[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 42 (Thursday, March 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12208-12209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04464]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2021-0143]


Cyber Security Programs for Nuclear Power Reactors

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for 
public comment a draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-5061, Revision 1, 
``Cyber Security Programs for Nuclear Power Reactors.'' DG 5061, 
Revision 1, incorporates reference to industry whitepapers on 
identifying safety, important to safety, balance of plant, and 
emergency preparedness Critical Digital Assets. It also clarifies 
guidance on defense-in-depth for cyber security and includes updated 
text based on the latest National Institute of Standards and Technology 
(NIST) and International Atomic Energy Agency cyber security guidance. 
Specifically, this proposed revision clarifies issues identified from 
cyber security inspections, insights gained through the Security 
Frequently Asked Questions (SFAQ) process, documented cyber security 
attacks, new technologies, and new regulations. This proposed revision 
also considers the changes in the most recent revision to the NIST 
Special Publications (SP) 800-53, upon which Revision 0 of Regulatory 
Guide (RG) 5.71, ``Cyber Security Programs for Nuclear Facilities'' was 
based.

DATES: Submit comments by May 2, 2022. Comments received after this 
date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC is 
able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before 
this date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods; 
however, the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal Rulemaking Website:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0143. 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.
     Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: 
TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
    For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Lawson-Jenkins, Office of Nuclear 
Security and Incident Response, telephone: 301-287-3656, email: 
[email protected] and Mekonen Bayssie, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-1699, email: 
[email protected]. Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0143 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-2021-0143.
     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.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents, by appointment, at the NRC's PDR, Room P1 B35, One White 
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. To make 
an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to 
[email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 
8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.

B. Submitting Comments

    The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal Rulemaking Website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please 
include Docket ID NRC-2021-0143 in your comment submission.
    The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact 
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at 
https://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions 
into ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC

[[Page 12209]]

does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove such information 
before making the comment submissions available to the public or 
entering the comment into ADAMS.

II. Additional Information

    The NRC is issuing for public comment a DG 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, to explain techniques that the staff uses in 
evaluating specific issues or postulated events, and to describe 
information that the staff needs in its review of applications for 
permits and licenses.
    The DG, entitled ``Cyber Security Programs for Nuclear Power 
Reactors,'' is temporarily identified by its task number, DG-5061, 
Revision 1 (ADAMS Accession No. ML21095A329) is a proposed revision to 
RG 5.71, ``Cyber Security Programs for Nuclear Facilities.'' It 
provides NRC licensees with guidance on meeting the cyber security 
requirements described in section 73.54 of title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Protection of digital computer and 
communication systems and networks.''
    The staff is also issuing for public comment a draft regulatory 
analysis (ADAMS Accession No. ML21130A636). The staff developed the 
regulatory analysis to assess the value of revising RG 5.71 as well as 
alternative courses of action.
    DG-5061, Revision 1, clarifies issues identified from cyber 
security inspections, insights gained through the SFAQ process, lessons 
learned from international and domestic cyber security attacks, new 
technologies, and new regulations. In addition, it considers changes in 
NIST SP 800-53, upon which Revision 0 of RG 5.71 was based. In 2010, 
the Commission issued Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM), SRM-COMWCO-
10-0001 (ADAMS Accession No. ML102940009) which clarified the scope of 
the cyber security rule regarding balance of plant (BOP) systems. This 
proposed revision to RG 5.71 includes guidance for structures, systems, 
and components in the BOP systems.

III. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality

    DG-5061, Revision 1, if finalized, would revise RG 5.71, which 
describes methods acceptable for use by nuclear power plant licensees 
in meeting the requirements for the cyber security requirements in 10 
CFR 73.54. Issuance of DG-5061 Revision 1, if finalized, would 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, ``Licenses, certifications, and approvals 
for nuclear power plants.'' As explained in DG-5061 Revision 1, 
applicants and licensees would not be required to comply with the 
positions set forth in DG-5061.

IV. Submitting Suggestions for Improvement of Regulatory Guides

    A member of the public may, at any time, submit suggestions to the 
NRC for improvement of existing RGs or for the development of new RGs. 
Suggestions can be submitted on the NRC's public website at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/contactus.html. 
Suggestions will be considered in future updates and enhancements to 
the ``Regulatory Guide'' series.

    Dated: February 28, 2022.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Meraj Rahimi,
Chief, Regulatory Guide and Programs Management Branch, Division of 
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2022-04464 Filed 3-2-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P