Compliance With Information Request, Flooding Hazard Reevaluation, 65417-65419 [2012-26375]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 208 / Friday, October 26, 2012 / Notices
65417
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Proposal Review Panel for Computing
Communication Foundations; Notice
of Meeting
Business and Operations Advisory
Committee; Notice of Meeting
All correspondence, documents, and
other materials shall continue to be filed
in accordance with the NRC E-Filing
rule. See 10 CFR 2.302 et seq.
In accordance with Federal Advisory
Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463, as
amended), the National Science
Foundation announces the following
meeting:
Issued at Rockville, Maryland, October 22,
2012.
E. Roy Hawkens,
Chief Administrative Judge, Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board Panel.
Name: Business and Operations Advisory
Committee (9556).
Date/Time: November 14, 2012; 1:00 p.m.
to 5:30 p.m. (EST) November 15, 2012; 8:00
a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (EST).
Place: National Science Foundation, 4201
Wilson Boulevard, Stafford I, Room 375,
Arlington, VA 22230.
Type of Meeting: Open.
Contact Person: Patty Balanga, National
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard,
Arlington, VA 22230, (703) 292–8100.
Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice
concerning issues related to the oversight,
integrity, development and enhancement of
NSF’s business operations.
[FR Doc. 2012–26383 Filed 10–25–12; 8:45 am]
In accordance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–
463, as amended), the National Science
Foundation announces the following
meeting:
Name: Site Visit, Proposal Panel Review
for Expeditions in Computing Program
(#1192).
Date/Time: December 4, 2012, 7:00 p.m.–
9:00 p.m.; December 5, 2012, 8:00 a.m.–8:00
p.m.; December 6, 2012, 8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Place: Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA.
Type of Meeting: Partial Closed.
Contact Person: Ephraim Glinert, National
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard,
Room 1125, Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone:
(703) 292–8930.
Purpose of Meeting: To assess the progress
of the EIC Award, ‘‘Collaborative Research:
Computational Behavioral Science:
Modeling, Analysis, and Visualization of
Social and Communicative Behavior’’, and to
provide advise and recommendations
concerning further NSF support for the
Center.
Agenda
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: Closed. Site Team
and NSF Staff meets to discuss Site Visit
materials, review process and charge.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: Open. Presentations
by Awardee Institution, faculty staff and
students, to Site Team and NSF Staff.
Discussions and question and answer
sessions.
1:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.: Closed. Draft report
on education and research activities.
Agenda
November 14, 2012
Welcome/Introductions; BFA/OIRM
Updates; NSF Workforce ChallengesOverview, BFA Strategic Priorities, Managing
Workload, Performance Management.
November 15, 2012
Prepare for Meeting with NSF Deputy
Director; Discussion with Deputy Director;
NSF Workforce Challenges-Managing
Workload-Program Viewpoint; Virtual
Meetings; Environmental Scan: Discussion
about External Factors and Upcoming
Challenges and Opportunities Affecting NSF;
Closing Discussion.
Dated: October 23, 2012.
Susanne Bolton,
Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012–26364 Filed 10–25–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555–01–P
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Thursday, December 6, 2012
8:30 a.m.–noon: Open. Response
presentations by Site Team and NSF Staff
Awardee Institution faculty staff to.
Discussions and question and answer
sessions.
Noon to 3:00 p.m.: Closed. Complete
written site visit report with preliminary
recommendations.
Reason for Closing: The proposals being
reviewed include information of a
proprietary or confidential nature, including
technical information; financial data, such as
salaries; and personal information
concerning individuals associated with the
proposals. These matters are exempt under 5
U.S.C. 552b(c), (4) and (6) of the Government
in the Sunshine Act.
Dated: October 23, 2012.
Susanne Bolton,
Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012–26363 Filed 10–25–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555–01–P
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[Docket No. 72–10–ISFSI; ASLBP No. 12–
922–01–ISFSI–MLR–BD01]
Northern States Power Company
(Prairie Island Nuclear Generating
Plant Independent Spent Fuel Storage
Installation); Notice of Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board Reconstitution
Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.313(c) and
2.321(b), the Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board (Board) in the abovecaptioned Prairie Island ISFSI license
renewal proceeding is hereby
reconstituted by appointing
Administrative Judge Nicholas G.
Trikouros to serve on the Board in place
of Administrative Judge Robert B.
Matthews.
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BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2012–0261]
Compliance With Information Request,
Flooding Hazard Reevaluation
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Draft Japan Lessons-Learned
Project Directorate guidance; request for
comment.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC or the Commission)
is issuing draft Japan Lessons-Learned
Project Directorate Interim Staff
Guidance (JLD–ISG), JLD–ISG–2012–06,
‘‘Guidance for Performing a Tsunami,
Surge, or Seiche Hazard Assessment.’’
