Testing of Safety-
                                        Related Diesel Generators in
                                        Nuclear Power Plants.
1.13 DG-1162.........................  Spent Fuel Storage Facility
                                        Design Basis.
1.20 DG-1163.........................  Comprehensive Vibration
                                        Assessment Program for Reactor
                                        Internals During Preoperational
                                        and Initial Startup Testing.
1.23 DG-1164.........................  Meteorological Monitoring
                                        Programs for Nuclear Power
                                        Plants.
1.26 DG-1152.........................  Quality Group Classifications and
                                        Standards for Water-, Steam-,
                                        and Radioactive-Waste-Containing
                                        Components of Nuclear Power
                                        Plants.
1.29 DG-1156.........................  Seismic Design Classification.
1.37 DG-1165.........................  Quality Assurance Requirements
                                        for Cleaning of Fluid Systems
                                        and Associated Components of
                                        Water-Cooled Nuclear Power
                                        Plants.
1.57 DG-1158.........................  Design Limits and Loading
                                        Combinations for Metal Primary
                                        Reactor Containment System
                                        Components.
1.61 DG-1157.........................  Damping Values for Seismic Design
                                        of Nuclear Power Plants.
1.68 DG-1166.........................  Initial Test Programs for Water-
                                        Cooled Nuclear Power Plants.
1.71 DG-1167.........................  Welder Qualification for Areas of
                                        Limited Accessibility.
1.76 DG-1143.........................  Design Basis Tornado and Tornado
                                        Missiles for Nuclear Power
                                        Plants.
1.92 DG-1127.........................  Combining Modal Responses and
                                        Spatial Components in Seismic
                                        Response Analysis.
1.93 DG-1153.........................  Availability of Electric Power
                                        Sources.
1.97 DG-1128.........................  Criteria for Accident Monitoring
                                        Instrumentation for Nuclear
                                        Power Plants.
1.112 DG-1160........................  Calculation of Releases of
                                        Radioactive Materials in Gaseous
                                        and Liquid Effluents from Light-
                                        Water-Cooled Power Reactors.
1.124 DG-1168........................  Service Limits and Loading
                                        Combinations for Class 1 Linear-
                                        Type Component Supports.
1.128 DG-1154........................  Installation Design and
                                        Installation of Vented Lead-Acid
                                        Storage Batteries for Nuclear
                                        Power Plants.
1.129 DG-1155........................  Maintenance, Testing, and
                                        Replacement of Vented Lead-Acid
                                        Storage Batteries for Nuclear
                                        Power Plants.
1.130 DG-1169........................  Service Limits and Loading
                                        Combinations for Class 1 Plate-
                                        and-Shell-Type Component
                                        Supports.
1.136 DG-1159........................  Design Limits, Loading
                                        Combinations, Materials,
                                        Construction, and Testing of
                                        Concrete Containments.
1.189 DG-1170........................  Fire Protection for Nuclear Power
                                        Plants.
1.196 DG-1171........................  Control Room Habitability at
                                        Light-Water Nuclear Power
                                        Reactors.
1.200 DG-1161........................  An Approach for Determining the
                                        Technical Adequacy of
                                        Probabilistic Risk Assessment
                                        Results for Risk-Informed
                                        Activities.
1.205 DG-1139........................  Risk-Informed, Performance-Based
                                        Fire Protection for Existing
                                        Light-Water Nuclear Power
                                        Plants.
4.15 DG-4010.........................  Quality Assurance for
                                        Radiological Monitoring Programs
                                        (Inception through Normal
                                        Operations to License
                                        Termination)--Effluent Streams
                                        and the Environment.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 6622]]

 
 The staff is also currently developing the following new RGs to provide
 prospective applicants with complete, accurate, and current guidance
 for use in preparing ESP, DC, and COL applications for proposed new
 reactors:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.206 DG-1145........................  Combined License Applications for
                                        Nuclear Power Plants (LWR
                                        Edition).
1.207 DG-1144........................  Guidelines for Evaluating Fatigue
                                        Analyses Incorporating the Life
                                        Reduction of Metal Components
                                        Due to the Effects of the Light
                                        Reactor Water Environment for
                                        New Reactors.
1.208 DG-1146........................  A Performance-Based Approach to
                                        Define the Site-Specific
                                        Earthquake Ground Motion.
1.209 DG-1142........................  Guidelines for Environmental
                                        Qualification of Safety Related
                                        Computer-Based Instrumentation
                                        and Control Systems in Nuclear
                                        Power Plants.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The NRC finalized and published Revision 2 of RG 1.92 (July 2006), 
Revision 4 of RG 1.97 (July 2006), Revision 1 to RG 1.196 and Revision 
1 of RG 1.200 (January 2007), and RG 1.205 (June 2006). The NRC plans 
to issue the remaining revised RGs as they are finalized between 
February and March of 2007. The staff has determined that the RGs 
listed previously may be uniformly applied (consistent with the staff 
guidance provided in the SRP) to the ESP, DC, and COL applications 
submitted for proposed new reactors.

Comment Procedures

    The NRC staff encourages and welcomes comments and suggestions in 
connection with improvements to published RGs, as well as items for 
inclusion in RGs that are currently being developed. You may submit 
comments by any of the following methods:
     Mail comments to Rulemaking, Directives, and Editing 
Branch, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001 (MS T-6 D59).
     Hand-deliver comments to Rulemaking, Directives, and 
Editing 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 Rulemaking, Directives and Editing Branch, 
Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, at (301) 
415-5144.
     E-mail comments to [email protected].
    Contact Information: Contact information for use in obtaining 
printed or electronic copies of the revised RGs is provided in the 
section on Availability And Dates. Contact information for use in 
submitting comments is provided in the section on Comment Procedures. 
Comments or questions about the NRC's revision of RGs to support new 
reactor licensing should be addressed to Jimi T. Yerokun at (301) 415-
0585 or by e-mail to [email protected].

(5 U.S.C. 552(a))

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of February, 2007.

    For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Farouk Eltawila,
Director, Division of Risk Assessment and Special Projects, Office of 
Nuclear Regulatory Research.
 [FR Doc. E7-2372 Filed 2-9-07; 8:45 am]
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