ML20148M727

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Us NRC Briefing Book,Vol 1:NRC General,Natl Energy Outlook, Reactor Licensing Process,Reactor Safety,Pu Recycle
ML20148M727
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Issue date: 07/31/1977
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NRC OFFICE OF POLICY EVALUATIONS (OPE)
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ML20148M724 List:
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NUDOCS 8012240012
Download: ML20148M727 (43)
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l 4 t fi ..p... 'q a ~ S u NRC. BRIEFING BOOK -- TABLE OF-CONTENTS E Volume I [2 i ,= 1 I. NRC GENERAL b '1.- Legislative mandate ltr% i 2.: Regulatory Overview ~R. i 3. General Organizational Infomation 4. Budget El [jj , 5. NRC. License' Fees [p 6. Regulation of Nuclear Medicine-piH* 7. Transportation of Nuclear Fuel and Waste 8. Abnomal Occurrences 9. Equal Opportunity Employment'at NRC ,10. NRC Essential Uninterruptible Functions

11. Dissent and Internal Comunications.

q II. NATIONAL ENERGY OUTLOOK ~" ' =. 1. Draft Executive Sumary of 1977 National Energy Outlook 2. Summary of the President's National Energy Plan 3. Discussion of " Nuclear Power Issues and Choices" t ~4 Relative. Costs of Electrical Energy Generation 5.. Relative Health Effects of Coal and Nuclear Fuel Cycles i 6.; Uranium Reserves / Resources i III. REACTOR LICENSING PROCESS " ]i. " f iiackground and Nature of the Nuclear Power Reactor Licensing Process 2. Improvements in Place and in Progress 3. Opportunities for further Improvement 4; Standardization 5. Early Site Review ![.; L 6. Status of Nuclear Pcwer Plants IV. REACTOR SAFETY, L. 1. Siting (:' j f-2. Design, Construction, and Operation-3. Safety Issues F 4. Feedback i= Iii i V. PLUT0NIlN RECYCLE E [

1. 'GESD - current status E

i 2. GESSD - History 3. GPS.D Safeguards Supplement di? l 4. GESND Backup Information l = S. NRC-Regulated Facilities Related to Plutonium Recycle c 6 I h$ i:: n '} ,m 1 n.i 5 g= ...=.. ...e= =:m:=:i = m a

p h= E E p..:a} 'NRC BRIEFING BOOK'-- TABLE OF CONTENTS

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9.@/ Volume II i 'VI. DOMESTIC SAFEGUARDS - 3 1. Domestic Safeguards 2. General Safeguards Activities 3. Major. Safeguards Accomplishments since November 1976 4. Major Safeguards Objectives for FY 1977 5. Civil Liberties I=plications of hbclear Safeguards 6. Safeguards Backup Information. VII. IhTERNATIONAL 1. U.S. Government hbcle.ar Export Functions E 2. NRC's Export Licensing Functions .3. Export-Import Licensing Regulations 4. International Reach of NEPA and Public Health and Safety . 5 ~. Nonproliferation Legislation 6. Intervention Petitions 7.. ASCO II Spanish Reactor - l

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8. IAEA Safeguards and Physical Security l 9. Worldwide hbclear Safety

10. International Regulatory Cooperation ij SEPARATE CLASSIFIED SECTION, PROVIDED UPON REQUEST I.i.!
11. Suppliers' Conferenc p....7)
12. Yugoslavia

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13. Continuing Discussions with India E

p VIII. RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEETT E[! !! 1. Radioactive Waste Management [5 2. ERDA Role'in Radioactive Waste' Management P 3. Radioactive Wastes and Associated Management Technologies [~ 4. S-3: Environmental Impact.of the LUR Fuel Cycle 5. Uranium Mill Tailings '} 6. Spent (Irradiated) Fuel Storage h.; 7. Low Level Waste Management g 8. Decommissioned Nuclear Facilities I 9. Article, 'The Disposal of Radioactive Wastes from Fission Reactors."

10. ACRS Report on Manag ' ment of High Level Radioactive Waste IX.

NRC/ STATE RELATIONS i 1. General Statement concerning State Involvement in Nuclear Issubs 2. NRC and the States -- Partnership in Regulation 3. Section 102 Study 4. Agreement States 5. Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Water Quality i? :; 6. Scheduling of Joint Hearings with New York State d: l 7. Infomation on SIN 3 and WGREPO

8. -Information on Nuclear-Related State Initiatives

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s (.p.. !=t.= f.._.a [ Volume II: (Continued) ~~~

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= En. .i X. CONGRESSIONAL / LEGISLATIVE

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Congressional Committees with Jurisdiction over NRC '~ 2. NRC Authorization and Appropriation Bills 'for FY 78 ~ [

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H.R. 18 - Legislation to Streamline the Licensing Process 4. OGC Memorandum on NRC Legislative Proposals r

5. ' Legislative Status Report on Energy Facility Siting Legislation

.g 6. Summary List of NRC Appearances at Congressional Hearings .. EE r== XI. CURREhT ISSUES e;;; 1. Clinch River Breeder Reactor 2. The Price-Anderson Act i 3. SM.! -- Public Reporting of Inventory Differenc - { 4. Radiography Overexposures 5. Increasing Public Participation 6. Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant 7. Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. 8. Conran Allegations Concerning NRC Safeguards l

9.. Current Litigation

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~ i } k +I + '![ f i :. k;;p 3: /.ac., NRC GENERAL -TABLE OF CONTD,TS '. Y((' l'.. Legislative Mandate 'a.. Summary of the Atomic Energy Act .b.- Sumnary of the Energy.Revrganization Act 2... Regulatory Overview

3.. General Organizational Information

't '4. Budget-s f a. Budget strr.ary and distribution of resources - b.- Zero-based budgeting at NRC t W; } .c. Management by Objectives and the Five Year Plan g- . ' 5. NRC License Fees 1

6.. Regulation of Nuclear Medicine 7.

Transportation of Nuclear Fuel and Waste I 8. Abnormal Occurrences i i 9. Equal Opportunity Employment at NRC [ c

10. NRC Essential Uninterruptible. Functions

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11. Dissent and Intemal Comunications

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.-,.e, e e - s! ! . i; h#' / SUni-\\RY- 0F 'IKE ATG!I( ENERGY ACT OF 1954, (P.L. 83-703), AS AMENDED l .t "'.'It'is the policy of the United. States that the development, use and E l . control of atomic energy" will " promote world peace, improve the general welfare, increase the standard of living, and strengthen

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1 free competition." In I '" Processing.and' utilization of source, byproduct, and special nuclear materials must be regulated in the national interest and. ... to provide for the common defense and security and to protect the _ health and safety of the public." r The' Federal Government may make funds available for the development W ; and use of atomic energy plus compensation for any damages resulting from nuclear incidents. Liaibility limits may be issued. The Atomic Energy Comission is the exclusive owner of all facilities l producing special nuclear material,-with the exception of those licensed by the Comission and research facilities that have a l production rate too low to produce a weapon "in a reasonable period i of. tima " t Contractors are prohibited from subcontracting work without Commission authorization' and must submit to inspections and comply j f. with regulations. r-(:; Electric energy produced at Federal facilities may be used by the [ government or sold to utilities at " reasonable and nondiscriminatory [ii l prices." Prices are subject to regulation by the agency having jurisdiction. e -l The Commission is authorized to issue licenses for special nuclear l2 ' l material- (SW) possession, transfer, import, and export, and to .l make S W available to licensees. Minimum criteria establishel 'for issuance of licenses will depend on the quantity, characteristics, .=L and intended use of the nuclear material. The Commission may order recapture of SM! and entry or operation of facilities during a i war or special emergency declared by the Congress. j Foreign distribution of special nuclear material is authorized under agreements for cooperation and subject to safeguards .i assurances, Congressional approval, etc. Similarly, foreign .I distribution of source and byproduct material is authorized. di ll