This draft JLD–ISG provides guidance
and clarification to assist nuclear power
reactor applicants and licensees with
performing a flooding hazard reanalysis
in response to enclosure 2 of a March
12, 2012, information request.
DATES: Comments must be filed no later
than November 26, 2012. Comments
received after this date will be
considered, if it is practical to do so, but
the NRC staff is able to ensure
consideration only for comments
received on or before this date.
ADDRESSES: You may access information
and comment submissions related to
this document, which the NRC
possesses and are publically available,
by searching on https://
www.regulations.gov under Docket ID
NRC–2012–0261. You may submit
comments by any of the following
methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2012–0261. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–492–3668;
email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov.
• Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey,
Chief, Rules, Announcements, and
Directives Branch (RADB), Office of
Administration, Mail Stop: TWB–05–
B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\26OCN1.SGM
26OCN1
65418
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 208 / Friday, October 26, 2012 / Notices
• Fax comments to: RADB at 301–
492–3446.
For additional direction on accessing
information and submitting comments,
see ‘‘Accessing Information and
Submitting Comments’’ in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
G. Edward Miller, Japan LessonsLearned Project Directorate, Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone:
301–415–2481; email:
Ed.Miller@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Accessing Information and
Submitting Comments
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
A. Accessing Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2012–
0261 when contacting the NRC about
the availability of information regarding
this document. You may access
information related to this document by
any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2012–0261.
• NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may access publiclyavailable documents online in the NRC
Library at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. 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 draft JLD–
ISG–2012–06 is available under ADAMS
Accession No. ML12271A036.
• 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.
• NRC’s Interim Staff Guidance Web
Site: JLD–ISG documents are also
available online under the ‘‘Japan
Lessons Learned’’ heading at https://
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/#int.
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC–2012–
0261 in the subject line of your
comment submission, in order to ensure
that the NRC is able to make your
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:01 Oct 25, 2012
Jkt 229001
comment submission available to the
public in this docket.
The NRC cautions you not to include
identifying or contact information that
you do not want to be publicly
disclosed in your comment submission.
The NRC will post all comment
submissions at https://
www.regulations.gov as well as entering
the comment submissions into ADAMS.
The NRC does not routinely edit
comment submissions to remove
identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating
comments from other persons for
submission to the NRC, then you should
inform those persons not to include
identifying or contact information that
they do not want to be publicly
disclosed in their comment submission.
Your request should state that the NRC
does not routinely edit comment
submissions to remove such information
before making the comment
submissions available to the public or
entering the comment submissions into
ADAMS.
II. Background Information
The NRC staff developed draft JLD–
ISG–2012–06 to provide guidance and
clarification to assist nuclear power
licensees and holders of construction
permits in active or deferred status with
the performance of an integrated
assessment. This ISG is being issued in
draft form for public comment to
involve the public in development of
the implementation guidance.
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0
earthquake struck off the coast of the
Japanese island of Honshu. The
earthquake resulted in a large tsunami,
estimated to have exceeded 14 meters
(45 feet) in height that inundated the
Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant
site. The earthquake and tsunami
produced widespread devastation across
northeastern Japan and significantly
affected the infrastructure and industry
in the northeastern coastal areas of
Japan. When the earthquake occurred,
Fukushima Dai-ichi Units 1, 2, and 3,
were in operation and Units 4, 5, and 6,
were shut down for routine refueling
and maintenance activities. The Unit 4
reactor fuel was offloaded to the Unit 4
spent fuel pool (SFP). Following the
earthquake, the three operating units
automatically shut down and offsite
power was lost to the entire facility. The
emergency diesel generators started at
all six units providing alternating
current (ac) electrical power to critical
systems at each unit. The facility
response to the earthquake appears to
have been normal. Approximately 40
minutes following the earthquake and
shutdown of the operating units,
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however, the first large tsunami wave
inundated the site, followed by
additional waves. The tsunami caused
extensive damage to site facilities and
resulted in a complete loss of all ac
electrical power at Units 1 through 5, a
condition known as station blackout. In
addition, all direct current electrical
power was lost early in the event on
Units 1 and 2 and after some period of
time at the other units. Unit 6 retained
the function of one air-cooled EDG;
Despite their actions, the operators lost
the ability to cool the fuel in the Unit
1 reactor after several hours, in the Unit
2 reactor after about 70 hours, and in the
Unit 3 reactor after about 36 hours,
resulting in damage to the nuclear fuel
shortly after the loss of cooling
capabilities.
