Withdrawn

NRC Regulatory Issue Summary 2009-11, “Preparation 

and Scheduling of Operator Licensing Examinations,” 

dated July 16, 2009, has been withdrawn.

 

ADAMS Accession Number: ML091470309

See Federal Register notice 81 FR 31969, dated 

May 20, 2016
ML091470309 

 UNITED STATES 

 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION 

 WASHINGTON, DC 20555-0001 

 July 16, 2009 

NRC REGULATORY ISSUE SUMMARY 2009-11

PREPARATION AND SCHEDULING OF 

 OPERATOR LICENSING EXAMINATIONS

ADDRESSEES

All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors under the provisions of Title 10 of 

the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, “Domestic Licensing of Production and 

Utilization Facilities,” except those who have permanently ceased operations and have certified 

that fuel has been permanently removed from the reactor vessel. 

All holders of, and applicants for, nuclear power plant construction permits, early site permits, 

and limited work authorizations for a power reactor under the provisions of 10 CFR Part 50. 

All holders of, and applicants for, a combined license, manufacturing license, standard design 

certification, or standard design approval for a power reactor under the provisions of 

10 CFR Part 52, “Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.” 

INTENT

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this regulatory issue summary (RIS) 

to inform addressees of the NRC staff’s need for updated information on the projected 

schedules for site-specific operator licensing examinations and on the estimated numbers of 

applicants planning to take operator licensing examinations and the NRC’s generic 

fundamentals examinations (GFEs). This information will help the NRC to use its resources 

more effectively. This RIS requires no action or written response on the part of addressees. 

Addressee actions to collect and transmit the information requested are strictly voluntary. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Under 10 CFR 55.40, “Implementation,” of Subpart E, “Written Examinations and Operating 

Tests,” the NRC permits nuclear power facility licensees to prepare, proctor, and grade the 

written examinations required by 10 CFR 55.41, “Written Examination: Operators,” and to 

prepare the NRC-administered operating tests required by 10 CFR 55.45, “Operating Tests.” 

Under 10 CFR 55.43, “Written Examination: Senior Operators,” the NRC requires that certain 

conditions be satisfied. Under 10 CFR 55.40(c), facility licensees that choose not to prepare 

their own examinations and operating tests must request in writing that the NRC prepare the 

examinations and the operating tests. 

In RIS 2008-16, “Preparation and Scheduling of Operator Licensing Examinations,” dated 

June 27, 2008, the NRC asked power reactor licensees to submit proposed schedules of 
RIS 2009-11 

Page 2 of 4 

examinations that they intended to prepare and to estimate the number of applicants to be 

tested in site examinations and GFEs in calendar years (CYs) 2009–2012. 

The objective of this RIS is to update examination schedules and applicant estimates for 

CYs 2010–2012 and to add an estimate for CY 2013. 

SUMMARY OF ISSUE

The NRC uses nearly twice as many resources to prepare an examination as it does to review, 

approve, administer, and document a licensee-prepared examination. The number of 

examinations administered by licensees fluctuates from year to year. Consequently, the NRC 

has found it helpful to request an annual update from power reactor facility licensees of their 

needs for initial operator licensing examinations. Moreover, with the anticipated number of new 

operator positions that will need to be filled for new plants, and the subsequent need to backfill 

the current positions, the differences in upcoming years could be significant. Therefore, the 

NRC requests that facilities evaluate their response to this RIS in this light, particularly in the 

latter years. The update should include an estimate of the number of applicants to be examined 

and whether the licensee or the NRC will prepare the exam. Those utilities not planning to 

construct a new plant should consider in their response the impact of licensed operators moving 

between utilities to fill the many anticipated openings in the future. This information will help the 

NRC budget its resources. The NRC regional offices will continue to coordinate specific 

examination dates with the training managers of the affected facilities. 

The NRC is requesting that each licensee provide the information listed below on the enclosed 

NRC Form 536, “Operator Licensing Examination Data.” 

A. Proposed Examination Preparation Schedule 

Estimate the number of examinations you intend to prepare and the number of examinations you 

will ask the NRC to prepare during CYs 2010–2013. For the examinations that facility licensees 

will prepare, the NRC will assume that each examination includes the required outline, the 

written examination, and the operating test unless otherwise specified. Joint NRC/licensee 

examination development is permitted and should be coordinated with the NRC regional office. 

B. Initial Operator License Examinations 

For each desired examination, estimate the number of applicants to be tested and enter the 

proposed primary and alternate dates of the examination. If you are requesting more than one 

examination per CY, split the applicable column or use additional forms as necessary to cover all 

the examinations through CY 2013. 

C. Proposed Generic Fundamentals Examination Schedule 

Estimate by month the number of applicants who plan to take the GFE in CY 2010 and CY 2011. 