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1 .::ees .it Atomic Energy Act. ') se L( A ..a ~~ ..._; ) ' Licenses for utilization and production facilities are issued on ~ l a "non-exclusive basis" to those who demonstrate- <= . -- a useful purpose for the SICI needed {...g..; -- agree to observe Commission regulations protecting health and safety ih -- provide the Comission with requested information. 'Usetul purposes include industrial: or comcercial use, R 4 D,, and medical therapy.. Licenses are to be issued for no more than 40 years., and may be renewed. Antitrust laws are to be enforced. [.7 r The Comission shall prescribe unifom conditions for licensing individuals to operate licensed facilities, shall detemine i the operator licensee qualifications, and the operators' t. l license may be suspended.for violations of regulations. L. I . International agreements made by the U.S. after.the date of i enactment of the Atomic Energy Act take precedence over the provisions of the Act. Tne Comission must submit proposed agreements to the President, i with its recomendations. Proposed agreements shall include: i -- the terms, conditions, duration, ntture, and scope i of the agreement; O*l =I -- a guarantee of safeguards and standtrds maintenance; .I .i:. i -- a declaration of " peaceful" purposes; j -- a guarantee that reetricted data will be protected. j Mer Presidential detemination that the agreement "will not "l _ astitute an unreasonable risk to the co= ton defense and t security" and Presidential. approval,' the Joint Comittee on Atomic' ' i=: Energy has 30 legislative working days to disapprove the proposed l agreement. The Commission'is authorized to define and control restricted I data, dile at the same time, is charged to pemit " free interchange of ideas and criticism" to aid scientific progress and public ._,~ ~ ' fnfomation. s e 't i [ ,... g.. r ? bp -[ [ =

~ { e p q Atomic Energy Act - 3 Access to restricted data, or employment by the Comission is forbidden until a judgement has been made that the national security will not be endangered due to the " character, associations, and loyalty" of an individual. ,. Controls are placed on ownership of patents and inventions relating to atonic weapons or arising out of government contracts or employment. Discoveries of non-military applications affecting "the public interest" may be obtained or licensed by the Conrission upon g payment of just compensation. The Price-Anderson amendment to the Act limits total liability (excluding the costs of claim investigation and settlement) in the event of a nuclear incident to $560 million. The Federal Government is authorized to indemnify licensees for any amount up to this figure, less the amount available from private insurors. The distribution of damage payments, when liability limits are exceeded, must be approved by a District Court. (See reference to Price-Anderson under Current Issues section.) Provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act apply to Conraission activities, provided that national security infomation is not involved. If the latter applies, the Corcaission is to protect restricted data with a " minimum impaiment of the procedural rights." Each license or pemit application for utilization and production facilities is to be reviewed by the Advisory Comittee on Reactor Safeguards. The Comission must infom the appropriate regulatory agencies and publish notice of application in the news media and Federal Register. The Comission is to give priority to applications for comercial facilities in areas where power is expensive. E Assignnent or transfer of licenses or rights under licenses are prohibited. Construction pemits must be granted by the Comission for construction and modification of production or utilization facilities. These pemits expire if the construction is not completed before the latest date for completion stated in the permit. "e:: ? i 9

.i \\ (' Atomic Energy Act - 4 All licenses may be revoked or modified as a result of amendments _. y a1 to the law, incorrect statements in the ap i to. operate in accordance with the license.plicsaion, and failure i 4' 5... i Reports (pursuant to.Comission requirements) made on incidents E l by licensees may not be admitted in evidence in suits for damage. Eac'h Atomic Safety and Licensing Board and each Appeals Board 1;? are to be composed of three members, one qualified in administrative procedures and two having technical qualifications. Members are appointed by the Comission and receive pg diem compensation. n The FBI shall investigate suspected violations of the Act. Actions brought against violators must be initiated by the l Attorney General. j c The Federal Power Act applies to licensed facilities that sell i or transmit electricity in interstate commerce. Th'e Comission is authorized to enter into agreements with states ~ allowing state regulation of: i' 9 t -- byproduct materials; o ""~ p~:.l -- source materials; b 5:b: -- special nuclear materials in suberitical quantities. i State Agreements can be made provided that: t 1 -- the State desires to assume the responsibility; E: L -- the Governor certifies an adequate program for controlling radiation hazards; i

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-- the Commission finds the State program compatible with its r own programs. I The Comission retains responsibility for: i s. -- regulating constntetion and operation of production or utilization facilities; r -- export or' import of nuclear materials;' I z -- ocean disposal of nuclear material;

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[ hr ic. iii. ? l r-p Atomic Energy Act - 5 .p: i -- disposal of radioactive materials which the Comission deteraines (because of potential hazards)- to require st:;. a Comission license. ~ Establishment of a Federal Radiation Council and its statutory ?!! members.is specified. }=,- l(.:i:: p::- i [A complete and annotated version of 'the Atomic Energy Act, as b l amended,-is available in a publication entitled " Atomic Energy Legislation through the 94th Congress, Second Session." This publication,- popularly known as the " Green Book," was published in March 1977 by the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy.] t

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5 (- SthNARY OF TFE FRERGY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1974 t N -'= Title II establishes the NRC, and is su:=arized here. Title'~ i;;; i i5 Title II establishes the Nuclear Regulatory Comission as an the President, confirmed by the Senate, and serving s ' " ~ e + five-year terms. The licensing and regulatory functions of the former Atomic c: Energy Comission are transferred to the NRC, including the Atomic Safety and Licensing. Board and its Appeal Panel, the t Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, and all other E research and assessment functions relating to licensing and regulation. The NRC is granted licensing and regulatory jurisdiction over demonstration liquid metal fast breeder reactors, other demonstration comercial reactors, and facilities for th. ' storage of high-level radioactive wastes. 1 There is established an Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation with nuclear reactors.with jurisdiction over facilities, materials, and activities k Specific tasks of NRR include licensing; review, monitoring, and testing of safety and safeguards systems; E evaluating the transportation and storage of high-level }s radioactive wastes. p" There is established an Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, to regulate and license all facilities and materials associated with the processing, transport, and handling of nuclear materials, to assure the safety of these facilities and materials. r= and to protect against threats, thefts, and sabotage. I There is established an Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research ? to engage in research activities necessary for the Comission's performance of its regulatory functions, and if necessary, ERDA is required to cooperate with NRC in regulatory resear and to-furnish facilities and services. There are specified civil penalties for noncompliance with o i regulations and licenses (as per Section 234 of the Atomic Energy Act). at each licensed facility.. Regulations and requirements are to be posted l m e. \\ :. j 9; l g

