10 CFR 50.40 - Common standards.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is publishing the final regulatory basis for rulemaking to streamline non-power reactor license renewal. This final regulatory basis incorporates input from the public, licensees, certificate holders, and other stakeholders provided during the public comment period that ended July 31, 2012. This regulatory basis provides the technical basis to support proceeding with rulemaking to streamline and enhance the Research and Test Reactor (RTR) License Renewal Process. This contemplated rulemaking also recommends conforming changes to address technical issues in existing non-power reactor regulations. The NRC has developed a final technical basis for this proposed rulemaking that describes the agency's overall objectives, conceptual approaches, potential solutions, integration with agency strategic goals, and related technical and regulatory clarity issues.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is correcting the preamble, or statements of consideration (SOC), and the codified text in a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on June 21, 2011 (76 FR 36232). The final rule amended the NRC's regulations to incorporate by reference various editions and addenda to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel (B&PV) Code, and the ASME Code for Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants (OM Code). The final rule also incorporated by reference (with conditions on their use) ASME B&PV Code Cases N-722-1 and N-770-1. This document is necessary to correct typographical, formatting, and punctuation errors.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is issuing a draft regulatory basis document to support the potential amendment of its regulations concerning nuclear power plant licensees' onsite emergency response capabilities. The NRC is seeking public comments on this document. The issuance of this draft regulatory basis document is one of the actions stemming from the NRC's lessons-learned efforts associated with the March 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in Japan.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a new regulatory guide (RG) 4.22, “Decommissioning Planning During Operations.” The guide describes a method that the NRC staff considers acceptable for use by holders of licenses in complying with the NRC's Decommissioning Planning Rule (DPR) (76 FR 35512; June 17, 2011). The DPR went into effect on December 17, 2012, and is intended to minimize the likelihood of new “legacy sites,” which are NRC-licensed facilities with insufficient resources to complete decommissioning activities and termination of a license at the end of operations.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will consider in the NRC rulemaking process the issues raised in a petition for rulemaking (PRM) submitted by Thomas Popik (the petitioner) on behalf of the Foundation for Resilient Societies. The petition was dated March 14, 2011, and was docketed as PRM-50-96. The petitioner requests that the NRC amend its regulations to require facilities licensed by the NRC to assure long-term cooling and unattended water makeup of spent fuel pools (SFP).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is publishing the final regulatory basis for rulemaking to streamline non-power reactor license renewal. This final regulatory basis incorporates input from the public, licensees, certificate holders, and other stakeholders provided during the public comment period that ended July 31, 2012. This regulatory basis provides the technical basis to support proceeding with rulemaking to streamline and enhance the Research and Test Reactor (RTR) License Renewal Process. This contemplated rulemaking also recommends conforming changes to address technical issues in existing non-power reactor regulations. The NRC has developed a final technical basis for this proposed rulemaking that describes the agency's overall objectives, conceptual approaches, potential solutions, integration with agency strategic goals, and related technical and regulatory clarity issues.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) received a petition for rulemaking (PRM), dated June 18, 2012, which was filed with the NRC by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC) and Mr. Paul M. Blanch (collectively, the petitioners). The petition was docketed by the NRC on June 22, 2012, and assigned Docket No. PRM-50-106. The petitioners request that the NRC initiate a rulemaking “to revise its regulations to clearly and unequivocally require the environmental qualification of all safety-related cables, wires, splices, connections and other ancillary electrical equipment that may be subjected to submergence and/or moisture intrusion during normal operating conditions, severe weather, seasonal flooding, seismic events, and post-accident conditions, both inside and outside of containment.” The NRC is not instituting a public comment period for this PRM at this time.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is seeking public comment on a draft regulatory issue summary (RIS) that provides information on requests for alternatives to and relief from the regulatory requirements pertaining to Codes and Standards. The draft RIS also provides clarification when relief is requested by licensees and applicants where American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code requirements are determined impractical, and when proposed alternatives to the regulations are submitted to the NRC.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is seeking input from the public, licensees, Agreement States, non-Agreement States, and other stakeholders on revised draft regulatory guide (DG) 4014, “Decommissioning Planning During Operations.” This guide describes a method that the NRC staff considers acceptable for use in complying with the NRC's Decommissioning Planning Rule. The NRC will hold a public meeting and concurrent Webinar to facilitate the public's and other stakeholders' comments.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is making available a preliminary draft regulatory basis for a proposed rulemaking that would amend the NRC's regulations concerning the license renewal requirements for non-power reactors. This contemplated rulemaking would also make conforming changes to address technical issues in existing non-power reactor regulations. The NRC is seeking input from the public, licensees, certificate holders, and other stakeholders on the preliminary draft regulatory basis.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is publishing for public comment a notice of receipt for a petition for rulemaking (PRM), dated February 28, 2012, which was filed with the NRC by Mr. Mark Edward Leyse (the petitioner). The petition was docketed by the NRC on March 2, 2012, and assigned Docket No. PRM-50-105. The petitioner requests that the NRC amend its regulations to “require all holders of operating licenses for nuclear power plants (“NPP”) to operate NPPs with in-core thermocouples at different elevations and radial positions throughout the reactor core.”

