[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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