[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 201 (Wednesday, October 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52576-52577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-22550]



[[Page 52576]]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2018-0232]


Environmental Dosimetry-Performance Specifications, Testing, and 
Data Analysis

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-4019, ``Environmental 
Dosimetry-Performance Specifications, Testing, and Data Analysis.'' 
This proposed revision (Revision 2) to Regulatory Guide (RG) 4.13 
provides updated guidance that the NRC staff considers acceptable for 
performing surveys and evaluations of public dose in the unrestricted 
area and the controlled area of a licensed facility from direct 
radiation using environmental dosimetry. The DG endorses the American 
National Standards Institute/Health Physics Society (ANSI/HPS) N13.37-
2014, ``Environmental Dosimetry--Criteria for System Design and 
Implementation.''

DATES: Submit comments by December 17, 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 improvements in all published guides are encouraged at any time.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2018-0232. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301-287-
9127; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual 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: Steven Garry, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-2766, 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: 

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2018-0232 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may 
obtain publically-available information related to this document, by 
any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2018-0232.
     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 ``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. ML18087A169.
     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-2018-0232 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 entering 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 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, ``Environmental Dosimetry-Performance 
Specifications, Testing, and Data Analysis,'' is temporarily identified 
by its task number, DG-4019. DG-4019 is proposed Revision 2 to RG 4.13, 
dated July 1977. The title of the proposed Revision 2 is different than 
the title used for Revision 1. The title has changed to more clearly 
indicate the content of the regulatory guide, which includes data 
analysis suitable to assess potential facility-related radiation doses, 
and to broaden the scope beyond thermoluminescence dosimetry to include 
other types of dosimetry.
    Revision 1 to RG 4.13 (1977), endorsed American National Standards 
Institute (ANSI) N545-1975, ``Performance, Testing, and Procedural 
Specifications for Thermoluminescence Dosimetry (Environmental 
Applications).'' ANSI standard N545-1975 has been replaced by American 
National Standards Institute/Health Physics Society (ANSI/HPS) N13.37-
2014, ``Environmental Dosimetry--Criteria for System Design and 
Implementation,'' which provides improved environmental dosimetry 
system design criteria and dosimeter laboratory test protocols, as well 
as methods of data analysis suitable to assess potential facility-
related radiation doses.
    The proposed Revision 2 to RG 4.13 provides updated NRC guidance on 
an acceptable dosimetry program for monitoring direct radiation in the 
unrestricted area and the controlled area of a licensed facility by 
endorsing ANSI/HPS N13.37-2014. This ANSI/HPS standard provides up-to-
date environmental dosimetry system design criteria and dosimeter 
laboratory test protocols, as well as methods of data analysis suitable 
to assess potential facility-related radiation doses.

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III. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    This RG provides guidance on establishing and conducting an 
environmental dosimetry program that the NRC staff considers acceptable 
for monitoring direct radiation released into the unrestricted area and 
the controlled area of a licensed facility. The NRC regards these 
requirements as constituting information collection and reporting 
requirements. The NRC has long taken the position that information 
collection and reporting requirements are not subject to the NRC's 
backfitting and issue finality regulations in 10 CFR 50.109, 10 CFR 
70.76, 10 CFR 72.62, 10 CFR 76.76, and 10 CFR part 52 (e.g., ``Material 
Control and Accounting Methods,'' December 23, 2002 (67 FR 78130); and 
``Regulatory Improvements to the Nuclear Materials Management and 
Safeguards System,'' June 9, 2008 (73 FR 32453)). Therefore, the NRC 
has determined that its backfitting and issue finality regulations 
would not apply to this DG, if ultimately issued as a RG, because the 
RG does not include any provisions within the scope of matters covered 
by the backfitting provisions in 10 CFR parts 50, 70, 72, or 76, or the 
issue finality provisions of 10 CFR part 52.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of October 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. 2018-22550 Filed 10-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P