ML20202D888
| ML20202D888 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 11/06/1997 |
| From: | Mcgaffigan E NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Diaz N, Dicus G, Shirley Ann Jackson, The Chairman NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20202D804 | List: |
| References | |
| SECY-97-183-C, NUDOCS 9712050179 | |
| Download: ML20202D888 (2) | |
Text
- - -
- /gue: g UNITED STATES
-8 1,
NUCLEAR RECULATORY COMMISSION y
'y' CASHINOTON, D.C. 20555
- %.,.....f
\\
November 6, 1997 CoMMISSIONE R MEMORANDUM TO:
Chairman Jackson Commissioner Dicus Commissioner Diaz FROM:
Commissioner McGaffigan d,
)s STAFF REQUIREMENTS: SECY-97-183 - CRITERIA FOR -
SUBJECT:
FUNDING AGREEMENT STATE TRAINING, TRAVEL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE I have considered Commissioner Dicus' memorandum of October 22,1997 with regard to the basis for disapproving Version C of the subject SRM and I offer the following.
I disagree with the statement that the proposed priority system for class admission described in the SRM allows budgetary considerations to supersede safety considerations and that such an approach appears inconsistent with our statutory mission. As submitted, the staff's proposed criteria for evaluating Agreement State requests for funding described in Attachment 2 of the paper did not consider the health and safety needs of certain Agreement States. Specifically, paragraph 4 of the criteria eliminated, for training course planning purposes, Agreement States who are willing to pay travel and attend on a space available basis. To address the potential health and safety needs of all Agreement States, the Commission directed the staff in item 2 of th(
Enclosure to the SRM to modify its course planning approach so as to consider all categories of potential Agreement State students. Naturally, if course demand exceeds availability, one hundred percent of the students will not receive the requested training at the same time. To address this possibility, the Commission identified a class admission priority system that considers the health and safety needs of all Agreement States and reflects the degree of funding provided by each Agreement State. As the staff points out, an Agreement State may make a request to NRC at any time during its budget cycle to allow class attendance based on an emergent health and safety need.
I would expect that such a request would be accommodated and needed training would be provided at the earliest opportunity regardless of which agency funds the training and travel. Also, the health and safety needs of an Agreement State will ultimately be evaluated as part of the Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program and any deficiencies regarding staff tmining would be considered during training course planning.
l 971205o179 971117 PDR COMMS NRCC 9,NDENCE POR
1 f :.
2 in summary, I do not believe that by issuing the subject SRM the Commission has disregarded health and safety considerations or taker an approach that is inconsistent with our statutory mission. In fact, from a health and safety perspective, I believe that the Commission has improved the criteria to ensure that the health and safety needs of all Agreament States are given due consideration.
I request that this memorandum be included in the voting record for SECY-97-183.
M
[
%g UNITED STATES y*
NUCLE AR REGULATORY COMMISSION I
i wAshlNGTON, D C, 20556 0001 November-19, 1997 8
(REVISED)
\\.....j SECRETARY MEMORANDUM TO:
L. Joseph Callan
(}(
E ecutive irector for Operations
()
(,- M /
h FROM:
n C. Ho le
SUBJECT:
STAFF REQUIREMENTS: SECY 97-183 - CRITERIA FOR FUNDING AGREEMENT STATE TRAINING, TRAVEL, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE The Commission approved the staff's proposal for addressing Agreement State requests for technical assistance on a case-by-case basis.
The Commistion also approved the proposed criteria for evaluating Agreement State requests for NRC funding of training and travel, subject to the following guidance and the editorial changes noted in the enclosure to this SRM:
e the staff should develop an additional criterion which would establish a limit on the total number of training requests that the NRC will approve for an individual State over a three year period to ensure that States do not rely upon NRC funding as a matter of routine.
This number should represent an appropriate fraction of the Agreement State's training needs, and be based on the size of the Agreement State program and the projected training needs of the individual States so as to provide an equal incentive for all States to seek funding to cover their training needs independent of the NRC.
e the relative priority for class admission is as follows:
Priority I NRC staff and Agreement State staff fully funded by their State.
Priority II Agreement State staff for whom tuition is funded by the NRC.
Priority III Agreement State staff for whom NRC has funded tuition and travel, in whole or in part.
(EDOi (SECY Suspense:
12/19/97)
SECY NOTE:
This SRM, SECY 97-183, and the Commission Voting Record will be made publicly available 5 working days from the date of this SRM.
471gkmer
f-e at the conclusion of FY 1998, the staff should conduct its initial evaluation of the effectiveness of the criteria and their application over the prior 12-month period and propose modifications to the criteria or their application as needed.
(EDO)
(SECY Suspense:
12/31/98) e after three years of experience in applying the criteria, the staff should evaluate the program again to determine if the criteria have been effective in providing an incentive for the Agreement States to fund the full costs of their respecti"e programs.
(EDO)
(SECY Suspense:
12/31/2000)
After incorporating this guidance and the editorial changes set forth in enclosure 1, the staff should inform the Agreement States of the new criteria, (EDO)
(SECY Suspense:
12/19/97)
Enclosure:
As stated cc: Chairman Jackson Commissioner Dicus Commissioner Diaz Commissioner McGaffigan OGC CIO OCA OPA OIG Office Directors, Regions, ACRS, ACNW, ASLBP (by E-Mail)
W ENCLOSURE 1 EDITORIAL COMMENTS Editorial Changes to the CRITERIA:
1.
Page 1, paragraph 3 e line 1 - insert commas before and after the words "as a minimum" e lines 4 and 5 - strike the words "... and students from States with approved training and associated g
funding support from NRC e If..ne' w ytrike the words after " category would" and rbplaceithem with- :"then be filled by Agreement Syate: staff:for whom tuition-is funded-by the NRC add lastly by Agreement.St1te staff for whom NRC has funded tuition'and traver,Rin whole or in part."
u 2.
Page 1, paragraph 4 travel, and per diem" after the a line 2 - insert g
word "tu.c. ion" ; insert "or will pay only travel and per diem costs" after the word " costs"; and insert the word "will" after the existing word "or" e lines 3,4, and 5 - strike the period in line 3 and the words " Potential numbers of Agreement State students that might attend on only a " space available" basis would not be considered in training course planning."
3.
Page 3, subparagraph id e sentence 1 - insert the words "and category (e.g.,
new hires versus more experienced)" after the word I
" number" 4.
Page 3, subparagraph 2b e line 4 - substitute "must" for dmay" 5.
Page 4, numbered paragraph 3 strike the words "... determine whether the e line 2 State..." and insert in their place the words
... confirm that the State has provided documentation that it..."
L
6.
Page 5, numbered paragraph 4 e indented sentence 1 - insert the words "...or a
comparable..." after the word "same" at the end of the line Editorial changes to the Loaic flow diaaram (n. 6) :
e Delete all references to " technical assistance" in the title and individual boxes in the diagram consider removing the fourth box in the left hand column o
as it appears that if the answer is "yes",
the Agreement State should not have suomitted a request for funds to NRC at all, and if the answer is "no,"
it would be addressed in the next step or box.
Editorial change to the Questionnaire (n. 7) :
Question 4, line 3 - insert a comma after the word
" policy" Editorial chanpc to the Footnotes (n. 9) :
e Footnote 4, line 2 - insert ".., submitted in the budget request to the State legislature." after the word
" program" at the beginning of line 2.
_