[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 198 (Friday, October 11, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63460-63461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-25988]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Procedures for Meetings

Background

    This notice describes procedures to be followed with respect to 
meetings conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) 
Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) pursuant to the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (FACA). These procedures are set forth so that 
they may be incorporated by reference in future notices for individual 
meetings.
    The ACRS is a statutory group established by Congress to review and 
report on nuclear safety matters and applications for the licensing of 
nuclear facilities. The Committee's reports become a part of the public 
record.
    The ACRS meetings are conducted in accordance with FACA; they are 
normally open to the public and provide opportunities for oral or 
written statements from members of the public to be considered as part 
of the Committee's information gathering process. ACRS reviews do not 
normally encompass matters pertaining to environmental impacts other 
than those related to radiological safety.
    The ACRS meetings are not adjudicatory hearings such as those 
conducted by the NRC's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel as part 
of the Commission's licensing process.

General Rules Regarding ACRS Meetings

    An agenda is published in the Federal Register for each full 
Committee meeting. There may be a need to make changes to the agenda to 
facilitate the conduct of the meeting. The Chairman of the Committee is 
empowered to conduct the meeting in a manner that, in his/her judgment, 
will facilitate the orderly conduct of business, including making 
provisions to continue the discussion of matters not completed on the 
scheduled day on another meeting day. Persons planning to attend the 
meeting may contact the Designated Federal Official specified in the 
Federal Register Notice prior to the meeting to be advised of any 
changes to the agenda that may have occurred. This individual can be 
contacted between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Eastern Time.
    The following requirements shall apply to public participation in 
ACRS full Committee meetings:
    (a) Persons wishing to submit written comments regarding the agenda 
items may do so by sending a readily reproducible copy addressed to the 
Designated Federal Official specified in the Federal Register Notice, 
care of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. Comments should be limited 
to items being considered by the Committee. Comments should be in the 
possession of the Designated Federal Official prior to the meeting to 
allow time for reproduction and distribution. Written comments may also 
be submitted by providing a readily reproducible copy to the Designated 
Federal Official at the beginning of the meeting.
    (b) Persons desiring to make oral statements at the meeting should 
make a request to do so to the Designated Federal Official. If 
possible, the request should be made five days before the meeting, 
identifying the topics to be discussed and the amount of time needed 
for presentation so that orderly arrangements can be made. The 
Committee will hear oral statements on topics being reviewed at an 
appropriate time during the meeting as scheduled by the Chairman.
    (c) Information regarding topics to be discussed, changes to the 
agenda, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, and the 
time allotted to present oral statements can be obtained by contacting 
the Designated Federal Official between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., 
Eastern Time.
    (d) The use of still, motion picture, and television cameras will 
be permitted at the discretion of the Chairman and subject to the 
condition that the physical installation and presence of such equipment 
will not interfere with the conduct of the meeting. The Designated 
Federal Official will have to be notified prior to the meeting and will 
authorize the installation or use of such equipment after consultation 
with the Chairman. The use of such equipment will be restricted as is 
necessary to protect proprietary or privileged information that may be 
in documents, folders, etc., in the meeting room. Electronic recordings 
will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are 
open to the public.
    (e) A transcript is kept for certain open portions of the meeting 
and will be available in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR), One White 
Flint North, Room O-1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-
2738. ACRS meeting agenda, transcripts, and letter reports are 
available through the NRC Public Document Room at [email protected], by 
calling the PDR at 1-800-394-4209, or from the Publicly Available 
Records System (PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS) which 
is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html or http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/. A copy of 
the certified minutes of the meeting will be available at the same 
location on or before three months following the meeting. Copies may be 
obtained upon payment of appropriate reproduction charges.
    (f) Video teleconferencing service is available for observing open 
sessions of ACRS meetings. Those wishing to use this service for 
observing ACRS meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACRS Audio 
Visual Technician, (301-415-8066) between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. 
Eastern Time at least 10 days before the meeting to ensure the 
availability of this service.

[[Page 63461]]

    Individuals or organizations requesting this service will be 
responsible for telephone line charges and for providing the equipment 
and facilities that they use to establish the video teleconferencing 
link. The availability of video teleconferencing services is not 
guaranteed.

ACRS Subcommittee Meetings

    In accordance with the revised FACA, the agency is no longer 
required to apply the FACA requirements to meetings conducted by the 
Subcommittees of the NRC Advisory Committees, if the Subcommittee's 
recommendations would be independently reviewed by its parent 
Committee.
    The ACRS, however, chose to conduct its Subcommittee meetings in 
accordance with the above procedures, as appropriate, to facilitate 
public participation and to provide a forum to stakeholders to express 
their views on regulatory matters being considered by the ACRS. When 
Subcommittee meetings are held at locations other than at NRC 
facilities, reproduction facilities may not be available at a 
reasonable cost. Accordingly, 25 additional copies of the materials to 
be used during the meeting should be provided for distribution at such 
meetings.

Special Provisions When Proprietary Sessions Are To Be Held

    If it is necessary to hold closed sessions for the purpose of 
discussing matters involving proprietary information, persons with 
agreements permitting access to such information may attend those 
portions of the ACRS meetings where this material is being discussed 
upon confirmation that such agreements are effective and related to the 
material being discussed.
    The Designated Federal Official should be informed of such an 
agreement at least five working days prior to the meeting so that it 
can be confirmed, and a determination can be made regarding the 
applicability of the agreement to the material that will be discussed 
during the meeting. The minimum information provided should include 
information regarding the date of the agreement, the scope of material 
included in the agreement, the project or projects involved, and the 
names and titles of the persons signing the agreement. Additional 
information may be requested to identify the specific agreement 
involved. A copy of the executed agreement should be provided to the 
Designated Federal Official prior to the beginning of the meeting for 
admittance to the closed session.

    Dated: October 7, 2002.
Andrew L. Bates,
Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 02-25988 Filed 10-10-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P