00-7575. Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

ACTION:

Notice of pending NRC action to submit an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and solicitation of public comment.

SUMMARY:

The NRC is preparing a submittal to OMB for review of continued approval of information collections under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). The NRC hereby informs potential respondents that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and that a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a current valid OMB control number.

Information pertaining to the requirement to be submitted:

1. The title of the information collection: NRC “Nuclear Material Events Database (NMED)” for the Collection of Event Report, Response, Analyses, and Follow-up Data on Events Involving the Use of Atomic Energy Act (AEA) Radioactive Byproduct Material.

2. Current OMB approval number: 3150-0178

3. How often the collection is required: Agreement States are requested to provide copies of licensee event reports electronically or by hard copy to NRC on a monthly basis or within 30 days of receipt from their licensee. This schedule provides the Agreement States 30 days to assess the licensee information prior to providing the information to NRC. Reportable events involve the industrial, commercial, medical use, and/or academic use of radioactive byproduct materials. In addition, Agreement States are requested to report events that may pose a significant health and safety hazard to the NRC Headquarters Operations Officer within the next working day of notification by an Agreement States licensee.

4. Who is required or asked to report: Current Agreement States and any State receiving Agreement State status in the future.

5. The number of annual respondents: 31.

6. The number of hours needed annually to complete the requirement or request: 945 hours (an average of approximately 1.0 hour per response) for all existing Agreement States reporting; any new Agreement State would add approximately 29 event reports (including follow-up reports) per year or 29 burden hours.

7. Abstract: NRC regulations require NRC licensees to report incidents and events involving the use of radioactive byproduct material, and source material, such as those involving a radiation overexposure, leaking or contaminated sealed source(s), release of excessive contamination of radioactive material, lost or stolen radioactive material, equipment failures, and abandoned well logging sources. Medical misadministrations are required to be reported in accordance with 10 CFR 35.33. Agreement State licensees are also required to report these events and medical misadministrations to their individual Agreement State regulatory authorities under compatible Agreement State regulations. NRC is requesting that the Agreement States provide information on the initial notification, response actions, and follow-up investigations on events and medical misadministrations involving the use of nuclear materials regulated pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act. The event information should be provided in a uniform electronic format, for assessment and identification of any facility/site specific or generic safety concerns that could have the potential to impact public health and safety. The identification and review of safety concerns may result in lessons learned, and may also identify generic issues for further study which could result in proposals for changes or revisions to technical or regulatory designs, processes or standards.

Submit by May 30, 2000, 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 burden estimate accurate?

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

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

A copy of the draft supporting statement may be viewed free of charge at the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW (lower level), Washington, DC. OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC World Wide Web site (http://www.nrc.gov/​NRC/​PUBLIC/​OMB/​index.html). The document will be available on the NRC home page site for 60 days after the signature date of this notice.

Comments and questions may be directed to the NRC Clearance Officer, Brenda Jo. Shelton, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, T-6 E6, Washington, DC 20555-000, by telephone at 301-415-7233, or by Internet electronic mail at [e-mail].

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of March 2000.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Brenda Jo. Shelton,

NRC Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.