ML20003E672
| ML20003E672 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 01/03/2020 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| West SR | |
| References | |
| Download: ML20003E672 (38) | |
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THE NRC: WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO Presentation updated December 2019
WHO WE ARE The Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 Established the Other duties of NRC to the former independently Atomic Energy regulate Commission commercial were assigned use of nuclear to the
- material, Department of including Energy.
nuclear power.
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WHO WE ARE The President designates The NRC is headed by one member of the Commission to serve as five Commissioners, all Chairman and official nominated by the spokesperson.
President and confirmed by the Senate for staggered five-year terms. No more than three can be from the same political party.
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WHO WE ARE The Commission
- Formulates policies and regulations governing nuclear reactor and materials safety
- Issues orders to licensees
- Adjudicates legal matters brought before it 4
WHO WE ARE The NRC employs approximately 3,000 people among its suburban Maryland headquarters and four regional offices in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois and Texas including at least two resident inspectors at each nuclear power plant site.
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WHO WE ARE The NRC receives a budget each fiscal year from Congress. By law, the NRC must recover, through fees billed to licensees, part of its budget authority.
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We 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.
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HOW WE MEET OUR MISSION Set Strategic Goals Prevent and mitigate accidents and ensure radiation safety Ensure protection of nuclear facilities, radioactive materials, and classified and safeguards information 8
HOW WE MEET OUR MISSION Use our Principles of Good Regulation 9
SOME NUCLEAR FACTS
- Nuclear materials are widely used in industry, such as in density gauges, flow measurement devices, radiography devices and irradiators.
- Commercial nuclear power plants supply
- Small amounts of radioactive material are about 20 percent of electricity in the U.S. used in common items such as smoke detectors, exit signs and some watches.
- Nuclear materials are used in medicine for cancer treatment and diagnosis.
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SOME RADIATION FACTS The average person in the U.S. is exposed to about 620 millirem of radiation a year.
Radiation Half of that exposure comes from natural occurs sources (also called background radiation.)
naturally in the soil, air The other half and water.
largely comes from nuclear medical exams and treatments.
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SOME RADIATION FACTS 12
THE NRC REGULATES:
Commercial power reactors, Radioactive research and materials for test reactors medical, and industrial and new reactor academic use designs Transportation, storage and disposal of Physical nuclear material security, source and waste, and security and decommissioning cyber security of nuclear facilities 13
WHAT WE DONT DO:
Regulate nuclear weapons, military reactors or space vehicle reactors (These are regulated by other federal agencies.)
Regulate naturally occurring radon or X-rays (These are regulated by states or other federal agencies.)
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WHAT WE DO:
- Set Rules
- Licensing
- Oversight
- Enforcement
- Evaluation
- Provide Support
- Incident Response 15
WHAT WE DO: SET RULES The NRC establishes rules that users of radioactive material must follow. These rules protect workers and the public from the potential hazards of radioactivity.
Before writing or changing the regulations, the NRC solicits and considers the views of the public, industry representatives, researchers, state officials, scientists and technical experts.
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WHAT WE DO: LICENSING Any organization or individual intending to have or commercially use nuclear materials that are covered by the NRCs programs must obtain a license from the NRC or an Agreement State (a State that has entered into an agreement with the NRC to regulate nuclear materials.)
These licenses specify the types and quantities of material, the activities it may be used for and additional conditions.
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WHAT WE DO: OVERSIGHT The NRC inspects licensed facilities to ensure they meet regulations and the terms of their license.
The NRC also investigates allegations of wrongdoing.
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WHAT WE DO: ENFORCE REGULATIONS When violations are uncovered, the NRC can:
- Issue a notice of violation
- Impose fines
- Modify, suspend or revoke a license for very serious instances of noncompliance
- Prohibit individuals who have engaged in deliberate misconduct from working in NRC jurisdiction
- Refer apparent wrongdoing violations to the Department of Justice 19
WHAT WE DO: EVALUATION
- The NRC collects and analyzes information about reported events at reactors and materials facilities to assess safety and identify any potential weaknesses in design, operations, procedures or equipment.
