NRC seeking comment on draft regulatory basis for small modular reactors emergency preparedness requirements

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced that the commission is seeking public comment on a draft regulatory basis for new emergency preparedness requirements for small modular reactors and other new technologies.

The draft regulatory basis covers technologies that differ from the large light-water reactors commonly
used today in the United States. The smaller size and new safety features of these technologies will likely lead to lower risk of serious incidents compared to today’s reactors.

A draft regulatory basis is an early step in the rulemaking process in which the NRC staff explains the reasoning for developing new regulatory requirements and seeks public comment. It includes explaining why the NRC believes a rule should be updated, presents alternatives to rulemaking and considers costs and other potential impact of a change.

After the regulatory basis is finalized, the NRC staff will develop a proposed rule, which will be released for public comment before the NRC produces a final rule.

The NRC is accepting written and online comments through June 27. NRC staff will also hold a public meeting on May 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the commission’s headquarters in Rockville, Maryland to discuss the draft regulatory basis. The draft regulatory basis is available in the NRC’s ADAMS online database.