ML20248H728
| ML20248H728 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/28/1998 |
| From: | Callan L NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| SECY-98-121, SECY-98-121-01, SECY-98-121-1, SECY-98-121-R, NUDOCS 9806080227 | |
| Download: ML20248H728 (9) | |
Text
{{#Wiki_filter:.< i....................... g"% RELEASED TO THE PDR {~ [1 GMW due initialsi .%.....,/ eoooooooooooooooooooooeo POLICY ISSUE May 28.1998 SECY-98-121 EQB: The Commissioners FROM L. Joseph Callan Executive Director for Operations
SUBJECT:
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE lAEA CONVENTION ON NUCLEAR SAFETY This paper describes the staff's activities underway to prepare the U.S. National Report to meet the requirements of the IAEA Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS). The Commission was last informed on matters related to implementation of the CNS in a memo from Carlton R. Stoiber, dated October 28,1997. BACKGROUND The IAEA Convention on Nuclear Safety was proposed in 1991 and adopted in Vienna on June 17,1994. In September 1994, the CNS was opened for signature, and as of February 28,1998, there were 67 signatories and 42 Contracting Parties. The Contracting Parties are listed in Attachment 1. The CNS entered into force for its Contracting Parties on October 24,1996. In the United States, the Convention was sent to the Senate in May 1995, for Congressional advice and consent to ratification. It was hoped that action on ratification would be taken in the fall of 1997, but because of competin'g priorities in the Senate and certain concems expressed by the Committee on Foreign Relations, action on ratification has yet to be taken. The Chairman forwarded letters conceming the need for timely ratification of the Convention to the Senate committee members on September 6,1996. All ratifying States must wait 90 days after deposit of instruments of ratification with the Secretariat (the Intemational Atomic Energy Agency) before they become Contracting Parties. It is hoped that action on ratification will be taken in the spring of 1998, so that U.S. representatives may participate in the upcoming lAEA organizational meeting in September of this year. \\ \\
Contact:
Elizabeth Doroshuk, NRR jf>b 415-1247 TO BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE IN 5 WORKING DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PAPER ^ lg 9006000227 980528 30 } I s E gR12Y PDR \\ C-{I'l'b
,b Q The Commissioners 1 - After the Senate ratifies the Convention, the U.S. will notify the IAEA of its ratification in a letter . signed by the President which constitutes the instrument of ratification. According to the rules of the Convention, an instrument of ratification must be received by the IAEA on or before June 29,1998, to allow participation in the Organizational Meeting which begins on September 29,1998. If the United States Govemment does not meet this schedule, NRC representatives may be invited to attend the meeting as experts, but can not formally participate. 1 ACTIONS REQUIRED TO PREPARE THE U.S. NATIONAL REPORT The implementation of the Convention rests on National Reports, which are peer reviewed at review meetings of the Contracting Parties held every three years. The National Reports must be submitted prior to, or at, the first organizational meeting scheduled for September 29 -October 4,1998. As the responsible national nuclear safety authority in the U.S., and in anticipation of Senate action on ratification, the NRC is taking the lead in drafting the U.S. ' National Report. The NRC will also likely be the lead U.S. agency in reviewing the National Reports of other Contracting Parties, including submitting comments to the Country Group. Rapporteurs, and responding to questions about the U.S. National Report. The first review meeting of Contracting Parties will be held between April 12 and 30,1999. STATUS OF THE U.S. NATIONAL REPORT Dr. Jack Roe, Acting Director, Division of Reactor Program Management (DRPM), Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), is