2019-07524. Information Collection: Collection of Research Code Non-Disclosure Agreement Information

AGENCY:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION:

Proposed information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment on this proposed collection of information. The information collection is entitled, “Collection of Research Code Non-disclosure Agreement Information.”

DATES:

Submit comments by June 17, 2019. 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:

• Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0088. Address questions about NRC dockets to Jennifer Borges; telephone: [phone]; email: [e-mail]. 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: T6-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: [phone]; email: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0088 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 http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0088. A copy of the collection of information and related instructions may be obtained without charge by accessing Docket ID NRC-2019-0088 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 http://www.nrc.gov/​reading-rm/​adams.html. To begin the search, select “ADAMS Public Documents” and then 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 [e-mail]. A copy of the collection of information and related instructions may be obtained without charge by accessing ADAMS Accession No. ML19099A416. The supporting statement is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML18274A286.
• NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
• NRC's Clearance Officer: A copy of the collection of information and related instructions may be obtained without charge by contacting NRC's Clearance Officer, David Cullison, Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: [phone]; email: [e-mail].

B. Submitting Comments

Please include Docket ID NRC-2019-0088 in the subject line of your comment submission, in order to ensure that the NRC is able to make your comment submission available to the public in this docket.

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. The NRC will post all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions into ADAMS, and the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove identifying or contact information.

If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons for submission to the NRC, 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 the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions 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: Collection of Research Code Non-Disclosure Agreement Information.

2. OMB approval number: An OMB control number has not yet been assigned to this proposed information collection.

3. Type of submission: New.

4. The form number, if applicable: Not applicable.

5. How often the collection is required or requested: As needed.

6. Who will be required or asked to respond: Domestic and foreign users of NRC's nuclear safety analytical computer codes.

7. The estimated number of annual responses: 640.

8. The estimated number of annual respondents: 640.

9. The estimated number of hours needed annually to comply with the information collection requirement or request: 640 hours.

10. Abstract: This information collection request is a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) used for domestic and foreign entities to obtain and use the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) nuclear safety analytical computer codes. NRC develops and uses computer codes to independently model and evaluate safety issues associated with the licensed use of radioactive materials. As a global leader in nuclear regulatory research and safety assessment, NRC is frequently approached by domestic and international organizations requesting copies of NRC computer codes. In general, to obtain an NRC code an individual or organization first agrees to not redistribute the code (i.e., non-disclosure) through a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). The NDA also imposes terms and conditions for code use, and requires notification to NRC of code errors, code modifications, and updated user information. An officially signed and executed NDA of users agreeing to the terms and conditions is current NRC practice for access to NRC-developed computer codes. Once the NDA has been signed, received, reviewed, and accepted, the requesting individual or organization is given access to the requested code. The information collection enables the NRC to ensure that proper procedures and agreements are in place to guide the distribution and use of these codes according to NRC and U.S. Government policies and international agreements such as import-export restrictions and intellectual property rights. Further information collection on code errors and modifications by code users permits NRC to maintain control and quality of its codes in a timely and efficient manner.

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?

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of April 2019.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

David Cullison,

NRC Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.