[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 20, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56964-56966]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-24161]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Staff Meetings Open to the Public: Final Policy Statement
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Final Policy Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is finalizing revisions to
its ``Policy Statement on Staff Meetings Open to the Public,'' to state
that public notice of meetings will be provided primarily through the
NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov. NRC will also discontinue
announcing public meetings, changes, and cancellations through its
public meeting notice system electronic bulletin board, and telephone
recording, and through the Weekly Compilation of Press Releases and
posting in the NRC's Public Document Room.
EFFECTIVE DATE: September 20, 2000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosetta O. Virgilio, Office of the
Executive Director for Operations, U.S.
[[Page 56965]]
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Telephone:
301-415-2307; email:[email protected]
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The NRC solicited public comment on the
proposed revisions to the Policy Statement in the January 25, 2000
Federal Register (65 FR 3982). All four comment letters received
supported the revisions; three of the four recommended improvements to
the NRC Web site for noticing public meetings. The NRC's Office of the
Chief Information Officer is planning to develop a Web-based public
meeting system to replace the existing system used to schedule and
track meeting notices and cancellations. The proposed new system will
allow the staff to implement all of the commenters suggestions. Copies
of the comment letters can be viewed at the NRC Public Document Room
located at 2120 L Street, NW. (Lower Level), Washington, DC.
The text of the revised Policy Statement follows in its entirety.
The final Policy Statement contains a revised Section D, identifying
the NRC Web site as the primary mechanism for announcing staff meetings
open to the public. The electronic bulletin board and automated
telephone recording will be eliminated. Members of the public who do
not have access to the Internet can contact the NRC's Public Document
Room staff at 800-397-4209 for information on scheduled meetings. Other
changes to Section D of the Policy Statement make it consistent with
current NRC staff guidance and procedures, as discussed in the proposed
Policy Statement notice. These changes include: revising the statement
that a meeting notice should be provided to the Meeting Announcement
Coordinator at least 10 days before a meeting to state that meeting
notices will be provided to the public as soon as meeting arrangements
have been made, generally no fewer than 10 calendar days before the
meeting; and eliminating the current 60 day limit on the announced
schedule of future meetings.
IV. Commission Policy Statement on Staff Meetings Open to the
Public
A. Purpose
This statement presents the policy that the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) staff will follow in opening meetings between the NRC
staff and one or more outside persons to public observation. The policy
continues NRC's longstanding practice of providing the public with the
fullest information practicable on its activities and of conducting
business in an open manner, while balancing the need for the NRC staff
to exercise its regulatory and safety responsibilities without undue
administrative burden. This policy also announces central agency
services available to the public for obtaining schedules for the staff
meetings that are open to public attendance. Implementing guidance will
be issued to the NRC staff as a management directive. This meeting
policy is a matter of NRC discretion and may be departed from as NRC
convenience and necessity may dictate.
B. Definition
A public meeting is a planned, formal encounter open to public
observation between one or more NRC staff members and one or more
outside persons physically present at a single meeting site, with the
expressed intent of discussing substantive issues that are directly
associated with the NRC's regulatory and safety responsibilities. An
outside person is any individual who is not:
a. An NRC employee;
b. Under contract to the NRC;
c. Acting in an official capacity as a consultant to the NRC;
d. Acting in an official capacity as a representative of an agency
of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the U.S.
Government (except when the agency is subject to NRC regulatory
oversight);
e. Acting in an official capacity as a representative of a foreign
government;
f. Acting in an official capacity as a representative of a State or
local government (except when specific NRC licensing or regulatory
matters are discussed).
C. Applicability and Exemptions
1. This policy applies solely to NRC staff-sponsored and conducted
meetings and not to meetings conducted by outside entities that NRC
staff members might attend and participate in. It does not apply to the
Commission or offices that report directly to the Commission.
Similarly, it does not apply to meetings between the NRC staff and
representatives of State governments, including Agreement State
representatives, relating to NRC Agreement State activities or to State
regulatory actions or to other matters of general interest to the State
or to the Commission, that is, matters other than specific NRC
licensing or regulatory actions involving specific licensees. Also, the
policy is not intended to apply to or supersede any existing law, rule
or regulation that addresses public attendance at a specific type of
meeting. For example, 10 CFR Part 7 specifically addresses public
attendance at advisory committee meetings; and 10 CFR Part 9, Subpart
C, addresses public attendance at Commission meetings. The policy also
does not negate existing Memoranda of Understanding, procedural
agreements, or other formal agreements or requirements regarding the
accessibility of the public to observe or participate in meetings
between NRC and its licensees or any other entities. In addition, the
policy does not apply to meetings involving enforcement matters under
10 CFR Part 2, Appendix C nor to settlement conferences.
2. In general, meetings between the NRC staff and outside persons
will be classified as public meetings unless the NRC staff determines
that the subject matter to be discussed--
a. Is specifically authorized by an Executive Order to be kept
secret in the interests of national defense or foreign policy
(classified information) or specifically exempted from public
disclosure by statute;
b. Contains trade secrets and commercial or financial information
(proprietary information);
c. Contains safeguards information;
d. Is of a personal nature where such disclosure would constitute a
clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
e. Is related to a planned, ongoing, or completed investigation
and/or contains information compiled for law enforcement purposes;
f. Could result in the inappropriate disclosure and dissemination
of preliminary, unverified information;
g. Is a general information exchange having no direct, substantive
connection to a specific NRC regulatory decision or action;
h. Indicates that the administrative burden associated with public
attendance at the meeting could result in interfering with the NRC
staff's execution of its safety and regulatory responsibilities, such
as when the meeting is an integral part of the execution of the NRC
inspection program.
It is important to note that whether or not a meeting should be
open for public attendance is dependent primarily on the subject matter
to be discussed, not who outside nor who within the NRC staff is
participating (e.g., staff level versus senior management).
Also note that meetings between staff and licensees or trade groups
to discuss technical issues or licensee performance would normally be
open because they may lead to a specific regulatory decision or action.
However, should a
[[Page 56966]]
meeting involving a general information exchange be closed and should
discussions during such a meeting approach issues that might lead to a
specific regulatory decision or action, the NRC staff may advise the
meeting attendees that such matters cannot be discussed in a closed
meeting and propose discussing the issues in a future open meeting.
D. Notice to the Public
1. Meeting announcement information is to be provided to the public
as soon as the staff is certain that a meeting will be held and firm
date, time, and facility arrangements have been made, but generally no
fewer than 10 calendar days before the meeting. Where a meeting must be
scheduled but cannot be announced 10 calendar days in advance, the
staff will provide as much advance notice as possible. Public notice of
meetings will be made via the Internet from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov. Meeting changes or cancellations will also be announced
promptly on the NRC Web site. Meeting notices, changes to meetings, and
cancellations will be updated each working day, if required, on the NRC
Web site. Members of the public who cannot access the NRC Web site can
contact the NRC Public Document Room staff via a toll free number for
information on scheduled NRC meetings.
2. Meeting announcements will include the date, time, and location
of the meeting, as well as its purpose, the NRC office(s) and outside
participant(s) in attendance, and the name and telephone number of the
NRC contact for the meeting.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 14th day of September, 2000.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Annette Vietti-Cook,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 00-24161 Filed 9-19-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P