ML19309C150
| ML19309C150 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/07/1980 |
| From: | Ahearne J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Bevill T HOUSE OF REP., APPROPRIATIONS |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19309C142 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8004080234 | |
| Download: ML19309C150 (4) | |
Text
_ _ _ _ _ - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _
d rar (3g UNITED STATES V"
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
}
WASHIN GTON. D.C. 20555 E
,o March 7, 1980 OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Tom Bevill, Chaiman
[
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development' 1
T Committee on Appropriat'fons U. S. House of Representatives Washington, D. C.
20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
At the end of FY 1979, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had a carryover of S3.0 million of unobligated and uncommitted funds, or approximately one percent of the FY 1979 obligational availability. These funds resulted from a combina-tion of deobligation of prior year funds due to underruns on completed contracts, programmatic changes, and from actual obligations on active contracts that were lower than originally estimated.
The Commission has reviewed its program requirements for FY 1980 and has identified the need to apply these carryover funds to priority unfunded require-ments as shown in the enclosure.
Seventy-five percent of these funds will be applied to several tasks identified through the various TMI-2 post-accident investigations and represent high priority unfunded items.
The remaining funds are primarily for:
support of radioisotope licensing actions due to changes in 10 CFR 51 (Licensing and Regulatory Policy and Procedures for Environmental Protection) required by CEQ in implementing the National Environmental Protection Act; increases in the uranium milling facility workload caused by the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978; and unexpected growth in requests for assistance by Agreement States in their evaluation of tailings impoundment sites.
The application of these FY 1979 carryover funds represents reprogramming actions which, based on Congressional guidance, requires review and approval by Congress.
Si cerely, John F. Ahearne Chairman
Enclosure:
Proposed Changes to U.S. NRC FY 1980 Base Table cc:
Rep. John T. Kyers y
8004080 h
/
Enclosure PROPOSED CHANGES TO U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FY 1980 BASE TABLE
~
(Dollars in Thousands)
Proposed Programmatic Program Previous Base
- Change Revised Base Nuclear Reactor Regulation Casework and Technical Projects.
12,165 3
500 2/
12,665 Safeguards................'.....
1,315 Advanced Reactors..............
1,315 Al l Othe r 1/...................
41,690
+320 3/
42,010 Subtota1.....................
55,170
+820 55,990 Standards Development Safeguard Standards............
2,307 2,307 Al1 Other 1/...................
11,095 11,095 Subtota1.....................
13,402 13,402 Inspection and Enforcement Fuel Facilities and Materials Safety, Management Direction and Support........................
1,935
+1,040 4/
2,975 Safeguards.....................
1,000
-5 5/
995 Al l O t h e r 1/...................
37,849
-170 5/
37,679 Subtota1.....................
40,784
+865 -
41,649 Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Waste Management...............
8,706
+474 6/
9,180 Safeguards.....................
1,800 1,800 e
Al i O t h e r 1/...................
17,779
+263 7/
18,042 Subtotal.....................
28,285
+737 -
29,022 Nuclear Regulatory Research Ligh t Wa ter Reactor............
116,945
+300 8/
117,245 Fast Breeder Reactor...........
13,700 13,700 Advanced Converter.............
1,700 1,700 Site, Waste, Environment, Risk, and Fuel Cycle.................
25,876 25,876 Safeguards.....................
4,000 4,000 Improved Reactor Safety........
1,000 1,000 Equipment......................
7,737 7,737 Al l O t h e r 1/...................
8,930 8,930 S ub to tal.....................
179,888
+300 180,188 Program Technical Support 1_/.....
15,100 15,100 Program Direction and Admi ni stra ti on 1/................
33,316
+300 9/
33,616 Total New Obligational Authority.
365,945
+3,022 -
368,967 Unobligated Balance Carryover....
3,022
-3,022 TOTAL OBLIGATIONAL AVAILABILITY..
S 368,967 5
$ 368,967
- Reference Base Table provided to Congress on January 15, 1980.
1/
Includes the following items which received a pcific change by Congress, but not applied to specific programs:
Administrative Support 35,213 35,213 Travel 7,500 7,500
- _., p.
.. c._
~ - -
Explanatory Footnotes 2/ This increase provides funding for studies to develop recommendations for improving requirements and practices on operator. qualification and training; utility management and technical resources to cope with operational events; and post-accident radiation effects.
3_/ This funding provides for ' studies to improve nuclear power plant auxiliary buildings and to assur.e control room habitability during accident conditions.
e, These studies, are high priority unfunded tasks identified as a result of the various TMI-2 post-accident reviews which require immediate initiation.
4/ This increase is to accommodate reactor health physics appraisals at 70 operating reactors in response to various TMI-2 post-accident reviews to assess the adequacy of:
radiation protection programs at nuclear power plants; training of health physics technicians; in-plant controls of unusual radiological conditions, and supplies of health physics instrumentation and equipment.
5/ These reductions are minor adjustments being used to partially offset the required increase discussed in footnote 3/ for the reactor health physics appraisals.
The reductions are due to reestimating of tasks and/or deferral of lower priority non-TMI-related tasks.
6]
Increased funding is for.the following tasks that are either in support of meeting Congressional requirements as expressed in the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 or in fulfilling NRC commitments to provide assistance to 2
Agreement States in their licensing of uranium mills.
a.
Complete the Uranium Milling generic environmental impact statement (GEIS).
Needed to upgrade the criteria for uranium mill sites to mitigate health and safety problems and to bring Agreement States into compliance as required by the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978.
b.
Yerification, technical review, and documentation of the MILDOS computer code.
Needed to validate code for use in uranium mill licensing reviews and for the Uranium Milling GEIS.
c.
Downstream area analysis of the Church Rock uranium mill tailings impoundment failure in New Mexico.
Needed to monitor and evaluate the decontamination efforts resulting from the Church Rock impoundment failure in fall of 1979.
d.
Increased efforts for evaluation of tailings impoundment sites particularly for Agreement States.
Needed to expeditiously handle the FY 1980 caseload and meet NRC commitment to Agreement States to assist in their licensing of uranium mills.
i
c. <
' Explanatory Fnotnotes (continued) 7/ A requirement was identified after preparation of the FY 1981 budget to perform independent environmental measurements and to apply the proposed revised 10 CFR 51
" Licensing and Regulatory Policy and Procedures for Environmental Protection" to material licensees. Revisions to 10 CFR 51 " Licensing and Regulatory Policy and Procedures for Environmental Protection" (required dr.e to CEQ withdrawal of pre-le s
vious exemptions to NEPA) are expected to go in effect in the last quarter of FY 1980 resulting in a significant increase in radioisotope licensing caseload.
8/ As a result of the TMI-2 accident and recommendations resulting from the subsequent investigative group studies, it has become necessary to develop a centralized data information system referred to as the Nuclear Data Link System.
The Office of Inspection and Enforcement has requested a " user requirement" to initiate a study to identify what data should be included in the system. The System, when developed, will be used in the NRC Incident Response Center to assist the staff to make timely decisions associated with safe shutdowns of nuclear power plants during emergency conditions.
-9/ One of the key conclusions of the Kemeny Commission was that "NRC does not possess the organizational and management capabilities necessary for the effective pur-suit of safety goals." The Commission, therefore, is initiating an objective independent analysis of the existing Commissicn management structure. The basic purpose of the study is to examine the current internal management approaches
)
and procedures used by the Commissioners to execute their responsibilities and to identify and examine possible improvements to the Commissioners' efficiency and effectiveness.
.