[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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