[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 24, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58574-58575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23250]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2013-0048]


Maintenance, Testing, and Replacement of Vented Lead-Acid Storage 
Batteries for Nuclear Power Plants

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing 
Revision 3 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.129, ``Maintenance, Testing, and 
Replacement of Vented Lead-Acid Storage Batteries for Nuclear Power 
Plants.'' The guide describes methods that the NRC staff considers 
acceptable for use in complying with the agency's regulations with 
regard to the maintenance, testing, and replacement of vented lead-acid 
storage batteries in nuclear power plants.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2013-0048 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may access publicly-available information related to this action by the 
following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0048. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual(s) listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 
of this document.
     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 notice (if that document is 
available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is 
referenced. Revision 3 of Regulatory Guide 1.129 is available in ADAMS 
under Accession No. ML13170A112. The regulatory analysis may be found 
in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13170A116.
     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 FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Liliana Ramadan, telephone: 301-251-
7642; email: [email protected]; or Edward O'Donnell, telephone: 
301-251-7455; email: [email protected]. Both of the Office of 
Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001.

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.
    The NRC developed RG 1.129 to describe a method that the NRC staff 
considers acceptable for use in complying with the agency's regulations 
with regard to the maintenance, testing, and replacement of vented 
lead-acid storage batteries in nuclear power plants. Specifically, the 
method described in this regulatory guide relates to General Design 
Criteria (GDC) 1, 17, and 18 as set forth in appendix A, ``General 
Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants,'' to part 50 of Title 10 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Domestic Licensing of 
Production and Utilization Facilities.''
    The NRC issued Revision 3 of RG 1.129 with a temporary 
identification as Draft Regulatory Guide, DG-1269, in the Federal 
Register on March 12, 2013 (78 FR 15753), for a 60-day public comment 
period. The public comment period closed on May 13, 2013, and the NRC 
staff's response to the comments can be found in ADAMS under Accession 
No. ML13170A114.
    RG 1.129, Revision 3 endorses (with certain clarifying regulatory 
positions) the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 
Std 450-

[[Page 58575]]

2010, ``IEEE Recommended Practice for Maintenance, Testing, and 
Replacement of Vented Lead-Acid Batteries for Stationary 
Applications.'' That standard is an update of IEEE Std 450-2002, which 
formed the basis for RG 1.129, Revision 2. The revised IEEE Std 450-
2010 refines the condition monitoring guidance and the use of rate-
adjusted test methods for acceptance testing to ensure consistent 
performance of vented lead-acid batteries. Among the changes in RG 
1.129, Revision 3 from the prior version is the deletion of clarifying 
regulatory positions 6 and 8. The former is addressed by IEEE 450-2010 
and is not needed. The latter provides information on optional test 
methods and, unless otherwise stated in a regulatory position, this 
endorsement of IEEE-450-2010 does not apply to them. Therefore it is 
superfluous.
    Revision 3 of RG 1.129 represents the NRC staff's current guidance 
for future users and applications. Earlier versions of this regulatory 
guide, however, continue to be acceptable for those licensees whose 
licensing basis includes earlier versions of this regulatory guide, 
absent a licensee-initiated change to its licensing basis. Additional 
information on the NRC staff's use of this revised regulatory guide 
with respect to both current and future users and applications is set 
forth in the ``Implementation'' section of the revised regulatory 
guide.

II. Congressional Review Act

    This regulatory guide is a rule as defined in the Congressional 
Review Act (5 U.S.C. 801-808). However, the Office of Management and 
Budget has not found it to be a major rule as defined in the 
Congressional Review Act.

III. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    Regulatory Guide 1.129, Revision 3, 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, 
``Licenses, Certifications and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.'' 
Revision 3 of this regulatory guide provides guidance on one possible 
means for meeting NRC's regulatory requirements with regard to the 
maintenance, testing, and replacement of vented lead-acid storage 
batteries in nuclear power plants in GDCs 1, 17 and 18, and the 
qualification testing requirements of Criterion III of 10 CFR Part 50, 
Appendix B. Existing licensees and applicants of final design 
certification rules will not be required to comply with the positions 
set forth in Revision 3 of this regulatory guide, unless the licensee 
or design certification rule applicant seeks a voluntary change to its 
licensing basis with respect to safety-related power operated valve 
actuators, and where the NRC determines that the safety review must 
include consideration of the qualification of the valve actuators. 
Further information on the staff's use of the Regulatory Guide 1.129, 
Revision 3, is contained in the regulatory guide under section D. 
Implementation.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of September, 2013.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of Engineering, 
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2013-23250 Filed 9-23-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P