managing the preparation of the U.S. National Report in consultation with Dr. Michael Cullingford, Special Assistant for Technical Policy and Intemational Liaison, NRR. Ten technical representatives of NRR are participating in the preparation of 19 Articles that will constitute the report. The staff will make the greatest possible use of existing standard NRC and other U.S. documents in compiling information for the report to minimize the use of NRC resources to meet the requirements of the Convention. The body of the report is expected to be about 150 pages long. Detailed information will be included in Annexes to the report. On March 30 the team members submitted their draft Articles. A schedule for completion of the report is included as Attachment 2. The U.S. National Report will be forwarded to the Commissioners on July 6,1998, for consideration in advance of requesting other organizations, including the U.S. Departments of Energy and State, to review the report. OVERALL RESOURCES PROJECTED The estimate of NRC resources necessary to implement the CNS is the same as was reported to the Commission in the last status report, and is included as Attachment 3. COORDINATION The Office of the General Counsel has reviewed this paper and has no legal objection to the staffs positions. O
I-w The Commissioners I l The Office of the Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this paper for resource implications and has no objections. l L. seph Ca lan Exe utive Director for Operations l Attachments: (1) List of CNS Contracting Parties (2) Plan of Action Milestones (3) Resource Estimates to Support the CNS t DISTRIBUTION: Commissioners OGC OCAA l OIG OPA OCA CIO CFO EDO SECY l l l
I Convention on Nuclear Safety Racknnuand The Convention on Nuclear Safety was adopted in Vienna on 17 June 1994. The Convention was drawn up during a series of expert level meetings from 1992 to 1994 and was the result of considerable work by Govemments, national nuclear safety authorities and the Agency's Secretariat. Its aim is to legally commit participating States operating land-based nuclear power plants to maintain a high level of safety by setting international benchmarks to which States would subscribe. ~ The obligations of the Parties are based to a large extent on the principles contained in the IAEA Safety Fundamentals document "The Safety of Nuclear ) installations". These obligations cover for instance, siting, design, construction, operation, the availability of adequate financial and human resources, the assessment and verification of safety, quality assurance and emergency l preparedness. J The Convention is an incentive instrument. It is not designed to ensure fulfillment of obligations by Parties through control and sanction but is based on their common interest to achieve higher levels of safety which will be developed and promoted through regular meetings of the Parties. The Convention obliges Parties to submit reports on the implementation of their obligations for " peer review" at meetings of the Parties to be held at the IAEA. This mechanism is the main innovative and dynamic element of the Convention. For additional information see the General Conference document on Measures to Strengthen Intemational Co-Operation in Nuclear, Radiation and Waste Safety-section on Legally Binding International Safety Agreements GC(41)/INF/8 Part A. L
i ? l lQ-i Membership and Status Date of adoption: 17 June 1994 Opened for signature. 20 September 1994 Place: Vienna, Aust:ia i Date of entry into force: 24 October 1996 Depositary: International Atomic Energy Agency Languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Signatories and Parties 1 (Last updated, January 1998) 67 signatories 42 States have deposited an instrument of ratification, acceptance, or approval Algeria (20 Sept 1994, signed) Argentina (17 April 1997, ratified) Armenia (22 Sept 1994, signed) Australia (24 Dec 1996, ratified) Austria (26 August 1997, ratified) Bangladesh (21 Sept 1995, accepted ) Belgium (13 Jan 1997, ratified) Brazil (4 March 1997, ratified) Bulgaria (8 Nov 1995, ratified) Canada (12 Dec 1995, ratified) Chile (20 Dec 1996, ratified) China (9 April 1996, ratified) Croatia (18 April 1996, approved) Cuba (20 Sept 1994, signed) Czech Republic (18 Sept 1995, approved) Denmark (20 Sept 1994, signed) Egypt (20 Sept 1994, signed) Finland (22 Jan 1996, accepted) France (13 Sept 1995, approved) Germany (20 Jan 1997, ratified) Ghana (6 July 1995, signed) Greece (20 June 1997, ratified) Hungary (18 March 1996, ratified) Iceland (21 Sept 1995, signed) India (20 Sept 1994, signed)
