[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 24 (Friday, February 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6070-6071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-2547]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2010-0039]


Notice of Public Meeting on the International Atomic Energy 
Agency Basic Safety Standards Version 3.0, Draft Safety Requirements 
DS379

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting on the International Atomic Energy 
Agency Basic Safety Standards Version 3.0, Draft Safety Requirements, 
DS379.

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SUMMARY: The Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards 
(ISCORS) is hosting an open forum with the public and other 
stakeholders on a revision to the International Basic Safety Standards 
for Protection Against Ionizing Radiation and the Safety of Radiation 
Sources (BSS). The forum is expected to yield information useful to 
inform the development of U.S. Government comments on this 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) draft General Safety 
Requirement. The forum will be held on February 26, 2010 in Rockville, 
MD. The proposed changes are contained in a draft document (DS379) 
submitted for Member State review by the IAEA.

DATES: The public meeting will be held in Rockville, Maryland on 
February 26, 2010, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at: The Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Two White Flint Auditorium, 11555 Rockville 
Pike, Rockville, MD 20852, (301) 415-7000. Those members of the public 
unable to travel to the meeting location but still wishing to attend 
the public meeting may attend by phone. The bridge line to call is 
(877) 917-4910 and the pass code is 6463211.
    The final agenda for the public meeting will be noticed no fewer 
than ten (10) days prior to the meeting on NRC's electronic public 
meeting schedule at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm. Attendees should allow sufficient time for building access 
and security requirements.
    Questions about participation in the public meeting should be 
directed to the facilitator listed in the ADDRESSES Section. Members of 
the public planning to attend the public meeting, whether in person or 
by phone are invited to RSVP at least ten (10) days prior to the 
meeting and should be directed to the points of contact listed in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Section. Please specify in your RSVP 
whether you will be attending the meeting in person or by phone.

ADDRESSES: Questions regarding the participation in the public meeting 
should be submitted to the facilitator, Francis Cameron, by mail to 
Mail Stop O16-E15, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001, by telephone at (301) 415-1006, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Monica Orendi, telephone (301) 
415-3938, e-mail, [email protected], or Dr. Donald Cool, telephone 
(301) 415-6347, e-mail, [email protected] of the Office of Federal 
and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The IAEA periodically revised its Basic Safety Standards to reflect 
new information and accumulated experience. The current version was 
published in 1996 (http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/ss-115-web/Pub996_web-1a.pdf). The revision now underway is based on the 
recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological 
Protection (ICRP) contained in ICRP Publication 103, published in late 
2007.
    On January 28, 2010, the IAEA posted a draft revision of the BSS 
for comment by each of the member states of the IAEA. The draft (DS379) 
is available for viewing and downloading on the Internet at: http://www-ns.iaea.org/standards/documents/draft-ms-posted.asp. Several other 
International Organizations, including the World Health Organization 
and the International Labor Organization, are also providing the draft 
to their Member States for comment. The United States is a Member State 
of each of these International Organizations, and the U.S. Government 
will be developing coordinated comments on the draft revision.
    The BSS provides requirements for the wide range of radiation 
protection situations which may exist. The draft report organizes these 
requirements into three principle exposure situations, namely: Planned 
exposure situations, in which an activity that may cause radiation 
exposure can be planned in advance, and appropriate controls put into 
place; emergency exposure situations, that arises as a result of an 
accident, a malicious act, or any other unexpected event, and requires 
prompt action in order to avoid or reduce adverse consequences; and 
existing exposure situations, in which the circumstances causing 
exposure already exist when a decision on the need for control has to 
be taken (such as radon in homes). The requirements in the existing 
BSS, and those contained in the draft cover areas which may be under 
the jurisdiction of the NRC, or may be part of programs under other 
Federal Agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and 
the Department of Energy, or may be under the jurisdiction of various 
State Agencies.
    Many Member States of the IAEA will utilize the BSS as one basis 
for the regulations for radiation safety in their countries. Adherence 
to the provisions of the BSS is mandated for IAEA's own conduct, and 
any uses of radiation or radioactive material where the IAEA is 
providing technical assistance and support to the Member State. Users 
of radiation and radioactive materials from the United States who may 
do business in these countries may therefore be particularly interested 
in this draft version. The United States does not directly adopt IAEA 
standards, but may consider such standards as a useful point of 
reference in the development of proposals under the Administrative

[[Page 6071]]

Procedure Act for changes to regulations or guidance in the United 
States. There are many areas in which the existing BSS and the draft 
BSS available for comment are known to differ from the current 
provisions in the regulations of various Federal and State agencies in 
the United States. Thus, views expressed on the IAEA draft BSS are not 
considered as comments on any current or possible future regulation 
activity, but are useful to assist the international community in 
developing a logical, scientifically based set of requirements. 
Furthermore, the IAEA BSS can serve as one possible point of reference 
in the ongoing consideration by various U.S. Agencies of possible 
regulatory options which may or may not result in a greater degree of 
alignment with international radiation protection recommendations, such 
as those in ICRP Publication 103.
    ISCORS is a Committee of Federal Agencies intended to foster early 
resolution and coordination of regulatory issues associated with 
radiation standards and guidelines. Federal Agencies who are members of 
ISCORS include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. 
Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the 
U.S. Department of Transportation, the Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services. The Office of Science and Technology 
Policy, and the Office of Management and Budget are observers to the 
Committee because of their science policy and regulatory policy 
responsibilities. Representatives from selected state radiation control 
organizations and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board are also 
observers to the Committee because of their expertise in regulatory 
implementation and oversight.
    Attendees at the meeting are invited to express their views on the 
draft safety requirement DS379. The views expressed during the meeting 
will be considered for incorporation, along with comments developed 
within the Agencies, and will help determine the U.S. Government 
comments on the draft BSS to be submitted to the IAEA. ISCORS 
recognizes that a variety of views may be provided, and that viewpoints 
may differ. ISCORS does not intend to provide specific feedback to 
those attending the public meeting, and attendees should have no 
expectation that the views expressed during the meeting will be 
included in the U.S. Government comments submitted to IAEA. However, 
ISCORS, and its members agencies, believe that is important to provide 
an opportunity for the public to express their views on the BSS through 
this forum. Comments submitted by Member States, including the United 
States, will be available on the IAEA web site. Note that future 
domestic rulemakings, if appropriate, will continue to follow 
established rulemaking procedures, including the opportunity to 
formally comment on proposed rules.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day of January, 2010.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert J. Lewis,
Director, Division of Material Safety and State Agreements, Office of 
Federal and State Materials, and Environmental Management Programs.
[FR Doc. 2010-2547 Filed 2-4-10; 8:45 am]
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