[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 18, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44966-44969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21397]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Summary of Workshop on Redefining the Role of NRR Projects
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: On July 23, 1999, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission sponsored
a public workshop involving NRR Division of Licensing Project
Management, licensing officials representing the nuclear industry, and
other stakeholders. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a forum
for constructive dialogue on the agency's efforts to redefine the
responsibilities of the Division of Licensing Project Management. The
discussion focused on three program areas: Licensing Authority,
Interface, and Regulatory Improvements. A brief version of the meeting
summary is attached. The complete summary of the July 23, 1999, meeting
with all attachments dated August 9, 1999, is available for public
inspection at the Commission's public document room located at the
Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sheri Peterson, Mail Stop O-8-G-9,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
20852-2738; Telephone: (301) 415-1193; Internet:[email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, the 10th day of August 1999.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Suzanne Black,
Deputy Director, Division of Licensing Project Management Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
Summary--July 23, 1999, Meeting With Stakeholders on Redefining the
Role of the Division of Licensing Project Management in the Office
of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
On July 23, 1999, representatives of various licensees and members
of the public met in a public meeting with members of the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff at NRC Headquarters in Rockville,
Maryland. The NRC invited representatives of various nuclear utilities,
other groups, and the public to participate in a workshop to discuss
the responsibilities of the Division of Licensing Project Management
(DLPM) and solicit feedback on the Division's ongoing redefinition
process from interested stakeholders. A list of attendees is provided
as Attachment 1. The workshop agenda is provided as Attachment 2. The
Division's re-invention report provided during the meeting is included
as Attachment 3. The feedback obtained from the meeting participants
during the breakout sessions is included as Attachment 4. The written
comments received to date on the role of DLPM are included as
Attachment 5.
DLPM is in the process of redefining its responsibilities. Previous
audits and reviews had indicated that the function of operating reactor
licensing 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 public
confidence, and increasing efficiency and effectiveness of key NRC
processes. DLPM shared the results of its redefinition process with
external stakeholders to solicit feedback so that the responsibilities
can be further refined.
After introductory remarks, the meeting participants broke into
four groups to discuss the questions summarized in Attachment 4 (also
published in the Federal Register, Volume 64, Number 133 dated July 13,
1999). Discussions focused on the project manager being the primary NRC
interface for licensees and the public on operating plant licensing
matters, the need for consistency, cost and schedular control of
licensing actions, and the importance of maintaining staff with the
required knowledge, skills and abilities for effectively carrying out
the project manager function. The feedback presented by the various
participants during the breakout sessions, and included as Attachment
4, was very extensive and will be useful to the NRC in DLPM's
initiatives involving the project manager function within the Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
Attachments:
1. Attendance List
2. Agenda (available in PDR)
3. DLPM Re-invention Report (available in PDR)
4. Feedback from breakout sessions
5. Written comments on the role of DLPM (available in PDR)
ATTACHMENT 1
PURPOSE: Redefining the Role of the Division of Licensing Project
Management
Date: July 23, 1999.
Location: TWFN Auditorium.
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Name Affiliation
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Steve Wideman............................. WCNOC
Pat Nugent................................ PGBE
Roger DeWolfe............................. TXU
Kenneth Russell........................... First Energy
John A. Zwolinski......................... NRR-DLPM
Philip A. Rose............................ SCE&G
Jeff Sobotka.............................. NAFISCO
George Wrobel............................. RG&E
Mike Krupa................................ Entergy
Mike Brandon.............................. Entergy W3
Paul Blanch............................... Millstone
Mark J. Ajluni............................ Southern Nuclear Oper. Co.
Joe Sheppard.............................. STPNOC
Jon Hopkins............................... NRC/NRR/DLPM
Patrick Sekerak........................... NRC/NRR/DLPM
Alan Wang................................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Helen Pastis.............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Jack Cushing.............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Marsha Gamberoni.......................... NRC/NRR/DLPM
Lee Berry................................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
James Perselter........................... North Atlantic
Mike Runchark............................. AEP
Norm Peterson............................. Detroit Edison
R. M. Kruch............................... ConEd
Jerry Roberts............................. Entergy Ops GGRS
Roger Huston.............................. Licensing Support Services
[[Page 44967]]
James Priest.............................. PSE&G
Nate Haskell.............................. Consumers Energy
Stuart Richards........................... NRC/NRR/DLPM
Ram Subbaratnam........................... NRC/NRR/DLPM
Chris Jozwick............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
L. N. Olshan.............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Bob Martin................................ NRC/NRR/DLPM
Harold Chirnoff........................... CP&L
Rich Laufer............................... NRC/NRR/DLPM
Byran Ford................................ Millstone 1
William Heyser............................ EPU Nuclear
Sheri Peterson............................ NRC/NRR/DLPM
Steve Bethay.............................. Entergy-Pilgrim
Bill Reckley.............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Jim Clifford.............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Al Passwater.............................. AmenemVE
Johnny Eads............................... CP&L
Glenn Michael............................. Arizona Public Service Co.
Merrill Atkins............................ Yankee Atomic/DE&S
S. Singh Bajwa............................ NRC/NRR/DLPM
C. Stephen Brennigan...................... Entery, PNPS
John Hufnagel............................. PECO Energy
Don Palmrose.............................. NUSIS
George W. Busch........................... GPU Nuclear Inc.
Suzanne Black............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Frank Rinaldi............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Duke Wheeler.............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Gordon Edison............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Claudia Craig............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Paul Inserra.............................. Energy Northwest
Gene Eckholdt............................. NSP
C. Jeff Thomas............................ Duke Energy
Paul Pace................................. TVA
Steve Bennett............................. Entergy-ANO
Paul Willoughby........................... Northeast Nuclear
Mike Schoppman............................ NEI
Tom Elwood................................ Illinois Power
Marc Koth................................. Northern States Power
Bob Gramm................................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Scott Hega................................ STP Nuclear Op.
Elaine Chobanan........................... Northeast Utilities
Donna Skay................................ NRC/NRR/DLPM
John Harrison............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
John Kelly................................ NYPA
Kathy Harvey Gibson....................... NRC/RII
Eileen McKenna............................ NRC/NRR
Thomas Shaub.............................. VA Power
Bill Gleaves.............................. NRC/NRR/DLPM
Tom Elwood................................ Illinois Power
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Region I
Attachment 4
1. Principal role of projects.
General comment: 72 tasks are too many to expect an individual to
perform well.
(1) Support/Process licensing actions
(a) Make it happen (authority)
--Active, up-front planning with licensees to facilitate NRC and
licensee resource planning.
--Effective use of RAI process.
(2) Serve as the conscience of the staff.
(3) Be the advocate for the project.
(4) Focal point for resolving staff and licensee concerns (and
other stakeholders).
(5) Balancing/accomplishing NRC and licensee priorities.
2. Five activities most important.
(1) Timely completion of licensing actions (on agreed-upon
schedule).
(2) Communicate, manage difficulties with licensing actions
effectively.
(3) Tasks 1-4, 8, 22, 37, 19, 26, 29, 59.--most important overall
are tasks 1 through 12 (all licensing actions).
3. Reasons these activities are important (2).
(1) Keep plants safe.
(2) Allow efficient operation of the plant.
4. Other activities projects should perform.
(1) Manage public documents (ensuring incoming and outgoing
documents are rapidly and readily available to the public and to
licensees.
(2) Ensure timely notification of meetings.
(3) Communication clearing house (timely transmittal to licensee,
particularly for those requiring responses).
(4) Manage/Control potential Violations during resolution of
ongoing generic reviews.
(5) Cost management (fee billing)/Communicate targets up front, PM
monitor during review (hold both staff and licensee accountable).
(6) Development/training/qualifications in project management
skills and communication skills.
5. Reasons these activities are important (4).
(1) Reduce licensee burden (efficiency).
(2) Improve public confidence.
6. What types of performance indicators would be useful?
(1) Age of licensing actions.
(2) Accuracy of product.
--number of correction letters
--rework
(3) Stakeholder approval rating (including PM evaluation).
(4) Number of teleconferences per action.
(5) Number of review hours vs. complexity of item.
(6) Performance to schedule (specific tasks).
7. Five activities least important.
(1) Task #39 (from attachment 3 available in PDR)--Enforcement
actions.
(2) #28--Transition of assignments.
(3) #70--Future rule changes.
(4) #57--Section meetings.
(5) #23--Petitions and requests from non-licensees.
(6) #60--Web page management.
(7) #64--Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests post-ADAMS
(Agencywide document access and management system).
8. Reasons these activities (7) are less important.
(1) Not role of PM in meeting licensee priorities.
9. Any activities projects organization should not perform?
(1) see response to 7.
10. Additional input.
(1) Periodic face to face feedback sessions.
(2) Planning for peak periods.
(3) PMs need guidance of how much authority they have and when.
(4) Training of PMs (including behavioral skills).
(5) Ensure consistency with prior NRC approvals.
(6) PM should facilitate, coordinate, and manager accomplishment of
licensing actions.
(7) Allow PM to focus on licensees as customers, maintaining his
other obligations.
(8) Does PM have the authority commensurate with his
responsibilities?
11. Other issues.
(1) None.
Region II
1. Principal role of projects.
(1) Process Technical Specification changes/licensing actions.
(2) Deliverer of licensee information for licensing actions.
(3) Primary interface with licensee and region (single point of
contact).
(4) Coordinate/ensure communication (filter out unnecessary
interactions)--requires PM knowledge of submittal and licensing basis.
(5) Coordinate meetings.
(6) Source of information on NRC policy/procedures (important for
``filter'' mentioned in 4 above).
(7) Contact on plant issues.
(8) Facilitate licensing work/streamline process.
(9) Owner of licensing basis.
2. Five activities most important.
(1) Process licensing actions [Federal Register notice, processing
Requests for Additional Information, Environmental Assessments];
including all actions that require prior NRC approval before the
licensee implements--[10 CFR 52.90; 50.54]; Determine review method,
schedule [work planning], and be responsible for implementation--
Project Manager; Writing Safety evaluations, and other licensing tasks.
(2) Interface with licensee.
(a) Headquarter interfaces (provide filter for unnecessary
regulatory burden)
(3) Administrative /Coordinator of NRC business functions;
(a) Review fees (billing licensee for staff review effort/cost
control and administrative oversight).
[[Page 44968]]
(b) Manage to Office Letter 803 staff review time estimates/hours
(for all licensing actions and other licensing tasks beyond amendments)
and communicate with licensees/ensure accountability for hours charged
to a review
(4) Other licensing tasks: Conflict resolution, ensuring consistent
treatment of licensing actions/licensees, provide feedback on quality
of licensee's submittals, and maintaining licensing basis.
(5) Interface with Office of General Counsel/Hearings.
3. Reasons these activities are important (2)
(1) Licensing actions
-Reduce unnecessary burden
-Maintain safety
(a) Project managers writing Safety evaluations
-Effectiveness and Efficiency, maintain safety.
(2) Interface with Licensee (as well as, NRC headquarters and
Region)
-Efficiency and effectiveness
-Public confidence (accuracy of information).
(3) Administration/Cost control
-Reduce unnecessary burden
-Effectiveness and efficiency
(4) Other licensing tasks
-Public confidence (lack of ``open'' safety issues)
-Maintain safety
-Reduce unnecessary burden
4. Other activities projects should perform
(1) Cost control (look at Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) talking
points in enclosure 5).
(2) Task-oriented project management, i.e., license renewal, SG
issues/replacement, Power uprates, etc.
(3) Skill development/maintenance for effective project management.
5. Reasons these activities are important (4).
(1) Cost control
-Reduce burden
-Safety (best use of $$)
(2) Task-oriented Project Managers
-Effectiveness and efficiency
(3) Skills/Development
-Effectiveness and efficiency
6. What types of performance indicators would be useful?
(1) Supported NEI proposal (provided in enclosure 5)
(2) Overall timeliness, schedule adherence
(3) Average median ages (encourage staff to post data on the Web,
including comparisons between NRC groups)
(4) NRC staff should conduct Benchmarking
(5) Customer surveys and feedback at the individual level (up to
performance appraisal input on effectiveness of being the focal point.)
(6) Comparison of actual performance compared to a work plan vs.
averages (ages, etc.)
7. Five activities least important.
(1) Maintaining licensing documents (need to do but shouldn't
interfere with work).
(2) 50.59 reviews of annual report.
(3) Conducting surveys.
(4) Collateral duties/LPMs.
8. Reasons these activities are less important (7).
(1) Do not contribute to the four goals.
