[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 24, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58575-58576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23228]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2013-0219]


Review of Experiments for Research Reactors

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory guide; withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is withdrawing 
Regulatory Guide (RG) 2.4, ``Review of Experiments for Research 
Reactors.'' The guide is being withdrawn because the industry standard 
which it referred to has been withdrawn, and corresponding information 
is available in other NRC guidance. ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket 
ID NRC-2013-0219 when contacting the NRC about the availability of 
information regarding this document. You may access publicly-available 
information related to this action by the following methods:
     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. To begin search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and 
then 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, or 301-415-4737, or by email at [email protected]. 
The ADAMS accession number for each document referenced in this notice 
(if that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time 
that a document is referenced. The review for the withdrawal of RG 2.4 
is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML13143A453.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.
    The documents are not copyrighted and NRC approval is not required 
to reproduce them. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexander Adams 
Jr., telephone: 301-415-1127, by email at [email protected], 
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington DC 20555-0001; or Richard Jervey, telephone: 
301-251-7404, by email at [email protected], Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    The NRC is withdrawing RG 2.4, ``Review of Experiments for Research 
Reactors,'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML003740131) because its guidance no 
longer provides useful information. RG 2.4 was published in July 1976 
to provide clarification on meeting the requirements in part 50 of 
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Domestic 
Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities,'' for procedures 
acceptable to the NRC staff for a licensee's review and approval of 
experiments performed at research reactor facilities. The NRC published 
RG 2.4 to endorse American National Standards Institute (ANSI) N401-
1974 (American Nuclear Society (ANS) 15.6), ``Review of Experiments for 
Research Reactors,'' with exceptions and additional considerations, 
concerning performance of experiments which could be undertaken without 
affecting conditions of the facility license and thus could be 
performed without prior NRC approval. In 1982, ANS replaced the N401 
(ANS 15.6) standard with ANS 15.1, ``American National Standard for the 
Development of Technical Specifications for Research Reactors.''
    ANS 15.6 is no longer supported by ANS or available in print. RG 
2.4 was written using the text of ANS 15.6 for reference, and because 
the standard no longer exists, the text within the RG no longer 
provides useful information.

II. Further Information

    The withdrawal of RG 2.4 does not alter any prior or existing 
licensing commitments based on its use. Regulatory guides may be 
withdrawn when their guidance no longer provides useful information, or 
is superseded by technological innovations,

[[Page 58576]]

congressional actions, or other events. Currently, guidance applicable 
to experiments at research reactors can be found In RG 2.2, 
``Development of Technical Specifications for Experiments in Research 
Reactors'' (ADAMS ML003740125) and also in NUREG-1537, ``Guidelines for 
Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power 
Reactors'' (ADAMS ML12251A353).
    Regulatory guides are revised for a variety of reasons and the 
withdrawal of an RG should be thought of as the final revision of the 
guide. Although an RG is withdrawn, current licensees may continue to 
use it, and withdrawal does not affect any existing licenses or 
agreements. Withdrawal of a guide means that the guide should not be 
used for future NRC licensing activities. However, although a 
regulatory guide is withdrawn, changes to existing licenses can be 
accomplished using other regulatory products.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of September, 2013.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Branch Chief, Regulatory Guide Development Branch, Division of 
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2013-23228 Filed 9-23-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P