Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Fiscal Year 2020 Agency Report

1. Please provide a summary of your agency’s activities undertaken to carry out the provisions of 

OMB Circular A-119, “Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus 

Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities” and the National Technology Transfer and 

Advance Act (NTTAA). The summary should contain a link to the agency’s standards-specific 

website(s) where information about your agency’s standards and conformity assessment related 

activities are available.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) uses voluntary consensus standards as an integral part of 

our regulatory framework. Standards contain technical requirements, safety requirements, guidelines, 

characteristics, and recommended practices for performance. The benefits of being actively involved in 

developing and using standards include improved safety, cost savings, improved efficiency and 

transparency, and regulatory requirements with high technical quality. Some standards are incorporated 

by reference into NRC regulations. The NRC’s regulations may be found at http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/cfr/. The NRC staff also issues documents providing guidance on acceptable methods 

for complying with NRC regulations such as Regulatory Guides (RGs). These guidance documents 

frequently endorse and reference voluntary consensus standards as acceptable methods for compliance 

with NRC regulations. RGs are cataloged here: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/#reg.

The NRC implements OMB Circular A-119, “Federal Participation in the Development and Use of 

Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities,” consistent with the provisions 

of the NTTAA of 1995 (Public Law 104-113) through formal guidance to the NRC staff. Guidance to the 

NRC staff on standards work is provided in NRC Management Directive (MD) 6.5, "NRC Participation in 

the Development and Use of Consensus Standards." MD 6.5 and its associated directive handbook were 

initially published in 1998 and were revised and reissued in 2016. MD 6.5 describes the NRC’s process 

with respect to the participation in the development and use of consensus standards. This process 

consists of three primary steps: (1) identifying and prioritizing the need for new and revised technical 

standards, (2) participating in codes and standards development, and (3) endorsing codes and 

standards.

As an initiative to enhance agency use of standards and to exchange standards information with 

external stakeholders, in October 2020, the NRC hosted the fourth NRC Standards Forum. The goals of 

the NRC Standards Forum are to identify and prioritize standards for development or revision and to 

initiate or support collaboration in writing or updating standards. Our intent is to shorten the lengthy 

standards development cycle by encouraging collaboration among stakeholders including researchers 

producing technical information and standards writers who build upon their findings. The Standards 

Forum meetings are nominally held once a year. A summary and related documents for the October 

2020 Standards Forum can be found at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/standardsdev/standards-forum/2020.html.

The NRC is working and intends to continue working with multiple standards development organizations 

to close technical and regulatory gaps through development and application of consensus standards 

that may be applied to regulatory activities for existing light-water reactors or new nuclear plant designs 

including advanced reactor technologies and small modular reactors. Standards continue to provide a 
critical element in our safety mission. For more information, the NRC Web site on standards 

development is at: http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/standards-dev.html.

2. Please list the government-unique standards (GUS) your agency began using in lieu of voluntary 

consensus standards during FY 2020. Please note that GUS which are still in effect from previous years 

should continue to be listed, thus the total number in your agency's report will include all GUS 

currently in use (previous years and new as of this FY): 2

(1) Government Unique Standard

NRC NUREG-1556, “Consolidated Guidance about Materials Licenses” [Incorporated: 2011]

Voluntary Standard

(ANSI) N 13.2-1969, “Guide for Administrative Practices in Radiation Monitoring”

Rationale

(ANSI) N 13.2-1969, “Guide for Administrative Practices in Radiation Monitoring,” had been endorsed in 

Regulatory Guide 8.2, with the same title, issued in February, 1973. The standard has not been revised 

since its inception, and it now refers to obsolete technical practices and outdated requirements. 

Therefore, Revision 1 of RG 8.2, published in May, 2011, removed endorsement of ANSI N 13.2-1969. 

Guidance is now provided through two referenced NRC reports, which could be considered 

Government-unique standards: NUREG-1556, “Consolidated Guidance about Materials Licenses,” and 

NUREG-1736, “Consolidated Guidance: 10 CFR Part 20—Standards for Protection against Radiation.”

(2) Government Unique Standard

NRC NUREG-1736, “Consolidated Guidance: 10 CFR Part 20—Standards for Protection against 

Radiation” [Incorporated: 2011]

Voluntary Standard

(ANSI) N 13.2-1969, “Guide for Administrative Practices in Radiation Monitoring”

Rationale

(ANSI) N 13.2-1969, “Guide for Administrative Practices in Radiation Monitoring,” had been endorsed in 

Regulatory Guide 8.2, with the same title, issued in February, 1973. The standard has not been revised 

since its inception, and it now refers to obsolete technical practices and outdated requirements. 

Therefore, Revision 1 of RG 8.2, published in May, 2011, removed endorsement of ANSI N 13.2-1969. 

Guidance is now provided through two referenced NRC reports, which could be considered 

Government-unique standards: NUREG-1556, “Consolidated Guidance about Materials Licenses,” and 

NUREG-1736, “Consolidated Guidance: 10 CFR Part 20—Standards for Protection against Radiation.”