[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 186 (Friday, September 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57885-57886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24315]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2014-0173]


Integrated Safety Analysis Standards for Acute Uranium Exposure 
of Workers

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Interim staff guidance; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing 
Interim Staff Guidance (ISG), FCSE ISG-14, ``Acute Uranium Standards 
for Workers,'' dated June 15, 2015. The ISG provides guidance to the 
NRC staff when reviewing licensee-proposed standards in the Integrated 
Safety Analysis Summary for determining worker uranium exposures that 
would result in high or intermediate consequences consistent with the 
general definition of these events in NRC regulations.

DATES: The ISG is available September 25, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2014-0173 when contacting the

[[Page 57886]]

NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2014-0173. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the 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, 301-415-4737, or by email to [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.
     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, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Hammelman, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-7526; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Discussion

    The purpose of this ISG (ADAMS Accession No. ML15147A682) is to 
identify acute uranium intake values that will be acceptable to the 
staff for classifying acute worker exposure events as high or 
intermediate consequence events consistent with the general definition 
of the terms presented in Sec.  70.61 of Title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR). This guidance has been approved by the 
Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards, and Environmental Review 
management (ADAMS Accession No. ML15147A680) and is available on the 
NRC's Web site as well as in ADAMS.
    In a Federal Register notice published on September 17, 2014 (79 FR 
55834), the NRC requested public comments on the draft ISG. In 
response, Janet R. Schlueter on behalf of the Nuclear Energy Institute 
(NEI) provided comments by letter dated November 12, 2014 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML14322A698). The NRC also received an anonymous comment 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML14345A747). The final ISG includes 
clarifications in response to these comments. The specific changes made 
in the final ISG were described in a letter to the Division of Fuel 
Cycle Safety, Safeguards, and Environmental Review management (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML15147A683)

II. Backfitting

    The NRC is issuing interim guidance for the NRC staff regarding 
acute uranium intake values for classifying acute worker exposure 
events. Issuance of the ISG does not constitute backfitting as defined 
in 10 CFR 70.76 (the Backfit Rule). The NRC's position is based upon 
the following considerations.
    1. The ISG positions do not constitute backfitting, inasmuch as the 
ISG is internal guidance to NRC staff.
    The ISG provides interim guidance to the staff on how to review an 
application for NRC regulatory approval in the form of licensing. 
Changes in internal staff guidance are not matters for which applicants 
or licensees are protected under 10 CFR 70.76.
    2. The Backfit Rule does not protect current or future applicants.
    Applicants and potential applicants are not, with certain 
exceptions, protected by the Backfit Rule. This is because the Backfit 
Rule was not intended to apply to every NRC action that substantially 
changes the expectations of current and future applicants.

III. Congressional Review Act

    This action is a rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act (5 
U.S.C. 801-808). However, the Office of Management and Budget has not 
found it to be a major rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 17th day of September, 2015.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert Johnson,
Branch Chief, Fuel Manufacturing Branch Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, 
Safeguards, and Environmental Review Office of Nuclear Material Safety 
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2015-24315 Filed 9-24-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P