[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 213 (Thursday, November 4, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 60244]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-28860]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Public Comment on the Pilot Program for the New Regulatory
Oversight Program
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Extension of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing
significant revisions to its processes for overseeing the safety
performance of commercial nuclear power plants that include integrating
the inspection, assessment, and enforcement processes. As part of its
proposal, the NRC staff established a new regulatory oversight
framework with a set of performance indicators and associated
thresholds, developed a new baseline inspection program that
supplements and verifies the performance indicators, and created a
continuous assessment process that includes a method for consistently
determining the appropriate regulatory actions in response to varying
levels of safety performance. The changes are the result of continuing
work on a concept as described in SECY-99-007, ``Recommendations for
Reactor Oversight Process Improvements'' dated January 8, 1999, and
SECY-99-007A, ``Recommendations for Reactor Oversight Improvements
(Follow-Up to SECY-99-007)'' dated March 22, 1999. In June 1999, the
NRC began a six-month pilot program with two sites participating from
each region. The purpose of the pilot program is to exercise the new
oversight process, identify problems, develop lessons learned, and make
any necessary changes before full implementation at all sites currently
scheduled for April 2000. The NRC is soliciting comments from
interested public interest groups, the regulated industry, States, and
concerned citizens. The NRC staff will consider comments it receives
for further development and refinement of the new oversight process.
Given that inspection related information, while publically
available, was not available on the newly established website this
public comment period has been extended at the request of some
stakeholders to allow for more comprehensive review of the Revised
Reactor Oversight Process.
DATES: The comment period expires December 31, 1999. 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: Comments may be submitted either electronically or via U.S.
mail. Submit written comments to: Chief, Rules and Directives Branch,
Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mail
Stop: T-6 D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C.
20555-0001. Hand deliver comments to: 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland, between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal workdays. Copies
of comments received may be examined at the NRC's Public Document Room,
2120 L Street, N.W. (Lower Level), Washington, D.C.
Comments may be submitted electronically at the ``NRC Initiatives
1999'' web page at'': http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/COMMISSION/INITIATIVES/
1999/COMMENTS/2acmt.html
Copies of the Pilot Program Guidelines may be obtained at the
following web site: http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NRR/OVERSIGHT/INDEX.html
Additional information on the pilot program may be obtained from
the NRC's Public Document Room at 2120 L St., N.W., Washington, D.C.
20003-1527, telephone 202-634-3273.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan Madison, Mail Stop: O-5 H4,
Inspection Program Branch, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, telephone
301-415-1490.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 29th day of October 1999.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
William M. Dean,
Chief, Inspection Program Branch, Division of Inspection Program
Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 99-28860 Filed 11-3-99; 8:45 am]
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