[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 247 (Friday, December 23, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 94433-94434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30895]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2016-0224]
Restart of a Nuclear Power Plant Shut Down by a Seismic Event
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; extension of comment period.
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SUMMARY: On November 3, 2016, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) issued for public comment draft regulatory guide (DG) DG-1337,
``Restart of a Nuclear Power Plant Shut Down by a Seismic Event,'' in
the Federal Register for a 60-day public comment period which ends on
January 3, 2017. The NRC is extending the public comment period to
February 28, 2017, recognizing the potential for unavailability of
people during the holiday period. The guide describes methods
acceptable to the NRC staff that can be used to demonstrate that a
nuclear power plant is safe for restarting after a shutdown caused by a
seismic event.
DATES: Submit comments by February 28, 2017. 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
(unless this document describes a different method for submitting
comments on a specified subject):
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID: NRC-2016-0224. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the individual(s) 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 accessing information and submitting
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Weaver, telephone: 301-415-
2383, email: [email protected]; and Edward O'Donnell, telephone:
301-415-3317, email: [email protected]. Both are staff of the
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, 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-2016-0224 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-2016-0224.
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 electronically available in ADAMS under Accession No.
ML16182A321.
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-2016-0224 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 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
``Restart of a Nuclear Power Plant Shut Down by a Seismic Event,'' is a
proposed revised guide temporarily identified by its task number, DG-
1337. The proposed revision of RG 1.167 describes methods acceptable to
the NRC staff that can be used to demonstrate that a nuclear power
plant is safe for restarting after a shutdown caused by a seismic
event. It incorporates lessons learned following the shutdown of
nuclear power plants due to earthquake ground shaking and post-
earthquake evaluations since Revision 0 was issued in 1997. They
include experience gained through the shutdown and restart process of
the North Anna nuclear power plant following the Mineral, Virginia
earthquake in 2011. It endorses, with some exceptions, sections of ANS/
ANSI-2.23-2016, ``Nuclear Power Plant Response to an Earthquake,'' that
relate to post-shutdown inspections and tests, inspection criteria,
documentation, and long-term evaluations. The guidance includes an
action level matrix to direct actions based on the earthquake level and
observed damage levels at a nuclear power plant.
II. Backfitting and Issue Finality
Draft Guide-1337 describes methods acceptable to the NRC staff that
can be used to demonstrate that a nuclear power plant is safe for
restarting after a shutdown caused by a seismic event. 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
[[Page 94434]]
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 regulatory
guide, as well as future applications submitted after the issuance of
the regulatory 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 part 52.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 19th day of December, 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. 2016-30895 Filed 12-22-16; 8:45 am]
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