[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 216 (Friday, November 6, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 71002-71003]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-24387]
========================================================================
Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 216 / Friday, November 6, 2020 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 71002]]
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
10 CFR Part 53
[NRC-2019-0062]
RIN 3150-AK31
Risk-Informed, Technology-Inclusive Regulatory Framework for
Advanced Reactors
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Availability of preliminary proposed rule language; request for
comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is developing new
requirements for the licensing and regulation of advanced nuclear
reactors and is seeking public input. The new rulemaking would adopt
technology-inclusive approaches and include the appropriate use of
risk-informed and performance-based techniques, to provide the
necessary flexibility for licensing and regulating a variety of
advanced nuclear reactor technologies and designs. The NRC is
periodically making available for comment preliminary proposed rule
language for a risk-informed, technology-inclusive framework that will
be added to NRC's regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations.
DATES: Submit comments by November 5, 2021. Comments received after
this date will be considered in the development of the proposed rule if
it is practical to do so, but the NRC is able to ensure consideration
only for comments received before this date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on preliminary rule language by any
of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0062. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Dawn Forder; telephone: 301-415-3407;
email: [email protected]. For technical questions contact the
individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
Email comments to: [email protected]. If you do
not receive an automatic email reply confirming receipt, then contact
us at 301-415-1677.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Beall, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301-415-3874; email:
[email protected]; or William Reckley, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation, telephone: 301-415-7490; email: [email protected].
Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0062 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain
publicly-available information related to this action by any of the
following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0062.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://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 ADAMS accession number for the
preliminary proposed rule text is ML20289A534.
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC-2019-0062 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 will post all comment submissions at
https://www.regulations.gov as well as enter 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 into ADAMS.
II. Background
On January 14, 2019, the President signed the Nuclear Energy
Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA) into law (Pub. L. 115 439).
NEIMA directs the NRC to develop the regulatory infrastructure to
support the development and commercialization of advanced nuclear
reactors. The current application and licensing requirements, developed
for large light-water and non-power reactors as outlined in part 50 of
title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Domestic
Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities,'' and 10 CFR part
52, ``Licenses, Certifications and Approvals for Nuclear Power
Plants,'' do not fully consider the variety of designs for advanced
nuclear reactors and may require extensive use of the exemption process
for regulations that include prescriptive requirements specific to
light-water reactors. Through this rulemaking, the NRC is proposing to
amend the regulations by creating an alternative regulatory framework
for licensing advanced nuclear reactors.
III. Discussion
The NRC is developing preliminary proposed rule language for the
purpose of adding a new, alternative part to its regulations that will
set out a risk-informed, technology-inclusive framework for the
licensing and regulation of advanced nuclear reactors. This new
approach would: (1) Continue to provide reasonable assurance of
adequate protection of public health and safety and the common defense
and security, (2) promote regulatory stability, predictability, and
clarity, (3) reduce requests for exemptions from the current
requirements in 10 CFR parts 50 and 52, (4) establish new requirements
to address non-light-water reactor technologies, (5) recognize
technological
[[Page 71003]]
advancements in reactor design, and (6) credit the response of advanced
nuclear reactors to postulated accidents, including slower transient
response times and relatively small and slow release of fission
products. The proposed rule would add 10 CFR part 53, ``Licensing and
Regulation of Advanced Nuclear Reactors.''
The NRC will periodically make available portions of preliminary
proposed rule language on the federal rulemaking website at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2019-0062. This preliminary
proposed rule language is draft and may be incomplete in one or more
respects; however, the NRC welcomes diverse stakeholder feedback to
inform the proposed rulemaking activity.
Various sections of the 10 CFR part 53 preliminary proposed rule
language will be released to stakeholders during the development of the
proposed rule. The public will be provided with opportunities to
comment on the preliminary proposed rule language before or during
public meetings and on a rolling basis throughout the 12-month public
comment period. The NRC plans to hold public meetings every 4 to 6
weeks over the next 12 months. The meetings will be noticed in the
NRC's Public Meeting Notice System at least 10 days in advance of the
scheduled meeting. Preliminary proposed rule language is being provided
to increase transparency and to facilitate discussions with
stakeholders on the licensing process for advanced nuclear reactors.
The NRC will post new and revised updates to the preliminary proposed
rule language periodically on the Federal rulemaking website at
www.regulations.gov that may be of interest to stakeholders. The NRC
will not issue a Federal Register notice each time preliminary proposed
rule language is added to the docket. Please monitor the docket on
www.regulations.gov and use the following information to sign up for
docket alerts.
The NRC may post materials related to this rulemaking, including
public comments received, on the Federal Rulemaking website at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2019-0062. The Federal
Rulemaking website allows you to receive alerts when changes or
additions occur in a docket folder. To subscribe: (1) Navigate to the
docket folder (NRC-2019-0062); (2) click the ``Sign up for Email
Alerts'' link; and (3) enter your email address and select how
frequently you would like to receive emails (daily, weekly, or
monthly).
Dated: October 29, 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John R. Tappert,
Director, Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2020-24387 Filed 11-5-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P