The NRCs Enforcement Policy addresses
circumstances in which the NRC may exercise enforcement discretion.
A specific type of enforcement discretion is designated as a NOED
and relates to circumstances which may arise where a nuclear power
plant licensees compliance with a Technical Specification Limiting
Condition for Operation or other license conditions would involve:
(1) an unnecessary plant shutdown; (2) performance of testing,
inspection, or system realignment that is inappropriate for the
specific plant conditions; or (3) unnecessary delays in plant
startup without a corresponding health and safety benefit.
Similarly, for a gaseous diffusion plant, circumstances may arise
where compliance with a Technical Safety Requirement or other
condition would unnecessarily call for a total plant shutdown, or,
compliance would unnecessarily place the plant in a condition where
safety, safeguards or security features were degraded or
inoperable. A licensee or certificate holder seeking the issuance
of an NOED must provide a written justification, in accordance with
guidance provided in NRC Inspection Manual, Part 9900, which
documents the safety basis for the request and provides whatever
other information the NRC staff deems necessary to decide whether
or not to exercise discretion. In addition, NRCs Enforcement
Policy includes a provision allowing licensees to voluntarily adopt
fire protection requirements contained in the National Fire
Protection Association Standard 805, Performance Based Standard
for Fire Protection for Light Water Reactor Electric Generating
Plants, 2001 Edition (NFPA 805). Licensees who wish to implement
the risk-informed process in NFPA-805 must submit a letter of
intent to the NRC and submit a letter of retraction if they change
their minds about implementing NFPA-805.
The overall estimated burden
decreased from 1,991 hours to 1,825 hours, a 166 hour decrease.
This is a decrease from 1,810 to 1,660 reporting hours (150 hour
decrease) and a decrease from 181 to 165 recordkeeping hours (16
hour decrease). This decrease is due to a decrease in the estimated
number of NOEDs from 11 annually to 10 annually. The decrease in
estimated number of annual NOEDs is based on a review of past NOED
data. The estimated number of letters of intent to adopt NFPA-805
did not change. However, in this submission, the NFPA-805 letters
of intent have been separated into a second IC (previously all
information in this collection was submitted as a single IC). These
letters are based on a different requirement within the NRC
Enforcement Policy than NOEDs.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.