[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 102 (Friday, May 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28916-28917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11298]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2020-0230]


Fire Protection for Nuclear Power Plants

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing 
Revision 4 to Regulatory Guide (RG), 1.189, ``Fire Protection for 
Nuclear Power Plants.'' This RG describes an approach that is 
acceptable to the NRC staff to meet the regulatory requirements in the 
NRC's regulations governing a civilian nuclear power generating plant's 
fire protection program.

DATES: Revision 4 to RG 1.189 is available on May 28, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0230 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-2020-0230. 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.

[[Page 28917]]

     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 each 
document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first 
time that it is mentioned in this document.
     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 1.189 and the regulatory analysis may be found in 
ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML21048A441 and ML20231A874, respectively.
    Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not 
required to reproduce them.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Eudy, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-1304, email: 
[email protected] and Charles Moulton, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation, telephone: 301-415-2751, 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 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 1.189 was issued with a temporary identification 
of Draft Regulatory Guide, DG-1359. This revision of the guide 
(Revision 4) addresses new issues identified since the guide was 
previously revised and released in 2018. This includes incorporation of 
the latest guidance on fire-induced circuit failures, multiple high 
impedance failures, open secondary circuits on current transformers, 
and shorting switches. Updates also include partial endorsements of 
Nuclear Energy Institute 00-01, ``Guidance for Post Fire Safe Shutdown 
Circuit Analysis,'' Revision 4, issued September 2016, and guidance 
based on NUREG/CR-7150, ``Joint Assessment of Cable Damage and 
Quantification of Effects from Fire (JACQUE-FIRE),'' Volumes 1, 2, and 
3 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML12313A105, ML14141A129, and ML17331B098.)

II. Additional Information

    The NRC published a notice of the availability of DG-1359 in the 
Federal Register on November 16, 2020 (85 FR 73089) for a 45-day public 
comment period. The public comment period closed on December 31, 2020. 
Public comments on DG-1359 and the staff responses to the public 
comments are available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML21048A440.

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

IV. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality

    The issuance of RG 1.189, Revision 4, would provide the most recent 
guidance acceptable to the NRC staff for compliance with paragraph 
50.48(a) and (b) of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 
CFR) and 10 CFR part 50, appendix R, ``Fire Protection Program for 
Nuclear Power Facilities Operating Prior to January 1, 1979.'' Issuance 
of RG 1.189, Revision 4, would not constitute backfitting, as that term 
is 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 RG 1.189, Revision 4, applicants and licensees would not 
be required to comply with the positions set forth in RG 1.189, 
Revision 4.

    Dated: May 24, 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. 2021-11298 Filed 5-27-21; 8:45 am]
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