o l g ./ EPA Summary - 2 6 J h. i t.r.....~"' The Co=tission is ' directed to conduct a study on the subject s i of nuclear energy center sites. The study is to survey sites 1 and to evaluate regional electricity demand, natural and. economic resources, environmental impact, and use of Federal -land, in order to identify suitable areas for nuclear fuel -{ cycle facilities.. The NRC is directed to acquire ap input from other Federal, state, and local agencies.propriate KRC is directed to report quarterly 'to Congress on the dat 3, t causes, consequences, and remedial act. ions taken i location with rega,rd to abnormal occurrences. An abnormal occurrence is defined as an unscheduled event which is "significant from the standpoint of public health and safety."- i There is established an Executive Director of Operations, who shall be appointed by the Comission; he shall not limit the ability of the directors of component offices to cocaunicate directly with the Comtission. The Co=tission is directed to present a report for submission [ to the Congress "as soon as possible after the end of each fiscal year." The general scope of the annual report is described. i E. e f v:. p.y l;. bb e:- n L j fa. ? e

g i; (;j.j95. ([Vi? PIGULATORY OVERVIEW Utilization of nuclear energy -- or any other energy source -- involves both benefits and costs for the public. t 'Ihe benefits of nuclear energy include: --.a considerable resource for generating electrical energy; E -- less envireamental impact than other electrical energy p resources ' (particularly with regard to mining, transport, land use, and air pollution); -- energy ' generation costs generally less than altemative (! i resources (although initial capital costs are greater). [ y Unique costs of nuclear energy include: y -- potential exposure of the public and the environment to radioactive caterials released by nuclear facilities ? l or transport systems; -- possible theft or ' diversion of nuclear materials for uso in explosive or terrorist devices; 6 -- potential exposure of the public and the environment { to long-lived radioactive wastes; Sixty-four nuclear power plants are now in operation in the ~ E? United States, generating close to 10 percent of our electricity. Another 91 plants are under construction The Carter Administration's energy program calls for 300 nuclear power plants to be in operation i by the year 2000. The increasing scale of nuclear power activities has been I accompanied by a corresponding increase in public concern about ' risks. NRC's regulatory process is intended to reduce risks to the lowest levels reasonably achievable. j NRC's regulatory process seeks to prevent the relsase of [ radioactive materials from nuclear facilit.i.es and transport systeas by: a v .I . 1 bu I = ' 4 s u

i 7 Regulatory Cverview - 2 V..... l -- requiring nuclear facilities to be designed utilizing a " defense in. depth" approach, to ensure that radinactive j e releases will bt conditions - e.g. prevented under all potential accident Edilure of materials, operator errors, natural or man-made disasters, and malevolent acts. -- requiring nuclear facilities to limit radioactive effluents to levels "as low as Ieasonably achievable." -- requiring nuclear fa'cilities to control all radioactive e wastes, and to dispose of them by shipment to storage facilities for which NRC sets and enforces safety standards. -- requiring the containers for transporting nuclear materials l to be designed to prevent release of radioactivity under the most severe accident conditions. -- conducting inspection and enforcement activitie,s which assure safe construction, installation, and operation of nuc?. ear facilities and transporc systems. i C. Regulation of nuclear power plants assures protection of public health and safety by requiring: -- careful design, construction, and operation; i I -- incorporation of systems to prevent or control malfunctions 1 which would lead to accidents; -- inclusion of systems to mitigate consequences of actions; -- appropriate siting with respect to population distribution. ,t t Residual public risk appears to be comparable to or less than many other commonly-experienced risks, as estimated in HASH-1400, } the Reactor Safety Study. The record of hundreds of reactor-years i of nuclear power plant operation supports (but does not prove) KASH-1400 estimates of the effectiveness of NRC's regulatory j s. approach in protecting the public health and the environment. An extensive research effort, expanding inspection activities, i and the application of risk assessment techniques continue to increata the level of confidence in reactor safety, i i 1 C I ~ L: i

'p'.".'... jj Regulatory Overview - 3

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e 'Public concerns over nuclear risks have changed over the years, [3f c. and the relative concern over regulatory issues has changed E accordingly. Reactor safety is still an important issue, but i;#4 ! has been overtaken b malevolent actions. y public concern about safeguards against P ~ !

.!!f.. l 7k;.~ l Public concerns about safeguards and nonproliferation of nuclear weapons capabilities relate to several h~.4C activities:

i -- export licensing; -- liaison with the International Atonic Energy Agency; -- GESSD (plutonium recycle) proceeding; "2 -- licensing of breeder reactors; -- upgrading safeguards requirenents. NRC's regulatory program to deter, protect, promptly detect, and respond to theft or diversion of nuclear materials or to . malevolent acts includes the following: c. i~.: -- expanded personnel clearance program; -- upgraded physical security measures; -- materials control; -- materials accountability; -- export Controls. Another major area of public concern is the management of radioactive wastes: uranium mill tailings; spent fuel, and high and low level wastes. NRC is mounting an intensive effort to develop the information necessary for appropriate standards and licensing of these wastes. f

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z.:. y ' Regulatory Overview - 4 II .\\5 ll.m Continuing efforts to increase regulatory efficiency and decrease . jn ' the effect of the licensing process:en nuclear facility lead times ?= include:- -- earlier and more effective public, State, and local ~ , pdrticipation in regulatory review process; -- improved internal procedures and comunications; -- greater emphasis on identifying and resolving generic issues; -- support of legislation to remove statutory obstacles to efficiency. 7 M E h ((.U.* 4 i i ? .I. i te e I ,t I ) k i ~ :: P i -[5 l l t

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i e 1, [i)Mi-k[... MESBERSHIP OF THE ADVISORY CO.'etITI'EE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS E. P.. Mr. John H. Arnold, Consultant, Corporate Engineering, Air Products jz -and Chemicals, Allentown, Pa. 18105 Mr. Myer_ Bender (Chairman of the ACRS), Manager of Engineering, i-Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn. 37838 l Dr. Spencer H. Bush, Battelle Memorial Institute, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352 P Dr. Max W. Carbon, Nuclear Engineering Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 Mr. Jesse C. Ebersole,103 Oak Ridge Lane, Oak Ridge, Tenn. 37830 Mr. Harold Etherington, 84 Lighthouse Drive, Jupiter; Florida 33458 Dr. Herbert S. Isbin, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 53455 Dr. William Kerr, Department of Nuclear Engineering, University I of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 R 5 L Dr. Stephen Lawroski, Senior Engineer, Chemical Engineering Division, {.l. Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 != k I Dr. J. Carson Mark, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Theoretical i. 1 [; Division, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 t 'Z:. Dr. Dade W. Moeller, Head, Environmental Sciences Department, School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Mass. 02115 g '{ Dr. David Okrent, Energy and Kinetics Department, University of I California, Los Angeles, California 90024 e Dr. Milton S. Plesset, California Institute of Technology, i Pasadena, California 91109 Dr. Paul G. Shewmon, Professor and Chairman, Department of l Metallurgical Engineering, Ohio State University, Colu. bus, O. 43210 Dr. Chester P. Seiss, Head, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 I

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1se i .(. THE ATOMIC SAFFIY AND LICENSING BOARD PA'GL 1:? E E { t Total Membership: :64 18 Full-time members 45 Part-time members

