[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64954-64955]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-22743]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2016-0201]


Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation for Earthquakes

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for 
public comment draft regulatory guide (DG)-1332, ``Nuclear Power Plant 
Instrumentation for Earthquakes.'' This DG is proposed Revision 3 of 
Regulatory Guide 1.12, ``Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation for 
Earthquakes.'' The NRC proposes to revise the guide to incorporate 
advances in seismic instrumentation and operating experience since 
Revision 2 of RG 1.12 was issued in 1997. The proposed revision 
describes the seismic instrumentation criteria, including 
instrumentation type, locations, characteristics, and maintenance, that 
the NRC staff considers acceptable for nuclear power plants.

DATES: Submit comments by November 21, 2016. Comments received after 
this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC 
is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before 
this date. Although a time limit is given, comments and suggestions in 
connection with items for inclusion in guides currently being developed 
or improvements in all published guides are encouraged at any time.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2016-0201. 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.
     Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration, 
Mail Stop: OWFN-12H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555-0001.
    For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Tabatabai, telephone: 301-415-
2982, email: [email protected]; and Edward O'Donnell, telephone: 
301-415-3317, email: [email protected]. Both are staff of the 
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2016-0201 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information regarding this action. You may 
obtain publically-available information related to this action by any 
of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2016-0201.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents 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 
DG is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML16104A220.
     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.

B. Submitting Comments

    Please include Docket ID NRC-2016-0201 in your comment submission.
    The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact 
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC posts all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as enters the comment submissions into 
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove 
identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove such information before making the comment submissions available 
to the public or entering the comment submissions into ADAMS.

II. Additional Information

    The NRC is issuing for public comment a DG in the NRC's 
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe and 
make

[[Page 64955]]

available to the public information regarding methods that are 
acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the 
NRC's regulations, techniques that the staff uses in evaluating 
specific issues or postulated events, and data that the staff needs in 
its review of applications for permits and licenses.
    The DG entitled, ``Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation for 
Earthquakes,'' is proposed Revision 3 of RG 1.12, ``Nuclear Power Plant 
Instrumentation for Earthquakes.'' The DG is temporarily identified by 
its task number, DG-1332. The guide proposes revised guidance for the 
seismic instrumentation criteria, including instrumentation type, 
locations, characteristics, and maintenance, that the NRC staff 
considers acceptable for nuclear power plants. The current revision of 
RG 1.12 dates to 1997 and significant technological advances in seismic 
instrumentation have since been made. Lessons learned from the recent 
earthquakes that impacted the North Anna and Fukushima-Dai-ichi nuclear 
power plants indicate a need to update seismic instrumentation guidance 
relative to instrument characteristics, locations, installation, and 
maintenance. In addition, the guide needs to be reformatted to align 
with the current program guidance for regulatory guides.

III. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    This DG describes the seismic instrumentation criteria, including 
instrumentation type, locations, characteristics, and maintenance, that 
the NRC staff considers acceptable for nuclear power plants. Issuance 
of this DG, if finalized, would not constitute backfitting as defined 
in Sec.  50.109 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 
(the Backfit Rule) and would not otherwise be inconsistent with the 
issue finality provisions in 10 CFR part 52. As discussed in the 
``Implementation'' section of this DG, the NRC has no current intention 
to impose this guide, if finalized, on holders of current operating 
licenses or combined licenses.
    This DG may be applied to applications for operating licenses, 
combined licenses, early site permits, and certified design rules 
docketed by the NRC as of the date of issuance of the final guide, as 
well as future applications submitted after the issuance of the guide. 
Such action would not constitute backfitting as defined in the Backfit 
Rule or be 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 16th day of September, 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. 2016-22743 Filed 9-20-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P