[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 33 (Monday, February 22, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10601-10602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03466]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2020-0171]


Setpoints for Safety-Related Instrumentation

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing 
Revision 4 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.105, ``Setpoints for Safety-
Related Instrumentation.'' This RG describes an approach that is 
acceptable to the staff of the NRC to meet regulatory requirements 
ensuring that setpoints for safety-related instrumentation are 
established and maintained within the technical specification limits. 
RG 1.105 has been revised to incorporate additional information 
regarding American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/International 
Society of Automation (ISA) Standard 67.04.01-2018, ``Setpoints for 
Nuclear Safety Related Instrumentation.''

DATES: Revision 4 to RG 1.105 is available on February 22, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0171 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0171. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 
telephone: 301-415-0624; email: [email protected]. For technical 
questions, contact the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
     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].
     Attention: The 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 or 
301-415-4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (EST), Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Revision 4 to RG 1.105 and the Regulatory Analysis may be found in 
ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML20330A329 and ML20055G824, respectively.
    Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not 
required to reproduce them.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dawnmathews Kalathiveettil, Office of 
Nuclear Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-5905, email: 
[email protected], and Michael Eudy, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-3104, email: 
[email protected]. Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Discussion

    The NRC is issuing a revision to an existing guide 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 
agency's regulations, techniques that the NRC staff uses in evaluating 
specific issues or postulated events, and data that the NRC staff needs 
in its review of applications for permits and licenses.
    Revision 4 to RG 1.105 endorses ANSI/ISA 67.04.01-2018 as a method 
acceptable to the NRC staff for satisfying the NRC's regulations for 
ensuring that: (a) setpoints for safety-related instrumentation are 
established to protect plant safety and analytical limits, and (b) the 
maintenance of instrument channels implementing these setpoints ensures 
they are functioning as required, consistent with the plant technical 
specifications. This RG applies to licensees and applicants subject to 
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.''

II. Additional Information

    Revision 4 of RG 1.105 was issued with a temporary identification 
of Draft Regulatory Guide, DG-1363, titled, ``Setpoints for Safety-
Related Instrumentation,'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML20055G823). The NRC 
published a notice of the availability of DG-1363 in the Federal 
Register on August 14, 2020 (85 FR 49685) for a 30-day public comment 
period. The public comment period closed on September 14, 2020, and the 
NRC received 24 comment documents. Public comments on DG-1363 and the 
staff responses to the public comments are available in ADAMS under 
Accession No. ML20330A328.

III. Congressional Review Act

    This RG is a rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act (5 
U.S.C. 801-808). However, the Office of Management and Budget has not 
found

[[Page 10602]]

it to be a major rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act.

IV. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality

    Revision 4 of RG 1.105 endorses ANSI/ISA 67.04.01-2018 and does not 
constitute backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109, ``Backfitting,'' 
and as described in NRC Management Directive (MD) 8.4, ``Management of 
Backfitting, Forward Fitting, Issue Finality, and Information 
Requests''; constitute forward fitting as that term is defined and 
described in MD 8.4; or affect the issue finality of any approval 
issued under 10 CFR part 52. As explained in Revision 4 to RG 1.105, 
applicants and licensees are not required to comply with the positions 
set forth in the RG.

    Dated: February 16, 2021.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Meraj Rahimi,
Chief, Regulatory Guidance and Generic Issues Branch, Division of 
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2021-03466 Filed 2-19-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P