[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 139 (Friday, July 19, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47575-47577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18188]


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NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD


Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the Quality, Objectives, 
Utility, and Integrity of Information Disseminated by the U.S. Nuclear 
Waste Technical Review Board

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.

ACTION: Draft notice for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued government 
wide guidelines (OMB Guidelines) as required by Section 515 of the 
Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 
(Pub. L. 106-554; H.R. 5658) to ensure and maximize the quality of 
information disseminated by Federal agencies. The OMB Guidelines were 
published on September 28, 2001, (66 FR 49718) and on January 3, 2002, 
(67 FR 369) and reprinted in their entirety on February 22, 2002, (67 
FR 8452): Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the Quality, 
Objectively, Utility, and Integrity of Information Disseminated by 
Federal Agencies. Each Federal agency is required to issue its own set 
of guidelines to comply with Section 515 requirements.
    The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) is making its 
draft information guidelines available for public comment both in the 
Federal Register and on its Web site at www.nwtrb.gov. The Board 
welcomes public comment on the guidelines. Please send comments by e-
mail to [email protected]. or in writing to Joyce M. Dory, Director of 
Administration; U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board; 2300 
Clarendon Blvd., Suite 1300; Arlington, VA 22201.
    Comments may be submitted on the draft NWTRB guidelines or on the 
proposed complaint and review process for addressing public requests 
for correcting such information. When commenting, please bear in mind 
that the purpose of the complaint and review process is to deal with 
information quality, not to resolve underlying substantive policy or 
legal issues or factual disputes.
    Comments received will be reviewed and may be included in the 
Board's request to OMB for approval of final NWTRB guidelines. To be 
considered for inclusion in the final guidelines, comments must be 
received by July 26, 2002.
    Nothing in the guidelines set forth in this notice is intended to 
confer any legal right on any individual. The Board's predissemination 
review under these guidelines applies to information first disseminated 
by the Board on or after October 1, 2002.

Draft Guidelines for Disseminating Information

Board Mandate

    The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board was established by 
Public Law 100-203, Part E, to ``evaluate the technical and scientific 
validity of activities undertaken by the Secretary [of Energy] after 
the date of the enactment of the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 
1987, including: (1) [Yucca Mountain] site characterization activities; 
and (2) activities relating to the packaging or transporting of high-
level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel.''
    To carry out its mandate, the Board strives for a high standard of 
quality in reviewing the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) technical 
and scientific activities. The Board holds open meetings, routinely 
schedules time for public comment at its meetings, and actively 
solicits the opinions of experts in fields allied with topics under 
review.
    The Board also makes every effort to ensure the quality, 
objectivity, utility, and integrity of information that it 
disseminates. In developing these guidelines, the Board has followed 
the requirements set out by the OMB.

Information Disseminated by the Board

    The Board was charged by Congress with providing technical and 
scientific advice to Congress and the Secretary of Energy based on the 
expert opinion of Board members. In accordance with its congressional 
mandate, the Board performs an evaluation of the technical and 
scientific validity of factual information provided by the DOE. The 
Board does not originate technical and scientific research or data. 
Consequently, information disseminated by the Board is almost without 
exception based on Board-member opinion. Like all expert judgments, 
Board opinions have a subjective element. Thus, they are not easily 
subjected to the tests of objectivity, reproducibility, and 
transparency described in the OMB guidelines.
    The Board has developed the following proposed guidelines for the

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information the Board disseminates. The guidelines have three elements: 
First, to the extent that Board opinions derive directly from specific 
technical analyses, those analyses are revealed. Second, the Board 
makes clear the logic and rationale for its expert opinions. Third, the 
Board makes every effort to ensure that the information on which it 
bases its opinions is credible.
    Technical analyses. The Board includes a discussion of technical 
analyses that form the basis of its expert opinions in its twice-yearly 
reports to Congress and the Secretary of Energy. In addition, such 
technical analyses are referenced in Board correspondence with the DOE 
and in correspondence with and testimony before Congress.
    Logic and rationale. To make the logic and rationale that support 
its opinions clear, the Board makes every effort to ensure that its 
findings and recommendations and the technical analysis on which they 
are based are understandable, relevant, and widely accessible.
    Credible information. To help ensure that its opinions are based on 
credible information, the Board stays informed on progress in the 
program by holding meetings several times a year, by being updated on 
current scientific and technical research, by conducting field 
observations, and by gathering information from parties to the process 
and experts in related fields. However, the quality of information 
derived from external sources cannot be guaranteed by the Board.
    From time to time, the Board retains technical experts to provide 
their opinions on specific technical and scientific issues related to 
the Board's review of the DOE program. Expert opinion generated or 
disseminated by these expert consultants is not covered under the 
guidelines. When the views of expert consultants are disseminated, the 
Board includes an appropriate disclaimer in the document, for example: 
``The views in this document are those of the consultant and are not 
necessarily those of the Board.''