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is publishing for public comment a notice of receipt for a petition for rulemaking (PRM), dated February 15, 2012, which was filed with the NRC by Mr. Michael Mariotte on behalf of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS or the petitioner) and 37 co-petitioners. The petition was docketed by the NRC on February 17, 2012, and assigned Docket No. PRM-50-104. The petitioner requests that the NRC amend its regulations to expand the Emergency Planning Zones (EPZs) for nuclear power plants.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) will consider the issues raised in the petition for rulemaking (PRM), PRM-50-102, submitted by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC or the petitioner), in the rulemaking process. The petitioner requested that the NRC amend its regulations to require more realistic, hands-on training and exercises on Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMGs) and Extensive Damage Mitigation Guidelines (EDMGs). The NRC determined that the issues raised in the PRM are appropriate for consideration and will consider them in the ongoing Fukushima Near Term Task Force (NTTF) Recommendation 8 rulemaking.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is issuing this Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to begin the process of potentially amending its regulations to strengthen and integrate onsite emergency response capabilities. The NRC seeks public comment on specific questions and issues with respect to possible revision to the NRC's requirements for onsite emergency response capabilities, and development of both new requirements and the supporting regulatory basis. This regulatory action is one of the actions stemming from the NRC's lessons-learned efforts associated with the March 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in Japan.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) will consider the issues raised in the petition for rulemaking (PRM), PRM-50-101, submitted by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC or the petitioner), in the rulemaking process. The petitioner requests that the NRC amend its regulations to require each operating and new reactor licensee to establish station blackout (SBO) mitigation strategies and resources. The NRC determined that the issues raised in the PRM are appropriate for consideration and will consider them in the planned “Station Blackout” rulemaking.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is issuing this Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to begin the process of considering amendments of its regulations that address a condition known as station blackout (SBO). SBO involves the loss of all onsite and offsite alternating current (ac) power at a nuclear power plant. The NRC seeks public comment on specific questions and issues with respect to possible revisions to the NRC's requirements for addressing SBO conditions to develop new SBO requirements and a supporting regulatory basis. This regulatory action is one of the near-term actions based on lessons-learned stemming from the March 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi accident in Japan.

On December 13, 2011 (76 FR 77431), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) re-issued Draft Regulatory Guide, DG-4014, “Decommissioning Planning During Operations” in the Federal Register with a public comment period ending on February 10, 2012. The NRC is re-opening the public comment period for DG-4014 from February 10, 2012 to March 30, 2012. DG-4014 describes a method that the NRC staff considers acceptable for use in complying with the NRC's Decommissioning Planning Rule.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is correcting the preamble, or statements of consideration (SOC), and the codified text in a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on June 21, 2011 (76 FR 36232). The final rule amended the NRC's regulations to incorporate by reference various editions and addenda to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel (B&PV) Code, and the ASME Code for Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants (OM Code). The final rule also incorporated by reference (with conditions on their use) ASME B&PV Code Cases N-722-1 and N-770-1. This document is necessary to correct typographical, formatting, and punctuation errors.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) has received a petition for rulemaking (PRM), dated October 14, 2011, from the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC or the petitioner). The petitioner requests that the NRC amend its regulations regarding the measurement and control of combustible gas generation and dispersal within a power reactor system. The NRC is not instituting a public comment period for this PRM at this time.