[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 29 (Monday, February 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6053-6054]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02816]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2018-0023]


Qualification and Training of Personnel for Nuclear Power Plants

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), DG-1329, ``Qualification 
and Training of Personnel for Nuclear Power Plants.'' The proposed 
revision describes methods acceptable to the NRC staff for complying 
with those portions of the Commission's regulations associated with the 
selection, qualifications, and training for nuclear power plant 
personnel. This proposed guide, Revision 4, updates the guidance with 
additional experience gained since Revision 3 was issued in 2000 by 
endorsing ANSI/ANS 3.1 2014, ``Selection, Qualification and Training of 
Personnel for Nuclear Power Plants.''

DATES: Submit comments by April 13, 2018. 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

[[Page 6054]]

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 website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2018-0023. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301-287-
9127; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 
of this document.
     Mail comments to: May Ma, Office of Administration, Mail 
Stop: OWFN-2A13, 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: James Kellum, Office of New Reactors; 
telephone: 301-415-5305; email: [email protected]; and Stephen Burton, 
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research; telephone: 301-415-7000; email: 
[email protected]. Both are staff members 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-2018-0023 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information regarding this action. You may 
obtain publicaly-available information related to this action, by any 
of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2018-0023.
     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. 
ML16091A267.
     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-2018-0023 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, ``Qualification and Training of Personnel for 
Nuclear Power Plants,'' is a proposed revision temporarily identified 
by its task number, DG-1329. DG-1329 is proposed Revision 4 of RG 1.8, 
``Qualification and Training of Personnel for Nuclear Power Plants.'' 
The guide proposes revised guidance that describes methods acceptable 
to the staff of the NRC for complying with those portions of the 
Commission's regulations associated with the selection, qualifications, 
and training for nuclear power plant personnel.
    This proposed guide, Revision 4, endorses ANSI/ANS 3.1 2014, 
``Selection, Qualification, and Training of Personnel for Nuclear Power 
Plants,'' as well as updates the guidance with additional experience 
gained since Revision 3 was issued in 2000.

III. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    This DG describes methods acceptable to the staff of the NRC for 
complying with those portions of the Commission's regulations 
associated with the selection, qualifications and training for nuclear 
power plant personnel. Issuance of this DG, if finalized, would not 
constitute backfitting as defined in section 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 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 7th day of February, 2018.

    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. 2018-02816 Filed 2-9-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P