[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 7, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34699-34700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12117]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID: FEMA-2022-0018; OMB No. 1660-0024]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Federal Assistance for Offsite Radiological Emergency 
Preparedness and Planning

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: 60-Day notice of revision and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites 
the general public to take this opportunity to comment on a revision of 
a currently approved information collection. In accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning 
all information collections related to FEMA Radiological Emergency 
Preparedness Program requirements.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 8, 2022.

ADDRESSES: To avoid duplicate submissions to the docket, please submit 
comments at www.regulations.gov under Docket ID FEMA-2022-0018. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    All submissions received must include the agency name and Docket 
ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, 
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, and will include any 
personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting this 
information makes it public. You may wish to read the Privacy and 
Security Notice that is available via a link on the homepage of 
www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Renae Connell, Emergency Management 
Specialist, FEMA/NPD/THD, [email protected]. You may contact 
the Information Management Division for copies of the proposed 
collection of information at email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Emergency Management Agency's 
(FEMA')s Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Program coordinates 
the National effort to provide State, Tribal and local governments with 
relevant and executable planning, training, technical assistance, and 
exercise guidance and policies necessary to ensure that adequate 
capabilities exist to prepare for, respond to, and recover from 
incidents involving commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). The REP 
Program assists State, Tribal and local governments in the development 
and conduct of off-site emergency planning and preparedness activities 
within the emergency planning zones (EPZs) of Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC)-licensed commercial nuclear power facilities.
    Sec. 109 of the NRC Authorization Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-295) 
directed the NRC to establish emergency preparedness as a criterion for 
licensing commercial NPPs. Specifically, section 109 of Public Law 96-
295 directed the NRC to establish through rulemaking, (a) standards, 
developed with FEMA, for the evaluation of State and local government 
radiological emergency planning and preparedness; and (b) a requirement 
that the NRC will issue operating licenses. Before issuing a license, 
the NRC must determine that there is (i) a State or local emergency 
response plan compliant with the standards developed with FEMA or (ii) 
in the absence of such a plan, a State, local, or utility emergency 
response plan that provides reasonable assurance that public health and 
safety is not endangered by the NPP's operation. See Public Law 96-295, 
109 (b)(1)(A)-(B)). The NRC revised its regulations in part 50 of title 
10 of the CFR to incorporate additional emergency preparedness 
requirements, including 16 planning standards for onsite and offsite 
emergency plans as required by Public Law 96-295. FEMA mirrors these 16 
planning standards in Part 350, specifically at 44 CFR 350.5.
    In the communities surrounding commercial NPP, 44 CFR 350.5(b) 
directs FEMA's REP Program to review offsite radiological emergency 
plans and preparedness. In addition, 44 CFR 350.9 describes the 
exercise process and

[[Page 34700]]

requirements that States, together with all appropriate local 
governments, must conduct a joint exercise of that State plan, 
involving full participation of appropriate local government entities, 
the State and the appropriate licensee of the NRC. Approved plans and 
preparedness ``must be determined to adequately protect the public 
health and safety by providing reasonable assurance that appropriate 
protective measures can be taken offsite in the event of a radiological 
emergency.''
    FEMA defines reasonable assurance as a determination that State, 
Tribal, local, and utility offsite plans and preparedness are adequate 
to protect public health and safety in the EPZ of commercial NPP. FEMA 
will consider plans, procedures, personnel, training, facilities, 
equipment, drills, and exercises, which in its professional judgment 
are critical for effective implementation of protective measures 
offsite in the event of any incident at a commercial NPP. FEMA will 
make its adequacy determination, supported by other Federal agencies, 
as necessary, by conducting inspections, providing Staff Assistance 
Visits (SAVs), organizing, conducting and reviewing training, 
participating in, observing and evaluating drills and exercises, and by 
being an engaged partner with Federal, State, Tribal, and local 
government officials and industry stakeholders.
    State, Tribal, or local government participation in offsite 
radiological emergency planning and preparedness is voluntary. However, 
participation in the REP planning and preparedness process necessitates 
adherence to the program requirements as set forth in 44 CFR part 350, 
the joint NRC/FEMA document NUREG-0645/FEMA-REP-1, Rev. 2, ``Criteria 
for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological Emergency Response Plans 
and Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power Plants'' (and 
supplements), and the REP Program Manual (RPM). The RPM consolidates 
many of the REP Program's operative guidance and policy documents into 
one location and provides guidance that interprets the planning 
standards and evaluation criteria contained in NUREG-0654 and 44 CFR 
part 350. See 76 FR 72431, November 23, 2011.
    As part of our collection to fulfill one of FEMA's missions, each 
instrument is required for the performance of duties related to the 
mission. Therefore, due to the maturity of the program and the 
opportunity to reduce burden cost, there is an opportunity to 
consolidate, improve, or remove collection instruments. Consequently, 
collection instrument 44 CFR 350.9 (c) was added to collect information 
and relief requests from exercise schedule outlined in 44 CFR 350.9. 
Additionally, to further reduce burden cost, 44 CFR 352.4 has been 
removed as it currently does not require approval under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) with FEMA only receiving one or no responses in a 
given year.

Collection of Information

    Title: Federal Assistance for Offsite Radiological Emergency 
Preparedness and Planning.
    Type of Information Collection: Extension, without change, of a 
currently approved information collection].
    OMB Number: 1660-0024.
    FEMA Forms: There are no forms for this collection; rather the 
regulatory text details the content in which information is transmitted 
to FEMA.
    Abstract: The intent of this request is the collection of comments 
on an extension, without change, of a currently approved information 
collection an OMB control number representing all information 
collections related to FEMA REP Program requirements described in 44 
CFR parts 350 and 352.
    Affected Public: State, local or Tribal government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 104.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 104.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,400.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost: $223,176.
    Estimated Respondents' Operation and Maintenance Costs: $0.
    Estimated Respondents' Capital and Start-Up Costs: $0.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Federal Government: $652,598.

Comments

    Comments may be submitted as indicated in the ADDRESSES caption 
above. Comments are solicited to (a) evaluate whether the proposed data 
collection is necessary for the proper performance of the agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) 
evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the burden 
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Millicent Brown Wilson,
Records Management Branch Chief, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, Mission Support, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2022-12117 Filed 6-6-22; 8:45 am]
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