[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 156 (Friday, August 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53507-53508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-19195]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2016-0160]


Termination of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Reactors

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory guide; withdrawal.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is withdrawing 
Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.86, ``Termination of Operating Licenses for 
Nuclear Reactors.'' This RG is being withdrawn because there is more 
up-to-date guidance in other NRC regulatory documents, making RG 1.86 
obsolete.

DATES: The effective date of the withdrawal of RG 1.86 is August 12, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2016-0160 when contacting the, 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publically-available information related to this document, 
using the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2016-0160. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 
of this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Document collection 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. The basis for the withdrawal of RG 1.86 is 
available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML16099A267.
     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: Zahira Cruz, Office of Nuclear 
Materials Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301-415-3808; email: 
[email protected], and Harriet Karagiannis, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-2493; email: 
[email protected]. Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NRC staff issued RG 1.86 in June 1974, 
to provide guidance for termination of licenses for nuclear power 
plants, including the decommissioning of reactors. In addition, RG 1.86 
includes information in Table 1, ``Acceptable Surface Contamination 
Levels,'' regarding acceptable average and maximum surface 
contamination criteria.
    The guidance in RG 1.86 is no longer needed because it has been 
updated and replaced by NRC's regulations and other regulatory 
guidance. This guidance can be found in RG 1.179, ``Standard Formant 
and Content of License Termination Plans for Nuclear Power Reactors'' 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML110490419); RG 1.184, ``Decommissioning of 
Nuclear Power Reactors'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML13144A840); and RG 
1.185, ``Standard Format and Content for Post-Shutdown Decommissioning 
Activities Report'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML13140A038), which provide 
the NRC staff guidance on implementing the NRC's regulations related to 
decommissioning and license termination requirements as amended in 1996 
and 1997, respectively.
    In addition, various NUREGs, including NUREG-1700, ``Standard 
Review Plan for Evaluating Nuclear Power Reactor License Termination 
Plans'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML003713038; and Volume 2, 
``Characterization, Survey, and Determination of Radiological 
Criteria'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML032530405), of NUREG-1757, 
``Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance,'' provide up-to-date 
information that aligns with RGs 1.179, 1.184, and 1.185. Specifically, 
NUREG 1757, Volume 2, Revision 1, includes: (1) Tables of screening 
criteria (concentrations) applicable to surface contamination of 
buildings and to surface soils (Tables H.1 and H.2); and (2) guidance 
on determining site-specific criteria for buildings and soils remaining 
onsite at license termination (Chapter 5 and Appendix I).
    Also, RG 8.21, ``Health Physics Surveys for Byproduct Material at 
NRC-Licensed Processing and Manufacturing Plants'' (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML003739577); RG 8.23, ``Radiation Safety Surveys at Medical 
Institutions'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML003739603); and RG 8.30, ``Health 
Physics Surveys in Uranium Recovery Facilities'' (ADAMS Accession No. 
ML021260524), provide information similar to that included in Table 1 
of RG 1.86. Specifically, Table 1 in RG 1.86 is now included in RG 8.23 
and is titled, ``Table 3 Acceptable Surface Contamination Levels for 
Uncontrolled Release of Equipment.''
    Because RG 1.86 is no longer needed, the NRC is withdrawing RG 
1.86. Withdrawal of a RG means that the guide no longer provides useful 
information or has been superseded by other guidance, technological 
innovations, congressional actions, or other events. The withdrawal of 
RG 1.86 does not alter any prior or existing NRC licensing approval or 
the acceptability of licensee commitments to RG 1.86.

[[Page 53508]]

Although RG 1.86 is withdrawn, current licensees may continue to use 
it, and withdrawal does not affect any existing licenses or agreements. 
However, RG. 1.86 should not be used in future requests or applications 
for NRC licensing actions.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 4th day of August, 2016.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guidance and Generic Issues Branch, Division of 
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2016-19195 Filed 8-11-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P