Regulatory Analysis Guidelines, 18163-18165 [2017-07623]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 72 / Monday, April 17, 2017 / Notices recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. Detailed procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACRS meetings were published in the Federal Register on October 17, 2016, (81 FR 71543). Detailed meeting agendas and meeting transcripts are available on the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/acrs. Information regarding topics to be discussed, changes to the agenda, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, and the time allotted to present oral statements can be obtained from the Web site cited above or by contacting the identified DFO. Moreover, in view of the possibility that the schedule for ACRS meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, persons planning to attend should check with these references if such rescheduling would result in a major inconvenience. If attending this meeting, please enter through the One White Flint North building, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. After registering with Security, please contact Mr. Theron Brown (Telephone 240– 888–9835) to be escorted to the meeting room. Dated: April 7, 2017. Michael Snodderly, Acting Branch Chief, Technical Support Branch, Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. [FR Doc. 2017–07704 Filed 4–14–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC–2017–0091] I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments Regulatory Analysis Guidelines A. Obtaining Information Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Draft NUREG; request for comment. AGENCY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment a draft NUREG, NUREG/BR– 0058, Revision 5, ‘‘Regulatory Analysis Guidelines of the U.S. NRC.’’ This proposed revision to NUREG/BR–0058 would update and restructure the NRC’s cost-benefit guidance documents by incorporating information contained in NUREG/BR–0184, ‘‘Regulatory Analysis Technical Handbook,’’ into this document and would expand the discussion of cost-benefit analyses in NRC’s regulatory analyses, backfitting mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:14 Apr 14, 2017 Jkt 241001 analyses, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses. Additionally, the update incorporates improvements in methods for assessing factors that are difficult to quantify, incorporates relevant cost estimating best practices, and includes improvements in uncertainty analyses for use in cost-benefit analyses. DATES: Submit comments by June 16, 2017. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before this date. ADDRESSES: 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–2017–0091. Address questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301–415–3463; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. • Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration, Mail Stop: OWFN–12–H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001. 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: Pamela Noto, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301–415–6795, email: Pamela.Noto@nrc.gov, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2017– 0091 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain publicly available information related to this action by any of the following methods: • Federal rulemaking Web site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC–2017–0091. • NRC’s 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 ‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and then select ‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS PO 00000 Frm 00065 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 18163 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. For the convenience of the reader, instructions about obtaining materials referenced in this document are provided in the ‘‘Availability of Documents’’ section. • 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. B. Submitting Comments Please include Docket ID NRC–2017– 0091 in your comment submission. 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 enter 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 into ADAMS. II. Discussion The proposed revision to NUREG/BR– 0058 is the first of two phases to update the NRC’s cost-benefit guidance documents, primarily NUREG/BR–0058, Revision 4, ‘‘Regulatory Analysis Guidelines of the U.S. NRC,’’ and NUREG/BR–0184, ‘‘Regulatory Analysis Technical Handbook.’’ This update identifies potential changes to current methods and tools related to performing cost-benefit analyses in support of regulatory analyses, backfitting analyses, and environmental analyses. In response to questions posed after the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in Japan, the NRC staff recommended enhancing the currency and consistency of the existing regulatory framework through updates to cost-benefit analysis guidance documents, including aligning costbenefit guidance across the agency in both reactor and materials program areas in SECY–12–0110, ‘‘Consideration of Economic Consequences in the NRC’s E:\FR\FM\17APN1.SGM 17APN1 mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES 18164 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 72 / Monday, April 17, 2017 / Notices Regulatory Framework.’’ In the staff requirements memorandum (SRM) for SECY–12–0110, the Commission approved this recommendation and directed the NRC staff to identify potential changes to current methodologies and tools to perform cost-benefit analyses in support of regulatory, backfit, and environmental analyses. Further, the Commission directed the NRC staff to provide a regulatory gap analysis prior to developing new cost-benefit guidance. In response to Commission direction, the NRC staff prepared SECY–14–0002, ‘‘Plan for Updating NRC’s Cost-Benefit Guidance;’’ SECY–14–0087, ‘‘Qualitative Consideration of Factors in the Development of Regulatory Analyses and Backfit Analyses;’’ and SECY–14– 0143, ‘‘Regulatory Gap Analysis of the NRC’s Cost-Benefit Guidance and Practices.’’ Further details regarding these documents are provided below. In response to the SRM for SECY–12– 0110, the NRC staff wrote SECY–14– 0002. The NRC staff identified potential changes to current methodologies and tools related to performing cost-benefit analyses in support of regulatory, backfit, and environmental analyses. In this SECY paper, the NRC staff recommended a two-phased approach to revise the content and structure of the cost-benefit guidance documents. Phase 1 begins to align regulatory guidance across the agency in both reactor and materials program areas by restructuring and pursuing some policy revisions. This SECY paper describes Phase 1 as a restructuring of the three main NRC cost-benefit guidance documents, where NUREG/BR–0184 and NUREG–1409, ‘‘Backfitting Guidelines,’’ are incorporated into NUREG/BR–0058. Because of the June 9, 2016, ‘‘Tasking Related to Implementation of Agency Backfitting and Issue Finality Guidance,’’ NUREG–1409 will be kept as a stand-alone document. Cost-benefit information related to backfitting will be incorporated into the proposed revision to NUREG/BR–0058. Phase 1 will now consist of revising and consolidating two NUREG documents into a single NUREG; updating data, methods, and references; and addressing audit findings and case-study recommendations. Subsequently, Phase 2 will identify and discuss potential policy issues for Commission consideration that could affect the NRC’s cost-benefit guidance and incorporate updates to guidance on backfitting. Phase 1 of the proposed revision to NUREG/BR–0058 includes outlines for future appendices. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:14 Apr 14, 2017 Jkt 241001 The NRC staff wrote SECY–14–0087 in response to the SRM–SECY–12–0157, ‘‘Consideration of Additional Requirements for Containment Venting Systems for Boiling Water Reactors with Mark I and Mark II Containments,’’ which directed the NRC staff to seek guidance regarding the use of qualitative factors. The SECY–14–0087 proposed updating the cost-benefit guidance to include a set of methods that could be used for qualitative consideration of factors within a cost-benefit analysis for regulatory and backfit analyses. In the SRM for SECY–14–0087, the Commission approved the plans for updating guidance regarding qualitative factors, including the treatment of uncertainties, and directed the update to focus on capturing best practices for the consideration of qualitative factors. The Commission also directed the NRC staff to develop a toolkit for the analyst to clarify how to consider and document the use of qualitative factors. Appendix A, ‘‘Qualitative Factors Assessment Tools,’’ of the proposed revision to NUREG/BR–0058 provides this toolkit for considering qualitative factors. In 2014, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a performance audit in which the NRC’s cost-estimating procedures were reviewed. The GAO audit report, GAO– 15–98, ‘‘NRC Needs to Improve its Cost Estimates by Incorporating More Best Practices,’’ recommended that the NRC align its cost estimating procedures with relevant cost estimating best practices identified in the ‘‘GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide’’ (GAO–09–3SP). The NRC staff has addressed the GAO recommendations in Appendix B, ‘‘Cost Estimating and Best Practices,’’ of the proposed revision to NUREG/BR–0058. This proposed revision to NUREG/ BR–0058 would make three main changes. First, the revision to NUREG/ BR–0058 consolidates cost-benefit guidance that is used across the agency. The NRC staff has expanded the draft document to provide additional guidance for performing the NRC’s materials licensee regulatory analyses, backfit analyses, and NEPA analyses. Second, this revision provides methods for assessing factors that are difficult to quantify, incorporates costestimating best practices, and expands on methods to quantify uncertainties. This revision provides guidance intended to enhance clarity, transparency, and consistency of analyses for the decisionmaker. Finally, this revision uses appendices to provide detailed technical material that is subject to change. These PO 00000 Frm 00066 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 appendices will be issued and controlled separately to facilitate the maintenance of this information. Appendices that will be issued initially include Appendix A, ‘‘Qualitative Factors Assessment Tools’’; Appendix B, ‘‘Cost Estimating and Best Practices’’; Appendix C, ‘‘The Treatment of Uncertainty’’; Appendix D, ‘‘Guidance on Regulatory Analyses Related to American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code Changes’’; and Appendix E, ‘‘Special Circumstances.’’ The NRC staff held a Category 3 public meeting on July 16, 2015, to discuss the proposed structure and changes to the NRC cost-benefit guidance in Phase 1. The NRC presentation can be found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML15189A463, and the meeting summary can be found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML15217A420. The NRC staff also held a Category 3 public workshop on March 3, 2016, to discuss NRC activities to improve its cost-benefit guidance including the newly developed qualitative factors assessment tools, cost estimating and best practices, and the treatment of uncertainty. The NRC presentation can be found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML16061A139, and the meeting summary can be found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML16084A167. Additionally, the NRC staff held an Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Regulatory Policies and Practices Subcommittee meeting on February 7, 2017, and an ACRS Full Committee meeting on March 9, 2017. III. Availability of Documents The NRC may post additional materials related to this activity to the Federal rulemaking Web site at www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC–2017–0091. These documents will inform the public of the current status of this activity and/or provide additional material for use at future public meetings. The Federal rulemaking Web site allows you to receive alerts when changes or additions occur in a docket folder. To subscribe: (1) Navigate to the docket folder (NRC–2017–0091); (2) click the ‘‘Sign up for Email Alerts’’ link; and (3) enter your email address and select how frequently you would like to receive emails (daily, weekly, or