Report · SEC · 18 Jun 2015 · 2015-14377
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission published its semiannual regulatory agenda to report on completed, active, and long-term rulemaking activities in compliance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order 12866. The document details 35 active and 23 long-term rulemaking activities, including specific actions on variable fee structures for small modular reactors and fee schedule revisions for fiscal year 2015. The Commission requests public comments on these activities by July 20, 2015, and outlines its prioritization methodology and responses to stakeholder feedback regarding rulemaking transparency.
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
10 CFR Chapter I
[NRC–2015–0071]
Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Semiannual regulatory agenda. SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing its semiannual regulatory agenda (the Agenda) in accordance with Public Law 96–354, ‘‘The Regulatory Flexibility Act,’’ and Executive Order 12866, ‘‘Regulatory Planning and Review.’’ The Agenda is a compilation of all rulemaking activities on which the NRC has recently completed action or has proposed or is considering action. The NRC has completed 8 rulemaking activities since publication of its last Agenda on December 22, 2014 (79 FR 76855). This issuance of the NRC’s Agenda contains 35 active and 23 longterm rulemaking activities: 2 are Economically Significant; 10 represent Other Significant agency priorities; 53 are Substantive, Nonsignificant rulemaking activities; and 1 is an Administrative rulemaking activity. In addition, 3 rulemaking activities impact small entities. The NRC is requesting comment on its rulemaking activities as identified in this Agenda. DATES: Submit comments on rulemaking activities as identified in this Agenda by July 20, 2015. ADDRESSES: Submit comments on any rulemaking activity in the Agenda by the date and methods specified in any Federal Register notice on the rulemaking activity. Comments received on rulemaking activities for which the comment period has closed will be considered if it is practical to do so, but assurance of consideration cannot be given except as to comments received on or before the closure dates specified in the Federal Register notice. You may submit comments on this Agenda through the Federal Rulemaking Web site by going to http:// www.regulations.gov and searching for Docket ID NRC–2015–0071. Address questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301–415–3463; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For technical questions on any rulemaking activity listed in the Agenda, contact the individual listed under the heading ‘‘Agency Contact’’ for that rulemaking activity. For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting comments, see ‘‘Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments’’ in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001, telephone:
301–415–3280; email: Cindy.Bladey@ nrc.gov. Persons outside the Washington, DC, metropolitan area may call, toll-free: 1–800–368–5642. For further information on the substantive content of any rulemaking activity listed in the Agenda, contact the individual listed under the heading ‘‘Agency Contact’’ for that rulemaking activity. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments A. Obtaining Information Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2015– 0071 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information for this document. You may obtain publicallyavailable information related to this document by any of the following methods:
date the next regulatory action for the rulemaking activity is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register. The date is considered tentative and is not binding on the Commission or its staff. The Agenda is intended to provide the public early notice and opportunity to participate in the NRC rulemaking process. However, the NRC may consider or act on any rulemaking activity even though it is not included in the Agenda. Common Prioritization of Rulemaking A key part of the NRC’s regulatory program is an annual review of all ongoing and potential rulemaking activities. In conjunction with its budget and long-term planning process, the NRC compiles a Common Prioritization of Rulemaking (CPR) listing to develop program budget estimates and to determine the relative priority of NRC rulemaking activities. The CPR process considers four factors and assigns a score to each factor. Factor A includes activities that support the NRC’s Strategic Plan goals of ensuring the safe and secure use of radioactive materials. Factor B includes activities that support the Strategic Plan cross-cutting strategies of Regulatory Effectiveness and Openness. Specifically, this factor considers whether the rulemaking activity enhances regulatory effectiveness and/or openness in the way that the NRC conducts regulatory activities. Factor C is a governmental factor representing interest to the NRC, Congress, or other governmental bodies. Factor D is an external factor representing interest to members of the public, non-governmental organizations, the nuclear industry, vendors, and suppliers. The overall priority is determined by adding the factor scores together for each rulemaking activity.