Following the events at the
Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power
plant, the NRC established a senior-level
agency task force referred to as the NearTerm Task Force (NTTF). The NTTF
was tasked with conducting a
systematic and methodical review of the
NRC’s regulations and processes, and
determining if the agency should make
additional improvements to these
programs in light of the events at
Fukushima Dai-ichi. As a result of this
review, the NTTF developed a
comprehensive set of recommendations,
documented in SECY–11–0093, ‘‘NearTerm Report and Recommendations for
Agency Actions Following the Events in
Japan,’’ dated July 12, 2011 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML11186A950). These
recommendations were enhanced by the
NRC staff following interactions with
stakeholders. Documentation of the
staff’s efforts is contained in SECY–11–
0124, ‘‘Recommended Actions to be
Taken Without Delay from the NearTerm Task Force Report,’’ dated
September 9, 2011 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML11245A158) and SECY–11–0137,
‘‘Prioritization of Recommended
Actions to be Taken in Response to
Fukushima Lessons Learned,’’ dated
October 3, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML11272A111).
As directed by the Commission’s Staff
Requirement Memorandum (SRM) for
SECY–11–0093 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML112310021), the NRC staff reviewed
the NTTF recommendations within the
context of the NRC’s existing regulatory
framework and considered the various
regulatory vehicles available to the NRC
to implement the recommendations.
SECY–11–0124 and SECY–11–0137
established the staff’s prioritization of
the recommendations based upon the
potential for each recommendation to
enhance safety.
As part of the SRM for SECY–11–
0124, dated October 18, 2011, the
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 208 / Friday, October 26, 2012 / Notices
Commission approved the staff’s
proposed actions, including the
development of three information
requests under 10 CFR 50.54(f). The
information collected would be used to
support the NRC staff’s evaluation of
whether further regulatory action was
needed in the areas of seismic and
flooding design, and emergency
preparedness.
In addition to Commission direction,
the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
Public Law 112–074, was signed into
law on December 23, 2011. Section 402
of the law directs the NRC to require
licensees to reevaluate their design basis
for external hazards.
In response to the aforementioned
Commission and Congressional
direction, the NRC issued a request for
information to all power reactor
licensees and holders of construction
permits under 10 CFR part 50 on March
12, 2012. The March 12, 2012, letter
includes a request that licensees
reevaluate flooding hazards at nuclear
power plant sites using updated
flooding hazard information and present
day regulatory guidance and
methodologies. The letter also requests
the comparison of the reevaluated
hazard to the current design basis at the
site for each potential flood mechanism.
If the reevaluated flood hazard at a site
is not bounded by the current design
basis, licensees are requested to perform
an Integrated Assessment. The
Integrated Assessment will evaluate the
total plant response to the flood hazard,
considering multiple and diverse
capabilities such as physical barriers,
temporary protective measures, and
operational procedures. The NRC staff
will review the licensees’ responses to
this request for information and
determine whether regulatory actions
are necessary to provide additional
protection against flooding.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Proposed Action
By this action, the NRC is requesting
public comments on draft JLD–ISG–
2012–06. This draft JLD–ISG provides
guidance and clarification to assist
nuclear power reactors applicants and
licensees with performing a flooding
hazard reanalysis in response to
enclosure 2 of the information request.
The NRC staff will make a final
determination regarding issuance of the
JLD–ISG after it considers any public
comments received in response to this
request.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd
day of October 2012.
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For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
David L. Skeen,
Director, Japan Lessons-Learned Project
Directorate, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2012–26375 Filed 10–25–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
[FR Doc. 2012–26509 Filed 10–24–12; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
[NRC–2012–0002]
Notice of Sunshine Act Meetings
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
DATES: Week of October 29, 2012.
PLACE: Commissioners’ Conference
Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland.
STATUS: Public and Closed.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED:
AGENCY:
Week of October 29, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
8:55 a.m.—Affirmation Session (Public
Meeting) (Tentative). Southern
California Edison Co. (San Onofre
Nuclear Generating Station), Docket
Nos. 50–361 and 50–362–CAL,
Petition to Intervene, Request for
Hearing, and Stay Application (June
18, 2012) (Tentative).
This meeting will be Web cast live at
the Web address—www.nrc.gov.
*
*
*
*
*
*The schedule for Commission
meetings is subject to change on short
notice. To verify the status of meetings,
call (recording)—(301) 415–1292.
Contact person for more information:
Rochelle Bavol, (301) 415–1651.
