U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Fiscal Year 2022 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 https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/

index.html. 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 

https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/index.html#reg.

The NRC implements the Office of Management and Budget 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 National Technology Transfer and 

Advance Act (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 September 2022, the NRC hosted the sixth NRC Standards Forum. 

The goals of the NRC Standards Forum are to facilitate discussions on codes and standards 

needs within the nuclear industry and explore how to collaborate in accelerating the 

development of codes and standards and the subsequent NRC endorsement of codes and 

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 usually held 

once a year. A summary and related documents for the September 2022 Standards Forum can 

be found at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/standards-dev/standards-forum/2022.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. These standards may be applied to regulatory activities for existing 

light-water reactors or new nuclear plant designs including advanced reactor technologies and 
2

small modular reactors. Standards continue to provide a critical element in our safety mission. 

For more information, the NRC website on standards development is at: 

https://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 2022. 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):

Current total GUS: 2

(1) Government Unique Standard

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

Voluntary Standard

(American National Standards Institute (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, that 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 RG 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, that 

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.”