[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 177 (Friday, September 11, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56275-56277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20048]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2020-0194]


Development of NRC's Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022 Through 
2026

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Request for comment; public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is requesting 
comments on its update of the NRC's Fiscal Years (FYs) 2022-2026 
Strategic Plan. Specifically, the NRC would like input on the agency's 
strategic goals, actions to realize those goals, and how to address key 
challenges and external factors as described in the current agency's 
Strategic Plan, NUREG 1614, Volume 7, ``Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 
2018-2022.'' The information will be used to inform the development of 
the NRC's FYs 2022-2026 Strategic Plan framework and evidence building 
and evaluation activities.

DATES: Submit comments by October 13, 2020. Comments received after 
this date

[[Page 56276]]

will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission is 
able to ensure consideration only for comments received before this 
date. Furthermore, the NRC staff will hold a public webinar on 
September 22, 2020, to receive comments on the upcoming update of the 
NRC's FYs 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0194. Address 
questions about NRC Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges; 
telephone: 301-287-9127; email: [email protected]. For technical 
questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section of this document.
     Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: 
TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Branch.
    For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carla Roque-Cruz, Office of the 
Executive Director for Operations, telephone: 301-415-1455, email: 
[email protected], U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0194, when contacting the NRC 
about the information for this action. You may obtain publicly-
available information related to this action by any of the following 
methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0194.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS 
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public 
Document Room reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by 
email to [email protected]. The ADAMS accession number for each 
document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first 
time that it is mentioned in this document.

B. Submitting Comments

    Please include Docket ID NRC-2020-0194 in your comment submission.
    The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact 
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at 
https://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions 
into ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove such information before making the comment submissions available 
to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.

II. Discussion

    The NRC is an independent agency established by the Energy 
Reorganization Act of 1974 that began operations in 1975 as a successor 
to the licensing and regulatory activities of the Atomic Energy 
Commission. The NRC's mission is to license and regulate the Nation's 
civilian use of radioactive materials to provide reasonable assurance 
of adequate protection of public health and safety and to promote the 
common defense and security and to protect the environment. In 
accordance with the Government Performance and Results (GPRA) 
Modernization Act of 2010, the NRC is required to submit its Strategic 
Plan to Congress the year following the start of a presidential term.
    The Strategic Plan describes how the agency intends to achieve its 
two strategic goals: (1) Ensure the safe use of radioactive materials, 
and (2) ensure the secure use of radioactive materials. The plan 
provides an overview of the NRC's responsibilities and lays out the 
objectives, strategies, and key activities that will be used to achieve 
the agency's strategic goals. Moreover, with enactment of the 
Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (``Evidence 
Act'') (5 U.S.C. 312), agency strategic plans are to be supported by 
the inclusion of a Learning Agenda (i.e., Evidence-Building Plan), 
which describes the activities agencies will undertake to answer 
important short-and-long term strategic and operational questions 
important to achieving the agency's mission. The Evidence Act also 
requires agencies to conduct and include in their strategic plan's a 
capacity assessment that will help agencies to assess their ability and 
infrastructure to carry out evidence building activities like 
foundational fact finding, performance measurement, policy analysis, 
and program evaluation, and identifying the data needed to answer those 
questions.
    During the last few years, the NRC has been transforming in order 
to realize its vision of becoming a modern, risk-informed regulator and 
be in the best position to continue meeting its important safety and 
security mission well into the future. Transformation activities will 
help the NRC keep pace with the highly dynamic, interconnected 
environment in which it operates, and be prepared to regulate an 
industry that is innovative and pursuing technologies.

III. Specific Request for Comment

    The NRC is interested in obtaining input from stakeholders, 
including professional organizations and interested individuals. The 
focus of this request is to gather information that will permit the NRC 
staff to develop the FYs 2022-2026 Strategic Plan framework.
    The NRC does not intend to provide any responses to comments 
received during the public meeting. The public meeting will be noticed 
on the NRC's public meeting website at least 10 calendar days before 
the meeting. Members of the public should monitor the NRC's public 
meeting website at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm.
    The NRC will also post the meeting notice on the Federal Rulemaking 
website at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2020-0194.

IV. Requested Information and Comments

    The NRC is asking the public to comment on potential changes to the 
NRC's goals, objectives, strategies contributing activities as 
described in the current FYs 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, and the 
requirements of the Evidence Act as discussed in Section II of this 
document. The NRC welcomes comments from the public on any areas that 
they believe are relevant to these topics, and is particularly 
interested in receiving input on the following questions:
    1. Do you have any specific recommendations or improvements to

[[Page 56277]]

consider in the development of the FYs 2022-2026 Strategic Plan?
    2. What goals, objectives, or strategies within the NRC's current 
strategic plan should be added, enhanced, or modified in the FYs 2022-
2026 Strategic Plan?
    3. What contributing activities should be considered to support the 
safety and security goals, strategies, and objectives?
    4. What external factors, opportunities and challenges should be 
considered during the development of the FYs 2022-2026 Strategic Plan?
    5. As part of the Evidence Act, the NRC will include a learning 
agenda in the FYs 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. A learning agenda is a 
systematic plan for identifying and addressing policy questions 
relevant to the NRC's programs, policies, operations, and regulations. 
The learning agenda will describe the plan for building evidence to 
address agency priority questions. What priority question(s) (short- or 
long-term) do you believe the NRC should be asking within the learning 
agenda?
    6. What improvements can the NRC make in regard to evidence 
building (e.g., data, analysis, evaluations) to inform strategy, 
policymaking, program decisions, and regulations?

V. Public Meeting Information

    The NRC staff will hold a public webinar on September 22, 2020, to 
receive comments on the update of the NRC's FYs 2022-2026 Strategic 
Plan. Additionally, the NRC will discuss the Agency's transformation 
activities for public input and comment on these activities and 
continue to seek the views of stakeholders in identifying opportunities 
to improve the agency's processes, procedures, and products. The 
webinar will be held online and will offer a telephone line for members 
of the public to submit comments. A court reporter will be recording 
all comments received during the webinar. The date and time for the 
webinar is as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Date                      Time               Location
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/22/2020.....................  1:00 p.m. to 4:00  Webinar Information:
                                 p.m. (EDT).        Webinar address:
                                                    https://usnrc.webex.com/usnrc/onstage/g.php?MTID=edb8d9854a356d1c13bfc4f1339244bd1 4bd1.
                                                   Telephone Access:
                                                    Bridgeline: 800-369-
                                                    1713 Participant
                                                    Passcode: 5805934.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Persons interested in attending this meeting should monitor the 
NRC's Public Meeting Schedule website at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg 
for additional information, the meeting agenda, information on how to 
provide verbal comments, and access information for the meeting. 
Participants should register in advance of the meeting by visiting 
https://usnrc.webex.com and using the event number provided above. A 
confirmation email will be generated providing additional details and a 
link to the meeting. Those wishing to make verbal comments at the 
meeting should follow instructions listed on the NRC's Public Meeting 
Schedule website.
    The NRC may post additional materials related to this document, 
including public comments, on the Federal Rulemaking website. The 
Federal Rulemaking website allows you to receive alerts when changes or 
additions occur in a docket folder. To subscribe: (1) Navigate to the 
docket folder (NRC-2020-0194); (2) click the ``Sign up for Email 
Alerts'' link; and (3) enter your email address and select how 
frequently you would like to receive emails (daily, weekly, or 
monthly).

    Dated: September 4, 2020.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Margaret M. Doane,
Executive Director for Operations.
[FR Doc. 2020-20048 Filed 9-10-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P