ML20282A656
| ML20282A656 | |
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| Issue date: | 10/30/2020 |
| From: | Couret I Office of Public Affairs |
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| Malone, Tina | |
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| NUREG-1350 V32 | |
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Text
1 NRC:
AN INDEPENDENT REGULATORY AGENCY 1
N R C : A N I N D E P E N D E N T R E G U L AT O R Y A G E N C Y About the NRC The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency created by Congress. The NRC regulates the Nations civilian commercial, industrial, academic, and medical uses of nuclear materials.
The NRCs scope of responsibility includes regulating commercial nuclear power plants; research and test reactors (RTRs); nuclear fuel cycle facilities; medical, academic, and industrial uses of radioactive materials; the decommissioning of licensed facilities and sites; and the transport, storage, and disposal of radioactive materials and wastes. The agency issues licenses for and oversees the use of radioactive materials and certifies nuclear reactor designs, spent fuel storage casks, and transportation packages. The agency also licenses the import and export of radioactive materials and works closely with its international counterparts to enhance nuclear safety and security worldwide. To fulfill its responsibilities, the NRC performs five principal regulatory functions, as seen in Figure 1. How the NRC Regulates.
Mission Statement The NRC licenses and regulates the Nations civilian use of radioactive materials to provide reasonable assurance of adequate protection of public health and safety, to promote the common defense and security, and to protect the environment.
Vision Demonstrate the Principles of Good Regulation in performing the agencys mission.
To be successful, the NRC must not only excel in carrying out its mission but must do so in a manner that engenders the trust of the public and stakeholders. The Principles of Good Regulationindependence, openness, efficiency, clarity, and reliabilityguide the agency. They affect how the NRC reaches decisions on safety, security, and the environment; how the NRC performs administrative tasks; and how its employees interact with each other as well as with external stakeholders. By adhering to these principles, the NRC maintains its regulatory competence, conveys that competence to stakeholders, and promotes trust in the agency. The agency puts these principles into practice with effective, realistic, and timely actions.
Strategic Goals Safety: Ensure the safe use of radioactive materials.
Security: Ensure the secure use of radioactive materials.
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1 Principles of Good Regulation Independence: Nothing but the highest possible standards of ethical performance and professionalism should influence regulation.
Openness: Nuclear regulation is the publics business, and it must be transacted publicly and candidly.
Efficiency: The highest technical and managerial competence is required and must be a constant agency goal.
Clarity: Regulations should be coherent, logical, and practical. Agency positions should be readily understood and easily applied.
Reliability: Regulations should be based on the best available knowledge from research and operational experience.
Figure 1. How the NRC Regulates Figure 3. How We Regulate 1 Regulations and Guidance
- Rulemaking
- Guidance Development
- Generic Communications
- Standards Development 4 Operational 5 Support for Decisions 2 Licensing,
- Research Activities Decommissioning, Experience and Certification
- Risk Assessment
- Events Assessment
- Performance Assessment
- Licensing
- Generic Issues
- Advisory Committee Activities
- Decommissioning
- Adjudication
- Certification 3 Oversight
- Inspection
- Assessment of Performance
- Enforcement
- Allegations
- Investigations
- Incident Response
- 1. Developing regulations and guidance for applicants and licensees.
- 2. Licensing or certifying applicants to use nuclear materials, operate nuclear facilities, and decommission facilities.
- 3. Inspecting and assessing licensee operations and facilities to ensure licensees comply with NRC requirements, responding to incidents, investigating allegations of wrongdoing, and taking appropriate followup or enforcement actions when necessary.
- 4. Evaluating operational experience of licensed facilities and activities.
- 5. Conducting research, holding hearings, and obtaining independent reviews to Source: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission support regulatory decisions.
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N R C : A N I N D E P E N D E N T R E G U L AT O R Y A G E N C Y Statutory Authority The Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 created the NRC from a portion of the former Atomic Energy Commission. The new agency was to independently overseebut not promotethe commercial nuclear industry so the United States could benefit from the use of radioactive materials while also protecting people and the environment. The agency began operations on January 18, 1975. The NRCs regulations can be found in Title 10, Energy, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). The principal statutory authorities that govern the NRCs work can be found on See the complete list of the its Web site (see the Web Link Index for more NRCs authorizing information). legislation in Appendix W.
