[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 188 (Thursday, September 29, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56936-56937]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-5317]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 Full Committee Meetings

    An agenda will be 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 (DFO) specified in 
the Federal Register Notice

[[Page 56937]]

prior to the meeting to be advised of any changes to the agenda that 
may have occurred.
    The following requirements shall apply to public participation in 
ACRS full Committee meetings:
    (a) Persons who plan to make oral statements and/or submit written 
comments at the meeting should provide 35 copies to the DFO at the 
beginning of the meeting. Persons who cannot attend the meeting but 
wish to submit written comments regarding the agenda items may do so by 
sending a readily reproducible copy addressed to the DFO specified in 
the Federal Register Notice, care of the Advisory Committee on Reactor 
Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001. Comments should be limited to items being considered by the 
Committee. Comments should be in the possession of the DFO five days 
prior to the meeting to allow time for reproduction and distribution.
    (b) Persons desiring to make oral statements at the meeting should 
make a request to do so to the DFO. If possible, the request should be 
made five days before the meeting, identifying the topic(s) on which 
oral statements will be made 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 DFO.
    (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 use of such equipment will not interfere with the 
conduct of the meeting. The DFO will have to be notified prior to the 
meeting and will authorize the 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 will be 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. A copy of the certified minutes of the meeting will be 
available at the same location three months following the meeting. 
Copies may be obtained upon payment of appropriate reproduction 
charges. 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/ (ACRS & 
ACNW Mtg schedules/agendas).
    (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 3:45 p.m. 
eastern time at least 10 days before the meeting to ensure the 
availability of this service.
    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 procedures noted above for ACRS full Committee 
meetings, as appropriate, to facilitate public participation, and to 
provide a forum for 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, 50 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 DFO 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 
DFO prior to the beginning of the meeting for admittance to the closed 
session.

    Dated: September 23, 2005.
Annette Vietti-Cook,
Secretary of the Commission.
 [FR Doc. E5-5317 Filed 9-28-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P