[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 84 (Tuesday, April 30, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19096-19097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10619]



-----------------------------------------------------------------------


NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Materials Licensing Process: Availability of NUREGs

    NRC is using Business Process Redesign (BPR) techniques to redesign 
its material licensing process to achieve an order of magnitude 
improvement in speed, while maintaining or improving the level of 
public safety. NUREG-1539, ``Methodology and Findings of the NRC's 
Materials Licensing Process Redesign,'' describes the methods used to 
acquire and analyze information about the existing materials licensing 
process and the steps necessary to radically change this process to the 
envisioned future process.
    Fundamental to the success of the redesigned licensing process is 
the consolidating and updating of an extensive number of guidance 
documents that support the material licensing process into a single 
comprehensive repository called the materials electronic library (MEL). 
Draft NUREG-1541, ``Process and Design for Consolidating and Updating 
Materials Licensing Guidance,'' describes the MEL design and is the 
first of a planned series of staff reports that NRC will publish on 
MEL. These reports are intended to inform the reader about the MEL 
project, provide an ongoing status report, and request comments on 
various aspects of the project. This project's end result will be an 
electronic library accessible by NRC's staff and managers, Agreement 
and non-Agreement States, licensees, applicants, and the public at 
large.
    Over the years, the NRC has used a number of regulatory guides, 
policy and procedures, standard review plans, and other documents to 
communicate the NRC's policy to licensees and to the NRC staff. Each of 
these documents was written to address either a particular use of 
material or a particular radiation safety issue. The net result has 
been a multitude of documents, many of which are now out of date, from 
which NRC staff and licensees must derive the requirements, policies, 
and materials needed for licensed activities. The intent of the MEL is 
to create a simple communication vehicle that can keep up with change.
    Draft NUREG-1541 discusses the conceptual structure of MEL, how it 
was created, and seeks comments on MEL-related issues. The MEL's 
development strategy is a prototype of NRC's new process for developing 
``regulatory products.'' During the comment period on this document, 
the staff is actively seeking comments from all readers, including but 
not limited to, licensees, applicants, the public, and Agreement and 
non-Agreement States. Comments will be useful in making needed ``mid-
course'' corrections as early as possible in the development of MEL. 
Comments on this draft report will be most useful if received within 90 
days of its publication, but comments received after that time will 
also be considered if practicable.
    Submit comments on draft NUREG-1541 to the Chief, Rules Review and 
Directives Branch, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-001.
    Copies of NUREG-1539 may be purchased from the Superintendent of 
Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P. O. Box 37082, 
Washington, DC 20402-9328. Copies are also available from the National 
Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 
22161.
    A free single copy of draft NUREG-1541 may be requested by those 
considering public comment by writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, ATTN: BPR Team, Mail Stop TWFN 8F5, Washington, DC 20555-
0001.
    Copies of NUREG-1539 and draft NUREG-1541 are also available for 
inspection and/or copying for a fee in the NRC Public Document Room, 
2120 L Street, NW. (Lower Level), Washington, DC 20555-001.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of April, 1996.


[[Page 19097]]


    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Donald A. Cool,
Director, Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, Office of 
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 96-10619 Filed 4-29-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P