[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 190 (Monday, October 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58015-58016]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-16136]
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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 Full Committee Meetings
An agenda will be published in the Federal Register for each full
Committee meeting. There may be a need to make adjustments to the
agenda to facilitate the conduct of the meeting. The Chairman of the
Committee is empowered to make such adjustments 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 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 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
[[Page 58016]]
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 may be
limited to selected portions of the meeting as determined by 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
schedules and 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 26, 2006.
Andrew L. Bates,
Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. E6-16136 Filed 9-29-06; 8:45 am]
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