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Generic Communications for Emergency Preparedness

On this page:

Administrative Letter
Bulletin
Generic Letter (GL)
Information Notice (IN)
Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS)
Emergency Preparedness Position Papers

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Administrative Letter

Transmittals to inform addressees of specific regulatory or administrative information or to clarify this information. Note: Discontinued in September 1999.

File Name	Date	Description
AL 94-04	04/11/94	Change to NRC Operations Center Commercial Telephone and Facsimile Numbers
AL 94-07	05/06/94	Distribution of Site-Specific and State Emergency Planning Information
AL 94-16	11/30/94	Revision of the NRC Core Inspection Program for Annual Emergency Preparedness Exercises
AL 97-03	03/28/97	Plant Restart Discussions Following Natural Disasters

Bulletin

Used to transmit information or to request a specified action or response for significant issues that also have "urgency" (e.g., matters of safety, safeguards, or environmental significance). A bulletin requires a written response by the addressees, usually within a specified time frame, under oath or affirmation in keeping with its urgent nature.

File Name	Date	Description
Bulletin 79-18	08/07/79	Audibility Problems Encountered on Evacuation of Personnel from High-Noise Areas
Bulletin 80-15	06/18/80	Possible Loss of Emergency Notification System (ENS) with Loss of Offsite Power
Bulletin 05-02	07/18/05	Emergency Preparedness and Response Actions for Security-Based Events

Generic Letter (GL)

Generic letters are used to request information or action, or both, that is considered "routine." Unlike bulletins, a generic letter is published in the Federal Register for public comment and will typically not invoke oath or affirmation requirements.

File Name	Date	Description
GL 79-50	10/79	Emergency Plans Submittal Dates
GL 79-67	11/29/79	Estimates for Evacuation of Various Areas Around Nuclear Power Reactors
GL 80-34	04/25/80	Clarification of NRC Requirements for Emergency Response Facilities at Each Site
GL 80-57	06/26/80	Further Commission Guidance for Power Reactor Operating Licenses
GL 80-60	07/02/80	Request for Information Regarding Evacuation Times
GL 80-90	10/31/80	Post TMI Requirements, NUREG-0737
GL 80-93	11/06/80	Emergency Preparedness
GL 80-94	11/13/80	Emergency Plan
GL 81-10	02/18/81	Post-TMI Requirements for the Emergency Operations Facility
GL 82-33	12/17/82	Issued Supplement 1 to NUREG-0737, which provided additional clarification regarding the safety parameter display systems, detailed control room design reviews, Regulatory Guide 1.97 (Rev. 2).
GL 89-06	04/12/89	Task Action Plan Item I.D.2 – Safety Parameter Display System – 10 CFR 50.54(f)
GL 89-15	08/21/89	Emergency Response Data System
GL 91-14	09/23/91	Alerts licensees to NRC efforts to implement the upgrade to its emergency telecommunications system
GL 93-01	03/03/93	Emergency Response Data System Test Program (Generic Letter 93-01)
GL 93-07	12/28/93	Allows licensees to remove from their technical specification administrative controls the requirement that the utility nuclear audit and review group to conduct an audit of Emergency Plans and procedures
GL 96-02	02/13/96	Reconsideration of Nuclear Power Plant Security Requirements Associated with an Internal Threat
GL 03-01	06/12/03	Control Room Habitability

Information Notice (IN)

Information notices are used to inform the nuclear industry of recent events. This includes significant, recently identified safety, security, or environmental information. Licensees are expected to review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems. Information notices will not convey or imply new requirements or new interpretations and will not request information or actions.