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10 Full-time attorneys i 2 Environmental Scientists 3 Nuclear Engineers 3 Physicists 1 _ FULL-TB S ? E BERS l Chairman, James R. Yore -- Attorney Elizabeth S. Bowers, Attorney = Glenn O. Bright, Nuclear Engineer Dr. Richard F. Cole, Environmental Scientist Fredcric J. Coufal, Attorney (. John M. Frysiak, Attorney i s Samuel W. Jensch, Attorney Lester Kornblith, Nuclear Engineer p ^ Dr. Robert M. Lazo, Attorney, Radiation Chemist .i Gustave A. Lineberger, Physicist Dr. Br.eth A. Luebke, Physicist t Edward Luton, Attorney i i Dr. Marvin M. Mann, Physicist h Marshall E. Miller, Attorney ~ ! Dr. Oscar H. Paris, Environmental Scientist i s. I Frederick J. Shon, Nuclear Engineer w:h i e s g'..' k'. '{ h p l

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k~ h MBIBERSHIP OF 11IE ADVISORY-COSMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS 5 i 5 i:1 l Mr. John H. Arnold, Consultant, Corporate' Engineering, Air Products and Chemicals, Allentown, Pa. 18105 ~ Mr. Myer Bender (Chairman of the ACRS), Manager of Engineering, I -Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn. 37838 i Dr. Spencer H. Bush, Battelle Memorial Institute, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352 6. i Dr. Max W. Carbon, Nuclear Engineering Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 t Mr. Jesse C. Ebersole,103 Cak Ridge Lane, Oak Ridge, Tenn. 37830 ( r Mr. Harold Etherington, 84 Lighthouse Drive, Jupiter, Florida 33458 c 7.: Dr. Herbert S. Isbin, Department of Chemical Engineering, I University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 ~ j Dr. William Kerr, Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 7 t Dr. Stephen Lawroski, Senior Engineer, Chemical Engineering Division, ,.."s Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439- ,7:: i t Dr. J. Carson Mark, Ios Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Theoretical E l Division, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 p T Dr. Dale W. Moeller, Head, Environmental Sciences Department, i School' of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Mass. 02115 j t Dr. David Okrent, Energy and Kinetics Department, University of j California, Los Angeles, California 90024 i Dr. Milton S. Plesset, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109 L Dr. Paul G. Shemon, Professor and Chairman, Department of l Metallurgical Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, O. 432,10 j Dr. Chester P. Seiss, Head, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 l F f' l l l l ?

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1 f m;: t $. m.(,- '. ATQ4IC SAFETY AND LICENSING APPEAL BOARD hEBER_S T...... e u g. i Alan S. Rosenthal, Chairman i'.7.i.. Dr. John H.. Buck, Vice-Chairman'. E~ i + i Michael C. Farrar ' Dr. W.- Reed Johnson .... E i ? Jerome E.. Sharfman t .b u: t l E6 ? a 9 4 5 a b '. i", 3 1 5 f a (' l I I 1 f 5 i .6 l F q I i s. l I i i 1 1 i one 2 h a V... .........n

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l .= ? r . e. THE NRC BUDGET PROCESS

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'm By directive of President Carter, all Federal agencies are ~ to begin utilizing the "Zero-Based Budget" concept for the FY 79 budget process. But because this is the first time this g.;. I concept has been utilized, agencies will be required to submit 4 . to the Office of Management and Budget both a Zero-Base" and a " traditional" budget. As additional information, the following papers are appended: 1. A su= nary description of FY 76 and FY 77 budget resources t 2. A description of Zero-based budgeting at NRC 3.. Infomation on Management by Objectives and the Five Year Plan b i

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I ? E NRC RESOURCES t; FY 1970 }.) p.. ; g:p " iiii p, o g,, n, ACRS. Donad s l b Legal

  • Stand.irrf s Developsnent Dhection b t

q j Adininistration G. 7 %,/ 4,4 10.5 Y. Prvd cr plant t Lu.cnsing - 22, t *4 l 10.0% - i 20 Y* [6 Lnforconurnt In'.pec tio n Power f*lant Licens.in g Researcle i f N' on f r 3%' D-f si nI f4 { Oirec ti p r tinnustration , f.1.iterial Saf ety

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u 'l l e,,, O Sals: guards 73,g, 9 g,, 3 'Hesenach I""U"C"'" / \\ b Enforcement \\ ACRS. Dontds O Le051-f.1atertial Saf ety t b SaleDuards PERSONNEL - 2289 FUNDS - $22'! MILLION ) (Authorized tliru Tran:;ition Quarter) (Transition Quarter 007 Million Not included) f 1 NRC RESOURCES FY 1977 ff. ?, Standards Deve-lopment inr.pection 6 t e ti.it Inspecu,on b Enforcement-up:- 3 / nfoscoinent - ~ 60 "U"" E G.0 Standsids 73% l Power I I'2 Y' { Devetupment Pl.mt 4.6% N i l is.cor.ing 7.f 4,4 l 24.2 % i ~..., i Power Plant 15.0 % Hescarch LicensiHD " 47.C% 21.7 % 10.4 % tauter. t na . - - Cat..Iy b 9.3% I' D U' a ni C9% SDICU"D'd6 / N fi' "U U"" Diicction 6 / Uni :non is / Adminis u atio,,y' \\ e.. car ch Ad'niner.t raun n /- ACliS. ') it ACitS. lin.nti:. b '.l U n.ir d f. f r L e g.it j 1 eg..! j Pliit3ONNiil - 2529 FUNDS - 0200 MILLION j (Atitliorin f t) ~ l i i.n ) n. ..,es r+-

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a.F 9 6oDGGi' 6emM ARY ~ CDLICAT10!!5 ~BY FLi'CIIC?! t' Actual Actual Transition Est!cate Est!c3te' FY 1976 Decrter FY 1977 FY I?I3 i Perscenel 5crvices........................................... $ 54.923 $ 15.100 $ 70.2I3 $ 73.EC3 P e r s onn e l S c r.e f i t s........................................... 5.074 1.253 C.320 6.73-Program Sufport.............................................. 111.669 44.3G5 143.579 173.9:5 ' Aia l n t s t ra ti v e 5upf:or t....................................... 11.605 3.520 17.549 17.5 0 Travel....................................................... 3.703 933 4.E55 5.370 Equip ent.................................................... 5.391 1.911. fl.S47 9.744 Ccostructicr..................................................- 4.t!?4 0 0 0. Ka fuad s t o L i c e n s e: s.................................. '....... 2.000 0 0 0 Total Obilgations - Direct Prograo......................' $199.299 $ 67.243 $255.4C0 - 3292.153 Refrbursable Progra=......................................... 20 -4 753 F3 TOTAL 02LICM1015 $159.379 $ 67,744 $250.050 jf !I9?.E7 ~ 5tr."*JtY OF 02tIMI1015 Uf Pl;0 N1*. (Dollars in thousands. except S. hole dollars in narrative caterial) Obitssticns by Act.lvity: Actu:1 Direct Progrso: Actual Tren:ltlen Est!cate Est!nte FY 1970 _0mirter FY 1977

  • FY 177G

!!ec l e a r re s c t o r re gu1 s t i en................................... $ 32.033 $ 0.0C1 $ "G.550 $ 39.5D S t a n :': rd s De v c i cp.7 n t........................................ 3.032 2.750 11.030

