[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 223 (Monday, November 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69509-69510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-28076]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2012-0223]


Combining Modal Responses and Spatial Components in Seismic 
Response Analysis

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing 
Revision 3 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.92, ``Combining Modal Responses 
and Spatial Components in Seismic Response Analysis'' as an 
administratively changed guide in which there are minor corrections 
with no substantive changes in the Staff Regulatory Guidance. This 
guide describes a method that the NRC staff considers acceptable for 
combining modal responses and spatial components in seismic response 
analysis of nuclear power plant structures, systems, and components 
that are important to safety.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2012-0223 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may access information related to this document, which the NRC 
possesses and are publicly available, using any of the following 
methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012-0223. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-492-
3668; email: [email protected].
     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]. Revision 3 of Regulatory 
Guide 1.92 is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML12220A043. The 
regulatory analysis may be found in ADAMS under Accession No. 
ML122020A044.
     NRC's Public Document Room: You may examine and purchase 
copies of public documents at the NRC's Public Document Room O1-F21, 
One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not 
required to reproduce them.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edward O'Donnell, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001, telephone: 301-251-7455; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC is issuing an administrative to an existing guide in the 
NRC's ``Regulatory Guide'' series. The Regulatory Guides were developed 
to describe and make available to the public information methods that 
are acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the 
agency'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. The NRC 
typically seeks public comment on a draft version of a regulatory guide 
by announcing its availability for comment in the Federal Register. 
However, as explained on page 7 of NRC Management Directive 6.6 
``Regulatory Guides,'' (ADAMS Accession Number ML110330475) the NRC may 
directly issue a final regulatory guide without a draft version or 
public comment period if the changes to the regulatory guide are non-
substantive, including changes to the Staff Regulatory Guidance 
section. Issuance of regulatory guides using this direct final process 
reduces processing time and review costs. A regulatory guide revised 
using this process is called an Administratively Changed Guide (ACG).

II. Submitting Comments

    Although Revision 3 of RG 1.92 is being issued as an 
administratively changed guide without public comment, comments are 
welcome on any final regulatory guide at any time. The input from the 
public and stakeholders will be considered in future updates and 
enhancements of the regulatory guide. Comments can be submitted by the 
form available online at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/contactus.html.

III. Further Information

    The NRC is issuing Revision 3 of RG 1.92 directly as a final 
regulatory guide because the changes between Revision 2 and Revision 3 
are non-substantive. The current revision was published in 2006. In the 
course of a periodic review of the guide, the staff noted that some 
minor corrections were needed that would result in no substantive 
change in the Staff Regulatory Guidance. Among the corrections are the 
addition of missing ADAMS accession numbers for some of the references, 
and insertion of the language currently used for the Implementation 
Section. That section was revised subsequent to issuance of Revision 2 
in 2006 to clarify that compliance with the Regulatory Guide is 
voluntary and that the NRC staff does not intend any backfitting of the 
guidance.

IV. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    Issuance of this final regulatory guide does not constitute 
backfitting as defined in Sec.  50.109 of Title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR) (the Backfit Rule) and is not otherwise 
inconsistent with the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR part 52. As 
discussed in the ``Implementation'' section of this regulatory guide, 
the NRC has no current intention to impose this regulatory guide on 
holders of current operating licenses or combined licenses.
    This regulatory guide may be applied to applications for operating 
licenses and combined licenses docketed by the NRC as of the date of 
issuance of the final regulatory guide, as well as future applications 
for operating licenses and combined licenses submitted after the 
issuance of the regulatory guide. Such action does not constitute 
backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109(a)(1) and is not otherwise 
inconsistent with the applicable issue finality provision in 10 CFR 
part 52, inasmuch as such applicants or potential applicants are not 
within the scope of entities protected by the Backfit Rule or the 
relevant issue finality provisions in 10 CFR part 52.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of November 2012.


[[Page 69510]]


    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of Engineering, 
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2012-28076 Filed 11-16-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P