United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2006-09-27 monographic deposited born digital 79 p. GA 1.13:GAO-06-1029 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-1029 P0b002ee180390d9f f:d061029 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-05-04 GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-1029 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-1029 GAO-06-1029 Evaluation criteria Federal regulations Inspection Noncompliance Nuclear powerplant safety Nuclear powerplants Performance measures Radiation safety Risk assessment Safety regulation Safety standards Policies and procedures NRC Reactor Oversight Process Other Written Product A61465 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is responsible for overseeing the nation's 103 commercial nuclear power plants to ensure they are operated safely. The safety of these plants has always been important, since an accident could release harmful radioactive material. NRC's oversight has become even more critical as the potential resurgence of nuclear power is considered. NRC implemented a new Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) in 2000 to address weaknesses in its oversight of nuclear plant safety. In this report, GAO reviewed (1) how NRC oversees nuclear power plants, (2) the results of the ROP over the past several years, and (3) the status of NRC's efforts to improve the ROP. To complete this work, GAO analyzed programwide information, inspection results covering 5 years of ROP operations, and detailed findings from a nonprobability sample of 11 plants. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-1029/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-1029.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-1029/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-1029.pdf GAO-06-1029 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-1029 Other Written Product GAO-06-1029; Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Oversight of Nuclear Power Plant Safety Has Improved, but Refinements Are Needed; Evaluation criteria Federal regulations Inspection Noncompliance Nuclear powerplant safety Nuclear powerplants Performance measures Radiation safety Risk assessment Safety regulation Safety standards Policies and procedures NRC Reactor Oversight Process