As requested by the industry, the NRC now administers the GFE four times per year. 
RIS 2009-11 

Page 3 of 4 

VOLUNTARY RESPONSE

The NRC asks addressees choosing to submit the information requested in NRC Form 536 to 

do so within 30 days of receiving this RIS. NRC Form 536 is available on the NRC Web site at 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/forms/. Direct your response to the U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, ATTN: Document Control Desk, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and 

send a copy of the response to the applicable regional office. You may submit responses 

electronically. 

BACKFIT DISCUSSION

This RIS requires no action or written response. Any action on the part of addressees to collect 

and transmit operator licensing examination data in accordance with the request contained in 

this RIS is strictly voluntary and, therefore, is not a backfit under 10 CFR 50.109, “Backfitting.” 

Consequently, the staff did not perform a backfit analysis. 

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTIFICATION

The NRC did not publish a notice of opportunity for public comment on this RIS in the Federal 

Register because it pertains to an administrative aspect of the regulatory process that involves 

the voluntary submission of information on the part of addressees. 

CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT 

The NRC has determined that this RIS is not a rule as designated by the Congressional Review 

Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 801–808) and, therefore, is not subject to the Act. 

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

This RIS does not contain any new or amended information collection requirements subject to 

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. § 3501 et seq.). Existing requirements under 

10 CFR Part 50 were approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), approval 

number 3150-0131, which expires on October 31, 2011. 

The burden to the public for these voluntary information collections is estimated to average 

1 hour per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, 

gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information 

collection. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of these 

information collections, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Records and 

FOIA/Privacy Services Branch (T-5F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 

 20555-0001, or through electronic mail to INFOCOLLECTS.Resource@NRC.GOV; and to the 

Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-10202 (3150-0131), Office of 

Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503. 

 PUBLIC PROTECTION NOTIFICATION 

The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an 

information collection unless the requesting document displays a currently valid OMB 

control number. 
RIS 2009-11 

Page 4 of 4 

CONTACT

Please direct any questions about this matter to the technical contacts listed below. 

/RA/ /RA/

Glenn M. Tracy, Director Timothy J. McGinty, Director 

Division of Construction Inspection Division of Policy and Rulemaking 

And Operational Programs Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 

Office of New Reactors 

Technical Contacts: 

John Munro, NRR Michael Junge, NRO 

301-415-2942 301-415-7745 

email: john.munro@nrc.gov email: michael.junge@nrc.gov 

Samuel Hansell, RI Malcolm Widmann, RII 

610-337-5046 404-562-4607 

email: Samuel.hansell@nrc.gov email: malcolm.widmann@nrc.gov 

Hironori Peterson, RIII Ryan Lantz, RIV 

630-829-9707 817-860-8159 

email: hironori.peterson@nrc.gov email: ryan.lantz@nrc.gov 

Enclosure: 

NRC Form 536, “Operator Licensing Examination Data” 
RIS 2009-11 

Page 4 of 4 

CONTACT

Please direct any questions about this matter to the technical contacts listed below. 

/RA/ /RA/ 

Glenn M. Tracy, Director Timothy J. McGinty, Director 

Division of Construction Inspection Division of Policy and Rulemaking 

And Operational Programs Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 

Office of New Reactors 

Technical Contacts: 

John Munro, NRR Michael Junge, NRO 

301-415-2942 301-415-7745 

email: john.munro@nrc.gov email: michael.junge@nrc.gov 

Samuel Hansell, RI Malcolm Widmann, RII 

610-337-5046 404-562-4607 

email: samuel.hansell@nrc.gov email: malcolm.widmann@nrc.gov 

Hironori Peterson, RIII Ryan Lantz, RIV 

630-829-9707 817-860-8159 

email: hironori.peterson@nrc.gov email: ryan.lantz@nrc.gov 

Enclosure: NRC Form 536, AOperator Licensing Examination Data@

ADAMS ACCESSION NO. ML091470309 TAC No. ME1357

OFFICE OLA/IOLB:DIRS TECH EDITOR OGC (CRA)(NLO) BC/IOLB:DIRS D/DIRS C/COLP:DCIP:NRO 

NAME CRevelle QTE SCroston(CRA) NSalgado MCheok for 

FBrown 

MJunge 

DATE 05/27/2009 06/01/2009 06/03/2009(CRA) 06/18/2009 06/19/2009 06/18/2009 

OFFICE D/DCIP:NRO D/DORL PMDA/NRR OIS OGC (NLO)

NAME GTracy JGiitter LHill TDonnell SUttal 

DATE 07/15//2009 06/29/2009 06/25/2009 06/23/2009 06/112009 

OFFICE LA/PGCB:DPR PM/PGCB BC/PGCB:DPR D:DPR

NAME CHawes SStuchell MMurphy TMcGinty 

DATE 07/06/2009 07/07/2009 07/08/2009 07/16/2009

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
 Enclosure 

RIS 2009-11 

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