File Name	Date	Description
IN 81-34	11/16/81	Accidental Actuation of Prompt Public Notification System
IN 82-44	11/18/82	Clarification of Emergency Plan Exercise Requirements
IN 83-28	05/04/83	Criteria for Protective Action Recommendations for General Emergencies
IN 83-34	05/26/83	Event Notification Information Worksheet
IN 84-05	01/16/84	Exercise Frequency - 44 CFR 350
IN 84-40	05/30/84	Emergency Worker Doses
IN 85-41	05/24/85	Scheduling of Pre-Licensing Emergency Preparedness Exercises
IN 85-44	05/30/85	Emergency Communication System Monthly Test
IN 85-52	07/10/85	Errors in Dose Assessment Computer Codes and Reporting Requirements Under 10 CFR Part 21
IN 85-55	07/15/85	Revised Emergency Exercise Frequency Rule
IN 85-62	07/23/85	Backup Telephone Numbers to the NRC Operations Center
IN 85-80	10/15/85	Timely Declaration of an Emergency Class, Implementation of an Emergency Plan, and Emergency Notifications
IN 86-18	03/26/86	NRC On-Site Response During a Major Emergency
IN 86-28	04/28/86	Telephone Numbers to NRC Operations Center and Regional Offices
IN 86-43	06/10/86	Problems with Silver Zeolite Sampling of Airborne Radioiodine
IN 86-55	07/10/86	Delayed Access to Safety-Related Areas and Equipment During Plant Emergencies
IN 86-97	11/28/86	Emergency Communication System Defines Emergency Notification System (ENS) and Health Physics Network (HPN) and provides guidance on operation and testing of the system
IN 86-98	12/02/86	Offsite Medical Services
IN 87-54	10/23/87	Emergency Response Exercises - "Off-Year Exercises"
IN 87-58	11/16/87	Continuous Communications Following Emergency Notification
IN 88-15	04/18/88	Availability of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Approved Potassium Iodide for Use in Emergencies Involving Radioactive Iodine
IN 89-46	05/11/89	Confidentiality of Exercise Scenarios
IN 89-72	10/24/89	Failure of Licensed Senior Operators to Classify Emergency Events Properly
IN 90-74	12/04/90	Information on Precursors to Severe Accidents
IN 91-64	10/09/91	Site Area Emergency Resulting from the Loss of Non-Class 1E Uninterruptible Power Supplies
IN 91-64, Supp. 1	10/07/92	Site Area Emergency Resulting from the Loss of Non-Class 1E Uninterruptible Power Supplies
IN 91-72	11/19/91	Issuance of a Revision to the EPA Manual of Protective Action Guides and Protective Actions for Nuclear Incidents
IN 91-77	11/26/91	Shift Staffing at Nuclear Power Plants
IN 92-08	01/23/92	Revised Protective Actions and Guides for Nuclear Incidents
IN 92-32	04/29/92	Problems Identified with Emergency Ventilation Systems for Near-Site (Within 10 Miles) Emergency Operations Facilities and Technical Support Centers
IN 92-38	05/12/92	Implementation Date for the Revision to the EPA Manual of Protective Action Guides and Protective Actions for Nuclear Incidents (EPA-400-R-92-001)
IN 93-53	07/20/93	Effect of Hurricane Andrew on Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station and Lessons Learned
IN 93-81	10/12/93	Implementation of Engineering Expertise on Shift
IN 93-94	12/09/93	Unauthorized Forced Entry into the Protected Area at Three Mile Island Unit 1 on February 7, 1993
IN 94-27	03/31/94	Facility Operating Concerns Resulting from Local Area Flooding
IN 95-23	04/24/95	Control Room Staffing Below Minimum Regulatory Requirement
IN 95-48	10/10/95	Results of Shift Staffing Study
IN 96-19	04/02/96	Failure of Tone Alert Radios to Activate When Receiving a Shortened Activation Signal
IN 97-05	02/27/97	Offsite Notification Capabilities
IN 97-34	06/12/97	Deficiencies in Licensee Submittals Regarding Terminology for Radiological Emergency Action Levels in Accordance with the New Part 20
IN 98-20	06/03/98	Problems with Emergency Preparedness Respiratory Programs
IN 02-14	04/08/02	Ensuring a Capability to Evacuate Individuals, Including Members of the Public, from the Owner-Controlled Area
IN 02-25	08/26/02	Challenges to Licensees' Ability to Provide Prompt Public Notification and Information During an Emergency Preparedness Event
IN 04-19	11/04/04	Problems Associated with Back-up Power Supplies to Emergency Response Facilities and Equipment
IN 05-06	03/30/05	Failure to Maintain Alert and Notification System Tone Alert Radio Capability
IN 05-19	07/18/05	Effect of Plant Configuration Changes on the Emergency Plan
IN 06-28	09/28/06	Siren System Failures Due to Erroneous Siren System Signal
IN 07-12	03/15/07	Tactical Communications Interoperability Between Nuclear Power Reactor Licensees and First Responders

Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS)

While a Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) is used to convey new requirements or transmit new interpretations of regulations, it does not require or recommend specific actions. An RIS is used to

Document NRC endorsement of the resolution of issues addressed by industry-sponsored initiatives;
Solicit voluntary licensee participation in staff-sponsored pilot programs;
Inform licensees of opportunities to regulatory relief;
Announce staff technical or policy positions not previously communicated to industry or not broadly understood; and;
Address all matters previously reserved for administrative letters (e.g., announce events of interest such as workshops or conferences and other purposes strictly of an administrative nature).

With the exception of requesting voluntary submittal of information of an administrative nature, an RIS may not request specific actions.

