[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 197 (Thursday, October 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60196-60198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-16870]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Advisory Committee On Nuclear Waste; Procedures for Meetings

Background

    This notice describes procedures to be followed with respect to 
meetings conducted pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA) by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Advisory 
Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW). These procedures are set forth so 
that they may be incorporated by reference in future notices for 
individual meetings.
    The ACNW meetings are conducted in accordance with FACA. The ACNW 
advises the NRC on technical issues related to nuclear materials and 
waste management. The bases of ACNW reviews include 10 CFR parts 20, 
60, 61, 63, 70, 71, and 72 and other applicable regulations and 
legislative mandates, such as the Nuclear Waste Policy Act as amended, 
the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act as amended, and the Uranium 
Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act, as amended. The Committee's 
reports become a part of the public record.
    The ACNW meetings 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. The meetings are not adjudicatory hearings such as those

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conducted by the NRC's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel as part 
of the Commission's licensing process. ACNW meetings are conducted in 
accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

 General Rules Regarding ACNW Meetings

    An agenda is published in the Federal Register for each full 
Committee meeting and is available on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/ACRSACNW. 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 judgment, will facilitate the orderly conduct 
of business, including making provisions to continue the discussion of 
matters not completed on the scheduled day during another meeting. 
Persons planning to attend a meeting may contact the Designated Federal 
Official (DFO) specified in the individual 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 
ACNW 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 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 Nuclear Waste, U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Comments 
should be in the possession of the DFO prior to the meeting to allow 
time for reproduction and distribution. Comments should be limited to 
topics being considered by the Committee.
    (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) 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 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 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 present 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. A copy of the certified minutes of the meeting will be available 
at the same location up to three months following the meeting. Copies 
may be obtained upon payment of appropriate reproduction charges. ACNW 
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/ (ACNW schedules and agendas).
    (f) Video teleconferencing service is available for observing open 
sessions of ACNW meetings. Those wishing to use this service for 
observing ACNW meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACNW 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.

ACNW Working Group Meetings

    From time to time the ACNW may sponsor an in-depth meeting on a 
specific technical issue to understand staff expectations and review 
work in progress. Such meetings are called Working Group meetings. 
These Working Group meetings will also be conducted in accordance with 
the procedures noted above for the ACNW meeting, as appropriate. When 
Working Group 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.

ACNW Ad Hoc 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 ACNW, however, chose to conduct its Subcommittee meetings in 
accordance with the procedures noted above for ACNW 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 ACNW. 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 ACNW 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

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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: October 5, 2006.
Andrew L. Bates,
 Advisory Committee Management Officer.
 [FR Doc. E6-16870 Filed 10-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P