[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 32 (Friday, February 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7694-7695]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-2785]


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

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Proposed License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-02: 
Staff Guidance on Acceptance Review for Environmental ReportsAssociated 
With License Renewal Applications; Solicitation of Public Comment

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

ACTION: Solicitation of public comment.

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

SUMMARY: The NRC is soliciting public comment on its Proposed License 
Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-02 (LR-ISG) on the 
acceptance review criteria for environmental reports (ER) provided by 
applicants for reactor license renewal. This LR-ISG summarizes the 
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 51 (10 CFR Part 51) 
requirements for ERs submitted with license renewal applications 
(LRAs), and provides a checklist that will be used by the NRC staff to 
verify the completeness of these reports prior to docketing. The NRC 
staff issues LR-ISGs to facilitate timely implementation of the license 
renewal rule and to review activities associated with an LRA. Upon 
receiving public comments, the NRC staff will evaluate the comments and 
make a determination to incorporate the comments, as appropriate. Once 
the NRC staff 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 the license renewal guidance documents.

DATES: Comments may be submitted by April 17, 2007. Comments received 
after this date will be considered, if it is practical to do so, but 
the Commission is able to ensure consideration only for comments 
received on or before this date.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to: Chief, Rulemaking, Directives, 
and Editing Branch, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Comments should be delivered to: 
11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, Room T-6D59, 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 Access 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 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: Ms. Jennifer A. Davis, Project 
Manager, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington,DC 20555-0001; telephone 301-415-3835 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-2006-02: Staff Guidance on 
Acceptance Review for Environmental Reports Associated with License 
Renewal Applications, contains the NRC staff's rationale for publishing 
the proposed LR-ISG-2006-02. Attachment 2 to this Federal Register 
notice, entitled Proposed License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-
ISG-2006-02: Staff Guidance on Acceptance Review for Environmental 
Reports Associated with License Renewal Applications, identifies the 
guidance for reviewing ERs received with LRAs.
    The NRC staff is issuing this notice to solicit public comments on 
the proposedLR-ISG-2006-02. After the NRC staff considers any public 
comments, it will make a determination regarding issuance of the 
proposed LR-ISG.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 8th day of February, 2007.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Pao-Tsin Kuo,
Acting 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-2006-02: Staff Guidance on 
Acceptance Review for Environmental Reports Associated With License 
Renewal Applications

Staff Position

    The NRC staff intends to use a checklist of acceptance criteria 
when evaluating environmental reports submitted with license renewal 
applications. This guidance summarizes the 10 CFR Part 51 requirements 
for environmental reports submitted with license renewal applications, 
and provides a checklist that documents the review process used by NRC 
staff to verify the completeness of these reports.

Rationale

    The NRC developed a checklist of the requirements in 10 CFR Part 51 
to document the NRC staff's acceptance review standards regarding the 
information that needs to be included in an environmental report. The 
staff finds that the utilization of the guidance provided in the 
checklist will facilitate consistency and efficiency in the NRC staff's 
acceptance reviews of environmental reports submitted with license 
renewal applications.

Attachment 2--Proposed License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance lR-ISG-
2006-02: Staff Guidance on Acceptance Review for Environmental Reports 
Associated With License Renewal Applications

Introduction

    Each applicant for renewal of a license to operate a nuclear power 
plant is required to submit with its application a separate 
environmental report (ER) in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR 54.23). As stated in 10 CFR 54.23, the ER 
must comply with the requirements of Subpart A of 10 CFR Part 51. The 
requirements governing the contents of an ER submitted at the operating 
license renewal stage are specified in 10 CFR 51.45 and 10 CFR 
51.53(c). This LR-ISG is being proposed to document the staff's 
practice in

[[Page 7695]]

performing an acceptance review of ERs submitted as part of a license 
renewal application.

Background and Discussion

    The NRC staff routinely reviews ERs against the requirements of 10 
CFR 51.45 and 10 CFR 51.53(c) as part of the acceptance review of 
reactor license renewal applications. Staff review guidance governing 
reactor license renewal environmental reviews and the preparation of 
environmental impact statements is provided in NUREG-1555, Standard 
Review Plans for Environmental Reviews for Nuclear Power Plants, 
Supplement 1: Operating License Renewal.
    In conducting its acceptance review, the staff also relies on the 
guidance provided to applicants in Regulatory Guide 4.2, Supplement 1, 
Preparation of Supplemental Environmental Reports for Applications to 
Renew Nuclear Power Plant Operating Licenses. The regulatory guide 
provides methods acceptable to the staff for implementing the 
provisions of 10 CFR 51.45 and 10 CFR 51.53(c). While conformance with 
the suggested format of the regulatory guide is not required, use of 
the guide is expected to ensure the completeness of the information 
provided, assist the NRC staff and others in locating information, and 
result in more efficient and timely NRC staff review.

Proposed Action

    The acceptance review checklist for ERs submitted with license 
renewal applications, available via ADAMS at Accession No. ML063190452, 
will be incorporated into the next revision of NUREG-1555, Supplement 
1. The acceptance checklist is intended to be a tool to ensure 
efficiency and consistency in the staff's acceptance reviews and ensure 
that all necessary components of license renewal stage ERs are 
submitted in accordance with governing regulations. As noted in the 
checklist instructions, the absence of any of the information 
recommended in Regulatory Guide 4.2, Supplement 1, would not require 
that supplemental information be provided prior to acceptance of an 
application; however, applicants should expect that the absence of such 
information may result in more intensive environmental audit activities 
and/or issuance of early requests for additional information to support 
the staff's review. The docketing and subsequent finding of a timely 
and sufficient application (including the ER) does not preclude NRC 
reviewers from requesting additional information as a review proceeds, 
nor does it predict the NRC's final determination regarding the 
approval or denial of a license renewal application. This proposed LR-
ISG is not intended to substitute or re-interpret requirements outlined 
in 10 CFR 51.45 and 10 CFR 51.53(c). The checklist is also expected to 
serve as a knowledge management tool for NRC staff members by 
specifying review criteria in a simplified, user-friendly format.
 [FR Doc. E7-2785 Filed 2-15-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P