[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 217 (Monday, November 13, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52337-52338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24484]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2017-0216]


Vital Area Access Controls, Protection of Physical Security 
Equipment, and Key and Lock Controls

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory guide; withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is withdrawing 
Regulatory Guide (RG) 5.65, ``Vital Area Access Controls, Protection of 
Physical Security Equipment, and Key and Lock Controls,'' dated 
September 1986. This document is being withdrawn because it is outdated 
and has been superseded by other NRC guidance, and therefore, no longer 
provides methods that the NRC staff finds acceptable in future requests 
or applications for NRC's licensing actions.

DATES: The applicable date of the withdrawal of RG 5.65 is November 13, 
2017.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2017-0216 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2017-0216. 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 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 
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if it available in 
ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced. The 
basis for withdrawal of RG 5.65 is available in ADAMS under Accession 
No. ML17262A504.
     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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela Wu, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation, telephone: 301-287-3645, email: [email protected], or 
Mekonen Bayssie, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-
415-1699, email: [email protected]. Both are staff members of the 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NRC is withdrawing RG 5.65, ``Vital Area 
Access Controls, Protection of Physical Security Equipment, and Key and 
Lock Controls,'' because of the following regulatory and technical 
issues:
     On March 27, 2009 (74 FR 13926), the Commission amended 
part 73 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), for 
nuclear power plants to incorporate security requirements that were 
issued through Commission security orders as a result of the September 
11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In addition, the rulemaking added several 
new requirements to incorporate insights gained from implementation of 
the security orders, review of site security plans, implementation of 
the NRC's enhanced baseline inspection program, and the NRC's 
evaluation of force-on-force exercises. As a result, the guidance in RG 
5.65 became outdated.
    In addition, more recent regulatory guidance has been issued that 
supersedes the guidance in RG 5.65.
     The RG 5.66, ``Access Authorization Program for Nuclear 
Power Plants,'' Rev. 2 (October 2011) supersedes RG 5.65. The RG 5.65 
does not address the current requirements of 10 CFR 73.56 with regard 
to access authorization at nuclear power plants. Instead, RG 5.66 
provides an acceptable approach by which licensees can establish and 
implement an access authorization program for granting unescorted 
access to protected and vital areas of a nuclear power plant.
     The RG 5.76, ``Physical Protection at Nuclear Power 
Reactors'' (July 2009), which was issued to facilitate implementation 
of the new 10 CFR part 73 rule in 2009, supersedes RG 5.65. 
Specifically, RG 5.65 contains duplicative or outdated discussions 
regarding protection of security equipment, vital and protected area 
transients, delays, barriers, underground pathways, power, escort, 
ingress and egress, record keeping, and review/audit requirements.
     The RG 5.12, ``General Use of Locks in the Protection and 
Control of: Facilities, Radioactive Materials, Classified Information, 
Classified Matter, and Safeguards Information,'' Rev. 1 (October 2016), 
supersedes RG 5.65. Regarding keys and locks, the guidance offered in 
RG 5.65 is brief and limited to two paragraphs, discussing the 
requirement and frequency to change and rotate keys, locks, and 
combinations. The same information is discussed in much greater detail 
in RG 5.12.
     The RG 5.74, ``Managing the Safety/Security Interface,'' 
Rev. 1 (April 2015), supersedes RG 5.65. With regard to managing the 
safety and security interface, RG 5.65 provides only brief guidance 
(one paragraph) on the cross training of roles, responsibilities, and 
general practices of the safety and security organizations as a 
mechanism to reduce interface problems. The RG 5.74 provides more 
detailed guidance for training to aid the interface between safety and 
security organizations.

II. Further Information

    The withdrawal of RG 5.65 does not alter any prior or existing NRC 
licensing approval or the acceptability of licensee commitments made 
regarding the withdrawn guidance. Although RG 5.65 is withdrawn, 
current licensees referencing this RG may continue to do so, and 
withdrawal does not affect any existing licenses or agreements. 
However, by withdrawing RG 5.65, the NRC no longer approves use of the

[[Page 52338]]

guidance in future requests or applications for NRC's licensing 
actions.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of November, 2017.

    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. 2017-24484 Filed 11-9-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P