[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 81 (Thursday, April 25, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 31601-31602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08866]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Parts 50 and 52

[NRC-2024-0019]


Regulatory Guide: Installation Design and Installation of Vented 
Lead-Acid Storage Batteries for Production and Utilization Facilities

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Final guide; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing 
Revision 3 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.128, ``Installation Design and 
Installation of Vented Lead-Acid Storage Batteries for Production and 
Utilization Facilities.'' This RG describes an approach that is 
acceptable to the NRC staff to meet regulatory requirements for the 
installation design and installation of vented lead-acid storage 
batteries in production and utilization facilities.

DATES: Revision 3 to RG 1.128 is available April 25, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0019 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2024-0019. 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.
     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, at 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: 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 (ET), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.
    Revision 3 to RG 1.128 and the regulatory analysis may be found in 
ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML24052A077 and ML23277A279, respectively.
    Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not 
required to reproduce them.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Eudy, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-3104, email: 
[email protected] and Sheila Ray, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation, telephone: 301-415-3653, email: [email protected]. Both 
are staff of the NRC, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Discussion

    The NRC is issuing a revision in the NRC's ``Regulatory Guide'' 
series. This series was developed to describe 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 proposed Revision 3 to RG 1.128 was issued with a temporary

[[Page 31602]]

identification of Draft Regulatory Guide, (DG)-1421 (ADAMS Accession 
No. ML23277A276.) This revision of this guide (Revision 3) describes an 
approach that is acceptable to the NRC staff to meet the regulatory 
requirements for installation, inspection, and testing for Class 1E 
power, instrumentation, and control equipment at production and 
utilization facilities. RG 1.128, Revision 3 endorses, with 
clarifications, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 
(IEEE) Standard 484-2019, ``IEEE Recommended Practice for Installation 
Design and Installation of Vented Lead-Acid Batteries for Stationary 
Applications.''

II. Additional Information

    The NRC published a notice of the availability of DG-1421 in the 
Federal Register on January 8, 2024 (89 FR 895) for a 30-day public 
comment period. The public comment period closed on February 7, 2024. 
Public comments on DG-1421 and the staff responses to the public 
comments are available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML24052A078.
    As noted in the Federal Register on December 9, 2022 (87 FR 75671), 
this document is being published in the ``Rules'' section of the 
Federal Register to comply with publication requirements under chapter 
1 of title 1 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

III. Congressional Review Act

    This RG is a rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act (5 
U.S.C. 801-808). However, the Office of Management and Budget has not 
found it to be a major rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act.

IV. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality

    Issuance of RG 1.128, Revision 3, does not constitute backfitting 
as that term is 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;'' does not affect the issue finality of an approval issued 
under 10 CFR part 52, ``Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for 
Nuclear Power Plants;'' and does not constitute forward fitting as that 
term is defined and described in MD 8.4 because, as explained in RG 
1.128, Revision 3, licensees would not be required to comply with the 
positions set forth in the RG.

V. 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: April 19, 2024.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Meraj Rahimi,
Chief, Regulatory Guide and Programs Management Branch, Division of 
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2024-08866 Filed 4-24-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P