RIS 2001-21, Withdrawn NRC Regulatory Issue Summary 2001-021: Licensing Action Estimates for Operating Reactors
| ML012840123 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 11/16/2001 |
| From: | Matthews D Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs |
| To: | |
| References | |
| OMB 3150-0131 RIS-01-021 | |
| Download: ML012840123 (8) | |
Withdrawn
NRC Regulatory Issue Summary 2001-21, Licensing Action Estimates for Operating Reactors, dated November 16, 2001, has been withdrawn.
ADAMS Accession Number: ML012840123
See Federal Register notice dated October 25, 2016
OMB Control No.: 3150-0131 UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION
WASHINGTON, DC 20555-0001 November 16, 2001 NRC REGULATORY ISSUE SUMMARY 2001-21 LICENSING ACTION ESTIMATES FOR OPERATING REACTORS
ADDRESSEES
All power reactor licensees, including those that have elected to permanently cease operations and have submitted certifications pursuant to Title 10, Section 50.82(a)(1), of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 50.82(a)(1)).
PURPOSE
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this regulatory issue summary (RIS)
to ask licensees to provide estimates of the number of licensing actions that they will submit for NRC review in fiscal years (FYs) 2002 and 2003. (The NRCs fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends on September 30.) Submittal of the requested estimates is strictly voluntary. No specific action or written response is required.
BACKGROUND
To meet the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, the NRC
has begun a series of initiatives to improve the agencys planning process. Among those initiatives, the NRC has implemented an integrated planning, budgeting, and performance measurement process. This process applies the business principles of goal setting, strategy development, resource allocation, and performance measurement to NRC activities. Among other benefits, the integrated process strongly ties the agencys budget and resource allocation process to its strategic plan, its strategic arenas, and its performance goals and measures.
In addition, to ensure that performance measures and corresponding resource allocations are as accurate as possible, NRC periodically assesses the appropriateness of the information and assumptions used in the budget development process.
ISSUE SUMMARY
A significant element in the NRCs budget process is the number of licensing actions that the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) is expected to review during a budget cycle.
Specifically, licensing actions include requests for license amendments, renewals, transfers or conversions; exemptions; relief from inspection and surveillance requirements; review of topical reports submitted on a plant-specific basis; power uprate requests; dry cask storage applications; Owners Group initiatives (topical reports); Technical Specification Task Force initiatives; and other licensee requests requiring the expenditure of NRC resources.
To more accurately forecast the resources needed to complete requested licensing actions, the NRC is asking that all power reactor licensees, including those that have determined to permanently cease operations and have submitted certifications pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(a)(1), to voluntarily provide estimates of the number of licensing action requests that they plan to submit for NRR review in FYs 2002 and 2003. This information will enable the agency to better meet its performance and timeliness goals under the agencys strategic plan.
Further, to adequately capture the resource impact of certain licensing action reviews, the NRC
is asking licensees to identify (by brief title) those licensing actions that they anticipate will entail complex reviews. The NRC will use this information as the basis for allocating resources in FYs
2002 and 2003.
Licensees would also assist the NRC by estimating the potential safety and operational benefits, costs/person-rem averted, or any other economic savings that would be realized as a result of their anticipated licensing action requests. The agency will use these estimates to assist the NRR staff in planning workload, allocating its resources, and measuring its success in reducing unnecessary regulatory burden.
The NRC calculates and budgets its resources on the basis of projected estimates of incoming licensing actions with an eye toward completing those licensing actions in a timely manner. For example, the NRCs current budget allows for the resources needed to process 1,500 licensing actions during a fiscal year, and the completion of those 1,500 actions during a fiscal year constitutes an agency performance measure. Specifically, the NRCs established timeliness performance measure is to complete 95 percent of all incoming licensing actions within 1 year and 100 percent within 2 years.
In FY 2000, the NRCs budget allocated the resources needed to process 1,500 licensing actions, but the agency actually received approximately 1,700 requests. Without reasonably accurate estimates of the expected number of licensing actions that the NRC will receive, our agencys budget estimates can be significantly incorrect, ultimately impeding our ability to process licensing actions on a timely basis. Licensing action requests for which NRR has not received advanced notice will be assessed using the integrated planning, budgeting, and performance management process and scheduled to the extent practical on a case-by-case basis. However, the lack of prior notice could significantly delay such requests if sufficient resources are not available at the time of submittal. In the future, the NRC plans to ask for licensing action estimates on a fiscal year basis.
