[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 52 (Thursday, March 16, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14323-14324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6501]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Notice of Public Workshop on Prioritizing Nuclear Materials 
Regulatory Applications for New Risk-Informed Approaches

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is in the 
initial stage of developing an approach for using risk information in 
the nuclear materials regulatory process. As a first step, the NRC 
staff has developed draft screening criteria for new regulatory 
applications to meet to be candidates for expanded use of risk 
information. The NRC staff has scheduled a workshop to (1) solicit 
public input in the development of these screening criteria and their 
applications, and (2) solicit public input in the process for 
developing appropriate nuclear materials safety goals. The meeting is 
open to the public and all interested parties may attend and provide 
comments.

DATES: The workshop will be held on April 25, 2000 from 9:00 a.m. to 
5:00 p.m. and April 26, 2000 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Submit 
comments by May 19, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Exact location of the workshop has yet to be determined, but 
will be in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. When available, the 
location will be posted on the NRC website (www.nrc.gov) under meeting 
notices. Mail written comments to David L. Meyer, Chief, Rules and 
Directives Branch, T6-D59, Washington, D.C., 20555-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Stacey Rosenberg, Mail Stop T-8-K10, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. 
Telephone: (301) 415-8117; Internet: [email protected]. An agenda will be 
available to the public and will be distributed to participants prior 
to the workshop. Contact the workshop facilitator, Chip Cameron, 
regarding the agenda and workshop location. Telephone: 301-415-1642; 
Internet: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In SECY-99-100, ``Framework for Risk-
informed Regulation in the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards'', dated March 31, 1999, the NRC staff proposed a framework 
for risk-informed regulation in the Office of Nuclear Material Safety 
and Safeguards (NMSS). On June 28, 1999, the Commission approved the 
staff's proposal. In the associated staff requirements memorandum 
(SRM), the Commission approved the staff's recommendation to implement 
a five-step process consisting of:
    (1) Identifying candidate regulatory applications that are amenable 
to expanded use of risk assessment information;
    (2) Making a decision on how to modify a regulation or regulated 
activity;
    (3) Changing current regulatory approaches;
    (4) Implementing risk-informed approaches; and
    (5) Developing or adapting existing tools and techniques of risk 
analysis to the regulation of nuclear materials safety and safeguards.
    The focus of this workshop will be on (1) The process for 
identifying the specific regulatory applications that are amenable to 
expanded use of risk assessment information--step 1 of the five-step 
process--and (2) the process for developing appropriate nuclear 
materials safety goals. Step one of the five-step process will be 
accomplished by first defining screening criteria and then identifying 
regulatory application areas (e.g., licensing, inspection, rulemaking) 
that would be amenable to risk-informed approaches. These could, for 
example, include rulemaking activities, licensee performance 
assessment, or enforcement of regulatory requirements. Because of 
limited resources, the NRC staff is proposing a step-by-step approach, 
rather than a comprehensive reevaluation in all areas. The NRC staff's 
work to implement subsequent steps, namely steps 2 through 5 of the 
five-step process, will be prioritized based on safety, efficiency and 
effectiveness, and burden reduction.
    The NRC staff proposes the following approach for step 1. A new 
regulatory application should meet the following draft screening 
criteria to be a candidate for expanded use of risk information:
    1. A proposed risk-informed regulatory approach to a new licensing 
or inspection activity will resolve a question with respect to 
maintaining or improving the activity's safety basis, will improve the 
efficiency or the effectiveness of NRC processes, or will reduce 
unnecessary regulatory burden for the applicant or licensee;
    2. Sufficient information (data), and analytical methods exist or 
can be developed to support risk-informing a regulation or regulatory 
activity;
    3. Startup and implementation can be realized at a reasonable cost 
to the NRC and the applicant or licensee, and provide a net benefit. 
The net benefit will be considered to apply to the public, the 
applicant or licensee, and the NRC staff.
    The NRC staff requests public comments on these draft criteria.
    Related to the criteria, the NRC staff is also soliciting comments 
on the following items and questions. The intent of publishing these 
questions is to foster discussion about the issues at the workshop.
    1. What specific applications or general areas of nuclear materials 
regulation do you believe NRC should focus its efforts in applying risk 
information to its regulatory framework, and why?
    2. Will the various segments of the regulated community accept more 
risk-informed approaches in regulatory applications?
    3. What factors should be considered in prioritizing NRC's efforts 
to systematically review regulatory activities for application of risk 
information?
    4. How can data collection and processing information be enhanced 
without significant additional burden to licensees and applicants?
    5. Could measures be made available under a more risk-informed 
approach which would allow the agency and the licensees to judge 
performance, recognize weaknesses, and provide opportunities for 
correction before significant safety issues or events occur?
    6. What are the costs and benefits of risk-informing NMSS licensing 
and inspection activities?
    In addition, in its SRM on SECY-99-100, the Commission directed the 
NRC staff to develop appropriate material safety goals analogous to the 
reactor safety goals and include, as a goal, the

[[Page 14324]]

avoidance of property damage. The NRC staff will open a discussion on a 
process for developing material safety goals during this workshop with 
the following questions and considerations:
    1. What are your perceptions of a safety goal for nuclear 
materials?
    2. What would be an effective process for developing nuclear 
materials safety goals?
    3. How can the safety goal development process contribute to 
improving the regulatory process by helping to identify and articulate 
the underlying safety philosophy and safety principles currently 
driving the spectrum of NMSS programs?
    4. What factors should be considered in the development of nuclear 
materials safety goals?
    5. What aspects of future nuclear material safety goals can or 
should be analogous to the reactor safety goals?
    6. Should separate safety goals for each activity regulated under 
each program area be contemplated?
    7. What areas will have the greatest impact as a result of having a 
safety goal or goals?
    8. How resource intensive will it be to develop a safety goal or 
goals?
    9. What would change as a result of having safety goals (lives 
saved, costs savings, increased public confidence)?
    The workshop will be conducted in a ``roundtable'' format. In order 
to have a manageable discussion, the number of participants around the 
table will, of necessity, be limited. NRC, through the facilitator for 
the meeting, will attempt to ensure broad participation by the broad 
spectrum of interests at the meeting, including citizen and 
environmental groups, nuclear industry interests, state, tribal, and 
local governments, experts from academia, or other agencies. Other 
members of the public are welcome to attend, and the public will have 
the opportunity to comment on each agenda item to be discussed by the 
roundtable participants.

    Dated at Rockville, MD, this 9th day of March, 2000.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Donald A. Cool,
Director, Division of Industrial and Medical.
    Nuclear Safety, NMSS
[FR Doc. 00-6501 Filed 3-15-00; 8:45 am]
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