monthly). The documents identified in the following table are available to interested persons as indicated. E:\FR\FM\17APN1.SGM 17APN1 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 72 / Monday, April 17, 2017 / Notices Document ADAMS accession No./web link NUREG/BR–0058, Revision 5, ‘‘Regulatory Analysis Guidelines of the U.S. NRC’’ .................. NUREG/BR–0058, Revision 4, ‘‘Regulatory Analysis Guidelines of the U.S. NRC’’ .................. NUREG/BR–0184, ‘‘Regulatory Analysis Technical Evaluation Handbook’’ ............................... SECY–14–0002, ‘‘Plan for Updating NRC’s Cost-Benefit Guidance,’’ January 2, 2014 ............. SECY–14–0087, ‘‘Qualitative Consideration of Factors in the Development of Regulatory Analyses and Backfit Analyses,’’ September 11, 2014. SECY–14–0143, ‘‘Regulatory Gap Analysis of the NRC’s Cost-Benefit Guidance and Practices,’’ December 16, 2014. SECY–12–0110, ‘‘Consideration of Economic Consequences within the U.S. NRC’s Regulatory Framework,’’ August 14, 2012. SRM for SECY–12–0110, ‘‘Consideration of Economic Consequences within the U.S. NRC’s Regulatory Framework,’’ March 20, 2013. SRM for SECY–14–0087, ’’Qualitative Consideration of Factors in the Development of Regulatory Analyses and Backfit Analyses,’’ March 4, 2015. NUREG–1409, ‘‘Backftting Guidelines’’ ....................................................................................... ‘‘Tasking Related to Implementation of Agency Backfitting and Issue Finality Guidance,’’ June 9, 2016. AO–15–98, ‘‘NRC Needs to Improve its Cost Estimates by Incorporating More Best Practices’’. GAO–09–3SP, ‘‘GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide’’ ................................................ SRM for SECY–12–0157, ‘‘Consideration of Additional Requirements for Containment Venting Systems for Boiling Water Reactors with Mark I and Mark II Containments,’’ March 12, 2013. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of April 2017. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Anita L. Lund, Director, Division of Policy and Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 2017–07623 Filed 4–14–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD Formation of SES Performance Review Board Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board is announcing the members Performance Review Board. DATES: Effectively immediately and until April 30, 2018. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the formation of the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board’s Performance Review Board, please contact Debra L. Dickson at 703.235.4480 or via email at dickson@ nwtrb.gov, or via mail at 2300 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 1300, Arlington, VA 22201 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4314(c)(1) through (5) of Title 5 of the United States Code, requires each agency to establish, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management, one or more SES Performance Review Boards. Section 4314(c)(4) of Title 5 requires that notice of appointment of board members be published in the Federal mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:14 Apr 14, 2017 Jkt 241001 Register. The following executives have been designated as members of the Performance Review Board for the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board: Steven M. Becker, Board Member, U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board Linda K. Nozick, Board Member, U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board Paul J. Turinsky, Board Member, U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board Katherine R. Herrera, Deputy General Manager, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Timothy J. Dwyer, Member, Technical Staff, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Richard E. Tontodonato, Deputy Technical Director, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Authority: 42 U.S.C. 10262. Dated: April 4, 2017. Debra L. Dickson, Director of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. [FR Doc. 2017–06998 Filed 4–14–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY CORPORATION Approval of Special Withdrawal Liability Rules: the Service Employees International Union Local 1 Cleveland Pension Plan Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. ACTION: Notice of Approval. AGENCY: PO 00000 18165 Frm 00067 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 ML17101A355. ML042820192. ML050190193. ML13274A519. ML14127A458 (Package). ML14280A426 (Package). ML12173A478 (Package). ML13079A055. ML15063A568. ML032230247. ML16133A575. https://www.gao.gov/assets/670/667501.pdf. https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d093sp.pdf. ML13078A017. The Service Employees International Union Local 1 Cleveland Pension Plan requested the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to approve a plan amendment providing for special withdrawal liability rules for employers that maintain the Plan. PBGC published a Notice of Pendency of the Request for Approval of the amendment. In accordance with the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), PBGC is now advising the public that the agency has approved the requested amendment. ADDRESSES: A copy of the plan’s complete request may be requested from the Disclosure Officer, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, 1200 K Street NW., Suite 11101, Washington, DC 20005 (fax 202–326–4042). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Perlin, Assistant Chief Counsel (Perlin.Bruce@PBGC.gov), 202–326– 4020, ext. 6818 or Jon Chatalian, Deputy Assistant Chief Counsel (Chatalian.Jon@ PBGC.gov), ext. 6757, Office of the Chief Counsel, Suite 340, 1200 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20005–4026; (TTY/ TDD users may call the Federal relay service toll-free at 1–800–877–8339 and ask to be connected to 202–326–4020.) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: Background The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) administers title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Under section 4201 of ERISA, an employer that completely or partially withdraws from a defined benefit multiemployer pension plan becomes E:\FR\FM\17APN1.SGM 17APN1

