[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 29, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 85503-85504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28814]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
10 CFR Part 50
[NRC-2017-0151]
RIN 3150-AK07
Reactor Vessel Material Surveillance Program
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Direct final rule; confirmation of effective date.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is confirming the
effective date of February 1, 2021, for the direct final rule that was
published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2020. The direct final
rule amends the NRC's reactor vessel material surveillance program
requirements for commercial light-water reactors. The direct final rule
revises the requirements associated with the testing of specimens
contained within surveillance capsules and reporting the surveillance
test results. The direct final rule also clarifies the requirements for
the design of surveillance programs and the capsule withdrawal
schedules for surveillance capsules in reactor vessels purchased after
1982.
DATES: The effective date of February 1, 2021, for the direct final
rule published October 2, 2020 (85 FR 62199), is confirmed.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2017-0151 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-2017-0151. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Dawn Forder; telephone: 301-415-3407;
email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact the
individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-
[[Page 85504]]
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].
Attention: The Public Document Room (PDR), where you may
examine and order copies of public documents, is currently closed. You
may submit your request to the PDR via email at [email protected] or
call 1-800-397-4209 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (EST), Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stewart Schneider, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301-415-4123, 3453, email:
[email protected], or On Yee, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation, telephone: 301-415-1905, email: [email protected]. Both are
staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 2, 2020 (85 FR 62199), the NRC
published a direct final rule amending its regulations in appendix H,
``Reactor Vessel Material Surveillance Program Requirements'' (appendix
H), to part 50 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
``Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities,'' to
revise the NRC's reactor vessel material surveillance program
requirements for commercial light-water reactors. The direct final rule
revises the requirements in appendix H to 10 CFR part 50 associated
with the testing of specimens contained within surveillance capsules
and reporting the surveillance test results. The direct final rule also
clarifies the requirements for the design of surveillance programs and
the capsule withdrawal schedules for surveillance capsules in reactor
vessels purchased after 1982.
In the direct final rule published on October 2, 2020, the NRC
stated that if no significant adverse comments were received, the
direct final rule would become effective on February 1, 2021. The NRC
received and docketed two comment submissions on the companion proposed
rule (85 FR 62234; October 2, 2020). Electronic copies of the comments
can be obtained from the Federal Rulemaking website at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2017-0151 and are also
available in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML20301A624 and ML20308A229,
respectively.
The NRC determined that the two comment submissions addressed
issues that were outside the scope of the direct final rule or were not
significant nor adverse. One comment submission questioned (1) the use
of Charpy V-notch testing procedures, (2) the subsequent license
renewal and extended power uprate for Turkey Point Nuclear Generating
Units 3 and 4, (3) the use of Integrated Surveillance Programs, and (4)
the timing associated with specimen testing and capsule report
submittal. With respect to the items 1-3, these issues are outside the
scope of this direct final rule. While item 4 is within the scope of
the direct final rule, the NRC determined that the comment was not
significant nor adverse. The other comment submission is outside the
scope of this direct final rule. Therefore the direct final rule will
become effective as scheduled.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
The direct final rule contains a new or amended collection of
information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.). The collections of information were approved by the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), approval number 3150-0011.
Public Protection Notification
The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to a collection of information unless the document requesting
or requiring the collection displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
Dated: December 21, 2020.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Pamela J. Shepherd-Vladimir,
Acting Chief, Regulatory Analysis and Rulemaking Support Branch,
Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2020-28814 Filed 12-28-20; 8:45 am]
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