Section 610 Periodic Reviews Under the
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Section 610 of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (RFA) requires agencies to conduct a review within 10 years of promulgation of those regulations that have or will have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The NRC undertakes these reviews to decide whether the rules should be unchanged, amended, or withdrawn. At this time, the NRC does not have any rules that have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities; therefore, the NRC has not included any RFA Section 610 periodic reviews in this edition of the Agenda. A complete listing of NRC regulations that impact small entities and related Small Entity Compliance Guides will be available from the NRC’s Web site at http:// www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/ rulemaking/flexibility-act/small-ntities. html. Public Comments Received on NRC Unified Agendas The NRC recently requested public comment on its rulemaking activities as identified in its Agenda and has received comments from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). The NEI commented on the detail provided in the abstract for each rulemaking activity. Specifically, NEI suggested that the NRC: (1) Communicate the rational for determining what rulemaking activities are reported in the Agenda; (2) provide clear and complete target dates for completing a rulemaking activity; (3) provide a status for rulemaking activities that have become dormant; (4) remove rulemaking activities that are no longer being pursued; and (5) include the category of NRC licensee impacted by a particular rulemaking activity. In addition, NEI commented on the process the NRC uses to prioritize its rulemaking activities. The NEI suggested that the NRC: (1) Use a riskinformed prioritization methodology; (2) consider eliminating CPR Factor B from its methodology; (3) report the scores from its prioritization process in the Agenda for each rulemaking activity; (4) revise its methodology to incorporate review criteria that enables greater discrimination among rulemaking activities; and (5) include cumulative impact in rulemaking plans for Commission approval and in NRC’s prioritization methodology. The NRC actively seeks to improve its rulemaking process and reporting, and is currently engaged in a process improvement initiative that would implement most of NEI’s suggestions related to rulemaking reporting. Each year the NRC reviews its methodology for prioritizing rulemaking activities to determine if changes are necessary. The methodology was recently updated to reflect the NRC’s Fiscal Year 2014— 2018 Strategic Plan (79 FR 55833; September 17, 2014); the NRC will consider NEI’s suggestions upon its next review of the prioritization methodology. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day of March 2015. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules, Announcements, and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION—PROPOSED RULE STAGE Sequence No. Title Regulation
Identifier No. 389 .................... Variable Annual Fee Structure for Small Modular Power Reactors [NRC–2008–0664] ................................. 3150–AI54 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION—FINAL RULE STAGE Sequence No. Title Regulation Identifier No. 390 .................... Revision of Fee Schedules: Fee Recovery for FY 2015 [NRC–2014–0200] .................................................. 3150–AJ44 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION—LONG-TERM ACTIONS Sequence No. Title Regulation Identifier No. 391 .................... Controlling the Disposition of Solid Materials [NRC–1999–0002] ................................................................... 3150–AH18 tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS 23
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION (NRC)
Proposed Rule Stage
389. Variable Annual Fee Structure for
Small Modular Power Reactors [NRC– 2008–0664] Legal Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2201; 42 U.S.C. 5841 Abstract: The advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) was published in the Federal Register on March 25, 2009 (74 FR 12735), seeking comments from the public on a possible variable fee structure for part 171 annual fees for power reactors based on licensed power limits. The comment period ended on June 8, 2009, and the NRC received 16 public comments. The Commission approved the staff’s recommendation to establish an NRC workgroup to analyze suggested methodologies for a variable annual fee structure for power reactors in SECY– 09–0137 dated October 13, 2009. On February 7, 2011, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) sent a memorandum to the Commission (ADAMS Accession No. ML110380251) responding to SECY–09–0137. Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
ANPRM ............... 03/25/09 74 FR 12735 ANPRM Comment Period End. 06/08/09 NPRM .................. 10/00/15 Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes. Agency Contact: Arlette P. Howard, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Washington, DC 20555–0001, Phone:
301 415–1481, Email: arlette.howard@ nrc.gov. RIN: 3150–AI54 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) Final Rule Stage
390. Revision of Fee Schedules: Fee
Recovery for FY 2015 [NRC–2014–0200] Legal Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2201; 42 U.S.C. 5841 Abstract: This proposed rulemaking would amend the licensing, inspection, and annual fees that the Commission charges its applicants and licensees. These amendments would implement the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA–90) as amended, which requires that the NRC recover approximately 90 percent of its budget authority in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, less the amounts appropriated from the Waste Incidental to Reprocessing, and generic homeland security activities. Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
NPRM .................. 03/23/15 80 FR 15476 NPRM Comment Period End. 04/22/15 Final Rule ............ 06/00/15 Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes. Agency Contact: Arlette P. Howard, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Washington, DC 20555–0001, Phone:
301 415–1481, Email: arlette.howard@ nrc.gov. RIN: 3150–AJ44 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) Long-Term Actions
391. Controlling the Disposition of Solid
Materials [NRC–1999–0002] Legal Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2201; 42 U.S.C. 5841 Abstract: The NRC staff provided a draft proposed rule package on Controlling the Disposition of Solid Materials to the Commission on March 31, 2005, which the Commission disapproved (ADAMS Accession Number: ML051520285). The rulemaking package included a summary of stakeholder comments (NUREG/CR–6682), Supplement 1 (ADAMS Accession Number:
ML003754410). The Commission’s decision was based on the fact that the Agency is currently faced with several high priority and complex tasks, that the current approach to review specific cases on an individual basis is fully protective of public health and safety, and that the immediate need for this rule has changed due to the shift in timing for reactor decommissioning. The Commission has deferred action on this rulemaking. Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
ANPRM ............... To Be Determined Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Yes. Agency Contact: Solomon Sahle, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Washington, DC 20555– 0001, Phone: 301 415–3781, Email:
solomon.sahle@nrc.gov.
RIN: 3150–AH18
[FR Doc. 2015–14377 Filed 6–17–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
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