In accordance
with 5 CFR 1320, OMB is filing comment and withholding approval at
this time. The agency shall examine public comment in response to
the proposed rulemaking and will include in the supporting
statement of the next ICR—which is to be submitted to OMB at the
final rule stage—a description of how the agency has responded to
any public comments on the ICR, including comments on maximizing
the practical utility of the collection and minimizing the
burden.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
05/31/2022
05/31/2022
05/31/2022
43,618
0
43,618
3,710,960
0
3,710,960
272,062
0
272,062
THE APPENDIX H TO 10 CFR PART 50
REACTOR VESSEL MATERIAL SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM - PROPOSED RULE. The
requirements for a reactor vessel material surveillance program are
specified under appendix H to 10 CFR part 50. The NRC requires
light-water nuclear power reactor licensees to implement this
program when it cannot be shown that the end of design life neutron
fluence for the reactor vessel is below certain criteria. This
program monitors changes in the fracture toughness properties of
the reactor vessel materials adjacent to the reactor core. It
involves the testing of irradiated material specimens that are
located in surveillance capsules in the reactor vessel. The
surveillance test results are used to evaluate the changes in
material fracture toughness and thereby assesses the integrity of
the reactor vessel. Appendix H to 10 CFR part 50 requires that
within one year of the date of the surveillance capsule withdrawal,
a summary technical report be submitted to the NRC that contains
the data required by ASTM E 185, and the results of all fracture
toughness tests conducted on the beltline materials in the
irradiated and unirradiated conditions, unless an extension is
granted by the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. At
that time this requirement became effective (48 FR 24008; July 26,
1983), there was still a limited amount of data from irradiated
materials from which to estimate embrittlement trends of reactor
vessels at nuclear power plants; thus, making it crucial for timely
reporting of test results.' Licensees that participate in an
integrated surveillance program have found it burdensome to meet
this one-year requirement, due to the time needed for coordination
among the multiple licensees participating in the program. A
significant number of test specimens have been analyzed since 1983,
the results of which support the reduced need for prompt reporting
of the test results Based on this finding, the NRC determined that
the reporting requirement in appendix H to 10 CFR part 50 should be
revised. The NRC is proposing to reduce this regulatory burden by
extending the reporting period from 1 year to 18 months, with the
objectives of eliminating the need for licensees to prepare and
submit extension requests, and the use of NRC resources to review
the requests. This revision would have no effect on public health
and safety. Licensees must maintain records and prepare reports to
demonstrate their fulfillment of the regulatory requirements
related to a reactor vessel material surveillance program. The
information collection requirements under this program include: •
Maintenance of records of the test results from this program
throughout the life of the reactor vessel. • Reports of the
information specified in ASTM E 185 82.
The proposed rule would
decrease the burden for 10 CFR Part 50 from 3,710,960 to 3,710,882
hours and would decrease the responses from 43,618 to 43,617, a
reduction of 78 hours and 1 response. The proposed rule would
reduce burden by extending the periodicity for submitting the
summary technical report under Appendix H, Section IV.A, to 10 CFR
Part 50, from 1 year to 18 months. The objective of this action is
to eliminate the need for licensees to prepare and submit extension
requests, and the use of NRC resources to review these
requests.
$62,784,122
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
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.
Reactor Vessel Materials Surveillance Program Companion Proposed Rule Supporting Statement.docx
Reactor Vessel Material Surveillance Program 60-day FRN for comment on information collection changes.pdf
10 CFR Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities