[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37819-37822]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-17748]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Workshop on Redefining the Role of the Division of Licensing 
Project Management in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The NRC is sponsoring a workshop involving the Division of 
Licensing Project Management in the Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation, licensing officials representing the nuclear industry, and 
other stakeholders external to the NRC. The purpose of the meeting is 
to provide a forum for constructive dialogue on the agency's efforts to 
redefine the responsibilities of the Division of Licensing Project 
Management. This meeting is open to the public and all interested 
parties may attend.

Discussion

    The Division of Licensing Project Management (DLPM), in the Office 
of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), is in the process of redefining 
its responsibilities. Previous audits and reviews had indicated that 
the function of project managers needed to be reevaluated, clearly 
defined, and communicated. In addition, the staff is attempting to 
correlate the functions of DLPM with the four strategic objectives of 
maintaining safety, reducing unnecessary regulatory burden, increasing 
pubic confidence, and increasing efficiency and effectiveness. DLPM 
management has determined that the project managers have responsibility 
for the following three major program areas: (1) Licensing authority, 
(2) interactions, and (3) regulatory improvements. Within each area are 
several specific tasks and goals regarding timeliness, effectiveness, 
and quality. A summary of each program area is given below. DLPM is 
sharing

[[Page 37820]]

these proposed responsibilities with external stakeholders to solicit 
feedback so that the responsibilities can be further refined. The 
purpose of this workshop is for the staff to gain insights into the 
stakeholders views on the functions of the projects organization. 
Specific questions that the staff is requesting feedback on are listed 
at the end of this discussion.

Program Areas

Licensing Authority

    Licensing Authority is the core program area for DLPM. The project 
manager (PM) is expected to be the single most knowledgeable member of 
the staff regarding the licensing agenda for a given facility. The PM 
is also expected to be the most informed member of the staff in matters 
pertaining to a facility's licensing basis and any activities 
undertaken to modify or change the licensing basis. The wide range of 
issues involving the licensing basis of power reactors require each PM 
to have a technical background in terms of understanding overall plant 
design and operating practices as well as a thorough understanding of 
NRC rules, processes, and licensing requirements. The PMs are therefore 
expected to be ``generalists'' in that they must have the ability to 
work on a diverse number of assignments, which may or may not be 
interrelated. This is especially relevant when DLPM assesses its 
contribution and mission in support of office level goals, noting that 
specific technical expertise resides in other NRR divisions. Having an 
adequate number of generalists results in routine efficiency gains as 
well as providing flexibility for and improving the responsiveness of 
the overall organization. The DLPM example can be readily compared to 
the regional projects organizations in which residents are viewed as 
generalists and technical specialists from the regional office or NRR 
are called upon, as necessary, to address specific issues or inspection 
needs.
    Activities covered in this program area include all DLPM tasks 
associated with carrying out the regulatory requirements contained in 
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 50 (10 CFR Part 50) 
with regard to specific plant activities. These tasks include (1) 
licensing actions that require prior NRC approval before licensees may 
proceed with an activity, (2) review of licensing basis documents 
controlled and submitted to the NRC in accordance with specific 
regulations or licensee administrative controls, (3) management of NRC 
processes associated with these activities, and (4) other licensing 
tasks required by regulation or established NRC procedures.
    DLPM activities associated with completing licensing actions 
comprise the majority of the division's efforts in this program area. 
Evaluating and responding to licensee requests for amendments to their 
licenses, requests for reliefs from or alternatives to the requirements 
specified in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and 
Pressure Vessel Code, and requests for exemptions from NRC regulations 
are examples of licensing action tasks. The tasks included in the 
mandated controls category include DLPM's reviews of Updated Final 
Safety Analysis Reports submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 50.71, 
descriptions of changes, tests and experiments submitted in accordance 
with 10 CFR 50.59, updates to the, Quality Assurance, Security, and 
Emergency plans submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 50.54, and 
regulatory commitments not addressed by specific NRC regulations.
    Other licensing tasks include those items associated with NRR's 
role as the licensing authority for power reactors but not addressed by 
the aforementioned categories. DLPM tasks in this area include 
evaluating information received from licensees in response to requests 
for information (e.g., generic letters and bulletins), responding to 
petitions from parties requesting NRC actions pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206, 
and responding to requests for assistance from other NRC organizations 
made via the Task Interface Agreement (TIA) procedure.
    Operating Reactor Licensing Assistants provide a comprehensive 
review and quality assurance of licensing correspondence. These reviews 
ensure licensing products comply with management directives, office 
letters, and rules in addition to improving uniformity and consistency 
of effort for all licensees.
    The Agency and NRR benefit from having a designated point of 
contact for all licensing issues associated with each power reactor 
facility. The project management staff can assess a licensee's 
performance in the licensing area, evaluate licensees' efforts to make 
improvements in licensing submittals, and help evaluate key licensee 
activities that may or may not have a direct bearing on the licensing 
agenda for the plant. Specifically, requiring the PMs to maintain a 
sound awareness of the 50.59 process and to participate in NRC's 
evaluation of each licensee's program for determining which changes 
require NRC review and approval has a clear nexus in this program area.
    In assessing products and evaluating outcomes for this area, the 
staff has identified products primarily in the licensing action and 
activity categories. These products are scrutinized by a myriad of 
stakeholders. NRR products continue to be closely analyzed and 
evaluated by the industry, individual licensees, and other 
stakeholders, including public interest groups. Issues of paramount 
concern associated with these products include assuring high quality, 
uniformity, consistency, and timeliness. Thus, high importance is 
placed in assuring all products being issued by the staff can withstand 
close scrutiny, and are predictable and repeatable. To this end flows 
the conclusion that the program area of licensing authority receives 
high marks when weighed against the four pillars. Specifically, 
licensing actions have a direct bearing on maintaining and assuring 
safety while also reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens. The ability 
to process documents in a timely manner, relying on precedents and the 
broad-based knowledge of plant-specific project managers, is key to 
ensuring effective and efficient work force outputs and the associated 
outcomes from this program area. Enhanced public confidence is derived 
from the quality of NRR products that are technically sound and 
defensible, completed on schedule, and well communicated to all 
stakeholders.

Interfaces

    The DLPM interface program area covers DLPM tasks involving 
interactions with NRC internal and external stakeholders. These DLPM 
interactions include the NRC regional offices, other NRR divisions, 
other offices at NRC Headquarters, power reactor licensees, owners 
groups and other industry organizations, government organizations 
(local, State, and Federal), and the public. From the perspective of 
DLPM, the interfaces are either integral to its core activity (serving 
as the licensing authority for power reactor facilities), directly 
support the licensing authority role by providing its staff with an 
awareness of plant issues, or result from the project managers serving 
as a convenient point of contact at NRC Headquarters for plant-specific 
information. The interface program area presents some challenges in 
terms of measuring performance because many of the activities do not 
involve a deliverable product. Feedback from stakeholders as a measure 
of performance may result in some

[[Page 37821]]

changes in or additions to NRC processes.
    Project Managers in DLPM routinely interact with their counterparts 
in the regional offices and with inspectors at reactor sites. A common 
interface with regional personnel is in the form of participation by 
the PM in routine status calls between the resident inspectors and the 
projects organization in the regional office. The PMs' participation in 
these calls allows DLPM to maintain an awareness of plant status, 
operating issues, inspection issues, and significant activities being 
conducted or planned by licensees. This information is used to ensure 
that ongoing issues are considered in the management of a plant's 
licensing agenda and that the NRC's inspection/assessment activities 
can properly account for licensing activities. The project managers 
also maintain an awareness of, and occasionally offer insights into, 
licensee performance issues through routine interactions, participation 
in assessment processes, and reviews of various reports.
    Project Managers in DLPM act as the primary interface between NRR 
and licensees. The primary function of the routine interactions between 
DLPM and licensees is to ensure that the licensing processes are 
working effectively. Licensees and project managers discuss plant 
issues, technical positions, process or procedural matters, generic 
activities, future licensing submittals, and the appropriate 
prioritization of licensing reviews. In addition to interacting with 
specific licensees, DLPM has recently assumed project management and 
interface responsibilities for licensing activities sponsored by owners 
groups or other collective groups of licensees (other than the Nuclear 
Energy Institute).
    DLPM serves as the primary interface between NRC Headquarters 
organizations and licensees or regional offices in matters pertaining 
to specific power reactor facilities. The need to communicate 
frequently with the regional offices and the licensees as part of their 
core activities enables personnel within DLPM to respond to many 
inquiries. This limits the numbers and types of requests for 
information to both the regional offices and licensees from the various 
organizations at NRC Headquarters. DLPM also supports other 
Headquarters' organizations in terms of answering questions about and 
coordinating activities with the licensing programs. The NRC's incident 
response program also calls upon the DLPM staff for support due to 
their knowledge of plant design features and licensing basis.
    Given its licensing authority responsibility and other interface 
functions, DLPM is often called upon to support the NRC's interactions 
with the public and other external stakeholders. These activities 
include responding to public inquiries and supporting the NRC's 
allegation process. DLPM will participate in the redesign of and long-
term maintenance of NRC Internet web pages that provide plant-specific 
information to the public.

Regulatory Improvements

    The regulatory improvements program area includes tasks and 
activities undertaken by DLPM either at the request of licensees or in 
response to problems identified by NRC staff. By interacting with 
licensees and owners' groups in various forums, DLPM has an opportunity 
to address those issues that result in inefficient or ineffective use 
of resources and unnecessary regulatory burden. A logical role for DLPM 
in improving regulatory processes is drawn from the routine 
responsibilities that DLPM has in the licensing authority program area 
and the associated knowledge and skills of the DLPM staff. In general, 
the changes in procedures, policy, and guidance documents are 
undertaken to simplify existing processes associated with licensing 
actions and other licensing tasks. As licensee and NRC resources become 
more scarce, these efforts will become even more important.
    The Licensing Action Task Force is currently addressing issues or 
processes identified by industry and the NRC staff as potential areas 
of improvement. The improvements being pursued include changing the 
request for additional information (RAI) process, developing a 
mechanism to address minor discrepancies in the wording of requirements 
in the technical specifications, refining the process for issuing 
changes to technical specification bases sections, enhancing the 
process for the staff's handling of generic or repetitive licensing 
actions, refining the guidance for the staff's preparation of safety 
evaluations, and addressing miscellaneous policy issues such as 
limiting the use of TIAs to address generic issues. Interactions with 
owners' groups are invaluable in sharing technical and process 
information. DLPM interactions with owners' groups and management of 
generic topical reports facilitates improving the working relationships 
between licensees and NRC, resulting in a more effective and efficient 
regulatory process. It is expected that industry groups will play an 
increasing role in resolving safety concerns by undertaking voluntary 
initiatives in lieu of responding to generic communications issued by 
the NRC. NRC resource expenditures will be reduced due to efficiency 
gains resulting from these interactions. Additionally, public 
confidence may be enhanced by the increased consistency that comes from 
resolving issues generically.
    Licensing workshops offer a unique and invaluable way for licensees 
and DLPM to interact on a working level. A goal of the workshops is to 
improve licensing submittals and associated NRC reviews. Licensees and 
DLPM staff share experiences and knowledge of their own processes to 
improve the licensee-NRC regulatory interface. DLPM prepares revisions 
to existing policies, rules, and guidance documents including office 
letters (or provides assistance to those with the lead for these 
activities). DLPM's experience with the licensee-NRC interface can 
provide valuable insights when process changes or rules are being 
developed.

Questions

    During the course of the July 23, 1999, public workshop, the staff 
would appreciate feedback from participants on the following questions. 
This information will be most useful as the staff proceeds with the 
process to define the role of the NRR/Projects licensing organization 
for the future.
    When providing feedback on the importance of activities, it would 
be helpful to the staff if comments from the public could be related to 
the outcome goals that are used by the staff. These outcome goals are: 
maintaining reactor safety; reducing unnecessary regulatory burden on 
licensees; increasing public confidence; and increasing NRC internal 
efficiency and effectiveness.
    1. What do you believe should be the principle role of the Projects 
organization?
    2. Given the proposed descriptions of activities encompassed by the 
licensing authority, interfaces, and regulatory improvements program 
areas, what five activities do you consider most important for the 
Projects organization to perform?
    3. Why do you consider the five activities identified in response 
to Question 2 important with respect to the staff outcome goals? If you 
consider these activities important for a reason not related to the 
staff outcome goals, what is the reason these activities are important 
to you?
    4. Are there any activities not identified in the licensing 
authority, interfaces, and regulatory improvements program areas that 
you consider the Projects organization should perform?

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    5. Why do you consider the activities identified in response to 
Question 4 important with respect to the staff outcome goals? If you 
consider these activities important for a reason not related to the 
staff outcome goals, what is the reason these activities are important 
to you?
    6. What types of performance indicators would be useful for the 
staff to employ to objectively determine its effectiveness in 
performing licensing activities?
    7. What five activities contained in the proposed descriptions of 
activities encompassed by the licensing authority, interfaces, and 
regulatory improvements program areas do you consider least important 
for the Projects organization to perform?
    8. Why do you consider the activities identified in response to 
Question 7 of less importance with respect to the staff outcome goals?
    9. Identify any activities in the proposed descriptions for the 
licensing authority, interfaces, and regulatory improvements program 
areas that the Projects organization should not perform, and provide an 
explanation why.
    10. As a customer of the licensing organization's output, the staff 
welcomes any additional input that you feel would be germane to the 
process of redefining the role of the Projects organization.

DATES: July 23, 1999, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

LOCATION: Auditorium--Two While Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marsha Gamberoni, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, 11555 Rockville Pike, Mail Stop O 13 E4, 
Rockville, Maryland; Telephone 301-415-3024; Internet: [email protected].

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: For members of the public who are unable to 
attend the public workshop, the staff would welcome written comments by 
July 30, 1999. Comments should be sent to: Marsha Gamberoni, U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11555 Rockville Pike, Mail Stop O 13 E4, 
Rockville, Maryland 20852-2738.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of July 1999.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John A. Zwolinski,
Director, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 99-17748 Filed 7-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P