Attachment 1 to this RIS provides a table that licensees can use to document their estimates of licensing actions for the next 2 fiscal years. If a licensee determines that a licensing action estimate is proprietary in nature, the licensee may submit the information along with an affidavit, in accordance with the provisions of 10 CFR 2.790(b), to have the NRC withhold the information from public disclosure. Licensees can also submit a redacted version of their licensing action estimates. Guidance on this subject is provided in Management Directive (MD) 3.1, Freedom of Information Act; MD 3.4, Release of Information to the Public; and MD 12.6, NRC
Sensitive Unclassified Information Security Program.
Licensees are asked to voluntarily provide their estimates of licensing action requests to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ATTN: Document Control Desk, Washington, DC
20555-0001, with a copy to Donna Skay, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop O-8C2, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, within 45 days of receipt of this RIS.
BACKFIT DISCUSSION
This RIS does not require any action or written response; any action on the part of addressees to collect and transmit information in accordance with the guidance in this RIS, for the purpose of aiding the NRC in planning the use of its resources, is strictly voluntary. Therefore, this RIS
does not constitute a backfit under 10 CFR 50.109, and the staff did not perform a backfit analysis.
FEDERAL REGISTER NOTIFICATION
This RIS pertains to an administrative aspect of the regulatory process that involves the voluntary submission of information by addressees. Consequently, the staff did not publish a notice of opportunity for public comment on this RIS in the Federal Register.
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT
The voluntary collection of information requested in this RIS is covered by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance number 3150-0131. The public reporting burden for this voluntary collection of information is estimated to average 10 hours1.157407e-4 days <br />0.00278 hours <br />1.653439e-5 weeks <br />3.805e-6 months <br /> per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather and maintain the requested data, and complete and review the collection of information. Comments regarding this burden, including suggestions for reducing this burden, may be sent to the Records Management Branch, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, and to the Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-10202 (3150-
0131), Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C. 20503.
PUBLIC PROTECTION NOTIFICATION
If a means used to impose an information collection does not display a currently valid OMB
clearance number, the NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, the information collection.
This RIS does not require any specific action or written response. If you have any questions about this matter, please contact the technical contact listed below or the appropriate NRR
project manager.
/RA Christopher I. Grimes Acting for/
David B. Matthews, Director Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical Contact:
Donna Skay, NRR
301-415-1322 dms6@nrc.gov Attachments:
1. Table of Estimated Licensing Actions
2. List of Recently Issued NRC Regulatory Issue Summaries
ML012840123 OFFICE
REXB
Tech Editor D:DLPM
REXB
C:REXB
D:DRIP
NAME
NFields*
PPuccio*
JZwolinski*
JTappert*
EVImbro*
DMatthews DATE
09/20/2001
09/14/2001
09/26/2001
10/30/2001
11/08/2001
/ /2001
Attachment 1 TABLE OF ESTIMATED LICENSING ACTIONS
PLANT NAME
UNIT NO.
DOCKET NO.
LICENSING ACTION
ESTIMATED
DATE OF
SUBMITTAL
MM/YY
SAFETY, OPERATIONAL, OR
ECONOMIC BENEFIT
______________________________________________________________________________________
OL = Operating License CP = Construction Permit Attachment 2 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED
NRC REGULATORY ISSUE SUMMARIES
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Regulatory Issue Date of Summary No.
Subject Issuance Issued to
_____ _______________________________________________________________________________
2001-20
Revisions to Staff Guidance for Implementing NRC Policy on Notices of Enforcement Discretion
11/14/2001 All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors, except those who have permanently ceased operations and have certified that fuel has been permanently removed from the reactor vessel
2001-19 Deficiencies in the Documentation of Design Basis Radiological Analyses Submitted in Conjunction with License Amendment Requests
10/18/2001 All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors
2001-18 Requirements for Oath or Affirmation
08/22/2001 All holders of construction permits or operating licenses for nuclear power reactors and non-power reactors under Part 50 of Title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 50),
including those who have permanently ceased operations and have certified that fuel has been permanently removed from the reactor vessel, holders of licenses issued under 10 CFR Part 72, and holders of certificates issued under 10 CFR Part 76
2001-17 Preparation and Scheduling of Operator Licensing Examinations
08/22/2001 All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors, except those who have permanently ceased operations and have certified that fuel has been permanently removed from the reactor vessel
2001-16 Update of Evacuation Time Estimates
08/01/2001 All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power plants