12. O Ir.we:tica mad Enfcrcc:.:r.t...................................

19.005 6.0'5 23.750 30.C") K:.c i ei r in t er t :15 S c fe ty a nd 51 fegu2 rds...................... 11.723 5.C29 13.740

22. Q N ;u l : t o ry Ce : c 2 r:':..................................

93 G55 35.37a 121.550 10.C3 L:f ra. i Pr:grc?. Technic:1 5un crt.................................... 8.9'1 2.159 10,5CJ 10.153 Fregt:n Otrcctten and ra intstration......................... 18.097 5.415 23.550 29.3R Refunds to 1.tcen: cts......................................... 2.000 0 0 0 Tctal Obi t caticns - Direct Prcgran...................... - $199.299 $ 67.243 $256."C0 $252.1 D Ect: burs:ble Frogr:n......................................... CD -4 250 ?is l Total Cb11gsticns....................................... $199.379 $ 67.244' $255.C50 1252. % 3 Unobi t s - ' talance. st a r t o f ye ar........................... -4.615 -22.739 -7.520 0 Unob l l g: te d bel:nc e. co d o f ya r............................. 22.739 7.520 0' O I Orders received frc 2 othcr Federsi sgencies.................. ' 20 0 -?io -m i i Cu tet Autiarity........................................ $217.423 $ 52.125 $243.723 If 1252.159 i . ;,,1.5 ...g i If Ir.cludes 14.353.00': fc,r t!.c prcp cd FY 1377 py relic suppic.cr.ts1. t .m. - - .~-,c

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i l 4 1 5 y:L ZERG-BASED BUDGETING AT NRC c Introduction to Zero-Based Budgeting The Admin 2.stration has directed that all Federal agencies prepare l their FY 1979 budgets in accordance with the concepts of ZBB as "y!. ...f defined by the' Office of Management and Budget (038). m Many managers have suggested that ZBB be renamed "Zero-Base Planning" or "Zero-Base Planning and Budgeting" because the. process requires effective planning and imediately shows up any lack of planning. The planning and Budgeting process can be contrasted as follows: -- Planning defines the output desired; i -- Budgeting defines the input desired. Planning is more general than budgeting, for it establishes programs, . sets goals and objectives, cnd mLies basic policy decisions for the j organization as a whole. Budgeting analyzes _in detail the many functions or activities that the organization might perfom to supplement each program, analyzes the alternatives within each activity to achieve the end Ui product desired, and identifies the tradeoff between partial and complete achievement of the established goals and associated costs. j ZBB Process The process requires each manager to justify his entire budget in detail, and puts the burden of proof on him to justify why-l he should spend an" decision unit" J money.for each activity or operation, and this u Each manager must prepare a j includes an analysis of cost, purpose, alternative courses of i action, measures of perfomance, consequences of not perfoming the activity, and benefits. In addition, for. each decision unit, managers must identify different levels of effort for perfoming each activity. Each level is a '= " decision package." One decision package must identify a minimum level of spending, which can be much less than the current o operating level. Additional decision packages are then prepared to identify the added costs, and benefits, of additional levels of spending for that activity. l h a 1 i

i: (... ZBB at NRC - 2 E Thus, the first decision package describes a complete but minimum program, while all other decision packages address only incremental changes from that first minimum package. Tnis analysis forces every manager to consider and evaluate a level of spending lower than his current operating levels; gives management the alternative of limiting an activity or choosing from several levels of effort;- allows trade-offs and shifts in expenditure levels among organizational units. Once the decision packages have been developed, they must be ranked or listed in order of i;nportance. This ranking allows each manager to explicitly identify his o'.m priorities, merges decision packages for ongoing and new programs from various canagers into a consolidated ranking, and allows top management to evaluate and compare the relative needs and priorities of different programs and organizations to make funding decisions for the agency as a whole. To understand ZBB there are a few critical definitions that must be kept in mind: Decision Units F b A decision unit is a discrete function or operation. It is a program or organization for which budgets are prepared and for which a manager makes significant decisions on the amount of spending and the scope or quality of work to be perfomed. Decisicn Package .s brief justification document that includes the information necessary for managers to make judgements on program or activity levels and resource requirements. A series of decision packages (one at each funding level) is prepared for each decision unit, and cumulatively represents the total budget request for that unit. Funding Levels 4 OMB has established two mandatory funding levels -- minimum level and current level -- and any additional levels that the agency may wish to present. Most of the NRC decision units will be prepared s for four funding levels. However, this does not mean that every decision unit must be at four funding levels. If there is a significant increase in incremental funding from one level to another (possibly a 5 percent increase or $3.0 million, whichever is greater), ...E then an additional funding level decision package would be prepared. l t."

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l[ 'ZBB at NRC - 3 ii!!... 2 . OMB has'. defined minimum level to mean "... level below which it is not . feasible to continue the program activity, or entity,.because no constructive contribution can be made toward fulfilling its objective. The minimum level may not be' a fully acceptable level from the program manager's perspective, and may not completely achieve the t objectives of the decision unit." ' The current level, for all practical purposes, 'is the FY 1978 .i . President's Budget, as modified by the FY 1978 Budget Amendment. Ranking 'Each office 'will rank its decision packages in order of highest. to lowest priority. _ The office rankings will be merged into a single rank ordered priority list of all NRC decision packages. Current Status' ' l'a l , ' ~... Considerab1' progress has already been made in adopting a budget e

i...

i.: formulation concept that is procedurally very ~different than L anything the Comission has done in the past.. The substantial E effort the staff recently. expended in the development of the Five Year PlanLis paying off in that'the Plan is serving as a' point '~ of departure for ZBB-by building decision packages around the objectives, planned accomplishments, and program structure that are integral to the-Five Year Plan. 9:.. = ' Four ZBB training _ sessions have been sponscred by the Office of Administration for all NRC personnel who indicated interest in I more fully understanding both the concept of ZBB and its. application within NRC to the FY 1979 budget. All offices sent one or more of their people to the trainin Over 125 j - NRC personnel have attended this program. g sessions. 1 ' Tne Controller has been conducting working sessions with those i program support personnel responsible for their office budget preparation. In addition, the Controller has been meeting l regularly with the OMB to work through details of the ZBB process. } . E.:.: evge. g =- ~ l '77. m n

\\ ni ,; n C MANAGBENT BY OBJECTIVES, AND THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN 5 g= 7 Two key elements in NRC's over:11 planning, budgeting, and management system are: -- the Agency Wide Objectives; j t -- the Annual Five Year Plan (FYP). The Agency Wide Objectives system utilizes the 'hanagement i by objectives" approach and currently addresses 11 distinct areas of major Commission-level interest. Each objective i is assigned a schedule listing specific milestones to be i accomplished,'and the projected dates for their completion. j The purpose of the Agency Wide Objective system is to give the Commission a means of maintaining an effective management overview of staff activities that the Co:nission has determined to be of particular significance. Each objective and its associated milestones and completion dates represents an J-, i integrated statement on how NRC proposed to accomplish the / j i j stated objective. The role of the various offices in the E accomplishment of each objective is delineated, and the necessary coordination points among offices are identified, P i G The Executive Director for Operations (EDO) is expected to i provide the Commission with a written status report on each of the objectives monthly. This report highlights actual or l potential slippages in schedules as well as accomplishments. i In addition, the ' Commission is regularly briefed by the staff on the objectives. Each briefing addresses one or two of the obj ectives. This is done on a rotating basis over the course of a year, so that the Commission is kept up to date on each [ of the objectives. The eleven current Agency Wide Objectives are as follows: r -- develop a program for the licensing and regulatory control of high and low level nuclear waste facilities. I l -- develop and implement a more effective program for the systematic evaluation of operating nuclear power plants. -- develop regulatory criteria for licensing specific f advanced reactor technologies. { i i E [U I

