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###### Nuclear Regulatory Commission

          - [NRC-2022-0037]

# AGENCY:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

# ACTION:

Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.

# SUMMARY:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment a draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1290, “Design Basis Floods for Nuclear Power Plants.” This DG is proposed Revision 3 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.59. DG-1290 proposes methods that the NRC staff considers acceptable for use in the determination of design-basis floods for nuclear power plants (NPPs).

# DATES:

Submit comments by April 11, 2022. 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-2022-0037. Address questions about Docket IDs in                          Regulations.gov                          to Stacy Schumann;                                ( print page 10261)                              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:

                        Joseph Kanney, telephone: 301-415-1920, email:                         *Joseph.Kanney@nrc.gov*                         and, Edward O'Donnell, telephone: 301-415-3317, email:                         *Edward.O'Donnell@nrc.gov.*                         Both are staff members of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, at 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-2022-0037 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-2022-0037.                
    -  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, 301-415-4737, or by email to                      PDR.Resource@nrc.gov.                      DG-1290, “Design-Basis Floods for Nuclear Power Plants” is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML19289E561.                
    -  NRC's PDR:                      You may examine and purchase copies of public documents, by appointment, at the NRC's PDR, Room P1 B35, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. 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 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (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-2022-0037 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 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 DG, entitled, “Design-Basis Floods for Nuclear Power Plants” is proposed Revision 3 of RG 1.59, which is temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1290. It proposes methods that the NRC staff considers acceptable for use in the determination of design-basis floods for NPPs.

The staff is also issuing for public comment a draft regulatory analysis for revision of RG 1.59 (ML12121A020). The staff developed a regulatory analysis to assess the value of issuing or revising a regulatory guide as well as alternative courses of action.

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

                    Issuance of DG-1290, if finalized, would not constitute backfitting as that term is defined in section 50.109 of title 10 of the                     *Code of Federal Regulations*                     (10 CFR), “Backfitting,” and as described in NRC Management Directive (MD) 8.4, “Management of Backfitting, Forward Fitting, Issue Finality, and Information Requests”; constitute forward fitting as that term is defined and described in MD 8.4; or affect issue finality of any approval issued under 10 CFR part 52, “Licenses, Certificates, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.” As explained in DG-1290, applicants and licensees are not required to comply with the positions set forth in DG-1290.                

## 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: February 16, 2022.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Meraj Rahimi,

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

[FR Doc. 2022-03791 Filed 2-22-22; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590-01-P