9. Any activities projects organization should not perform?
(1) As determined by priorities above.
10. Additional input.
(1) NRC budget process should be more timely and in advance.
(2) Role of Project Manager supervisor
-budget control
-conflict resolution (various staff and licensees)
-schedule adherence
(3) Customer orientation (NRR-licensee, NRR-region, NRR-public;
watch out for escalating cost of public interaction).
(4) Redefining--Reprioritizing for current effort.
(5) Move toward approaches like inspection/oversight process
-define need to do/safety significance.
(6) Maintain separation of licensing and oversight.
11. Other issues.
Region III
1. Principal role of projects.
(1) PMs should run interference to ensure reviewers are being
consistent.
(2) PMs need decision authority to actively manage their issues.
(3) PMs need knowledge of licensing basis--tools--i.e., use a
``licensing notebook,'' evaluate a plant against its licensing basis
vs. Standard review plan (SRP should not be imposed on non-SRP plants).
(4) Still need to work on Office Letter 803 implementation. Some
PMs read requests for additional information (RAI) questions instead of
faxing them to licensee. Some PMs don't review RAI questions to ensure
they are appropriate (e.g., consistent with design basis) before
sending them to licensee.
(5) PMs need to work with licensee for most efficient way to do
review.
(6) Proactive PM/``advocate'' of efficient/effective review.
(7) PMs should provide for timely Technical Specification
interpretations/commitments/regulation.
(8) ``DLPM'' should initiate ``Task Interface Agreement-like''
process for questions from licensee.
(9) Continue daily interface with region
(10) Improvement with PM doing own reviews.
(11) Staff should be consistent with past decisions.
2. Five activities most important (only 4 were selected).
(1) Management of licensing issues (including notices of
enforcement discretion).
(2) Routine interface during licensing action reviews.
(3) Reduce regulatory burden through reduced reporting
requirements.
(4) Communications--bring balance and perspective to regulation of
power plant.
3. Reasons these activities are important (2)
(1) Maintains safety, improves efficiency and effectiveness and
enhances public confidence.
(2) Reduce unnecessary regulatory burden.
(3) Reduce unnecessary regulatory burden, improve safety by
allowing licensees to concentrate on safety significant issues.
(4) Improve public confidence, improve efficiency and effectiveness
and decrease unnecessary regulatory burden.
4. Other activities projects should perform
(1) Maintain a licensing notebook for licensing basis reference.
(2) Develop a standard process for PM turnover, etc.
(3) Communication/plant visits on open item (i.e, TAC list, etc.).
Include reviewers on a case-by-case basis.
(4) Prioritize generic issues by risk significance so licensee's
don't have to work them all at once.
5. Reasons these activities are important (4).
(3) Improves efficiency and effectiveness and improves safety
(through better PM knowledge of plant).
(4) Improves efficiency and effectiveness.
(5) Improves efficiency and effectiveness, decreases regulatory
burden and increases public confidence.
(6) Improves safety, decreases regulatory burden and increases
public confidence.
6. What types of performance indicators would be useful?
(1) Rating PM behaviors, attributes and leadership
(2) Formal feedback mechanism--surveys, errors in safety evaluation
reports (SERs).
(3) Self assessments.
[[Page 44969]]
(4) Schedule vs. priority
(5) Measure percentage of closed activities as a multiple of how
fast they were requested to be closed out.
(6) Internal review to ensure quality; develop a standard. SERs
should be reviewed by independent group.
(7) At licensing workshops, get attributes for quality submittals
and SERs.
7. Five activities least important.
(1) Use of PMs as acting resident.
(2) Collateral duties (e.g., lead PM assignments).
(3) Requirement to submit routine reports that don't appear to
receive NRC review.
(4) Should review 10 CFR 50.54 changes on audit basis instead of
reviewing and approving each change.
(5) PMs should not be responsible for ensuring accuracy of
licensing basis. That's the licensee's responsibility.
8. Reasons these activities are less important (7).
(1) Not efficient or effective use of PM.
(2) Not efficient or effective use of PM, could harm safety by
distracting PM from primary responsibility.
(3) Regulatory burden with no benefit.
(4) Regulatory burden with no benefit.
(5) Not efficient or effective use of PM.
