[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 103 (Tuesday, June 1, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 29297]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11434]



[[Page 29297]]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2021-0042]


Emergency Response Planning and Preparedness for Nuclear Power 
Reactors

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing 
Revision 6 to Regulatory Guide (RG), RG 1.101, ``Emergency Response 
Planning and Preparedness for Nuclear Power Reactors.'' This revision 
of RG 1.101 endorses Revision 0 of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 
white paper, ``Implementing a 24-Month Frequency for Emergency 
Preparedness Program Reviews,'' issued in November 2019, and Appendix 
A, ``Recommended Drill and Exercise Objectives,'' to NEI 06-04, 
``Conducting a Hostile Action-Based Emergency Response Drill,'' 
Revision 3, issued September 2016. In addition, this revision includes 
guidance found in previous revisions of RG 1.101, updated NRC guidance 
documents, and other documents previously endorsed by the NRC to 
consolidate the list of these guidance documents into a single revision 
of the RG.

DATES: Revision 6 to RG 1.101 is available on June 1, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0042 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may access 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-2021-0042. 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]. The ADAMS accession number for each 
document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first 
time that a document is referenced.
     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 6 to RG 1.101 and the regulatory analysis may be found in 
ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML21111A090 and ML21004A168 respectively.
    Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not 
required to reproduce them.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles Murray, Office of Nuclear 
Security and Incident Response, telephone: 301-287-9246, email: 
[email protected] and Mekonen Bayssie, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-1669, 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 6 of RG 1.101 endorses and updates guidance that is 
available to licensees and applicants on methods acceptable to the NRC 
staff for complying with the NRC's regulations for emergency response 
plans and preparedness at nuclear power reactors. This RG applies to 
light water reactors, including those of an advanced design (e.g., 
AP1000); small modular reactors and other new non-light water reactor 
technologies will have design-specific RGs to support development of 
their emergency plans. This revision endorses Revision 0 of the NEI 
white paper, ``Implementing a 24-Month Frequency for Emergency 
Preparedness Program Reviews,'' issued November 2019 and Appendix A, 
``Recommended Drill and Exercise Objectives,'' to NEI 06-04, 
``Conducting a Hostile Action-Based Emergency Response Drill,'' 
Revision 3, issued September 2016. This RG revision also includes 
guidance found in previous revisions of RG 1.101, updated NRC guidance 
documents, and other documents previously endorsed by the NRC to 
consolidate the list of these guidance documents into a single revision 
of the RG.
    Revision 6 of RG 1.101 was issued with a temporary identification 
of Draft Regulatory Guide, DG-1357 (ADAMS Accession No. ML21007A330).

II. Additional Information

    The NRC published a notice of availability of DG-1357 in the 
Federal Register on March 17, 2021, (86 FR 14651) for a 30-day public 
comment period. The public comment period ended on April 16, 2021, and 
the NRC received one public comment submission. The public comment and 
the NRC's response to the comment are available in ADAMS under 
Accession No. ML21111A091.

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

    Revision 6 of RG 1.101 describes methods acceptable to the NRC 
staff for complying with the NRC's regulations to meet the regulatory 
requirements for emergency response planning and preparedness. Issuance 
of this RG does not constitute backfitting as defined in section 50.109 
of the Code of Federal Regulation (10 CFR), ``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, ``Licenses, certifications, and approvals 
for nuclear power plants.'' As explained in RG 1.101, applicants and 
licensees are not required to comply with the positions set forth in RG 
1.101.

    Dated: May 25, 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. 2021-11434 Filed 5-28-21; 8:45 am]
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