[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 3, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27712-27713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09218]


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 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 2023 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 27712]]



NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 50

[NRC-2018-0291]
RIN 3150-AK23


American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code Cases and Update 
Frequency; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On March 6, 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
solicited comments on proposed amendments to its regulations to 
incorporate by reference proposed revisions to three regulatory guides, 
which would approve new, revised, and reaffirmed code cases published 
by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In addition, the 
rulemaking proposed to extend the time periods required for licensees 
to update their codes of record. The public comment period was 
originally scheduled to close on May 5, 2023. The NRC has decided to 
extend the public comment period by an additional 42 days to June 16, 
2023, to allow more time for members of the public to develop and 
submit their comments.

DATES: The due date of comments requested in the document published on 
March 6, 2023 (88 FR 13717) is extended. Comments should be filed no 
later than June 16, 2023. Comments received after this date will be 
considered, if it is practical to do so, but the Commission 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 
(unless the document published on March 6, 2023, describes a different 
method for submitting comments on a specific subject); 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-2018-0291. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Dawn Forder; telephone: 301-415-3407; 
email: [email protected]. For technical questions contact the 
individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     Email comments to: [email protected]. If you do 
not receive an automatic email reply confirming receipt, then contact 
us at 301-415-1677.
     Fax comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission at 301-415-1101.
     Mail comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and 
Adjudications Staff.
     Hand deliver comments to: 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. eastern time, Federal 
workdays; telephone: 301-415-1677.
    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: Soly I. Soto Lugo, Office of Nuclear 
Material and Safeguards, telephone: 301-415-7528, email: 
[email protected] and Bruce Lin, Office of Nuclear Regulatory 
Research, telephone: 301-415-2446, 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-2018-0291 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-2018-0291.
     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 
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (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-2018-0291 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 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. Discussion

    On March 6, 2023, the NRC solicited comments on proposed amendments 
to

[[Page 27713]]

its regulations to incorporate by reference proposed revisions to three 
regulatory guides, which would approve new, revised, and reaffirmed 
code cases published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 
In addition, the NRC requested comments on its proposal to extend the 
time periods required for licensees to update their codes of record. 
The public comment period was originally scheduled to close on May 5, 
2023.
    On April 19, 2023, the NRC received two public comments (ADAMS 
Accession Nos. ML23109A141 and ML23109A142) requesting that the comment 
period for the proposed rule be extended by an additional 1 to 2 
months. The requesters expressed that American Society of Mechanical 
Engineers (ASME) Code Committee meetings are scheduled for May 2023, 
and that these ASME meetings would be beneficial to allow discussions 
of the proposed rule before submission of any further public comments.
    The NRC seeks to ensure that the public has a reasonable 
opportunity to provide the NRC with comments on this proposed action. 
The NRC acknowledges that discussions at the ASME Code Committee 
meetings may assist in the development of comments. The NRC has decided 
to extend the public comment period on this document until June 16, 
2023, to allow more time for members of the public to submit their 
comments.
    The NRC may post materials related to this document, including 
public comments, on the Federal rulemaking website at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2018-0291. In addition, the 
Federal rulemaking website allows members of the public to receive 
alerts when changes or additions occur in a docket folder. To 
subscribe: (1) navigate to the docket folder (NRC-2018-0291); (2) click 
the ``Subscribe'' link; and (3) enter an email address and click on the 
``Subscribe'' link.

    Dated: April 26, 2023.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Andrea D. Veil,
Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2023-09218 Filed 5-2-23; 8:45 am]
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