ML20195B298

Requests Assistance to Ensure Prompt Staff Action in Requesting & Obtaining Recipient Govt Assurance for NRC Export Licenses

ML20195B298
Person / Time
Issue date:	11/12/1998
From:	Hauber R NRC OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS (OIP)
To:	Dedick T ENERGY, DEPT. OF
References
NUDOCS 9811160087
Download: ML20195B298 (1)

Text

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g UNITED STATES Pd3 j

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 3000H001 g%

November 12, 1998 Ms. Trisha Dedik:

Director Nuclear Transfer and Supply Policy Division Office of Arms Control and Nonproliferation U.S. Department of Energy Washington, DC 20585

Dear Ms. Dedik:

l l am writing to ask your assistance to ensure prompt staff action in requesting and obtaining recipient government assurances for NRC export licenses.

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The Departments of Energy and State provide essential support to the NRC in our export l

licensing role. That support includes case-by-case requests to foreign governments for written

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assurances that proposed exports, when transferred to them, will be placed under the terms j

and conditions required by U.S. policy and the Atomic Energy Act, usually pursuant to the provisions of an Agreement for Cooperation. The Department of State is the lead agency for such assurance requests to Japan, Taiwan, and IAEA, while your office is the lead for EURATOM, Switzerland, Canada, and South Korea, among others.

I am writing because of delays in DOE's handling of assurance requests, including occurrences l

In which no action was taken until NRC made follow-up calls, re-transmitted information and provided guidance. Such delays are inconsistent with the 5-day timeliness standard for initiating requests specified in interagency proceduros and with the underlying U.S. policy commitment to i

be a reliable nuclear supplier. NRC would appreciate whatever you can do to avoid delays in initiating actions and in taking effective follow-up actions when a response is not received in the

. customary time.

Please do not hesitate to let us know if there are ways NRC can help facilitate DOE's role, l:

including the possibility of delegating to NRC the task of requesting and obtaining assurances

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L directly from EURATOM, Canada, and others.

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I Sincerely, bIW LI.

Ronald D. Hauber, Director Nonproliferation, Exports and Multilateral Relations

. Office of International Programs i

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