United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Office of the Comptroller General author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-01-01 monographic deposited born digital 30 p. GA 1.13:OCG-99-19 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-19 P0b002ee180375339 f:cg99019 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-19 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-19 OCG-99-19 Nuclear powerplants Nuclear facility safety Accountability Strategic planning Safety regulation Public utilities Performance measures NRC Watch List Performance and Accountability Series 1999 Letter Report OCG As part of its Performance and Accountability Series, GAO provided information on the major management challenges and program risks facing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).<p/>GAO noted that: (1) NRC lacks assurance that its current regulatory approach ensures safety; (2) NRC assumes that plants are safe if they operate as designed and follow NRC's regulations; (3) however, NRC's regulations and other guidance do not define, for either a licensee or the public, the conditions necessary for a plant's safety; (4) NRC's oversight has been inadequate and slow; (5) although NRC's indicators show that conditions throughout the nuclear energy industry have generally improved, they also show that several nuclear plants are chronically poor performers; (6) NRC's culture and organizational structure have made the process of addressing concerns with the agency's regulatory approach slow and ineffective; (7) even before competition became an issue, NRC and the nuclear utility industry embarked on initiatives to address long-standing regulatory issues, including the management challenges described in this report, in a way that would ensure that NRC carried out its regulatory mission more effectively and efficiently; (8) in GAO's review of NRC's first annual performance plan, covering program activities set out in the agency's fiscal year 1999 budget, it noted that the plan could provide a clearer picture of intended performance across NRC and better discuss the strategies and resources the agency will use to achieve its performance goals; and (9) although the plan lists specific strategies NRC will use against licensees that fail to meet regulatory standards, including halting operations if performance falls below an acceptable level, NRC has not developed specific criteria for what is "acceptable." https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-19/html/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-19.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-19/pdf/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-19.pdf GAO/OCG-99-19 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-19 Letter Report GAO/OCG-99-19; Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Nuclear powerplants Nuclear facility safety Accountability Strategic planning Safety regulation Public utilities Performance measures NRC Watch List Performance and Accountability Series 1999