[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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