[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 27, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 23515-23516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10163]



[[Page 23515]]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 73

[NRC-2011-0018; NRC-2011-0014; NRC-2011-0015; NRC-2011-0017]
RIN 3150-AI49


Enhanced Weapons, Firearms Background Checks, and Security Event 
Notifications

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule: Extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On February 3, 2011 (76 FR 6200), the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC or the Commission) published a proposed rule [NRC-2011-
0018] for a 90-day public comment period that would implement its 
authority under the new Section 161A of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 
(AEA), as amended, and revise existing regulations governing security 
event notifications. These proposed regulations are consistent with the 
provisions of the Firearms Guidelines the NRC published under Section 
161A with the approval of the U.S. Attorney General on September 11, 
2009 (74 FR 46800). In addition, the NRC proposed revisions addressing 
security event notifications from different classes of facilities and 
the transportation of radioactive material and would add new event 
notification requirements on the theft or loss of enhanced weapons.
    Concurrent with the amendments described in this proposed rule, the 
NRC published for comment the draft ``Weapons Safety Assessment'' (76 
FR 6087) [NRC-2011-0017], the draft Regulatory Guide DG-5020, 
``Applying for Enhanced Weapons Authority, Applying for Preemption 
Authority, and Accomplishing Firearms Background Checks under 10 CFR 
Part 73'' (76 FR 6086) [NRC-2011-0015], and the revised Regulatory 
Guide DG-5019, ``Reporting and Recording Safeguards Events'' (76 FR 
6085) [NRC-2011-0014]. A 90-day comment period was provided for the 
proposed rule, the weapons safety assessment, and the associated 
regulatory guidance documents that would have expired on May 4, 2011.
    The NRC is extending the comment period submittal deadline by an 
additional 90 days for the proposed rule, the associated regulatory 
guidance documents, and the weapons safety assessment from the original 
May 4, 2011, deadline to August 2, 2011.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule, the draft weapons 
safety assessment, and the draft regulatory guides (DG-5019 and DG-
5020) has been extended and now expires on August 2, 2011. 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 before this date.

ADDRESSES: Please include the applicable Docket ID: NRC-2011-0018 
(proposed rule); NRC-2011-0014 (DG-5019); NRC-2011-0015 (DG-5020); or 
NRC-2011-0017 (draft weapons safety assessment) in the subject line of 
your comments. Comments submitted in writing or in electronic form will 
be posted on the NRC Web site and on the Federal rulemaking Web site 
http://www.Regulations.gov. 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.
    The NRC requests that any party soliciting or aggregating comments 
received from other persons for submission to the NRC inform those 
persons that the NRC will not edit their comments to remove any 
identifying or contact information, and therefore, they should not 
include any information in their comments that they do not want 
publicly disclosed. You may submit comments on the proposed rule [NRC-
2011-0018] by any one of the following methods:
     Federal rulemaking Web site: Go to http://
www.regulations.gov and search for documents filed under the applicable 
Docket ID: NRC-2011-0018. Address questions about NRC dockets to Carol 
Gallagher, telephone: 301-492-3668; e-mail: [email protected].
     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 301-415-1677.
     Hand deliver comments to: 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852, between 7:30 am and 4:15 pm Federal workdays, 
(telephone: 301-415-1677).
     Fax comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission at 301-415-1101.
    You may submit comments on DG-5019 [NRC-2011-0014]; DG-5020 [NRC-
2011-0015]; or the draft weapons safety assessment [NRC-2011-0017] by 
any one of the following methods:
     Federal rulemaking Web site: Go to http://
www.regulations.gov and search for documents filed under Docket ID NRC-
2011-0014 (DG-5019); NRC-2011-0015 (DG-5020); or NRC-2011-0017 (draft 
weapons safety assessment). Address questions about NRC dockets to 
Carol Gallagher, telephone: 301-492-3668; e-mail: 
[email protected].
     Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules, 
Announcements, and Directives Branch (RADB), Office of Administration, 
Mail Stop: TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555-0001.
    Fax comments to: RADB at 301-492-3446.
    You can access publicly available documents related to the proposed 
rule and draft regulatory guides documents using the following methods:
     NRC's Public Document Room (PDR): The public may examine 
and have copied, for a fee, publicly available documents at the NRC's 
PDR, O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): Publicly available documents created or received at the NRC 
are available electronically at the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this page, the public 
can gain entry into ADAMS, which provides text and image files of the 
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's PDR reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail 
to [email protected].
     Federal Rulemaking Web Site: Public comments and 
supporting materials related to the proposed rule and draft regulatory 
guides can be found at http://www.regulations.gov by searching the 
applicable Docket ID: NRC-2011-0018 (proposed rule); NRC-2011-0014 (DG-
5019); NRC-2011-0015 (DG-5020); or NRC-2011-0017 (draft weapons safety 
assessment).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Beall, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone 301-415-3874; e-mail: [email protected]; or 
Mr. Philip Brochman, Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; 
telephone 301-415-6557; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 16, 2011, the NRC received a 
letter (ADAMS Accession Number ML110480470) requesting that the

[[Page 23516]]

comment period for the proposed rule, the draft weapons safety 
assessment, and the draft regulatory guides be extended. The request 
was to extend the comment period by an additional 90 days for a total 
of 180 days. The requestor states they are coordinating the industry 
comments on the proposed ruling and associated documents to ensure that 
the comments are of high quality and that they reflect a consensus 
industry perspective. They also state that the comment period provided 
in the February 3, 2011, Federal Register notice is insufficient, given 
the complexity of the topical area and the number of documents 
associated with the rule. The requester states that extending the 
comment period would provide the time necessary to more fully assess 
the content of the proposed ruling and associated documents and arrive 
at a set of comments that are of value to the NRC staff.
    The NRC's objective is to ensure the public and other stakeholders 
have a reasonable opportunity to provide the NRC with comments on this 
proposed action that will improve the quality of these regulations and 
the supporting guidance documents. The NRC acknowledges this is a new 
area of regulation and that a significant quantity of information must 
be reviewed by the public and other stakeholders. Accordingly, the NRC 
is extending the comment period for the proposed rulemaking, the draft 
regulatory guides, and the draft weapons safety assessment for an 
additional 90 days. Based on feedback from stakeholders, the NRC 
believes that a 90-day extension provides a reasonable opportunity for 
all stakeholders to review these documents and to develop informed 
comments on these documents.
    Accordingly, the NRC is extending the comment submittal deadlines 
for the proposed rule, the draft weapons safety assessment, and the two 
draft regulatory guides (DG-5019 and DG-5020) from May 4, 2011, to 
August 2, 2011.


    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day of April 2011.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Annette L. Vietti-Cook,
Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2011-10163 Filed 4-26-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P