[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 188 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59110-59111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21165]


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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: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Federal Assistance for Offsite Radiological 
Emergency Preparedness and Planning

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

ACTION: 30-Day notice of revision and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will submit the 
information collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and 
Budget for review and clearance in accordance with the requirements of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). In accordance with the PRA, 
this notice seeks comments concerning all information collections 
related to FEMA's Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program 
requirements.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 31, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection should be made to Director, 
Information Management Division, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472, 
email address [email protected] or 
Renae Connell, Emergency Management Specialist, FEMA/NPD/THD, at (202) 
212-7913 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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, 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, Public Law 96-295 Sec.  109 
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 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-0654/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, 
(See 84 FR 70399, December 23, 2019), and the REP Program Manual (RPM). 
The RPM consolidates many of the REP Program's

[[Page 59111]]

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 FEMA P-1028, December 
2019.
    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, 
the collection instrument in 44 CFR 350.9(c) was added to collect 
information and relieve requests from the exercise schedule outlined in 
44 CFR 350.9. Additionally, to further reduce burden cost, the 
collection in 44 CFR 352.4 has been removed as it currently does not 
require approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act, with FEMA only 
receiving one or no responses in a given year.
    This proposed information collection previously published in the 
Federal Register on June 7, 2022, at 87 FR 34699 with a 60 day public 
comment period. No comments were received. The purpose of this notice 
is to notify the public that FEMA will submit the information 
collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget for 
review and clearance.

Collection of Information

    Title: Federal Assistance for Offsite Radiological Emergency 
Preparedness and Planning.
    Type of Information Collection: Revision 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, with 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. 2022-21165 Filed 9-28-22; 8:45 am]
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