[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 10, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 57600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19943]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Notice of Intent To Establish Independent External Review Panel
To Identify Vulnerabilities in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's
Material Licensing Program
AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: This notice is to announce the NRC intends to establish a new
advisory committee.
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
is chartering a new advisory committee. This action is being taken in
accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, after consultation
with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services
Administration. The committee, designated as the Independent External
Review Panel to Identify Vulnerabilities in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission's Material Licensing Program is being tasked to respond to
the NRC Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recommendation (OIG-07-A-
12), ``* * * that the Executive Director for Operations convene an
independent panel of experts external to the agency to identify agency
vulnerabilities concerning NRC's material licensing and tracking
programs and validate the agency's ongoing byproduct material security
efforts.'' The OIG report also stated, ``Such an assessment should
necessarily include examination of the management, operational, and
technical security controls and the extent to which these controls are:
(1) Implemented correctly, (2) operating as intended, and (3) producing
the desired outcome with respect to mitigating security
vulnerabilities.''
In responding to this recommendation, the panel will include in its
review an assessment of the existing and potential security
vulnerabilities related to NRC's specific, import, export and general
license programs. The panel is to also evaluate the apparent good-faith
presumption that pervades the NRC licensing process (See Recommendation
S-1 in the Action Plan).
The panel is expected to develop an agenda and plan for the review;
this plan will include, as a minimum, assessment of pre-licensing
guidance, licensing procedures, the licensing process, possession
limits on licenses, and license reviewer training and oversight. The
panel will document each significant issue identified and make
appropriate recommendations and propose corrective actions.
The panel is being asked to complete and submit a report with
recommendations to the Director of the Office of Federal and State
Materials and Environmental Management Programs by January 31, 2008. In
addition to documenting its recommendations and the bases for those
recommendations, the panel will be asked to document other options that
were considered and the reasons for not adopting them.
For Further Information Please Contact: Aaron McCraw (301-415-1277)
[email protected], U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
Dated: October 3, 2007.
Andrew L. Bates,
Federal Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. E7-19943 Filed 10-9-07; 8:45 am]
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