Information Collection: Physical Protection of Plants and Materials

AGENCY:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION:

Renewal of existing information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment on the renewal of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for an existing collection of information. The information collection is entitled, “Physical Protection of Plants and Materials.”

DATES:

Submit comments by August 23, 2021. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission 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-2020-0276. For technical questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
• Mail comments to: David Cullison, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Mail Stop: T-6 A10M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

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:

David Cullison, Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-2084; email: Infocollects.Resource@nrc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0276 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain publicly available information related to this action by any of the following methods:

• Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/ and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0276. A copy of the collection of information and related instructions may be obtained without charge by accessing Docket ID NRC-2020-0276 on this website.
• NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select “Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.” For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The supporting statement and 10 CFR part 73 Burden Tables are available in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML21101A002 and ML21101A001.
• Attention: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies of public documents, is currently closed. You may submit your request to the PDR via email at pdr.resource@nrc.gov or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
• NRC's Clearance Officer: A copy of the collection of information and related instructions may be obtained without charge by contacting the NRC's Clearance Officer, David Cullison, Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-2084; email: Infocollects.Resource@nrc.gov.

B. Submitting Comments

The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the Federal Rulemaking Website ( https://www.regulations.gov ). Please include Docket ID NRC-2020-0276 in your comment submission.

The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact information in comment submissions that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your comment submission. All comment submissions are posted at https://www.regulations.gov/ and entered into ADAMS. Comment submissions are not routinely edited to remove identifying or contact information.

If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons for submission to the OMB, then you should inform those persons not to include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should state that comment submissions are not routinely edited to remove such information before making the comment submissions available to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.

II. Background

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the NRC is requesting public comment on its intention to request the OMB's approval for the information collection summarized below.

1. The title of the information collection: Part 73 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), “Physical Protection of Plants and Materials.”

2. OMB approval number: 3150-0002.

3. Type of submission: Extension.

4. The form number, if applicable: N/A.

5. How often the collection is required or requested: Once for the initial submittal of Cyber Security Plans, Physical Security Plans, Safeguards Contingency Plans, and Security Training and Qualification Plans and then on occasion when changes are made. Required reports are submitted and evaluated as events occur.

6. Who will be required or asked to respond: Nuclear power reactor licensees licensed under 10 CFR parts 50 or 52 who possess, use, import, export, transport, or deliver to a carrier for transport, special nuclear material; actively decommissioning reactor licensees; Category I, Category II and Category III fuel facilities; nonpower reactors (research and test reactors); and other entities who mark and handle Safeguards Information.

7. The estimated number of annual responses: 130,968 (40,889 reporting responses + 89,869 third party disclosure responses + 210 record keepers).

8. The estimated number of annual respondents: 210 (56 power reactors; 20 decommissioning reactor facilities; 2 Category I fuel facilities; 5 Category II and III fuel facilities; 31 nonpower reactors; and 96 other entities who mark and handle Safeguards Information).

9. The estimated number of hours needed annually to comply with the information collection requirement or request: 495,892 hours (22,631 reporting + 451,788 recordkeeping + 21,473 third party disclosure).

10. Abstract: The NRC regulations in 10 CFR part 73 prescribe requirements to establish and maintain a physical protection system and security organization with capabilities for protection of: (1) Special nuclear material (SNM) at fixed sites, (2) SNM in transit, and (3) plants in which SNM is used. 10 CFR part 73 contains reporting and recordkeeping requirements which are necessary to help ensure that an adequate level of protection is provided for nuclear facilities and nuclear material, such as: Development and maintenance of security documents including a physical security plan, a training and qualification plan, a safeguards contingency plan, a cyber security plan, and security implementing procedures; notifications to the NRC regarding safeguards and cyber security events; notifications to state governors and tribes of shipments of irradiated reactor fuel; and requirements for conducting criminal history records checks of individuals granted unescorted access to a nuclear power facility, a non-power reactor, or access to Safeguards Information. The objective is to ensure that activities involving special nuclear material are consistent with interests of common defense and security and that these activities do not constitute an unreasonable risk to public health and safety. The information in the reports and records submitted by licensees is used by the NRC staff to ensure that the health and safety of the public and the environment are protected, and licensee possession and use of special nuclear material is in compliance with license and regulatory requirements.

III. Specific Requests for Comments

The NRC is seeking comments that address the following questions:

1. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the NRC to properly perform its functions? Does the information have practical utility?

2. Is the estimate of the burden of the information collection accurate?

3. Is there a way to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected?

4. How can the burden of the information collection on respondents be minimized, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology?