OMB files this
comment in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.11(c). This OMB action is not
an approval to conduct or sponsor an information collection under
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This action has no effect on
any current approvals. If OMB has assigned this ICR a new OMB
Control Number, the OMB Control Number will not appear in the
active inventory. For future submissions of this information
collection, reference the OMB Control Number provided. In
accordance with 5 CFR 1320, OMB is withholding approval at this
time. Prior to publication of the final rule, the agency must
submit to OMB a summary of all comments related to the information
collection contained in the proposed rule and the agency response.
The agency should clearly indicate any changes made to the
information collection as a result of these comments.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
06/30/2021
36 Months From Approved
06/30/2021
43,623
0
43,623
3,708,530
0
3,708,530
269,617
0
269,617
This proposed rule is the latest in a
series of rulemakings to amend the NRC’s regulations to incorporate
by reference revised and updated ASME Codes for nuclear power
plants. The number of operating nuclear power plants has decreased
and the NRC has increased its estimate of the burden associated
with developing alternative requests. Overall, the reporting burden
for § 50.55a has decreased. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
is seeking public comment on the potential impact of the
information collections contained in this proposed rule and on the
following issues:
The current Part 50 annual
burden is 43,623 responses and 3,708,530 hours. The proposed rule
reduces the annual number of responses by 53 and the annual burden
hours on industry by a total of 12,640 hours. The change in burden
is due to a decrease in the number of operating nuclear power
plants from 99 plants now to 95 plants at the end of the expected
clearance period in 2021, contributing to the estimated decrease in
the estimated number of alternative and relief requests being
submitted. The proposed rule incorporates by reference OM and BPV
codes and code cases from ASME, described above, which reduce the
burden on industry and the NRC by a reduction in relief and
alternative requests submitted and reviewed as a result of aspects
of plant operation covered by these codes and code cases. A recent
review of Code alternate requests submitted to the NRC over a 5
year span identified that submittals ranged from a few pages to
several hundred pages with an average of approximately 32 pages
with average technical complexity. Therefore, the NRC estimates
that a Code Case submittal requires an average of 300 hours of
effort to develop the technical justification and an additional 80
hours to perform research, review, approve, process, and submit the
document to the NRC for use of alternatives under 10 CFR 50.55a(z).
Therefore, the total estimated burden is determined to be 380 hours
per alternative. The proposed rule adds procedural updates to HDPE
joints and testing, defect mitigation by modification, and steam
generator weld inspections, which add burden to the industry. The
removal of steam generator and pressurizer weld inspection
requirements result in a reduction in burden from the inspections
currently required. Overall, the proposed rule will result in an
annualized industry burden reduction of 10338 hours in the first
three years (3446 annualized hours) to implement the changes that
revise the procedures to the new ASME standards. The annual,
recurring changes resulting from the final rule represent an
overall decrease in burden of 157 hours. Following the
implementation phase, the industry will see a reduced burden for
the aspects of plant operation covered by the code cases in the
proposed rule.
$63,787,844
No
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
James O'Driscoll 301
425-1325
No
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.
Proposed Rule Supporting Statement for ASME 2015-2017.docx
10 CFR Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities