ML24162A097
| ML24162A097 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 09/24/2024 |
| From: | Meraj Rahimi NRC/RES/DE/RGDB |
| To: | |
| Harriet Karagiannis 415-2493 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML24162A042 | List: |
| References | |
| NRC-2024-0159 RG 3.7 Rev 1 | |
| Download: ML24162A097 (4) | |
Text
[7590-01-P]
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2024-0159]
Regulatory Guide: Monitoring of Combustible Gases and Vapors in Plutonium
Processing and Fuel Fabrication Plants
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Final guide; issuance.
SUMMARY
- The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Revision 1 to
Regulatory Guide (RG) 3.7, Monitoring of Combustible Gases and Vapors in Plutonium
Processing and Fuel Fabrication Plants, in which there are minor corrections with no
substantive changes in the NRC staffs regulatory positions. RG 3.7 provides guidance
with regard to protecting against the possibility of the formation of flammable mixtures
with combustible gases and vapors. This guidance is needed to protect against the
possibility of the formation of flammable mixtures with these gases and vapors when
combustible gases and solvents are used within the confinement barriers of a plutonium
processing and fuel fabrication plant.
DATES: Revision 1 to RG 3.7 is available on September 30, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0159 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regar ding this document. You may obtain publicly
available information related to this document using any of the following methods:
- Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC-2024-0159. Address questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov
to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; email: Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For
technical questions, contact the individuals listed in the For Further Information Contact section of this document.
- NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADAMS Public
Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the
search, select Begin Web-based ADAMS Search. For problems with ADAMS, please
contact the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at
301-415-4737, or by email to PDR.Resource @nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number
for each document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it
is mentioned in this document. Revision 1 to RG 3.7 may be found in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML24162A095.
- NRCs PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies of publicly
available documents, is open by appointment. To make an appointment to visit the PDR,
please send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-
4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays.
Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not required to
reproduce them.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nicole Cortes, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation, telephone: 301-415-7331; email: Nicole.Cortes@nrc.gov ; and Harriet
Karagiannis, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-3346, email:
Harriet.Karagiannis@nrc.gov. Both are staff at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Discussion
The NRC is issuing an administrative revision to an existing guide in the NRCs
Regulatory Guide series. Regulatory guides are developed to describe and make
2 available to the public information and methods that are acceptable to the NRC staff for
implementing specific parts of the agencys regulations, techniques that the staff uses in
evaluating specific issues or postulated events, 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 an RG by
announcing its availability for comment in the Federal Register. However, as explained
in NRCs Management Directive (MD) 6.6 Regulatory Guides, (ADAMS Accession No.
ML22010A233) the NRC may directly issue a final RG without a draft version or public
comment period if the changes to the RG are non-substantive.
Thus, the NRC is issuing Revision 1 of RG 3.7 directly as a final RG because
there are no changes in the staff positions between Revision 0 and Revision 1. Revision
1 of RG 3.7 incorporates minor corrections, and other editorial changes that are
administrative in nature. The changes are intended to improve clarity and do not alter the
NRC staff's regulatory guidance for the Monitoring of Combustible Gases and Vapors in
Plutonium Processing and Fuel Fabrication Plants, licensees.
II. Additional Information
As noted in the Federal Register on December 9, 2022 (87 FR 75671), this
document is being published in the Rules section of the Federal Register to comply
with publication requirements under chapter I of title 1 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR).
III. Congressional Review Act
This RG is not a rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act (5 U.S.C. 801-808).
IV. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality
The NRC staff may use this RG as a reference in its regulatory processes, such
as licensing, inspection, or enforcement. However, the NRC staff does not intend to
use the guidance in this RG to support NRC staff actions in a manner that would
3 constitute backfitting as that term is defined in 10 CFR 50.109, Backfitting, and as
described in NRC MD 8.4, Management of Backf itting, Forward Fitting, Issue Finality,
and Information Requests (ADAMS Acce ssion No. ML18093B087), nor does the NRC
staff intend to use the guidance to affect the issue finality of an approval under 10 CFR
part 52. The staff also does not intend to use the guidance to support NRC staff
actions in a manner that constitutes forward fitting as that term is defined and
described in MD 8.4. If a licensee believes t hat the NRC is using this RG in a manner
inconsistent with the discussion in the Implementation section of RG 3.7, then the
licensee may file a backfitting or forward fi tting appeal with the NRC in accordance with
the process in MD 8.4.
V. Submitting Suggestions for Improvement of Regulatory Guides
A member of the public may, at any time, submit suggestions to the NRC for
improvement of existing RGs or for the development of new RGs to address new
issues. Suggestions can be submitted on the NRCs public website at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections /reg-guides/contactus.html. Suggestions
will be considered in future updates and enhancements to the Regulatory Guide
series.
Dated: September 24, 2024.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
/RA/
Meraj Rahimi, Chief, Regulatory Guide and Programs Management Branch, Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
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