*
*
*
*
*
The NRC Commission Meeting
Schedule can be found on the Internet
at: www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/policymaking/schedule.html.
*
*
*
*
*
The NRC provides reasonable
accommodation to individuals with
disabilities where appropriate. If you
need a reasonable accommodation to
participate in these public meetings, or
need this meeting notice or the
transcript or other information from the
public meetings in another format (e.g.
braille, large print), please notify Bill
Dosch, Chief, Work Life and Benefits
Branch, at 301–415–6200, TDD: 301–
415–2100, or by email at william.
dosch@nrc.gov. Determinations on
requests for reasonable accommodation
will be made on a case-by-case basis.
*
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This notice is distributed
electronically to subscribers. If you no
Frm 00062
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longer wish to receive it, or would like
to be added to the distribution, please
contact the Office of the Secretary,
Washington, DC 20555 (301–415–1969),
or send an email to darlene.
wright@nrc.gov.
Dated: October 23, 2012.
Rochelle C. Bavol,
Policy Coordinator, Office of the Secretary.
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
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65419
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50–338 and 50–339; NRC–
2012–0258; License Nos.: NPF–4 and NPF–
7]
Virginia Electric and Power Company
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Partial Director’s Decision;
issuance.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC or the Commission)
is giving notice that the Director of the
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation has
issued a partial Director’s Decision with
regard to a petition dated October 20,
2011, filed by Paul Gunter et al., herein
referred to as ‘‘the petitioners.’’
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2012–0258 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of
information regarding this document.
You may access information related to
this document, which the NRC
possesses and are publicly available,
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2012–0258. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–492–3668;
email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov.
• NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may access publicly
available documents online in the NRC
Library at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/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 PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. 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
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\26OCN1.SGM
26OCN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 208 (Friday, October 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65417-65419]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-26375]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2012-0261]
Compliance With Information Request, Flooding Hazard Reevaluation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Draft Japan Lessons-Learned Project Directorate guidance;
request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission)
is issuing draft Japan Lessons-Learned Project Directorate Interim
Staff Guidance (JLD-ISG), JLD-ISG-2012-06, ``Guidance for Performing a
Tsunami, Surge, or Seiche Hazard Assessment.'' This draft JLD-ISG
provides guidance and clarification to assist nuclear power reactor
applicants and licensees with performing a flooding hazard reanalysis
in response to enclosure 2 of a March 12, 2012, information request.
DATES: Comments must be filed no later than November 26, 2012. Comments
received after this date will be considered, if it is practical to do
so, but the NRC staff is able to ensure consideration only for comments
received on or before this date.
ADDRESSES: You may access information and comment submissions related
to this document, which the NRC possesses and are publically available,
by searching on https://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2012-
0261. You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012-0261. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-492-
3668; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov.
Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules,
Announcements, and Directives Branch (RADB), Office of Administration,
Mail Stop: TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001.
[[Page 65418]]
Fax comments to: RADB at 301-492-3446.
For additional direction on accessing information and submitting
comments, see ``Accessing Information and Submitting Comments'' in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. G. Edward Miller, Japan Lessons-
Learned Project Directorate, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone:
301-415-2481; email: Ed.Miller@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Accessing Information and Submitting Comments
A. Accessing Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2012-0261 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may
access information related to this document by any of the following
methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012-0261.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may access publicly-available documents online in the NRC
Library at https://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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. 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 draft JLD-ISG-2012-06 is available under ADAMS
Accession No. ML12271A036.
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.
NRC's Interim Staff Guidance Web Site: JLD-ISG documents
are also available online under the ``Japan Lessons Learned'' heading
at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/#int.
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC-2012-0261 in the subject line of your
comment submission, in order to ensure that the NRC is able to make
your comment submission available to the public in this docket.
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at https://www.regulations.gov as well as entering the comment submissions into
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove
identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to
remove such information before making the comment submissions available
to the public or entering the comment submissions into ADAMS.
II. Background Information
The NRC staff developed draft JLD-ISG-2012-06 to provide guidance
and clarification to assist nuclear power licensees and holders of
construction permits in active or deferred status with the performance
of an integrated assessment. This ISG is being issued in draft form for
public comment to involve the public in development of the
implementation guidance.
