[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 230 (Monday, December 1, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 63567]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-31422]
[[Page 63567]]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy; Public
Meeting on NRC Regulatory Oversight of DOE Facilities
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) will hold a public meeting on Thursday,
December 11, 1997, in Oakland, California, to address issues related to
the recently established pilot program for NRC's external regulation of
certain DOE facilities.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Energy and the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission will hold a joint public meeting to provide
information on this pilot project on Thursday, December 11, 1997, at
7:00 P.M. in Room N1-7 in the North Tower of the Oakland Federal
Building, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, California.
In June 1997, DOE and NRC agreed to pursue NRC external regulation
of certain DOE facilities on a pilot program basis. A pilot program of
NRC simulated regulation has been established to collect information on
the desirability of NRC oversight and on whether to seek legislation to
authorize such oversight. The DOE and the NRC expect to evaluate six to
ten DOE facilities over the next two years under the pilot program. The
Ernest O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has been chosen
as one of the pilot sites.
The major areas of discussion at this meeting will be:
The overall pilot program and background information.
The LBNL Work Plan.
Major issues affecting NRC oversight (generic and site-
specific).
One of the main purposes of the meeting is to describe the process
through which stakeholders may participate in the pilot program.
Stakeholders will be invited to ask questions and submit comments
relevant to the objectives of the pilot program and the process by
which those objectives are proposed to be addressed at the Berkeley
Laboratory. Issues raised by stakeholders will be addressed in the
final report following the pilot evaluation at Berkeley. If you plan to
attend this meeting, or if you cannot attend but would like to bring an
issue to our attention, please contact Ms. Carol Powell at 510/637-
1814.
Since 1994, the Department of Energy (DOE) has been considering
whether there are advantages to be gained from external regulation of
existing DOE facilities. Two advisory groups recommended that the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) be considered as the external
regulator of nuclear and radiological safety at DOE sites. External
regulation by the NRC may improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
DOE's radiological safety programs. DOE facilities would be regulated
consistent with other facilities of the same type engaged in similar
activities, and the NRC could maintain complete independence because it
has no responsibility for operating the facilities.
A number of background documents pertaining to the issue of NRC
oversight of DOE facilities are available or will be made available
prior to the meeting. These include:
A Memorandum of Understanding between NRC and DOE, dated
November 21, 1997.
An NRC Commission Paper entitled, ``Status Report of the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Task Force On Oversight of the Department
of Energy, In Response to COMSECY-96-053-DSI 2 (SECY-97-206) dated
September 12, 1997.
NRC Staff Requirements Memorandum: COMSECY-96-053,
``Oversight of the Department of Energy (DSI 2),'' dated March 28,
1997.
NRC Direction Setting Issue Paper ``Oversight of the
Department of Energy'' (DSI 2) dated September 16, 1996.
Report of the DOE Working Group on External Regulation,
dated December 1996.
Report of the DOE Advisory Committee on External
Regulation of DOE Nuclear Safety, dated December 1995.
You may obtain copies of these documents by contacting Carol Powell
at the Department of Energy, telephone number 510-637-1814, or from the
joint DOE/NRC Web Site at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NMSS/doepilot.html. As
additional documents are completed they will be added to the web site.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24 day of November, 1997.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Carl J. Paperiello,
Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 97-31422 Filed 11-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