.~ u t::. C g 3 (=., lib 1 MBO S'S-Year Plan - 2 e W i n 1l. t -- conduct a comprehensive study to determine how much and Fun - what type of inspection and enforcement activity is enough to. properly assist hRC in completing its mission. y -- define and implement requirements and contingency plans to provide continued assurance of appropriate. levels of control and protection at reactors and at fuel cycle facilities handling SBN. R -- implement sele ted programs to improve the quality and efficiency of hRC management and decisionmaking. r -- further clarify and stabilize the procedures and criteria for export licensing decisions. -- implement on a timely basis the recommendations formulated l in the report on the Brown's Ferry fire. -- develop and implement a comprehensive long-range training ~ policy. -- implement a program to resolve outstahding generic safety I f: 1ssues. -- develop models and risk assessment methodologies to improve regulatory decisions. i The NRC also produces annually a Five Year Plan which spells out e in more detail than the Agency Wide Objectives the program objectives which the agency desires to accomplish during the upcoming five year period, together with resource and policy l implications. The NRC has produced two Five Year Plans since it.) inception i as an agency. The latest FYP was completed in April 1977, and represents a useful overview of h2C's future prospects and progblems. A major purpose of the FYP is to bring out key issues for resolution by the Commission in advance of the budget cycle. Therefore, the FYP is published in the spring, so that its contents can be reviewed and acted upon before the initiation ~ ' of the budget cycle in late May. A copy of the latest FYP will be made available to each of the new Cor:r.tissioners for their review and information. i rc. 'l u s m

t p::- ARC LICENSE FEES (.m E The current license fee schedule was adopted by the Atomic Energy Commission on August 10, 1973. In the late spring of 1977, the h2C published a Federal Register notice announcing proposed revisi'ns to this schedule. The h2C charges license fees for applications for construction permits, operating licenses, and amendments to operating licenses for reactors and fuel cycle facilities. It also charges fees for radioisotope and other special-use licenses. In the two and a half years of hRC experience, less than 10 percent of the overall agency budget has been recovered through license fees. For example, in FY 1977 h1C expects to recover about 7 percent of budget from license fees. He new fee schedule proposed by hRC would produce revenues which wuld cover approximately half the budgots for Nuclear Reactor t Regulation, Inspection and Enforcement, and Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. ^ t he public comment period for the proposed new fee schedule ended July 1, 1977. The staff will analyze these corr:r.ents, modify the schedule if appropriate, and propose that the Commission approve the new schedule. Implementation of the new fee schedule could begin in the fall of this year. Recent Court of Appeals and Supreme Court decisions have been b' instrumental in stimulating the development of a new license fee schedule. These decisions essentially charged Federal agencies to impose fees in relation to "value received by the applicant." In contrast,- other judicial decisions have disallowed the E= imposition of license fees when " identification of the ultimate beneficiary is obscure" and when "the service can be primarily considered as benefitting broadly the general public." Hence the key to NRC's development of a new fee schedule has been performance of services to an identifiable recipient -- j i.e., the applicant. Eumples of hRC services for which there are identifiable recipients of special benefits include: -- processing of license applications and amendments; -- routine health, safety, and safeguards inspections; -- quality assurance inspections; -- review of topical reports of vendors; 4 i i

.N. .s 4 ) im i %t .t+ f. License FeesJ.2 e -- hearing costs (based upon non-contested cases); -- anti-trust review. E Examples of NRC services which are not regarded as conferred upon specific recipients and are thus " independent public benefits" which should be excluded from the fee base include: --- standards development; .m -- confirmatory research; F -- generic activities;. ~ -- nonroutine inspection effort, such as incident inspection; -- enforcement and management audit. .m b:. s ? I I r t i !N l 5 fy i ris i 'l!'

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I ( !T $n REGULATION OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE fil: E-Section 104. of-the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, specifies minimal regulation of medical usage of radioactive materials, so me. as to' protect the public health and safety. (The Food and Drug Administration has the responsibility of 1 . assessing the biological effects of medical uses of nuclear i materials, and approving such uses in medical practice.) l The h2C and the Agreement States regulate the manufacture, distribution, and clinical use of byproduct, source, and special nuclear material for medical purposes, HEC regulates virtually all aspects of the radiation safety of the workers and the general public and certain aspects of the safety. and efficacy with respect to the patients. For medical uses of radioisotopes, licenses are issued to [ nanufacturers, phamacies, medical institutions, and individual physicians. hRC licensees are inspected on a scheduled, sampling - basis for compliance with hRC regulations and license conditions. In a serious incident last year, 393 patients a't Riversido ( +c Methodist Hospital ~in Columbus, Ohio, received teletherapy doses which were more than 10 percent in excess of the dose 'u prescribed. The dose deviations were the result of error in calculating the unit's radiation output, rather than malfunctioning s of the teletherapy unit. + h2C immediately advised.all of its teletherapy licensees to take measures to ensure that the units were delivering the radiation dosage prescribed by the physician. The Agreement States were similarly advised and took like action with their licensees. On May 19, 1977 the h2C proposed amendments to its regulations [.;.. which would requ, ire its licensees have a qualified expert i.7 perfom both full calibration and spot-check measurements of b teletherapy units which use radiation to treat patients with i cancer. The amendments stipulated the qualifications of tha i expert who would perform the periodic full calibration and spot-check measurements. 2 Because of the Riverside incident and other questions being raised about nuclear medicine, the Comission has directed ~~' j the staff to undertake a comprehensive review of hRC's policy

  1. or the regulation of nuclear medicine. The staff is addressing i

such issues as: er p. j I i=

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== 6 Nuclear Medicine .:2 i= 5 .w k -- What should be hRC's' policy? t,l '-- hhat changes to regulations / standards are necessary to E implement policy? t ~ -- What are ot!her Federal agencies / professional organizations / h Statos' doing in the regulation of nuclear medicine? t -- How do the activities of these other organizations t complement the role of the NRC, and what roles should they play in the' future?. i . -- To what 2xtent should the hRC regulate.the practice of nuclear medicine? l ' As part of their review, the staff held a well-attended public meeting in May 1977 to elicit comment on the foregoing questions. . The NRC'ss i isory Comittee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes, v and the Office'of Nucler.r Material Safety and. Safeguards held public meetings on' the sa.ne day to elicit further information r which the Comission can use ~in connecting with deciding future NRC policy on regulating the.nedical use of isotopes, and to provide a basis for possible future rulemaking actions, e r# NRC has also acted to improve regulatory efficiency in the area of nuclear medicine by a recent anend.ent to its regulations to require the licensing of institu'tions where individual physicians are using byproduct material, rather-i than the licensing of the individual physicians themselves. r p 4 5 r 3 s I f .t? ? L t 'f = :.