Agencies

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 72 (Monday, April 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18163-18165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-07623]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2017-0091]

Regulatory Analysis Guidelines

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft NUREG; request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for
public comment a draft NUREG, NUREG/BR-0058, Revision 5, ``Regulatory
Analysis Guidelines of the U.S. NRC.'' This proposed revision to NUREG/
BR-0058 would update and restructure the NRC's cost-benefit guidance
documents by incorporating information contained in NUREG/BR-0184,
``Regulatory Analysis Technical Handbook,'' into this document and
would expand the discussion of cost-benefit analyses in NRC's
regulatory analyses, backfitting analyses, and National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) analyses. Additionally, the update incorporates
improvements in methods for assessing factors that are difficult to
quantify, incorporates relevant cost estimating best practices, and
includes improvements in uncertainty analyses for use in cost-benefit
analyses.

DATES: Submit comments by June 16, 2017. Comments received after this
date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission
is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before
this date.

ADDRESSES: 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-2017-0091. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration,
Mail Stop: OWFN-12-H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001.
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: Pamela Noto, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation, telephone: 301-415-6795, email: Pamela.Noto@nrc.gov, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2017-0091 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain
publicly available information related to this action by any of the
following methods:
Federal rulemaking Web site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2017-0091.
NRC's 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 ``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. For
the convenience of the reader, instructions about obtaining materials
referenced in this document are provided in the ``Availability of
Documents'' section.
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.

B. Submitting Comments

Please include Docket ID NRC-2017-0091 in your comment submission.
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 enter 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 into ADAMS.

II. Discussion

The proposed revision to NUREG/BR-0058 is the first of two phases
to update the NRC's cost-benefit guidance documents, primarily NUREG/
BR-0058, Revision 4, ``Regulatory Analysis Guidelines of the U.S.
NRC,'' and NUREG/BR-0184, ``Regulatory Analysis Technical Handbook.''
This update identifies potential changes to current methods and tools
related to performing cost-benefit analyses in support of regulatory
analyses, backfitting analyses, and environmental analyses.
In response to questions posed after the accident at the Fukushima
Dai-ichi plant in Japan, the NRC staff recommended enhancing the
currency and consistency of the existing regulatory framework through
updates to cost-benefit analysis guidance documents, including aligning
cost-benefit guidance across the agency in both reactor and materials
program areas in SECY-12-0110, ``Consideration of Economic Consequences
in the NRC's

[[Page 18164]]