File Name	Date	Description
RIS 00-08	03/28/00	Voluntary Submission of Performance Indicator Data
RIS 00-11	06/30/00	NRC Emergency Telecommunications System
RIS 00-11, Supp 1	03/22/01	NRC Emergency Telecommunications System – Supplement 1 Informs addressees that the FTS-2001 (ETS) will require them to dial "1" before placing long distance calls and that they will need to update their instructions and procedures accordingly
RIS 01-16	08/01/01	Update of Evacuation Time Estimates
RIS 02-01	01/14/02	Changes to NRC Participation in the International Nuclear Event Scale
RIS 02-12d		Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations Using Dry Storage - NRC Threat Advisory and Protective Measures System
RIS 02-16	09/13/02	Current Incident Response Issues
RIS 02-21	11/08/02	National Guard and Other Emergency Responders Located in the Licensee's Controlled Area
RIS 03-12	06/24/03	Clarification of NRC Guidance for Modifying Protective Actions
RIS 03-18	10/08/03	Use of NEI 99-01, "Methodology for Development of Emergency Action Levels," Revision 4, dated January 2003
RIS 03-18 Supp 1	07/13/04	Supplement 1, Use of NEI 99-01, "Methodology for Development of Emergency Action levels," Revision 4, dated January 2003
RIS 03-18 Supp 2	12/12/05	Supplement 1, Use of NEI 99-01, "Methodology for Development of Emergency Action levels," Revision 4, dated January 2003
RIS 04-13	08/02/04	Consideration of Sheltering in Licensee’s Range of Protective Action Recommendations
RIS 04-13 Supp 1	03/10/05	RIS 04-13, Supplement 1, Consideration of Sheltering in Licensee’s Range of Protective Action Recommendations
RIS 04-15	10/18/04	Emergency Preparedness Issues: Post 9/11
RIS 04-15 Supp 1	05/25/06	Emergency Preparedness Issues: Post 9/11
RIS 05-002	02/14/05	Clarifying the Process for Making Emergency Plan Changes
RIS 05-008	06/06/05	Endorsement of Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) Guidance "Range of Protective Actions for Nuclear Power Plant Incidents"
RIS 05-013	07/13/05	NRC Incident Response and the National Response Plan
RIS 06-002	02/23/06	Good Practices For Licensee Performance During The Emergency Preparedness Component of Force-On-Force Exercises
RIS 06-003	02/24/06	Guidance On Requesting an Exemption From Biennial Emergency Preparedness Exercise Requirements
RIS-06-012	07/19/06	Endorsement of Nuclear Energy Institute Guidance "Enhancements to Emergency Preparedness Programs for Hostile Action"
RIS-06-021	09/28/06	Improving Response Capabilities Through the Use of an Incident Response Electronic Library
RIS-07-01	01/10/07	Clarification of NRC Guidance for Maintaining a Standard Emergency Action Level Scheme
RIS-07-02	02/02/07	Clarification of NRC Guidance for Emergency Notifications During Quickly Changing Events
RIS-08-08	03/19/08	Endorsement of Revision 1 to Nuclear Energy Insitute Guidance Document NEI 06-04, "Conducting a Hostile Action-based Emergency Response Drill"

Emergency Preparedness Position (EPPOS) Paper

Emergency Preparedness Position (EPPOS) papers were previously used by the NRC Headquarters Emergency Preparedness Section to clarify emergency preparedness issues to ensure a consistent interpretation by NRC staff and inspectors. An EPPOS was considered an internal NRC document and was not an NRC generic communication. Today, an EPPOS is no longer used to provide internal clarification of EP issues. Rather, the Emergency Preparedness Project Office will issue a RIS to provide information to both the industry and the staff.

File Name	Date	Description
EPPOS No. 1	06/01/95	"Acceptable Deviations from Appendix 1 of NUREG-0654 Based upon the Staff's Regulatory Analysis of NUMARC/NESP-007" Provides guidance to the NRC staff on acceptability of proposed changes to emergency action levels and classification schemes when they depart from the guidance in Appendix 1 of NUREG-0654.
EPPOS No. 2	08/17/95	"Timeliness of Classification of Emergency Conditions" Provides guidance to the NRC staff for evaluating the amount of time taken by a licensee to classify an event and declare an emergency once indications are available to control room operators that an emergency action level has been reached or exceeded.
EPPOS No. 3	11/08/95	"Requirement for Onshift Dose Assessment Capability" Provides guidance to the NRC staff on the requirements for licensees to maintain an onshift dose assessment capability.
EPPOS No. 4	withdrawn 05/09/05	Replaced by RIS-2005-02
EPPOS No. 5	07/17/96	"Emergency Planning Information Provided to the Public" Provides guidance to NRC staff concerning methods by which licensees may provide emergency planning information to the public.