[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 157 (Wednesday, August 18, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46279-46280]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17686]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2021-0153]


Site Characterization Investigations for Nuclear Power Plants

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for 
public comment a draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1392, ``Site 
Characterization Investigations for Nuclear Power Plants.'' It is 
proposed Revision 3 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.132. DG-1392 proposes 
guidance on field investigations for determining the geologic, 
geotechnical, geophysical, and hydrogeologic characteristics of a 
prospective site for engineering analysis and design of nuclear power 
plants.

DATES: Submit comments by October 4, 2021. 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. Although a time limit is given, comments and suggestions in 
connection with items for inclusion in guides currently being developed 
or improvements in all published guides are encouraged at any time.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods, 
however, the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal Rulemaking website:
    <bullet> Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0153. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 
telephone: 301-415-0624; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5003243133297e033338253d313e3e103e22337e373f26"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="27745346445e0974444f524a4649496749554409404851">[email protected]</span></a>. For technical 
questions, contact the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
    <bullet> 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: Edward O'Donnell, telephone: 301-415-
3317, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a0e5c4d7c1d2c48eefe4cfcecec5cccce0ced2c38ec7cfd6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="efaa8b988e9d8bc1a0ab8081818a8383af819d8cc1888099">[email protected]</span></a> and Scott Stovall, telephone: 301-
415-

[[Page 46280]]

2405, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f9aa9a968d8dd7aa8d968f989595b9978b9ad79e968f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6d3e0e021919433e19021b0c01012d031f0e430a021b">[email protected]</span></a>. Both are staff of the Office of 
Nuclear Regulatory Research, 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-2021-0153 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:
    <bullet> Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0153.
    <bullet> 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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#443420366a3621372b31362721042a36276a232b32"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e2928690cc9087918d97908187a28c9081cc858d94">[email protected]</span></a>. DG-1392, ``Site Characterization 
Investigations for Nuclear Power Plants'' is available in ADAMS under 
Accession No. ML21194A176.
    <bullet> Attention: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of public documents, is currently closed. You may submit your request 
to the PDR via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3a4a5e4814485f49554f48595f7a544859145d554c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5b2b3f2975293e28342e29383e1b352938753c342d">[email protected]</span></a> 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-2021-0153 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, ``Site Characterization Investigations for 
Nuclear Power Plants'' is proposed Revision 3 of RG 1.132, which is 
temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1392. It proposes 
guidance on field investigations for determining the geologic, 
geotechnical, geophysical, and hydrogeologic characteristics of a 
prospective site for engineering analysis and design of nuclear power 
plants.
    The staff is also issuing for public comment a draft regulatory 
analysis for revision of RG 1.132 (ADAMS Accession No. ML21194A177). 
The staff develops 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-1392, 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-1392, applicants and licensees are not required to comply with the 
positions set forth in DG-1392.

    Dated: August 12, 2021.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Ronaldo V. Jenkins,
Acting Chief, Regulatory Guidance and Programs Management Branch, 
Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2021-17686 Filed 8-17-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


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