..y+ .x . s 4 (; -TRANSPORTATION OF NUCLEAR FUEL AND M STE lf i Tne transportation of nuclear fuel and waste is regulated principally b[ .by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Nuclear Regulatory l Commission. ~ r gr et DOT and NPC regulations are applicable both to persons who ship i radioactive materials as they package and offer such materials. i for transportation, and to carriers of. radioactive material as they load and transport such materials in their vehicles. The regulations provide protection.to transport workers and the general public from the ha::ards of radiation, and to undeveloped film from damage. 5 Primary reliance is placed on packaging for safety in transportation' i of nuclear materials. The DOT regulations prescribe general standards and requirements for all packages of radioactive material, and for a; handling and storage of those packages by carriers. For packages which contain no significant fissile radioactive material and only small quantities of other radioactive materials, the DOT j standards and requirements provide adequate assurance of containment - and ~ shielding of the radioactive material. hhile these small- . quantity packages, known as Type A packages, may fail in an accident situation, the radiological consequences would be limited because of the limited package contents.

=

G,: ~ 17 hen the radioactive content of a package exceeds the small Type A } quantity,-it may only be transported in a Type B package, one which will survive transportation accidents. A Type B package design must be independently reviewed by the NRC engineering staff to verify the accident resistance of the design, and NRC must issue [ a certificate before a Type B package can be used to transport radioactive material. i DOT and NRC regulations set standards which provide that the packaging j shall: -- prevent the loss or dispersion of the radioactive contents; j -- provide adequate shielding and heat dissipation; -- prevent nuclear criticality s i under both normal and accident conditions of transport, including 6 l safety factors to account for potential human error. gr e i p ' (.U.. W: ? I '... =: i t e+., ,.,_.,,,,r,. ,,.m.. n.

m Nuclear Materials Transportation - 2 6y The normal conditions of transport which must be considered are specified in the regulations in terms of: -- hot and cold environments; -- pressure differential; -- vibration; -- water spray; -- impact; -- puncture and compression tests. Accident conditions are specified h tems of impact, puncture, and fire conditions. Packages containing radioactive material must be labeled with a ~ unique radiactive materials label. In transport, the carrier is required to exercise control over radioactive material packages including loading and storage in areas separated from persons,,and to limit the aggregation of ti packages to limit the exposure of persons. h:, In case of an accident, the carrier must follow specified proc including segregation of damaged and leaking packages and noti. 7 p of the shipper and the Department of Transportation. If neces ~ b radiological assistance teams are available through an intergot mental ~ program to provide equipment and trained personnel. According to the Department of Transportation, the record of safety in the transportation of radioactive caterials is superior to that for any other type of hazardous co=odity. Recent studies indicate that approximately 2.5 million packages of radicactive ' materials are currently being shipped in the U.S. cach year. To date, there have been no known serious injuries to the public or to transport workers due to radiation from a radioactive material shipment. [ Transportation safeguards are treated separately in the Domestic Safeguards section of the briefing book.] = L

l l (p1 g ABNO.%iAL OCCURRENCES .? Section 208 of the Energy Reorganization Act cf 1974 requires hRC to prepare a quarterly report to Congress on any "abnomal occurrence" at facilities licensed by ARC. Recently_ NRC has begun issuing Federal Register notices on each abnomal occurrence as it occurs, providing infomation on the date and location of the event, type of occurrence, causes, consequences, and actions taken to avoid recurrences. The same procedures will soon be implemented for occurrences monitored by Agreement States. An abnormal occurrence is defined as an " unscheduled incident or event which the Commission detemines is significant from i the standpoint of public health cr safety." Final criteria defining such events were published on February 24, 1977, and consist of three main categories of events: -- release of radiation or excessive exposure to it; -- deficiencies in safety-related equipment; J' -- deficiencies in design, construction, operation, or management. Tne criteria were broadly worded in order to account for any k additional major health and safety impacts that do not fit into the categories or examples cited. i Appendix A contains examples of specific and general abnomal occurrences. Some incidents that " technically met the interim criteria for overexposure... judged to be borderline" were j! excluded from early reports. Later reports included a series .1/? of recur-ing incidents where each incident alone was not of major importance. (Attached materials describe the types of events that have occurred.) The hRC's responsibility to keep the public informed regarding I nuclear safety does not begin and end with its reporting requirement every reportable occurrence,, as well as press releases fromLicensee Event Re j to the Congress. Currently hRC regional offices and by licensees are placed in many h2C t local Public Document Rooms every two weeks, as well as in the Washington, D.C. PDR. hRC also issues each month a " Grey Book" which includes all Licensee Event Reports and shutdown information.

i t ,s dhi ; 1 S' NARY OF ABNOR'1AL OCCUFRENCES UNDER NRC JJRISDICTION ~= ' 6... S I jl;),il - t ' Type of Occurrence Frecuency l Safeguards Related 2 l Power Plant. Cooling System Malfunctions

  • 3 i

. Power Plant Fire 1 l Improper Handling 'of Control Rods 3 l 1' Plant Material Stresses

  • 4

\\ Unaccounted-for-Radioactive Material 2 j i e Excessive P2diation Exposures ' I Industrial Padiography 12 Medical '2 Other 2 Miscellaneous 4 i I These probh v were noted at multiple facilities. l Civil' penalties were imposed in 13 cases; other actions taken include notices of violation, license suspensions, inspections, employee termination or retraining, and special studies. [ 4 L . :.i::. f t i a %e t 4 f i . {bY I i; !:b i IA$ !,n: - ! $a. 4D f a l

i i i ii [ 1 s (h..: EQUAL E@LOYMENT OPPORTUNITY IN THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY CO.\\NISSION 4 Tne'NRC was established in January 1975 with a permanent work force in place of about 1,800 employees. Since that time, the number of employees has grown to over 2,300, with an annual turnover of about 7 percent, a remarkably low figure. NRC's growth period took place during a generally soft employment market because of the slowdown in nuclear plant licensing. This allowed NRC to review substantial numbers of highly qualified applicants with appropriate nuclear industry experience, and to I concentrate our efforts on minority and women candidates. I It became evident very early that there was, and still is, a severe scarcity of minority candidates for both mid-level and senior-level positions. There are a very limited number of. minorities and women whose education and training are in the engineering and scientific fields related to the nuclear industry. (Tne scarcity is now slowly improving because there are increasing numbers of minority and wumen graduates in the engineering and scientific disciplines who qualify for the professional entry- _.'~~ ' level grades.) i hhen the scarcity of qualified candidates for senior-level p positions was discovered, NRC's recruitment policy was deliberately modified so that we could concentrate on building a strong, talented base of young professional minorities and humen to staff the agency management ladder in years to come. To this end, NRC has developed and executed a vigorous intern l staffing program which accents the recruitment of minorities and women. NRC's Office of Equal Opportunity Employment was established with the organization of the Commission in 1975, and the Office has continued to expand its vigorous efforts to l recruit minorities and women through such means as, i -- sending recruiters to technical society meetings; t -- local and national advertising; } -- college recruitment; -- colleague referral. "= + As of December 31, 1976, minorities constituted 11 percent of the total NRC staff and women made up 2S percent of the 4' total. t