Regulatory Framework.'' In the staff requirements memorandum (SRM) for
SECY-12-0110, the Commission approved this recommendation and directed
the NRC staff to identify potential changes to current methodologies
and tools to perform cost-benefit analyses in support of regulatory,
backfit, and environmental analyses. Further, the Commission directed
the NRC staff to provide a regulatory gap analysis prior to developing
new cost-benefit guidance.
In response to Commission direction, the NRC staff prepared SECY-
14-0002, ``Plan for Updating NRC's Cost-Benefit Guidance;'' SECY-14-
0087, ``Qualitative Consideration of Factors in the Development of
Regulatory Analyses and Backfit Analyses;'' and SECY-14-0143,
``Regulatory Gap Analysis of the NRC's Cost-Benefit Guidance and
Practices.'' Further details regarding these documents are provided
below.
In response to the SRM for SECY-12-0110, the NRC staff wrote SECY-
14-0002. The NRC staff identified potential changes to current
methodologies and tools related to performing cost-benefit analyses in
support of regulatory, backfit, and environmental analyses. In this
SECY paper, the NRC staff recommended a two-phased approach to revise
the content and structure of the cost-benefit guidance documents. Phase
1 begins to align regulatory guidance across the agency in both reactor
and materials program areas by restructuring and pursuing some policy
revisions. This SECY paper describes Phase 1 as a restructuring of the
three main NRC cost-benefit guidance documents, where NUREG/BR-0184 and
NUREG-1409, ``Backfitting Guidelines,'' are incorporated into NUREG/BR-
0058. Because of the June 9, 2016, ``Tasking Related to Implementation
of Agency Backfitting and Issue Finality Guidance,'' NUREG-1409 will be
kept as a stand-alone document. Cost-benefit information related to
backfitting will be incorporated into the proposed revision to NUREG/
BR-0058. Phase 1 will now consist of revising and consolidating two
NUREG documents into a single NUREG; updating data, methods, and
references; and addressing audit findings and case-study
recommendations. Subsequently, Phase 2 will identify and discuss
potential policy issues for Commission consideration that could affect
the NRC's cost-benefit guidance and incorporate updates to guidance on
backfitting. Phase 1 of the proposed revision to NUREG/BR-0058 includes
outlines for future appendices.
The NRC staff wrote SECY-14-0087 in response to the SRM-SECY-12-
0157, ``Consideration of Additional Requirements for Containment
Venting Systems for Boiling Water Reactors with Mark I and Mark II
Containments,'' which directed the NRC staff to seek guidance regarding
the use of qualitative factors. The SECY-14-0087 proposed updating the
cost-benefit guidance to include a set of methods that could be used
for qualitative consideration of factors within a cost-benefit analysis
for regulatory and backfit analyses. In the SRM for SECY-14-0087, the
Commission approved the plans for updating guidance regarding
qualitative factors, including the treatment of uncertainties, and
directed the update to focus on capturing best practices for the
consideration of qualitative factors. The Commission also directed the
NRC staff to develop a toolkit for the analyst to clarify how to
consider and document the use of qualitative factors. Appendix A,
``Qualitative Factors Assessment Tools,'' of the proposed revision to
NUREG/BR-0058 provides this toolkit for considering qualitative
factors.
In 2014, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted
a performance audit in which the NRC's cost-estimating procedures were
reviewed. The GAO audit report, GAO-15-98, ``NRC Needs to Improve its
Cost Estimates by Incorporating More Best Practices,'' recommended that
the NRC align its cost estimating procedures with relevant cost
estimating best practices identified in the ``GAO Cost Estimating and
Assessment Guide'' (GAO-09-3SP). The NRC staff has addressed the GAO
recommendations in Appendix B, ``Cost Estimating and Best Practices,''
of the proposed revision to NUREG/BR-0058.
This proposed revision to NUREG/BR-0058 would make three main
changes. First, the revision to NUREG/BR-0058 consolidates cost-benefit
guidance that is used across the agency. The NRC staff has expanded the
draft document to provide additional guidance for performing the NRC's
materials licensee regulatory analyses, backfit analyses, and NEPA
analyses.
Second, this revision provides methods for assessing factors that
are difficult to quantify, incorporates cost-estimating best practices,
and expands on methods to quantify uncertainties. This revision
provides guidance intended to enhance clarity, transparency, and
consistency of analyses for the decisionmaker.
Finally, this revision uses appendices to provide detailed
technical material that is subject to change. These appendices will be
issued and controlled separately to facilitate the maintenance of this
information. Appendices that will be issued initially include Appendix
A, ``Qualitative Factors Assessment Tools''; Appendix B, ``Cost
Estimating and Best Practices''; Appendix C, ``The Treatment of
Uncertainty''; Appendix D, ``Guidance on Regulatory Analyses Related to
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code Changes''; and
Appendix E, ``Special Circumstances.''
The NRC staff held a Category 3 public meeting on July 16, 2015, to
discuss the proposed structure and changes to the NRC cost-benefit
guidance in Phase 1. The NRC presentation can be found in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML15189A463, and the meeting summary can be found in
ADAMS under Accession No. ML15217A420. The NRC staff also held a
Category 3 public workshop on March 3, 2016, to discuss NRC activities
to improve its cost-benefit guidance including the newly developed
qualitative factors assessment tools, cost estimating and best
practices, and the treatment of uncertainty. The NRC presentation can
be found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML16061A139, and the meeting
summary can be found in ADAMS under Accession No. ML16084A167.
Additionally, the NRC staff held an Advisory Committee on Reactor
Safeguards (ACRS) Regulatory Policies and Practices Subcommittee
meeting on February 7, 2017, and an ACRS Full Committee meeting on
March 9, 2017.