I l y. Indonesia (20 Sept 1994, signed) Ireland (11 July 1996, ratified) israel (22 Sept 1994, signed) Italy (27 Sept 1994, signed) Japan (12 May 1995, accepted) Jordan (6 Dec 1994, signed) Kazakstan (20 Sept.1996, signed) Republic of Korea (19 Sept 1995, ratified) Latvia (25 Oct 1996, acceded) Lebanon (5 June 1996, ratified) Lithuania (12 June 1996, ratified) Luxembourg (7 April 1997, ratified) Mali (13 May 1996, ratified) Mexico (26 July 1996, ratified) Monaco (16 Sept.1996, signed) Morocco (1 Dec 1994, signed) Netherlands (15 Oct 1996, accepted) Nicaragua (23 Sept 1994, signed) Nigeria (21 Sept 1994, signed) Norway (29 Sept 1994, ratified) Pakistan (30 Sept.1997, ratified) Peru (1 July 1997, ratified) Philippines (14 Oct 1994, signed) Poland (14 June 1995, ratified) Portugal (3 Oct 1994, signed) Romania (1 June 1995, ratified) Russian Federation (12 July 1996, accepted) Singapore (15 Dec 1997, acceded) Slovak Republic (7 March 1995, ratified) Slovenia (20 Nov 1996, ratified) South Africa (24 Dec 1996, ratified) Spain (4 July 1995, ratified) Sudan (20 Sept 1994, signed) Sweden (11 Sept 1995, ratified) Switzerland (12 Sept 1996, ratified) Syria (23 Sept 1994, signed) Tunisia (20 Sept 1994, signed)
4 Turkey (8 March 1995, ratified) Ukraine (20 Sept 1994, signed) United Kingdom (17 Jan 1996, ratified) United States (20 Sept 1994, signed) Uruguay (28 Feb 1996, signed)
O lAEA CONVENTION ON NUCLEAR SAFETY PLAN OF ACTION MILESTONtS TAC NO. MA0108 FEBRUARY 18,-1998 1. Team Meeting, Article 6 " Existing Nuclear -February 18,1998 installations" 2. Complete Commission Information Paper -March 30,1998 3. Complete All Draft Articles (5 Weeks) -March 30,1998 4. Team Meeting, Comments on Overall Report -April 17,1998 5. Start Editorial Review of Draft Report -May 4,1998 6. Finish Editorial Review of Draft Report -May 15,1998 7. Start NRR, Program Offices' Review of Draft -June 1,1998 Report 8. Finish NRR, Program Offices' Review of Draft -June 12,1998 Report 9. Start OEDO, OIP Review of Draft Report -June 19,1998 10. Finish OEDO, OIP Review of Draft Report -June 29,1998 11. Start Commission Review of Draft Report -July 6,1998 12. Finish Commission Review of Draft Report -July 24,1998 13. Start Outside Government Agency Review of -August 3,1998 Report 14. Finish Outside Govemment Agency Review of -August 21,1998 Report 15. Submit U.S. National Report to the IAEA -September 4,1998 16. IAEA Organizational Meeting -September 29- { October 4,1998 17. Submit Questions and Comments on National -February 12,1999 Reports 18. IAEA National Report Review Meeting -April 12-30,1999 Once completed, the National Reports will be reviewed on a three-year cycle. i
RESOURCE ESTIMATES TO SUPPORT THE CNS d Fiscal Year FY98 FY99 ESTIMATED FTE* 2-4 2-4 ESTIMATED TRAVEL $2K $12K COSTS
- Includes FTEs from the Office of International Programs (including the Nuclear Safety Attachs in Vienna, Austria) and the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
In F Y98, it is anticipated that 2-4 FTE and $2K for travel costs will be needed to draft the U.S. National Report, review National Reports of other contracting Paities, conduct iterative correspondence with Country Group Rapporteurs, and attend the September 1998 Organizational Meeting of contracting Parties at the IAEA in Vienna, Austria. FTE usage in FY99 includes completing the above tasks and attending the 'irst Review Meeting of Contracting Parties in April 1999. i i u .}}