[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]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P