9. Any activities projects organization should not perform?
(1) DLPM should not be doing technical specifications bases reviews
in some cases (Distinguish between improved technical specifications
(ITS) and non-ITS plants for TS bases changes (bases control program)).
10. Additional input/Other Issues.
(1) ``Cherry picking''--NRC should issue Generic Letter identifying
what new improved technical specifications items they can get.
(2) Administrative support
--OGC--work of OGC should be better controlled to improve process
--Concurrence chain ``empowerment''--concurrences should be minimized
--There should be enough administrative support to prevent typing/
distribution causing delays in the licensing process.
(3) Clarify role of PM/NRR in new oversight process
--ensure consistency
--role in 50.59 inspection
--SDP--NRR may need to support regional Senior Risk Analysts/others
--Plant performance reviews
(4) NRR should have input to new process (PMs)
(5) Need more informal ways of taking advantage of generic
resolutions
(6) Need to define role of PM in license renewal and
decommissioning. Need to retain same PM.
(7) Need the Infrastructure to support PM.
(8) For informal surveys, need to ensure consistency; timeliness;
NRC expectations;
(9) TIA process should be more open to allow licensee input.
Region IV
There was a fair bit of discussion about the need to distinguish
between what PMs should do, and what DLPM/NRR should do when the group
considered the following questions. In some cases, the group has
delineated their responses accordingly.
1. Principal role of projects.
(1) Coordination.
(2) Interface with NRR/Licensee.
--advocate for licensee
--(or) representative of licensee
--on schedule
(3) Screening Requests for additional information (RAIs) and staff
decisions for regulatory basis/achieve burden reduction.
Advance reactor safety by providing a knowledgeable interface
between NRC and licensees and ensuring licensing actions are processed
efficiently.
2. Five activities most important.
The following items are important for PMs:
(1) Licensing action coordination (true project management role).
(1a) licensing action review/approval performed by PM (personal
approval).
(2) Communication with licensees--explain what is needed/required
by the staff, and why it is needed (regulatory basis).
(3) Screening RAIs, and guarding the licensing basis.
(4) Keep senior NRC management informed of activities at that
plant.
The following items are important for DLPM:
(5) Coordination/prioritization with other divisions.
(6) NRR/region interface.
(7) Regulatory improvements.
3. Reasons these activities are important (2).
(1) PM should evaluate licensing actions, RAIs, work priorities,
etc. against outcome goals and reject those that don't conform with
outcome goals.
4. Other activities projects should perform.
(1) Relationship with media, and maintain sensitivity when
providing information that has financial or commercial consequences.
(2) Participate in site inspections.
(3) Be more involved with enforcement.
(4) Be more involved with new performance assessment process.
5. Reasons these activities are important (4).
(1) Relationship to outcome goals.
6. What types of performance indicators would be useful?
(1) Number of days deviation from project schedule (joint agreement
between staff and licensee on schedule).
(2) Current goals, e.g., 95% < 1 year, not appropriate for all
licensing actions.
(3) Number of RAIs.
(4) Quality of licensing action, e.g., number of errors.
(5) Percentage of licensing actions performed by project manager.
7. Five activities least important.
(1) 2.206, other Federal agency interface (this is important for
DLPM, not PM).
(2) 50.59 evaluation reviews.
(3) Review of inspection reports.
(4) Maine Yankee, Millstone lessons learned.
(5) Support for Congressional Affairs.
8. Reasons these activities are less important (7).
(1) Not supportive of outcome goals and primary licensing action
work.
9. Any activities projects organization should not perform?
(1) None identified.
10. Additional input.
See 11.
11. Other issues.
(1) Dedicated project manager for plant is key ingredient for
success.
--In some cases 1 PM could handle more than 1 plant (if plants were
similar)
--is billing an issue?
--varies by commonality of licensing tasks
--varies with workload
--decision to assign PM to more than 1 plant, and assignment of
significant co-lateral duties should include licensee input
--NRR needs to have flexibility.
(2) TIA process.
--need licensee involvement to provide information for NRR
consideration.
--currently little communication with licensee until decision is made.
(3) Better coordination of generic issues--need for generic issue
project managers, not necessarily plant PMs.
(4) Should review 72 items against the priorities in Question 2.
[FR Doc. 99-21397 Filed 8-17-99; 8:45 am]
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