Dissemination of Information

    The Board strives for a high degree of transparency in its 
evaluation of the DOE program. Consequently, the Board ensures that all 
Board documents are widely disseminated and available to other 
organizations, to members of Congress, and to members of the public. 
The Board mails its twice-yearly reports and its meeting notice 
directly to its extensive mailing list. The Board makes all its 
reports, correspondence, congressional testimony, meeting transcripts, 
and other documents available on its Web site and on request. Most of 
these documents can be downloaded and are accessible to those who use 
assistive technology for reading online material.

Quality Management Principles

    In reviewing information for dissemination, the Board complies with 
statutory requirements for protecting certain information. The 
statutory requirements include the Privacy Act of 1974, the Freedom of 
Information Act, and the computer security provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act. The Board strives to ensure that the information in 
Board documents is unbiased, relevant, accurate, and clear by using the 
following procedures.
    The Board reviews documents for adherence to quality standards as 
part of its internal review process. Board members and Board staff 
perform multiple reviews of Board reports, Board correspondence, Board 
congressional testimony, and other documents. All Board documents are 
reviewed for consistency and clarity. Text is edited to ensure that 
thoughts and arguments flow logically and are clear, concise, easy to 
read, and grammatically correct. Tables and charts are edited to ensure 
that they clearly and accurately illustrate and support points made in 
the text. Sound statistical and analytical techniques are used in 
developing Board documents.

Complaint and Review Procedures

Corrections of Information Covered by These Guidelines

    Board guidelines include the following procedures for members of 
the public to seek and obtain appropriate correction of information 
maintained and disseminated by the NWTRB after October 1, 2002. As 
required by OMB Guidelines, the NWTRB will report annually to the 
director of the OMB on the number and disposition of such requests 
received.
    Use a copy of the form provided on the Board's Web site or 
available from the Board's office. Provide the information requested on 
the form and submit it to [email protected] or to U.S. Nuclear Waste 
Technical Review Board; Section 515 Compliance; 2300 Clarendon Blvd., 
Suite 1300; Arlington, VA 22201.
    The NWTRB may choose not to respond to requests based on claims 
deemed frivolous or unlikely to have substantial future effect. A 
decision on whether and how to correct the information will be made 
within 90 days of receipt, and the requester will be notified of the 
decision by mail, telephone, e-mail, or fax.
    If the claim is denied, the requester may ask within 30 days of the 
date of the decision for reconsideration of the Board's decision. Such 
requests must be made by e-mail ([email protected]) or in writing (U.S. 
Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board; Director of Administration; 2300 
Clarendon Blvd., Suite 1300; Arlington, VA 22201). The NWTRB will then 
reconsider its decision. Reconsiderations will be made by the Director 
of Administration or delegate. The claimant will be notified of the 
final decision within six weeks.

Definitions

    Quality: An encompassing term comprising utility, objectivity, and 
integrity, as defined below.
    Utility: The usefulness of the information to its intended users.
    Objectivity: A focus on ensuring that information is accurate, 
reliable, and unbiased, and that information products are presented in 
an accurate, clear, complete, and unbiased manner.
    Integrity: The security of information from unauthorized access or 
revision to ensure that the information is not compromised through 
corruption or falsification.
    Information: Any communication or representation of knowledge, such 
as facts or data, in any form. This does not include individual Board 
member or staff opinions, where the agency makes it clear that what is 
being offered is someone's opinion rather than fact or the Board's 
view.
    Dissemination: Agency-instituted or agency-sponsored distribution 
of information to the public. Dissemination under these guidelines does 
not include distributions limited to government employees or agency 
contractors or grantees; interagency or intraagency use or sharing of 
government information; and responses to requests for agency records 
under the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act, or other similar law.
    Influential: The Board can reasonably determine that dissemination 
of the information will have or does have a clear and substantial 
effect on important public policies.
    Reproducibility: The information is capable of being substantially 
reproduced, subject to an acceptable degree of imprecision.
    Information not covered by the OMB or Board guidelines includes the 
following:

 Archival records
 Transcripts of meetings
 Correspondence with an individual

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 Press releases
 Reports containing a disclaimer.

    Dated: July 12, 2001.
Karyn Severson,
Director, External Affairs, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 02-18188 Filed 7-18-02; 8:45 am]
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