III. Availability of Documents

The NRC may post additional materials related to this activity to
the Federal rulemaking Web site at www.regulations.gov under Docket ID
NRC-2017-0091. These documents will inform the public of the current
status of this activity and/or provide additional material for use at
future public meetings.
The Federal rulemaking Web site allows you to receive alerts when
changes or additions occur in a docket folder. To subscribe: (1)
Navigate to the docket folder (NRC-2017-0091); (2) click the ``Sign up
for Email Alerts'' link; and (3) enter your email address and select
how frequently you would like to receive emails (daily, weekly, or
monthly).
The documents identified in the following table are available to
interested persons as indicated.

[[Page 18165]]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Document ADAMS accession No./web link
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NUREG/BR-0058, Revision 5, ``Regulatory ML17101A355.
Analysis Guidelines of the U.S. NRC''.
NUREG/BR-0058, Revision 4, ``Regulatory ML042820192.
Analysis Guidelines of the U.S. NRC''.
NUREG/BR-0184, ``Regulatory Analysis Technical ML050190193.
Evaluation Handbook''.
SECY-14-0002, ``Plan for Updating NRC's Cost- ML13274A519.
Benefit Guidance,'' January 2, 2014.
SECY-14-0087, ``Qualitative Consideration of ML14127A458 (Package).
Factors in the Development of Regulatory
Analyses and Backfit Analyses,'' September
11, 2014.
SECY-14-0143, ``Regulatory Gap Analysis of the ML14280A426 (Package).
NRC's Cost-Benefit Guidance and Practices,''
December 16, 2014.
SECY-12-0110, ``Consideration of Economic ML12173A478 (Package).
Consequences within the U.S. NRC's Regulatory
Framework,'' August 14, 2012.
SRM for SECY-12-0110, ``Consideration of ML13079A055.
Economic Consequences within the U.S. NRC's
Regulatory Framework,'' March 20, 2013.
SRM for SECY-14-0087, ''Qualitative ML15063A568.
Consideration of Factors in the Development
of Regulatory Analyses and Backfit
Analyses,'' March 4, 2015.
NUREG-1409, ``Backftting Guidelines''......... ML032230247.
``Tasking Related to Implementation of Agency ML16133A575.
Backfitting and Issue Finality Guidance,''
June 9, 2016.
AO-15-98, ``NRC Needs to Improve its Cost https://www.gao.gov/assets/670/667501.pdf.
Estimates by Incorporating More Best
Practices''.
GAO-09-3SP, ``GAO Cost Estimating and https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d093sp.pdf.
Assessment Guide''.
SRM for SECY-12-0157, ``Consideration of ML13078A017.
Additional Requirements for Containment
Venting Systems for Boiling Water Reactors
with Mark I and Mark II Containments,'' March
12, 2013.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of April 2017.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Anita L. Lund,
Director, Division of Policy and Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2017-07623 Filed 4-14-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.