ML23346A184
| ML23346A184 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 01/16/2024 |
| From: | Gascot-Lozada R, Robert Roche-Rivera NRC/RES/DE/RGDB |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML23346A182 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML23346A184 (3) | |
Text
Enclosure U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Fiscal Year 2023 Agency Report
- 1. Please provide a summary of your agencys activities undertaken to carry out the provisions of OMB Circular A-119, Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities and the National Technology Transfer and Advance Act (NTTAA). The summary should contain a link to the agencys standards-specific website(s) where information about your agencys standards and conformity assessment related activities are available.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) uses voluntary consensus standards as an integral part of our regulatory framework. Standards contain technical requirements, safety requirements, guidelines, characteristics, and recommended practices for performance. The benefits of being actively involved in developing and using standards include improved safety, cost savings, improved efficiency and transparency, and regulatory requirements with high technical quality. Some standards are incorporated by reference into NRC regulations. The NRCs regulations may be found at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/
index.html. The NRC staff also issues documents providing guidance on acceptable methods for complying with NRC regulations such as Regulatory Guides (RGs). These guidance documents frequently endorse and reference voluntary consensus standards as acceptable methods for compliance with NRC regulations. RGs are cataloged here https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/index.html#reg.
The NRC implements the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-119, Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities, consistent with the provisions of the National Technology Transfer and Advance Act (NTTAA) of 1995 (Public Law 104-113) through formal guidance to the NRC staff.
Guidance to the NRC staff on standards work is provided in NRC Management Directive (MD) 6.5, NRC Participation in the Development and Use of Consensus Standards. MD 6.5 and its associated directive handbook were initially published in 1998 and were revised and reissued in 2016. MD 6.5 describes the NRCs process with respect to the participation in the development and use of consensus standards. This process consists of three primary steps:
(1) identifying and prioritizing the need for new and revised technical standards, (2) participating in codes and standards development, and (3) endorsing codes and standards.
As an initiative to enhance agency use of standards and to exchange standards information with external stakeholders, in September 2023, the NRC hosted the seventh NRC Standards Forum.
The goals of the NRC Standards Forum are to facilitate discussions on codes and standards needs within the nuclear industry and explore how to collaborate in accelerating the development of codes and standards and the subsequent NRC endorsement of codes and standards. Our intent is to shorten the lengthy standards development cycle by encouraging collaboration among stakeholders including researchers producing technical information and standards writers who build upon their findings. The Standards Forum meetings are usually held once a year. A summary and related documents for the September 2023 Standards Forum can be found at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/standards-dev/standards-forum/2023.html.
The NRC is working, and intends to continue working, with multiple standards development organizations to close technical and regulatory gaps through development and application of consensus standards. These standards may be applied to regulatory activities for existing light-water reactors or new nuclear plant designs including advanced reactor technologies and
2 small modular reactors. Standards continue to provide a critical element in our safety mission.
For more information, the NRC website on standards development is at:
https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/standards-dev.html. Additionally, the NRC webpage at the following link, https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/incorporated-ref.html, provides a list of standards incorporated by reference into chapter I of title 10 of the code of federal regulations.
- 2. Please list the government-unique standards (GUS) your agency began using in lieu of voluntary consensus standards during FY 2023. Please note that GUS which are still in effect from previous years should continue to be listed, thus the total number in your agency's report will include all GUS currently in use (previous years and new as of this FY):
Current total GUS: 2 (1) Government Unique Standard NRC NUREG-1556, Consolidated Guidance about Materials Licenses [Incorporated: 2011].
Voluntary Standard (American National Standards Institute (ANSI)) N 13.2-1969, Guide for Administrative Practices in Radiation Monitoring.
Rationale (ANSI) N 13.2-1969, Guide for Administrative Practices in Radiation Monitoring, had been endorsed in Regulatory Guide 8.2, with the same title, issued in February 1973. The standard has not been revised since its inception, and it now refers to obsolete technical practices and outdated requirements. Therefore, Revision 1 of RG 8.2, published in May 2011, removed endorsement of ANSI N 13.2-1969. Guidance is now provided through two referenced NRC reports, that could be considered Government-unique standards: NUREG-1556, Consolidated Guidance about Materials Licenses, and NUREG-1736, Consolidated Guidance:
10 CFR Part 20Standards for Protection against Radiation.
(2) Government Unique Standard NRC NUREG-1736, Consolidated Guidance: 10 CFR Part 20Standards for Protection against Radiation [Incorporated: 2011].
Voluntary Standard (ANSI) N 13.2-1969, Guide for Administrative Practices in Radiation Monitoring.
Rationale (ANSI) N 13.2-1969, Guide for Administrative Practices in Radiation Monitoring, had been endorsed in RG 8.2, with the same title, issued in February 1973. The standard has not been revised since its inception, and it now refers to obsolete technical practices and outdated requirements. Therefore, Revision 1 of RG 8.2, published in May 2011, removed endorsement of ANSI N 13.2-1969. Guidance is now provided through two referenced NRC reports, that
3 could be considered Government-unique standards: NUREG-1556, Consolidated Guidance about Materials Licenses, and NUREG-1736, Consolidated Guidance: 10 CFR Part 20 Standards for Protection against Radiation.