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EE0 has adopted the goal of increasing ninority emplo> tent to 12 percent of. total strength in fiscal year 1977, and over the period 1978-82, to raise minority. employment to 16 percent = of total NRC stuff strength.- ege;; 'NRC also has an active Federal h' omen's Program which encourages women to' compete in Federal employment and to participate in training programs leading:to ' advancement. e 2 9 f 9 I ?;,. 9 5 9 ? t f 6 f 4 t h e t i f i G -i4-. .e, vrry,,- e y,,,.-,-.,.y,,,,,,-- ,,wi..w

t q (6 NUCLEAR REGULATORY CO. MISSION ESSENTIAL UNINTERRUPTIBLE FUNCTIONS if During a national emergency ste:: ming from a nuclear attack, or threat of an imminent attack, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be prepared to perform or administer the following essential ' =" i uninterruptible functions. These functions are limited to the preattack, attack, and immediate postattack periods, and will be carried out only as authorized by statutory or constitutional P authority. 1. Maintain increased surveillance of the operations of licensed nuclear reactors and fuel cycle facilities to assure min hum hazard to health and safety consistent with national security - needs, and as necessary and appropriate: Vi:: -- order shutdown or curtailment of operations; h- [ ~ -- order continued operation; -- order entry to assume operational control of essential facilities; i -- stop or curtail the nce or transportation of special nuclear material, or order recall of such material. 2. Assess the damage to licensed nuclear facilities to: q ~ -- identify useable facilities; i m- -- estimate the the required for restarting inoperative facilities; -- determine all hazardous conditions at these facilities.and any hazardous releases from the facilities; ) -- assure that appropriate actions are taken to correct the hazardous conditions and infona and instruct the public p to minimize injury and damage to property. p n 3. Assess the threats to special nuclear materials, high-level radioactive wastes, and nuclear facilities, and increase security measures as requied to counter threats, thefts, and sabotage. 4. Order the recapture or order entry into a facility to recapture special nuclear material. 5. Authorize revised safety criteria for licensed nuclear facilities h:. and special nuclear material handling applicable to the changed operating and environmental conditions brought on by the emergency. j l r m_...

J 3 !!? i p . {:);' Essential Functions ' 2 .= e 6. Provide support tc and maintain liaison with: ja.., ; -- the office designated by the President to receive reports on functions listed above, advice on the content of public instructions and information, and recomendations jE concerning the.NRC role in achieving national objectives. il -- other Federal agencies which have related functions ~ r::dF: -- State agencies concerning emergency conditions and actions i related to licensed nuclear facilities and materials. i To aid in carrying out the NRC mission functions, the NRC staff 1 will also be~ prepared to perform essential administrative and support tasks.- i i f S ~ i i 5 p. i s s. i ? h C .= s t

6 DISSENT AND INTERNAL COSMUNICATIONS [@s j In January 1976, Robert Pollard, Project Engineer in Reactor Projects, h2R, resigned from NRC, stating that his dissenting views were not receiving sufficient consideration within NRC. Shortly thereafter, three nuclear engineers, Dale Bridenbaugh, Richard Hubbard, and Gregory Minor, resigned from General Electric because of concerns over nuclear safety. In late spring of 1976, indications of unrest appeared in the g. Electrical Instn. mentation ard Control Branch of NRR. The Director of NRR requested the Office of Inspection and Auditor to conduct an intensive investi ation of the views of the Branch 7 personnel. The ensuing report, known as the McTiernan Report, was sent to the Comission in July 1976. It pointed to a need for action in the Electrical Instrumentation Branch, in teras of both proccedural changes and personnel management. In October 1976, Ronald Fluegge, a reactor engineer in the Reactor Systems Branch, Division of Safety Systems, NRR, resigned and publicly accused the NRC of failing to deal properly with safety probleas in ruclear power plants. And just recently, James Conran, a career systens analyst in WSS has raised questions concerning the effectiveness of the Coamission's safeguards program. [ Each time a resignation or public expression of concern has occurred, the Comission has conducted a thorough investigation of the issue or issues in question to determine whether the allegations were well-founded. In.the most recent instance, a Special Task Force on Allegations was established to evaluate Mr. Conran's concerns and make appropriate recomendations. (See discussion in Curreht Issues section) The Comission has also persistently reaffirmed its maintaining a free flow of internal corrmnications, policy of including dissenting opinions. Actions to reemphasize the policy of openness have included the following: -- Memorandum from Chairman Anders to Executive Director for Operations (2/18/76) entitled " Free Flow of Internal In G reation and Viewpoints." The memorandum restated ths Comission's comitment to a free flow of information and views, and reaffimed the existence of an "open door" policy for staff communications with the Comission. -- Memorandum from Chairman Rowden to EDO (11,2/76) entitled "NRC's Regulatory Mission." The memorandum emphasized the duty of every NRC staff member to make known any situation which he or she considered unacceptable D ?EE

a A e ' Internal Communications - 2 r ? l -- Memorandum from the Director, NRR to his professional I staff members (11/3/76) entitled " Resolution of Technical Issues." The memorandum referred 15 technical . issues about which the staff had expressed concern to the l ACRS for review, and requested the staff to provide the Director, in writing, information on any additional safety issues which they felt were not being appropriately I addressed. = er. ; -- NRR Office Letter #11 from the ' Director of NRR to his [ Division Directors (11/3/76), entitled "NRR Policy at Concerning Resolution of Technical Issues." The letter established formal procedures for considering dissenting = technical viewpoints and making them public. The procedures included the following elements: -- An opportunity for ' staff members to pursue significant differences of opinion at successively higher levels of management within NRR; e -- Involvement of top management after all other attempts-at resolution have failed; t -- Permanent documentation of both sides of an issue, and the basis for final detemination; t -- Distribution of documentation to the ACRS, Public Document Roons, hearing boards,'and parties to the proceedings. t -- Report entitled " Task Force on Allegations by James H. Conran," ~ (4/29/77) issued publicly and submitted to the House Comm.ittee on Interior and Insular Affairs. The Comittee has suggested that the Comission establish an ombudsman's office to t i hear staff views and develop a procedure for presenting staff concerns in an open Comission meeting. t i =c i.' '.. g::. I ) C, I ) i

l' E I F~.... :1 e i E

  1. .g NATIOXAL ENERGY OUTIDOK TABLE OF CONTENTS'

{ l -1. Draft Executive Sumary of the 1977 National Energy Outlook l (h'OTE: TdIS SU.\\ MARY HAS BEEN WITHDRAhN FPOM PUBLICATION FOR REVISION TO ACCORD WITH PRESIDENT CARTER'S ENERGY POLICIES AND PROGRA'!S. H0hEER, IT REPRESENTS THE LATEST AVAILABLE MATERIAL ON THIS SUBJECT.) 2. Summary of the President's National Energy Plan 3. Discussion of " Nuclear Power Issues and Choices" (Ford Foundation Study) 4. Relative Costs of Electrical Energy Generation 5. Relative Health Effects of Coal and Nuclear Fuel Cycles 6. Uraniura Reserves / Resources i e i 1 r. l l i l ll .....=;.._. s ET l R ____ -}}

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