NRC SEEKS COMMENT ON DRAFT RULE 

FOR NEW REACTOR AIRCRAFT IMPACT ASSESSMENTS 

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on a proposed rule to 

enhance the safety and security of future nuclear power plants. The proposal would require 

applicants for new reactors to assess the level of built-in protection a particular design has to avoid 

or mitigate the effects of a large commercial aircraft impact, reducing the need for human 

intervention to protect public health and safety. 

The proposed rule would apply to the following types of applications: 

• A new reactor design certification application not referencing an approved standard 

design; 

• A new reactor design approval application; 

• A new combined license application not referencing a design certification, standard 

design approval or manufactured reactor; or, 

• A new manufacturing license application not referencing a design certification or 

standard design approval. 

Nuclear power plants are designed under very stringent requirements to assure they can 

safely shut down following “design-basis events” such as large fires, floods, earthquakes and 

hurricanes, as well as improbable equipment malfunctions including pipe breaks. These 

requirements include having two redundant systems to accomplish each safety function. The 

proposed rule establishes large commercial aircraft crashes as Abeyond-design-basis events.@ Under 

the proposed rule, any design feature, functional capability or strategy adopted solely to comply 

with the rule would meet high quality standards but would be exempt from NRC design-basis 

regulations, such as regulations for redundancy. 

The NRC has already taken several steps to improve security at existing nuclear power 

plants, including adopting a rule in January that requires both existing and potential new reactors to 

defend against a more realistic threat. While the agency does not believe nuclear power plants 

should be required to defend against large commercial aircraft, the NRC works closely with other 

federal agencies such as NORAD, the Federal Aviation Administration and the intelligence 

community to provide layered protection against such a threat. The agency expects these efforts 

would effectively preclude an aircraft attack from occurring. Should such an unlikely event take 

place at a new plant designed in accordance with the proposed rule, the NRC expects the plant 

would be better able to withstand such a crash. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 

E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 07-127 October 3, 2007
The proposed rule may be viewed and downloaded via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 

http://www.regulations.gov . For more information on the proposed rule, please contact Stewart 

Schneider at 301-415-1642 or via e-mail at sxs4@nrc.gov ; or Nanette Gilles at 301-415-1180 or 

via e-mail at nvg@nrc.gov . Comments on the proposed rule should be submitted within 75 days of 

the rule’s publication in the Federal Register, expected shortly. Comments can be mailed to 

Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001, ATTN: 

Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff. Comments can be e-mailed to SECY@nrc.gov . If you fail to 

receive a reply e-mail confirming that we have received your comments, please call (301) 415-

1966. Comments can also be submitted online at the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 

http://www.regulations.gov . Comments can be hand-delivered to 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 

Maryland 20852, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Federal workdays, or faxed to Secretary, U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission at (301) 415-1101. Please include RIN 3150-AI19 in the subject 

line. 

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