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###### Nuclear Regulatory Commission

          - 10 CFR Parts 50 and 52
          - [NRC-2024-0161]

# AGENCY:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

# ACTION:

Draft guide; request for comment.

# SUMMARY:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment a draft Regulatory Guide (DG), DG-1427, “Qualification of Fiber-Optic Cables, Connections, and Optical Fiber Splices for Use in Safety Systems for Production and Utilization Facilities.” DG-1427 is newly proposed Revision 0 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.257 and describes an approach that is acceptable to the staff of the NRC for use in complying with NRC regulations that address the environmental qualification of fiber-optic cables, connections, and optical fiber splices in safety systems in production and utilization facilities.

# DATES:

Submit comments by November 29, 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-2024-0161. Address questions about Docket IDs in                          Regulations.gov                          to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; email:                          Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov . For technical questions, contact the individuals listed in the                          For Further Information Contact                          section of this document.                    
      -  Mail comments to:                          Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.                    

                        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:

                        Sheila Ray, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-3653; email:                         *Sheila.Ray@nrc.gov*                         and Vance Petrella, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-1048; email:                         *Vance.Petrella@nrc.gov*. 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-2024-0161 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-2024-0161.                
    -  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                      PDR.Resource@nrc.gov . DG-1427, “Qualification of Fiber-Optic Cables, Connections, and Optical Fiber Splices for Use in Safety Systems for Production and Utilization Facilities,” is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML24201A068.                
    -  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                      PDR.Resource@nrc.gov                      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.                

### B. Submitting Comments

                    The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the Federal rulemaking website (                    *https://www.regulations.gov*). Please include Docket ID NRC-2024-0161 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. Additional Information

The NRC is issuing for public comment a DG 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 NRC'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 DG, entitled “Qualification of Fiber-Optic Cables, Connections, and Optical Fiber Splices for Use in Safety Systems for Production and Utilization Facilities,” is temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1427, and describes an approach that is acceptable to the NRC staff for use in complying with NRC regulations that address the environmental qualification of fiber-optic cables, connections, and optical fiber splices in safety systems in production and utilization facilities.                          ( print page 85890)    

DG-1427 is newly proposed Revision 0 of RG 1.257 and endorses, subject to the conditions described in Section C of this DG, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard 1682-2023, which provides methods, directions, and documentation for the qualification of fiber optic cables, connections, and optical fiber splices in safety systems of production and utilization facilities.

The staff is also issuing for public comment a draft regulatory analysis (ADAMS Accession No. ML24201A069). The staff developed a regulatory analysis to assess the value of issuing or revising an RG as well as alternative courses of action.

                    As noted in the                     **Federal Register**                     on December 9, 2022 (87 FR 75671), this document is being published in the “Proposed Rules” section of the                     **Federal Register**                     to comply with publication requirements under chapter I of title 1 of the                     *Code of Federal Regulations*                     (CFR).                

## III. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality

Issuance of DG-1427, if finalized, would not constitute backfitting as 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 issue finality of any approval issued under 10 CFR part 52, “Licenses, Certificates, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants”; nor constitute forward fitting as defined in MD 8.4, because, as explained in this DG, licensees would not be required to comply with the positions set forth in this DG.

## IV. 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: October 23, 2024.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Stanley Gardocki,

Acting Chief, Regulatory Guide and Programs Management Branch, Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.

[FR Doc. 2024-25038 Filed 10-28-24; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590-01-P