[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 121 (Monday, June 24, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37850-37851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-15041]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2013-0021]


Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Operations)

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a 
revision to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.33, ``Quality Assurance Program 
Requirements (Operations).'' This RG describes methods that the staff 
of the NRC considers acceptable for managerial and administrative 
Quality Assurance (QA) controls for nuclear power plants during 
operations.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2013-0021 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 is publicly available, using the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0021. 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

[[Page 37851]]

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 notice (if 
that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a 
document is referenced. Revision 3 of Regulatory Guide 1.33, is 
available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13109A458. The regulatory 
analysis may be found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13109A459.
     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.
    Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not 
required to reproduce them.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:  Hector Rodriguez-Luccioni 
Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of Engineering, Office of 
Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone: 301-251-7685; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC is issuing a revision to an existing guide in the NRC's 
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe and 
make available to the public information such as 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.
    Revision 3 of RG 1.33 was issued with a temporary identification as 
Draft Regulatory Guide, DG-1300. This guide describes the methods that 
the NRC staff considers acceptable for complying with the provisions of 
regulations in Sec.  50.34(b)(6)(ii), ``Contents of applications; 
technical information'' of part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR), ``Domestic Licensing of Production and 
Utilization Facilities,'' and in Sec.  52.79(a)(27), ``Contents of 
applications; technical information in final safety analysis report,'' 
of 10 CFR part 52, ``Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for 
Nuclear Power Plants.'' Both sections require compliance with 10 CFR 
Part 50, Appendix B, ``Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Power 
Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants,'' which, in part, requires the 
establishment of QA controls for the implementation of managerial and 
administrative controls to assure safe operation.

II. Additional Information

    DG-1300, was published in the Federal Register on February 4, 2013 
(78 FR 7816) for a 60-day public comment period. The public comment 
period closed on April 1, 2013. Public comments on DG-1300 and the 
staff responses to the public comments are available under ADAMS 
Accession Number ML13109A467.
    This regulatory guide is a rule as designated in the Congressional 
Review Act (5 U.S.C. 801-808). However, OMB has not found it to be a 
major rule as designated in the Congressional Review Act.

III. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    Issuance of this final regulatory guide does not constitute 
backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109 (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) or is 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 part 52.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of June 2013.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of Engineering, 
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2013-15041 Filed 6-21-13; 8:45 am]
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