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast
of the Japanese island of Honshu. The earthquake resulted in a large
tsunami, estimated to have exceeded 14 meters (45 feet) in height that
inundated the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant site. The
earthquake and tsunami produced widespread devastation across
northeastern Japan and significantly affected the infrastructure and
industry in the northeastern coastal areas of Japan. When the
earthquake occurred, Fukushima Dai-ichi Units 1, 2, and 3, were in
operation and Units 4, 5, and 6, were shut down for routine refueling
and maintenance activities. The Unit 4 reactor fuel was offloaded to
the Unit 4 spent fuel pool (SFP). Following the earthquake, the three
operating units automatically shut down and offsite power was lost to
the entire facility. The emergency diesel generators started at all six
units providing alternating current (ac) electrical power to critical
systems at each unit. The facility response to the earthquake appears
to have been normal. Approximately 40 minutes following the earthquake
and shutdown of the operating units, however, the first large tsunami
wave inundated the site, followed by additional waves. The tsunami
caused extensive damage to site facilities and resulted in a complete
loss of all ac electrical power at Units 1 through 5, a condition known
as station blackout. In addition, all direct current electrical power
was lost early in the event on Units 1 and 2 and after some period of
time at the other units. Unit 6 retained the function of one air-cooled
EDG; Despite their actions, the operators lost the ability to cool the
fuel in the Unit 1 reactor after several hours, in the Unit 2 reactor
after about 70 hours, and in the Unit 3 reactor after about 36 hours,
resulting in damage to the nuclear fuel shortly after the loss of
cooling capabilities.
Following the events at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant,
the NRC established a senior-level agency task force referred to as the
Near-Term Task Force (NTTF). The NTTF was tasked with conducting a
systematic and methodical review of the NRC's regulations and
processes, and determining if the agency should make additional
improvements to these programs in light of the events at Fukushima Dai-
ichi. As a result of this review, the NTTF developed a comprehensive
set of recommendations, documented in SECY-11-0093, ``Near-Term Report
and Recommendations for Agency Actions Following the Events in Japan,''
dated July 12, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML11186A950). These
recommendations were enhanced by the NRC staff following interactions
with stakeholders. Documentation of the staff's efforts is contained in
SECY-11-0124, ``Recommended Actions to be Taken Without Delay from the
Near-Term Task Force Report,'' dated September 9, 2011 (ADAMS Accession
No. ML11245A158) and SECY-11-0137, ``Prioritization of Recommended
Actions to be Taken in Response to Fukushima Lessons Learned,'' dated
October 3, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML11272A111).
As directed by the Commission's Staff Requirement Memorandum (SRM)
for SECY-11-0093 (ADAMS Accession No. ML112310021), the NRC staff
reviewed the NTTF recommendations within the context of the NRC's
existing regulatory framework and considered the various regulatory
vehicles available to the NRC to implement the recommendations. SECY-
11-0124 and SECY-11-0137 established the staff's prioritization of the
recommendations based upon the potential for each recommendation to
enhance safety.
As part of the SRM for SECY-11-0124, dated October 18, 2011, the
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Commission approved the staff's proposed actions, including the
development of three information requests under 10 CFR 50.54(f). The
information collected would be used to support the NRC staff's
evaluation of whether further regulatory action was needed in the areas
of seismic and flooding design, and emergency preparedness.
In addition to Commission direction, the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, Public Law 112-074, was signed into law on December
23, 2011. Section 402 of the law directs the NRC to require licensees
to reevaluate their design basis for external hazards.
In response to the aforementioned Commission and Congressional
direction, the NRC issued a request for information to all power
reactor licensees and holders of construction permits under 10 CFR part
50 on March 12, 2012. The March 12, 2012, letter includes a request
that licensees reevaluate flooding hazards at nuclear power plant sites
using updated flooding hazard information and present day regulatory
guidance and methodologies. The letter also requests the comparison of
the reevaluated hazard to the current design basis at the site for each
potential flood mechanism. If the reevaluated flood hazard at a site is
not bounded by the current design basis, licensees are requested to
perform an Integrated Assessment. The Integrated Assessment will
evaluate the total plant response to the flood hazard, considering
multiple and diverse capabilities such as physical barriers, temporary
protective measures, and operational procedures. The NRC staff will
review the licensees' responses to this request for information and
determine whether regulatory actions are necessary to provide
additional protection against flooding.
Proposed Action
By this action, the NRC is requesting public comments on draft JLD-
ISG-2012-06. This draft JLD-ISG provides guidance and clarification to
assist nuclear power reactors applicants and licensees with performing
a flooding hazard reanalysis in response to enclosure 2 of the
information request. The NRC staff will make a final determination
regarding issuance of the JLD-ISG after it considers any public
comments received in response to this request.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of October 2012.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
David L. Skeen,
Director, Japan Lessons-Learned Project Directorate, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2012-26375 Filed 10-25-12; 8:45 am]
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