[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 213 (Monday, November 6, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 76143-76144]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24396]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Parts 50, 51, and 71

[NRC-2020-0034]
RIN 3150-AK79


Increased Enrichment of Conventional and Accident Tolerant Fuel 
Designs for Light-Water Reactors; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory basis; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On September 8, 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
(NRC) requested comments on the regulatory basis to support a 
rulemaking to amend the NRC's regulations related to the use of 
conventional and accident tolerant light-water reactor fuel designs. 
The public comment period was originally scheduled to close on November 
22, 2023. The NRC has decided to extend the public comment period 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 
September 8, 2023 (88 FR 61986) is extended. Comments should be filed 
no later than January 22, 2024. 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-2020-0034. 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: Philip Benavides, Office of Nuclear 
Materials Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301-415-3246, email:

[[Page 76144]]

[email protected] and Carla Roque-Cruz, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-1455, 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-2020-0034 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-2020-0034.
     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 regulatory basis, ``Increased 
Enrichment of Conventional and Accident Tolerant Fuel Designs for 
Light-Water Reactors, is available in ADAMS under Accession No. 
ML23032A504.
     NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. 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, 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-2020-0034 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 September 8, 2023, the NRC requested comments on a regulatory 
basis titled ``Increased Enrichment of Conventional and Accident 
Tolerant Fuel Designs for Light-Water Reactors'' to support a 
rulemaking that would amend the NRC's regulations to facilitate the use 
of light-water reactor fuel containing uranium enriched to greater than 
5.0 weight percent uranium-235 (U-235) in part 50 of title 10 of the 
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Domestic Licensing of 
Production and Utilization Facilities,'' 10 CFR part 51, 
``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and 
Related Regulatory Functions,'' and 10 CFR part 71, ``Packaging and 
Transportation of Radioactive Material.'' This rulemaking would allow 
the NRC to prepare for the effective and efficient licensing of 
applications using fuels enriched to greater than 5.0 and less than 
20.0 weight percent U-235 without compromising reasonable assurance of 
adequate protection of public health and safety, reduce the need for 
exemptions from existing regulations and license amendment requests, 
provide licensees operational flexibility and certainty in licensing of 
accident tolerant fuel, and support the principles of good regulation. 
The rule changes would apply to any light-water power reactor 
application submitted to the NRC under 10 CFR part 50 and part 52, 
``Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.''
    The public comment period was originally scheduled to close on 
November 22, 2023. The NRC has decided to extend the public comment 
period on this document until January 22, 2024, 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-2020-0034. 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-2020-0034); (2) click 
the ``Subscribe'' link; and (3) enter an email address and click on the 
``Subscribe'' link.

    Dated: October 31, 2023.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Catherine E. Kanatas,
Acting Deputy Director, Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and 
Financial Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2023-24396 Filed 11-3-23; 8:45 am]
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