[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 198 (Friday, October 11, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63460-63461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-25988]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Procedures for Meetings
Background
This notice describes procedures to be followed with respect to
meetings conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's)
Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) pursuant to the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA). These procedures are set forth so that
they may be incorporated by reference in future notices for individual
meetings.
The ACRS is a statutory group established by Congress to review and
report on nuclear safety matters and applications for the licensing of
nuclear facilities. The Committee's reports become a part of the public
record.
The ACRS meetings are conducted in accordance with FACA; they are
normally open to the public and provide opportunities for oral or
written statements from members of the public to be considered as part
of the Committee's information gathering process. ACRS reviews do not
normally encompass matters pertaining to environmental impacts other
than those related to radiological safety.
The ACRS meetings are not adjudicatory hearings such as those
conducted by the NRC's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel as part
of the Commission's licensing process.
General Rules Regarding ACRS Meetings
An agenda is published in the Federal Register for each full
Committee meeting. There may be a need to make changes to the agenda to
facilitate the conduct of the meeting. The Chairman of the Committee is
empowered to conduct the meeting in a manner that, in his/her judgment,
will facilitate the orderly conduct of business, including making
provisions to continue the discussion of matters not completed on the
scheduled day on another meeting day. Persons planning to attend the
meeting may contact the Designated Federal Official specified in the
Federal Register Notice prior to the meeting to be advised of any
changes to the agenda that may have occurred. This individual can be
contacted between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Eastern Time.
The following requirements shall apply to public participation in
ACRS full Committee meetings:
(a) Persons wishing to submit written comments regarding the agenda
items may do so by sending a readily reproducible copy addressed to the
Designated Federal Official specified in the Federal Register Notice,
care of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. Comments should be limited
to items being considered by the Committee. Comments should be in the
possession of the Designated Federal Official prior to the meeting to
allow time for reproduction and distribution. Written comments may also
be submitted by providing a readily reproducible copy to the Designated
Federal Official at the beginning of the meeting.
(b) Persons desiring to make oral statements at the meeting should
make a request to do so to the Designated Federal Official. If
possible, the request should be made five days before the meeting,
identifying the topics to be discussed and the amount of time needed
for presentation so that orderly arrangements can be made. The
Committee will hear oral statements on topics being reviewed at an
appropriate time during the meeting as scheduled by the Chairman.
(c) Information regarding topics to be discussed, changes to the
agenda, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, and the
time allotted to present oral statements can be obtained by contacting
the Designated Federal Official between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.,
Eastern Time.
(d) The use of still, motion picture, and television cameras will
be permitted at the discretion of the Chairman and subject to the
condition that the physical installation and presence of such equipment
will not interfere with the conduct of the meeting. The Designated
Federal Official will have to be notified prior to the meeting and will
authorize the installation or use of such equipment after consultation
with the Chairman. The use of such equipment will be restricted as is
necessary to protect proprietary or privileged information that may be
in documents, folders, etc., in the meeting room. Electronic recordings
will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are
open to the public.
(e) A transcript is kept for certain open portions of the meeting
and will be available in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR), One White
Flint North, Room O-1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-
2738. ACRS meeting agenda, transcripts, and letter reports are
available through the NRC Public Document Room at [email protected], by
calling the PDR at 1-800-394-4209, or from the Publicly Available
Records System (PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS) which
is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html or http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/. A copy of
the certified minutes of the meeting will be available at the same
location on or before three months following the meeting. Copies may be
obtained upon payment of appropriate reproduction charges.
(f) Video teleconferencing service is available for observing open
sessions of ACRS meetings. Those wishing to use this service for
observing ACRS meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACRS Audio
Visual Technician, (301-415-8066) between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Eastern Time at least 10 days before the meeting to ensure the
availability of this service.
[[Page 63461]]
Individuals or organizations requesting this service will be
responsible for telephone line charges and for providing the equipment
and facilities that they use to establish the video teleconferencing
link. The availability of video teleconferencing services is not
guaranteed.
ACRS Subcommittee Meetings
In accordance with the revised FACA, the agency is no longer
required to apply the FACA requirements to meetings conducted by the
Subcommittees of the NRC Advisory Committees, if the Subcommittee's
recommendations would be independently reviewed by its parent
Committee.
The ACRS, however, chose to conduct its Subcommittee meetings in
accordance with the above procedures, as appropriate, to facilitate
public participation and to provide a forum to stakeholders to express
their views on regulatory matters being considered by the ACRS. When
Subcommittee meetings are held at locations other than at NRC
facilities, reproduction facilities may not be available at a
reasonable cost. Accordingly, 25 additional copies of the materials to
be used during the meeting should be provided for distribution at such
meetings.
Special Provisions When Proprietary Sessions Are To Be Held
If it is necessary to hold closed sessions for the purpose of
discussing matters involving proprietary information, persons with
agreements permitting access to such information may attend those
portions of the ACRS meetings where this material is being discussed
upon confirmation that such agreements are effective and related to the
material being discussed.
The Designated Federal Official should be informed of such an
agreement at least five working days prior to the meeting so that it
can be confirmed, and a determination can be made regarding the
applicability of the agreement to the material that will be discussed
during the meeting. The minimum information provided should include
information regarding the date of the agreement, the scope of material
included in the agreement, the project or projects involved, and the
names and titles of the persons signing the agreement. Additional
information may be requested to identify the specific agreement
involved. A copy of the executed agreement should be provided to the
Designated Federal Official prior to the beginning of the meeting for
admittance to the closed session.
Dated: October 7, 2002.
Andrew L. Bates,
Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 02-25988 Filed 10-10-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P