- The NRC also identifies and addresses potential safety-related issues that are common among these facilities (called generic safety issues.)
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WHAT WE DO: SUPPORT Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Regulatory research provides technical Two committees advice, analytical provide independent tools and advice and information to review of NRC staff support NRC Advisory Committee on the proposals Medical Uses of Isotopes decisions, focusing on safety and security.
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WHAT WE DO: INCIDENT RESPONSE The NRC maintains an active program to ensure readiness and response to an event at a nuclear facility potentially affecting public health and safety. Through response centers at its headquarters and regional offices, the NRC provides consultation, support, and assistance to licensees and public officials.
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REGULATING REACTORS The NRCs safety Safety philosophy includes:
Multiple physical barriers, including Multiple, robust reactor redundant and Testing of containment to independent emergency plans prevent safety systems radioactive release 23
REGULATING REACTORS The NRC verifies compliance with regulations. Licensees are required to report plant safety data and events to the NRC.
In addition to the NRC resident inspectors onsite who perform daily inspections, other experts also perform periodic inspections.
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REGULATING REACTORS The NRC requires:
- Regular maintenance to assure equipment is repaired or replaced in a timely manner, and
- Continual training and qualification of nuclear plant operators.
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REGULATING NEW REACTORS New Reactor Licensing Process The new reactor license review process begins with the submission of a combined license application. Other steps include safety and environmental reviews and opportunities for public input before the Commission makes its decision.
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REGULATING MATERIALS The NRCs materials program covers:
- Facilities that use radioisotopes to diagnose and treat illnesses;
- Devices such as radiography cameras and nuclear gauges;
- Decommissioning and environmental remediation; and
- All phases of the nuclear fuel cycle from uranium recovery to enrichment to fuel manufacture to spent fuel storage and transportation.
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REGULATING WASTE The NRC oversees the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel including spent storage facilities.
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REGULATING WASTE The NRC also certifies spent fuel storage and transportation casks, approves transport routes and security plans, and regulates disposal of nuclear waste.
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REGULATING SECURITY REGULATING PHYSICAL SECURITY Security Components The NRC requires such security measures as:
- Well-armed and well-trained security forces;
- Surveillance and perimeter patrols;
- State-of-the-art site access equipment and controls;
- Physical barriers and detection zones; and
- Intrusion detection systems and alarm stations.
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REGULATING SOURCE SECURITY 32
REGULATING CYBER SECURITY
- The NRC conducts regular cyber security inspections of nuclear plants to ensure adequate protection of systems and the information they contain from sabotage or malicious use.
- The NRCs cyber security staff includes technology and threat experts who constantly evaluate and identify emerging cyber-related issues.
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MAINTAINING READINESS The NRC Operations Center is staffed 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> a day to monitor events and initiate response activities. The staff is prepared to work with other federal agencies under the National Response Framework to respond to significant incidents involving NRC licensees. In addition, the NRC conducts regular exercises to test licensee emergency response and uses mock adversaries to test security response.
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PARTNERS IN REGULATION The NRC has granted Agreement States authority to regulate certain radioactive material. Those states develop regulations and appoint officials to ensure the materials are used safely and securely. The NRC retains authority over nuclear reactors, fuel fabrication facilities and certain amounts of radioactive material that can fission (split apart.)
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PARTNERS IN REGULATION The NRC works with many other agencies and organizations including:
- Department of Energy
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Congress
- International Atomic Energy Agency 36
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC The NRC places a high priority on keeping the public and stakeholders informed of its activities. At www.nrc.gov, you can:
- Find public meeting dates and transcripts;
- Read NRC testimony, speeches, press releases and policy decisions;
- Access the agencys Electronic Reading Room to find NRC publications and documents; and
- Connect with the NRC on social media sites.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
- Nuclear energy and energy policy: www.doe.gov;
- Radiation and health effects: www.epa.gov;
- U.S. Homeland Security initiatives: www.dhs.gov;
- International nuclear affairs: www.iaea.org;
- Being prepared for any emergency: www.ready.gov .
You can also contact the NRC at 1-301-415-7000, 1-800-368-5642, or by e-mail at OPA.Resource@nrc.gov.
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