[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66089-66090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-27462]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2011-0245]
Access Authorization Program for Nuclear Power Plants
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a
revision to Regulatory Guide 5.66, ``Access Authorization Program for
Nuclear Power Plants.'' This guide describes a method that NRC staff
considers acceptable to implement the requirements related to an access
authorization program.
ADDRESSES: You can access publicly available documents related to this
regulatory guide using the following methods:
NRC's Public Document Room (PDR): The public may examine
and have copied, for a fee, publicly available documents at the NRC's
PDR, O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland 20852.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): Publicly available documents created or received at the NRC
are available online in the NRC Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this page, the public can gain entry into ADAMS,
which provides text and image files of the NRC's public documents. If
you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing
the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC's PDR reference staff
at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].
The regulatory guide is available electronically under ADAMS Accession
Number ML112060028. The regulatory analysis may be found in ADAMS under
Accession Number ML112060032.
Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not
required to reproduce them.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Jervey, Regulatory Guide
Development Branch, Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001, telephone: 301-215-7404; e-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC is issuing a revision to an existing guide in the NRC's
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe and
make available to the public information such as methods that are
acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the
agency's regulations, techniques that the staff uses in evaluating
specific problems or postulated accidents, and data that the staff
needs in its review of applications for permits and licenses.
The NRC typically seeks public comment on a draft version of a
regulatory guide by announcing its availability for comment in the
Federal Register. However, the NRC may directly issue a final
regulatory guide without a draft version or public comment period if
the changes to the regulatory guide are non-substantive, including
changes to the Regulatory Position section of the regulatory guide.
Issuance of regulatory guides using this direct final process reduces
processing time and review costs. A regulatory guide revised using this
process is called an Administratively Changed Guide (ACG).
Revision 2 of RG 5.66 is being issued directly as a final
regulatory guide because the changes between Revision 2 and Revision 1
are non-substantive. Regulatory Guide (RG) 5.66 was written to provide
guidance to licensees for the access authorization programs required by
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), section 73.56,
``Personnel Access Authorization Requirements for Nuclear Power
Plants,'' and 10 CFR part 26, ``Fitness for Duty Programs.'' The RG was
[[Page 66090]]
previously updated to include enhanced requirements that had been
provided in orders to nuclear power plant license holders following the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The access authorization
program required by the rule consists of a background investigation
with periodic reinvestigations, a psychological assessment with
periodic reassessments for enumerated critical personnel, a behavior
observation program that includes self-reporting requirements, and
determinations of trustworthiness and reliability for contractors who
support licensees in meeting these rule requirements. In 10 CFR 73.56,
the NRC requires that each applicant for an operating license under the
provisions of 10 CFR Part 50, ``Domestic Licensing of Production and
Utilization Facilities,'' and each holder of a combined license under
the provisions of 10 CFR part 52, ``Licenses, Certifications, and
Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants,'' establish, maintain, and
implement, in part, the requirements of 10 CFR 73.56 before fuel is
allowed on site (in a protected area). These requirements have been
established to provide high assurance that individuals granted
unescorted access and those certified for unescorted access
authorization are trustworthy and reliable and do not constitute an
unreasonable risk to public health and safety or the common defense and
security, including the potential to commit radiological sabotage.
Access authorization programs are similar between nuclear power
plants as there is a large transient workforce requiring access between
different power plant sites. In a joint effort between the NRC and the
Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), a program was developed to provide
consistency between plant sites. NEI 03-01, ``Nuclear Power Plant
Access Authorization Program,'' Revision 3, was issued in May 2009 as a
standard model for license holders. Revision 1 to RG 5.66 endorsed NEI
03-01 as an acceptable approach to meet the requirements of 10 CFR
73.56 and 10 CFR Part 26. However, NEI 03-01, as well as an attachment
to Revision 1 of RG 5.66, contain security-related information in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.390(d)(1), and therefore are not publicly
available. Revision 2 of RG 5.66 is being issued to provide information
to the public regarding the NRC's guidance for meeting the requirements
of 10 CFR 73.56 and 10 CFR part 26.
II. Further Information
Although Revision 2 of RG 5.66 was not issued for public comment,
comments are welcome for all regulatory guides at any time. The input
from the public and stakeholders will be considered in planning
resources for the further update and enhancement of the regulatory
guide series. You may submit comments by contacting Richard Jervey,
Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of Engineering, Office of
Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone: 301-215-7404; e-mail:
[email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of October, 2011.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of Engineering,
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2011-27462 Filed 10-24-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P