ML20134B661
| ML20134B661 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/13/1985 |
| From: | Ward D Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| To: | Palladino N NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| ACRS-R-1152, NUDOCS 8508160028 | |
| Download: ML20134B661 (4) | |
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UNITt3 STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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ADVISORY CORANTTtt ON REACTOR SAFEQUARD4 WAaHiteGTON,0.C.30005 I
August 13,1985 t1 Honorable Nunzio J. Palladino Chairman U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 h
Dear Dr. Palladino:
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SUBJECT:
ACRS STATUS REPORT ON LONG RANGE PLANNING During its 304th meeting, August 8-10, 1985, the ACRS heard and dis-k cussed a status report from its Subcosmittee on the Long Range Plan for J
NRC.
The Subcosmittee has been working for the last several months to 4
assist the Cosmission with its long range planning efforts, and this
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1etter reports on that effort.
In our study to date, we have had the 1
benefit of fomal advice from several people (see Attachment).
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remarks were transcribed, and we commend them to the members of your j
staff who will be engaged in planning activities in the future. We also it benefited from informal discussions with Congressional and OMB staff
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I TheACRSbelievesthattheNRCshouldhaveaLongRangePlan(LRP)which 4
should incorporate strategic planning and which should attempt to look at least five years into the future and should give consideration to a j
longer period.
In our view, strategic planning includes, among other 4
things, an attempt to forecast the future in terms of its effect on the y
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NRC's function; an effort by the Cosmissioners to determine and priori-1-
tize the objectives which, in their judgment, are most important for the L
agency for the time period in question; an attempt to anticipate the
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weaknesses in either the NRC or in the nuclear regulatory system as a whole which may prevent the agency or nation from meeting desired goals;
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and an effort by the Commissioners to develop a strategy that will allow the NRC to meet in a timely fashion the objectives they deem to be important.
This strategy may involve not only matters internal to the agency but also efforts to shape the future outside the agency to minimize weaknesses or eliminate problems.
We believe the strategic element of long range planning is important for many reasohs including:
The exercise of establishing a plan should help the Commissioners develop consistent, agency goals.
The existence of a plan could lead to more deliberate regulation i
and could lend stability to the entire regulatory process.
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i li A plan could allow a more efficient allocation of resources.
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'l Honorable Nunzio J. Palladino August 13,1985
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t A plan will help the Commissioners in explaining and justifying j
their programs to the Congress and the Executive Branch.
f The existence of a plan will help to ensure that future problems are anticipated and resolved in a timely fashion.
We believe that the development of an LRP can and should proceed in a structured fashion -- that one should not simply sit down and complie a 5
list of objectives.
We believe that it is very simple to list more
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objectives than can possibly be fulfilled in a given period of time.
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that strategy and tactics will quickly become intermixed by this ap-L preach, that some important objectives will be overlooked, that it will E
be difficult to prioritize objectives, and so on. pneofthoseinter-
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viewed suggested a stmeture which could be followed and which would h
seem to have considerable merit.
However, we are not well versed in f
this area, and we suggest that you might profit fmm use of an expert in strategic planning.
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A point brought out forcefully by several of those we interviewed was ^
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that the ACRS, while it has an important contribution to make in NRC 1;
long range planning, cannot and should not itself try to develop a plan.
We concur.
They recommended that an LRP should be the product of the (t
Commissioners themselves -- that it should come from their minds and r
that, while staff effort is needed, staff can only assist.
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Consequently, it is our intention to focus our future efforts on two primary areas.
First, as you have requested, we intend to assist the l [
Office of Policy Evaluation by providing input to the development of the i
five-year plan which you have assigned to them.
However, on occasion, t
we may find it appropriate to provide input through formal correspond-F.
ence directly with you. Second, we will continue our effort to address r
several important safety issues, ones of either a technical nature or f
ones arising from the regulatory process, and provide input that may be helpful to you either in connection with the current five-year plan or ri in longer range planning.
We would expect to submit reports over a i
several-month period, beginning possibly by the end of this year.
l In closing, we wish to support you and the other Commissioners in your initiative in the long range planning ama. We believe that the NRC 7
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See Transcript. Subcouaittee on Long RanTestimony by Dr. Roger Mat 10,1985 38-221
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3-August 13, 1985 Honorable Nunzio J. Palladino will be among a minority of federal regulatory agencies engaged in pro-tection of public health and safety with such a plan, and we believe you are demonstrating worthwhile leadership.
Sincerely.
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David A. Ward Chairman
Attachment:
List of Persons Interviewed Regarding NRC Long Range Plan e
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e ATTACHMENT LIST OF PERSONS INTERVIEWED REGARDING NRC LONG RANGE PLAN John F. Ahearne Mr. James Knight (formerNRCChairman)
Acting Director Vice-President Division of Engineering Resources for the Future Nuclear Reactor Regulation U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mr. Floyd Culler President Electric Power Research Dr. Roger Mattson Institute Vice-President International Energy Associates, Ltd.
Mr. John Taylor Vice-President Mr. William McDowell Electric Power Research NRC Audit Group Institute General Accounting Office Mr. Carl Giesler Mr. Warren Owen Vice-President Executive Vice-President Wisconsin Public Service Duke Power Company Corporation Mr. John West Vice-President (retired)
Combustion Engineering Corporation
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