ML20195A048
| ML20195A048 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/31/2020 |
| From: | Kristine Svinicki NRC/Chairman |
| To: | Lowey N, Shelby R US HR (House of Representatives), US HR, Comm on Appropriations, US SEN (Senate), US SEN, Comm on Appropriations |
| J. Quichocho, 415-0209 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20195A044 | List: |
| References | |
| CORR-20-0079 | |
| Download: ML20195A048 (3) | |
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CHAIRMAN August 31,2020 TheHonorable Richard Shelby Chairman, Committee onAppropriations United States Senate Washington, DC 20510
DearMr.Chairman:
Onbehalf oftheU.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Iamsubmitting thereport for the third quarter ofFiscal Year(FY) 2020 related tothe NRC's progress oncertain licensing actions andright-sizing commitments consistent with the directionfirst included inthe Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying theConsolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, and continued inSenate Report 116-102 accompanying the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020.
TheJoint Explanatory Statement directed the Commission toreport onthefollowing:
1)"the on-board strength offull-time equivalent (FTE) employees, including anyidentified areas ofcritical shortages skill andtargeted hiring strategies against these shortage areas"; 2)"the actions taken toright-size theNRCinaccordance with therecommendations oftheProject Aim report, toinclude re-baselining assumptions andprojection ofFTEsand required budget authority", 3)"the progress toeliminate thebacklog ofpending licensingactions inthe Officeof Nuclear Reactor Regulation by2017", and4) "the progress tocomplete the licensing reviews of pending reactor license renewal applications (power andresearch reactors),combined license applications, early sitepermit applications, design certificationapplications, anduranium recovery applications (initialand renewal) against currently projected schedules."
Asnoted intheprevious quarterly report, theFY2020staffing level intheagency's enacted appropriation is2,979 FTE.TheNRCcurrently projects utilizingFTE,which 2,795 would beapproximately 126FTEbelow theFY2019utilization. TheFTEresources cited include theOffice oftheInspector General resources.
Since FY2014, theNRC's workforce hasdeclined considerably, from 3,741 to2,979 FTE.Inrecent years, thehiring ofadditional agency staff hasbeenlimited tothose skills that arecritical totheagency operations ornotavailable within theexisting agency workforce. The NRChasimplemented a Strategic Workforce Planning process toimprove ourefforts in developing andmanaging theNRCworkforce andtobalance near-term work with long-term staffing projections. Theprocess projects theamount andtype ofworkanticipated over thenext 5 years andidentifies theskills needed inthe workforce toperform that work. Through this process, both short- andlong-term workforce planning strategies aredeveloped toinform the agency's efforts torecruit, retain, anddevelop a skilledanddiverse workforce with the competencies andagility toaddress both current andemerging needs andworkload fluctuations. Theagency recently hired 23entry-level applicants into thenewNuclear Regulatory Apprenticeship Network (NRAN) Program. Theoverall goal ofNRANistorecruit,
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hire anddevelopcollege graduates over a two-year period tosupply theagency'stechnical offices withnewpersonnel tofillcriticalskip gapsand/or projected futureoffice vacancies.
Given the projected attrition over thenext 5 years, this process will helpustoavoid gaps skills andtoensure that theNRCisappropriately staffed tocarry outoursafety missioninto the future.
Duringthis reporting period, theNRCcontinued totake precautionary measuresin response tothe'declared public health emergency (PHE) intheUnited Statesinresponsetothe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) toensure thehealth andsafety ofourworkforce.These measures areconsistent with guidance provided bytheFederal Government, the including Centers forDisease Control and Prevention, aswell asState andlocal authorities.
Activities included temporarily modifying resident inspectors'presence atreactors andfuel facilities cycle ina waythat maintains theNRC's oversight andinspection role while their minimizing risk of exposure tothevirus. Additionally, the NRCstaff hasnotified licensees oftheprocesses available torequest temporary accommodations given theCOVID-19 PHE.This notification wasaccomplished ina transparent way through public communications,.such as teleconferences andletters. A complete list ofthese processesandtemporary modifications approved bythe NRCinresponse tothe COVID-19 PHEisavailable onthe NRCpublicwebsite atMtps3/wwyerqqov/aboutfrc/coyA19/. The NRC also deferred ofannual billing feesand fees for services for the90-day period ofApril through June2020. Billingofthesedeferred fees resumed inJuly 2020. Future reports willinclude additional details onNRCactivities resulting from oraffected bytheCOVID-19 PHE.
Th'estatus oflicensing activities isprovided inEnclosure 1.TheNRC's continued activities from resultingProjectaredescribed Aim inEnclosure 2.
Ifyouhave anyquestions orneedadditional information, please feelfreetocontactme orhave your staff contact Eugene Dacus, Director oftheOffice ofCongressional Affairs, at (301) 415-1776.
Sincerely, Kristine L.Svinicki
Enclosures:
As stated cc:Senator Patrick Leahy
identical letter sent to:
The Honorable Richard Shelby Chairman, Committee onAppropriations United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 cc:Senator Patrick Leahy TheHonorable Nita Lowey Chairman, Committee on Appropriations United States House ofRepresentatives Washington, DC 20515 cc:Representative KayGranger