[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 135 (Tuesday, July 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37896-37897]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-18612]


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DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD


Sunshine Act Meeting

    Pursuant to the provisions of the ``Government in the Sunshine 
Act'' (5 U.S.C. 552b), notice is hereby given of a meeting of the 
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board to receive views from all 
interested parties about its draft strategic plan to be submitted to 
Congress by September 30, 1997, pursuant to the Government Performance 
and Results Act of 1993. The draft strategic plan is available to the 
Internet home page for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board 
(www.dnfsb.gov) and is available upon request. Participation by members 
of the public is invited. Written comments and oral presentations 
concerning the draft strategic plan will become part of the public 
record.

TIME AND DATE OF MEETING: 3:00 p.m., July 29, 1997.

PLACE: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, 625 Indiana Avenue, NW, 
Suite 300, Washington, DC 20004.

STATUS: Open. The Board has determined that an open meeting furthers 
the public interests underlying both the Government in the Sunshine Act 
and the Government Performance and Results Act.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: This open meeting will be conducted pursuant 
to 42 U.S.C. 2286b and is intended to obtain views and suggestions for 
consideration by the Board regarding

[[Page 37897]]

the development of a strategic plan as outlined in the Government 
Performance and Result Act.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Richard A. Azzaro, Acting General Counsel, Defense Nuclear Facilities 
Safety Board, 625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20004, 
(800) 788-4016. This is a toll free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An independent agency within the Executive 
Branch, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board provides advice and 
recommendations to the President and the Secretary of Energy regarding 
public health and safety issues at Department of Energy (DOE) defense 
nuclear facilities.
    Broadly, the Board reviews operations, practices, and occurrences 
at DOE's defense nuclear facilities and makes recommendations to the 
Secretary of Energy that are necessary to protect public health and 
safety. If, as a result of its reviews, the Board determines that an 
imminent or severe threat to public health or safety exists, the Board 
is required to transmit its recommendation directly to the President, 
as well as to the Secretaries of Energy and Defense.
    The Board's enabling statute, 42 U.S.C. 2286, requires the Board to 
review and evaluate the content and implementation of health and safety 
standards, including DOE's Orders, rules, and other safety 
requirements, relating to the design, construction, operation, and 
decommissioning of DOE's defense nuclear facilities. The Board must 
then recommend to the Secretary of Energy any specific measures, such 
as changes in the content and implementation of those standards, that 
the Board believes should be adopted to ensure that the public health 
and safety are adequately protected. The Board is also required to 
review the design and construction of new defense nuclear facilities 
and to recommend changes necessary to protect health and safety.
    The Board may conduct investigations, issue subpoenas, hold public 
hearings, gather information, conduct studies, establish reporting 
requirements for DOE, and take other actions in furtherance of its 
review of health and safety issues at defense nuclear facilities. The 
ancillary functions of the Board and its staff all relate to the 
accomplishment of the Board's primary function, which is to assist DOE 
in identifying and correcting health and safety problems at defense 
nuclear facilities.
    The Board is soliciting comments from interested parties regarding 
its strategic plan to comply with (part d) of the Government 
Performance and Results Act of 1993 which states, ``When developing a 
strategic plan, the agency shall consult with the Congress, and shall 
solicit and consider the views and suggestions of those entities 
potentially affected by or interested in such a plan.''
    The necessary contents of a strategic plan are outlined in (Part a) 
of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, which states 
that such a strategic plan shall contain:
    ``1. A comprehensive mission statement covering the major functions 
and operations of the agency;
    2. General goals and objectives, including outcome-related goals 
and objectives, for the major functions and operations of the agency;
    3. A description of how the goals and objectives are to be 
achieved, including a description of the operational processes, skills 
and technology, and the human, capital, information, and other 
resources required to meet those goals and objectives;
    4. A description of how the performance goals included in the plan 
required by section 1115(a) of title 31 shall be related to the general 
goals and objectives in the strategic plan;
    5. An identification of those key factors external to the agency 
and beyond its control that could significantly affect the achievement 
of the general goals and objectives; and
    6. A description of the program evaluations used in establishing or 
revising general goals and objectives, with a schedule for future 
program evaluations.''
    The Board specifically reserves its right to further schedule and 
otherwise regulate the course of the meeting, to recess, reconvene, 
postpone or adjourn the meeting, conduct further reviews, and otherwise 
exercise its authority under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.

    Dated: July 10, 1997.
John T. Conway,
Chairman.
[FR Doc. 97-18612 Filed 7-10-97; 4:10 pm]
 BILLING CODE 3670-01-M