ML003696998

Staff Acceptance of NEI 99-04, Guidelines for Managing NRC Commitment Changes

ML003696998
Person / Time
Issue date:	03/31/2000
From:	Collins S Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Ralph Beedle Nuclear Energy Institute
Reckley W, NRR, 415-1323
References
Download: ML003696998 (3)

Text

March 31,2000 Mr. Ralph Beedle Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer Nuclear Energy Institute Suite 400 1776 I Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20006-3708

SUBJECT:

STAFF ACCEPTANCE OF NEI 99-04, "GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING NRC COMMITMENT CHANGES"

Dear Mr. Beedle:

In a letter dated January 24, 1996, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff acknowledged that guidance prepared by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) was acceptable for use by licensees in managing NRC commitments. The NRC and industry had recognized the need for such guidance to clarify the handling and regulatory standing of commitments. The staff discussed its acceptance of the NEI guidance document (Revision 2 dated December 19, 1995) in SECY-95-300, Nuclear Energy Institutes Guidance Document, Guideline for Managing NRC Commitments, dated December 20, 1995.

The staff reassessed the issues associated with regulatory commitments during 1998 as a follow-up to the work documented in SECY-95-300 and in response to questions about the control of licensing basis information at some nuclear facilities. The staff documented our conclusions and plans for additional actions in SECY-98-224, Staff and Industry Activities Pertaining to the Management of Commitments Made by Power Reactor Licensees to the NRC, dated September 28, 1998.

The staff concluded that regulatory commitments remained a valuable tool in the regulatory process and that licensees generally implemented and appropriately controlled regulatory commitments. The staff subsequently met with licensees and NEI on several occasions during the development of the updated guidance document, NEI 99-04 [Revision 0], Guidelines for Managing NRC Commitment Changes. The letter to me from A. R. Pietrangelo of NEI dated August 2, 1999, requested that the staff review and accept NEI 99-04.

We have completed our review of NEI 99-04 and find that it provides acceptable guidance for the control of regulatory commitments made by power reactor licensees to the NRC staff.

We informed the Commission of our finding in SECY-00-045, Acceptance of NEI 99-04, Guidelines for Managing NRC Commitments, " dated February 22, 2000. The staff will issue a regulatory issue summary to promote the use of the guidance provided by NEI 99-04 and to ensure that licensees and other agency stakeholders understand our regulatory processes. We have issued NRR Office Letter 900, Managing Commitments Made by Licensees to the NRC,

[ADAMS Accession Number ML003692416]. The guidance in the Office Letter is consistent

Mr. Ralph Beedle with the industry guidance in NEI 99-04. The NRR staff will use the Office Letter as guidance in interacting with licensees making regulatory commitments and in performing periodic assessments of licensees commitment management programs.

Please address any questions regarding commitment management to Bill Reckley of my staff at (301) 415-1323.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Samuel J. Collins, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Project No. 689 cc: See next page

Mr. Ralph Beedle with the industry guidance in NEI 99-04. The NRR staff will use the Office Letter as guidance in interacting with licensees making regulatory commitments and in performing periodic assessments of licensees commitment management programs.

Please address any questions regarding commitment management to Bill Reckley of my staff at (301) 415-1323.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Samuel J. Collins, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Project No. 689 cc: See next page DISTRIBUTION Central File PUBLIC B. Sheron J. Johnson J. Zwolinski D. Matthews S. Black C. Carpenter S. West J. Birmingham M. Fields Accession Number: ML003696998 ADAMS Template: NRR-056 File Name:ML003696998 Office DLPM PM:RGEB D:NRR Name WReckley:wdr JBirmingham:jlb SCollins:sjc Date 03 / 29 /00 03/ 30 /00 03 /31/00 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Nuclear Energy Institute Project No. 689 cc:

Ms. Lynnette Hendricks, Director Mr. Jim Davis, Director Plant Support Operations Nuclear Energy Institute Nuclear Energy Institute Suite 400 Suite 400 1776 I Street, NW 1776 I Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-3708 Washington, DC 20006-3708 Mr. Alex Marion, Director Mr. Charles B. Brinkman, Director Programs Washington Operations Nuclear Energy Institute ABB-Combustion Engineering, Inc.

Suite 400 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 330 1776 I Street, NW Rockville, Maryland 20852 Washington, DC 20006-3708 Mr. David Modeen, Director Mr. Anthony Pietrangelo, Director Engineering Licensing Nuclear Energy Institute Nuclear Energy Institute Suite 400 Suite 400 1776 I Street, NW 1776 I Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-3708 Washington, DC 20006-3708 Mr. H. A. Sepp, Manager Regulatory and Licensing Engineering Westinghouse Electric Corporation P.O. Box 355 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15230