[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 2, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 60039-60040]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-24221]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
10 CFR Part 50
[NRC-2011-0087]
RIN 3150-AI96
Non-Power Reactor License Renewal
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Final regulatory basis; availability of rulemaking documents.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission)
is publishing the final regulatory basis for rulemaking to streamline
non-power reactor license renewal. This final regulatory basis
incorporates input from the public, licensees, certificate holders, and
other stakeholders provided during the public comment period that ended
July 31, 2012. This regulatory basis provides the technical basis to
support proceeding with rulemaking to streamline and enhance the
Research and Test Reactor (RTR) License Renewal Process. This
contemplated rulemaking also recommends conforming changes to address
technical issues in existing non-power reactor regulations. The NRC has
developed a final technical basis for this proposed rulemaking that
describes the agency's overall objectives, conceptual approaches,
potential solutions, integration with agency strategic goals, and
related technical and regulatory clarity issues.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Accessing Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2011-0087 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may
access information related to this document by any of the following
methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2011-0087.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may access publicly-available documents online in the NRC
Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the
search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and then select ``Begin Web-
based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's
Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-
4737, or by email to [email protected]. The ADAMS accession number
for each document referenced in this document (if that document is
available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is
referenced.
NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
II. Background
The Commission provided direction presented in the Staff
Requirements Memorandum, SECY-08-0161 (ADAMS Accession No. ML082550140)
that directed the staff to develop and submit a long-term plan for an
enhanced RTR license renewal process for Commission review. ``The plan
should include, but not be limited to, developing a basis for
redefining the scope of the process, as well as a recommendation
regarding the need for rulemaking and guidance development. The staff
should submit to the Commission a resource request, including staffing
and contract funding needs, to formalize the review process changes and
establish a stable and predictable regulatory regime for RTRs. This
long term plan should consider elements of the generic analysis
approach, generic siting analysis, and the extended license term * *
*.''
III. Public Comments on Draft Regulatory Basis
The NRC published a draft regulatory basis on June 29, 2012 (77 FR
38742), for comment from the public, licensees, certificate holders,
and other stakeholders. The public comment period that ended July 31,
2012. The NRC received two comment letters: one from the University of
Florida and one from the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, in electronic form via
[[Page 60040]]
the Regulations.gov Web site. Most of the comments focused on the three
main elements; ensuring minimum regulation, need for objective
evidence, and general support or opposition to options proposed in the
regulatory basis. The NRC staff reviewed and considered the comments in
updating the draft regulatory basis to a final regulatory basis. A
listing of the comments and the NRC's comment responses are provided in
ADAMS under Accession No. ML12240A676. The final regulatory basis
provides the technical basis to support proceeding with rulemaking to
streamline and enhance the Research and Test Reactor License Renewal
Process. The final regulatory basis is provided in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML12240A677.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Duane Hardesty, Project Manager,
Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch, Division of Policy and
Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone: 301-415-
3724; email: [email protected].
The NRC is issuing this notice for the availability of the final
regulatory basis to streamline non-power reactor license renewal.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 19th day of September 2012.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Linh N. Tran,
Acting Chief, Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch, Division of
Policy and Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2012-24221 Filed 10-1-12; 8:45 am]
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