2024-25038: Draft Regulatory Guide: Qualification of Fiber-Optic Cables, Connections, and Optical Fiber Splices for Use in Safety Systems for Production and Utilization Facilities

Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 209 (Tuesday, October 29, 2024) [Federal Register Volume 89, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 29, 2024)] [Proposed Rules] [Pages 85889-85890] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2024-25038] ======================================================================== Proposed Rules Federal Register ________________________________________________________________________ This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules. ======================================================================== Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 209 / Tuesday, October 29, 2024 / Proposed Rules [[Page 85889]] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 10 CFR Parts 50 and 52 [NRC-2024-0161] Draft Regulatory Guide: Qualification of Fiber-Optic Cables, Connections, and Optical Fiber Splices for Use in Safety Systems for Production and Utilization Facilities

Agency

Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Action

Draft guide; request for comment. -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment a draft Regulatory Guide (DG), DG-1427, ``Qualification of Fiber-Optic Cables, Connections, and Optical Fiber Splices for Use in Safety Systems for Production and Utilization Facilities.'' DG-1427 is newly proposed Revision 0 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.257 and describes an approach that is acceptable to the staff of the NRC for use in complying with NRC regulations that address the environmental qualification of fiber-optic cables, connections, and optical fiber splices in safety systems in production and utilization facilities.

Dates

Submit comments by November 29, 2024. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before this date.

Addresses

You may submit comments by any of the following methods; however, the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the Federal rulemaking website. Federal rulemaking website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2024-0161. Address questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact the individuals listed in the For Further Information Contact section of this document. Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555- 0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff. For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

For Further Information Contact

Sheila Ray, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-3653; email: [email protected] and Vance Petrella, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, telephone: 301- 415-1048; email: [email protected]. Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

Supplementary Information

II. Additional Information

The NRC is issuing for public comment a DG in the NRC's ``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe methods that are acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the NRC's regulations, to explain techniques that the staff uses in evaluating specific issues or postulated events, and to describe information that the staff needs in its review of applications for permits and licenses. The DG, entitled ``Qualification of Fiber-Optic Cables, Connections, and Optical Fiber Splices for Use in Safety Systems for Production and Utilization Facilities,'' is temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1427, and describes an approach that is acceptable to the NRC staff for use in complying with NRC regulations that address the environmental qualification of fiber-optic cables, connections, and optical fiber splices in safety systems in production and utilization facilities. [[Page 85890]] DG-1427 is newly proposed Revision 0 of RG 1.257 and endorses, subject to the conditions described in Section C of this DG, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard 1682-2023, which provides methods, directions, and documentation for the qualification of fiber optic cables, connections, and optical fiber splices in safety systems of production and utilization facilities. The staff is also issuing for public comment a draft regulatory analysis (ADAMS Accession No. ML24201A069). The staff developed a regulatory analysis to assess the value of issuing or revising an RG as well as alternative courses of action. As noted in the Federal Register on December 9, 2022 (87 FR 75671), this document is being published in the ``Proposed Rules'' section of the Federal Register to comply with publication requirements under chapter I of title 1 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

III. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality

Issuance of DG-1427, if finalized, would not constitute backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109, ``Backfitting,'' and as described in NRC Management Directive (MD) 8.4, ``Management of Backfitting, Forward Fitting, Issue Finality, and Information Requests''; does not affect issue finality of any approval issued under 10 CFR part 52, ``Licenses, Certificates, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants''; nor constitute forward fitting as defined in MD 8.4, because, as explained in this DG, licensees would not be required to comply with the positions set forth in this DG.

IV. Submitting Suggestions for Improvement of Regulatory Guides

A member of the public may, at any time, submit suggestions to the NRC for improvement of existing RGs or for the development of new RGs. Suggestions can be submitted on the NRC's public website at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/contactus.html. Suggestions will be considered in future updates and enhancements to the ``Regulatory Guide'' series. Dated: October 23, 2024. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Stanley Gardocki, Acting Chief, Regulatory Guide and Programs Management Branch, Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. [FR Doc. 2024-25038 Filed 10-28-24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P