[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 172 (Tuesday, September 5, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 53771]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-22649]



[[Page 53771]]

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Workshop Concerning The Revision of the Oversight Program for 
Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

ACTION: Notice of Public Workshop.

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SUMMARY: NRC will hold a public workshop at the NRC Headquarters 
location at 11555 Rockville Pike, in Rockville, MD to provide the 
public, those regulated by the NRC, and other stakeholders, with 
information about and an opportunity to provide views on how NRC plans 
to revise its oversight program for nuclear fuel cycle facilities. This 
workshop follows the public workshop held on May 24-25, 2000. 
Presentations and other documents provided at each workshop are placed 
on the NRC INTERNET web page (http://www.nrc.gov).
    Similar to the revision of the oversight program for commercial 
nuclear power reactor plants, NRC initiated an effort to improve its 
oversight program for nuclear fuel cycle facilities. This is described 
in SECY-99-188 titled, ``Evaluation and Proposed Revision of the 
Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facility Safety Inspection Program.'' SECY-99-188 is 
available in the Public Document Room and on the NRC Web Page at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/COMMISSION/SECYS/index.html.
    Purpose of Workshop: To obtain stakeholder views for improving the 
NRC oversight program for ensuring regulatees (licensee and certificate 
holders) maintain protection of worker and public health and safety, 
protection of the environment, and safeguards for special nuclear 
material and classified matter in the interest of national security. 
The oversight program applies to commercial nuclear fuel cycle 
facilities regulated under 10 CFR Parts 40, 70, and 76. The facilities 
currently include gaseous diffusion plants, highly enriched uranium 
fuel fabrication facilities, low-enriched uranium fuel fabrication 
facilities, and a uranium hexafluoride (UF6) production 
facility. These facilities possess large quantities of materials that 
are potentially hazardous (i.e., radioactive, toxic, and/or flammable) 
to the workers, public, and environment. Also, some of the facilities 
possess information and material important to national security. In 
revising the oversight program, the goal is to have an oversight 
program that: (1) Provides earlier and more objective indications of 
acceptable and changing safety and national security related 
performance, (2) increases stakeholder confidence in the NRC, and (3) 
increases regulatory effectiveness, efficiency, and realism. In this 
regard, the NRC desires the revised oversight program to be more risk-
informed and performance-based and more focused on significant risks 
and poorer performers.
    The public workshop will focus on:
     Status of the evolving revision of the oversight program.
     Safety and national security related problem 
identification, resolution, and correction.
     Revision of the NRC inspection program.
     Revision of the NRC overall performance assessment 
process.
     Communication plans for informing stakeholders about the 
oversight program revision.
     Next actions/schedule to complete revision of the 
oversight program

DATES: Members of the public, industry, and other stakeholders are 
invited to attend and participate in the workshop, which is scheduled 
for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13, 2000. The 
workshop will be held in the NRC Professional Development Center in 
room T3B43.

ADDRESSES: NRC Headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike, in Rockville, MD. 
Visitor parking around NRC Headquarters is limited; however, the public 
meeting site may be reached by taking the Washington DC area metro to 
White Flint. NRC Headquarters is located across the street from the 
White Flint metro station.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Walter Schwink, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555, telephone (301) 415-7190, e-mail [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 29th day of August 2000.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Theodore S. Sherr,
Chief, Safety and Safeguards Support Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle 
Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 00-22649 Filed 9-1-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P