The NRC, its licensees (those licensed by the NRC to use radioactive materials), and the Agreement States (States that assume regulatory authority over certain nuclear materials) share responsibility for protecting public health and safety and the environment. Federal regulations and the NRCs regulatory program play a key role. Ultimately, however, the licensees bear the primary responsibility for safely handling and using radioactive materials.
On September 28, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act of 2017. The Act requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the NRC to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on certain topics related to advanced reactors and authorizes them to enter into an MOU on additional topics in this area. The NRC and DOE signed an MOU to implement provisions of the Act in October 2019.
On January 14, 2019, President Trump signed into law the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA). NEIMAs provisions are varied and have impacts across the agency.
NEIMA has three stated objectives:
- 1. To provide a revised framework for fee recovery by the NRC to ensure the availability of resources to meet industry needs without burdening existing licensees unfairly for inaccurate workload projections or premature existing reactor closures.
- 2. To support the development of expertise and regulatory infrastructure necessary to allow innovation and the commercialization of advanced nuclear reactors.
- 3. To foster more efficient regulation of uranium recovery.
The NRC is in the process of implementing the various provisions of NEIMA. The agency has already submitted multiple reports to Congress establishing performance metrics and milestone schedules for requested activities of the Commission. The NRC is also taking actions related to the licensing process for commercial advanced reactors and RTRs. The NRC is committed to meeting the requirements of NEIMA and is working diligently to do so.
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1 Major Activities The NRC fulfills its responsibilities by doing the following:
licensing the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of commercial nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities licensing the possession, use, processing, handling, exporting, and importing of nuclear materials establishing national policy and standards for the safe disposal of low-level radioactive waste certifying the design, construction, and operation of commercial transportation casks for radioactive materials and waste licensing the design, construction, and operation of spent fuel storage casks and interim storage facilities for spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste
licensing nuclear reactor operators licensing uranium enrichment facilities conducting research to develop regulations and to anticipate potential reactor and other nuclear facility safety issues collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information about the safe operation of commercial nuclear power reactors and certain nonreactor activities issuing safety and security regulations, policies, goals, and orders that govern nuclear activities interacting with other Federal agencies, foreign governments, and international organizations on safety, security and nonproliferation issues conducting criminal, civil, and administrative investigations of alleged violations by NRC licensees inspecting NRC licensees to ensure adequate performance of safety and security programs enforcing NRC regulations and the conditions of NRC licenses and imposing, when necessary, civil sanctions and penalties conducting public hearings on nuclear and radiological safety and security and on environmental concerns implementing international legal commitments made by the U.S. Government in treaties and conventions
developing working relationships with State and Tribal governments maintaining an incident response program and overseeing required emergency response activities at NRC-licensed facilities 5
N R C : A N I N D E P E N D E N T R E G U L AT O R Y A G E N C Y implementing lessons learned from the March 2011 nuclear accident in Japan to enhance safety at U.S. commercial nuclear facilities transforming the agency one decision at a time into a modern, risk-informed regulator that promotes and embraces innovative approaches to achieve the agency mission (see Figure 2. Transforming the NRC) involving
the public in the regulatory process through meetings, conferences, and workshops; providing opportunities for commenting on proposed new regulations, petitions, guidance documents, and technical reports; providing ways to report safety concerns; and providing documents under the Freedom of Information Act and through the NRCs Web site (see Figure 3. A Typical Rulemaking Process) engaging and informing the public through social media platforms and by providing interactive, high-value data sets (data in a form that allows members of the public to search, filter, or repackage information)
Regional State Liaison Officer for Region III, Allan Barker, leads a panel discussion on government communications during the NRC National State Liaison Officers Conference in Rockville, MD.
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1 Figure 2. Transforming the NRC The NRC is transforming into a modern, risk-informed regulator by Be riskSMARTmaking sound decisions while accepting well-managed risks in decisionmaking.
Focus on Our Peoplemaintaining an engaged and highly skilled workforce now and in the future.
Innovatemaking timely decisions that take into account different viewpoints and fully explored options.
Use Technologyworking smarter, including using data analytics to highlight areas for regulatory attention and improvement.
Transformation Initiatives Over the past several years, the NRC has recognized the need to transform its operations in light of changes to economic, sociopolitical, and technological factors affecting licensees, governments, and other stakeholders. The NRC anticipates the need for adaptability and agility in responding to possible future scenarios that will drive the agencys workload.
The NRC is undertaking a number of initiatives to bring about improvements, including streamlining its work processes, advancing the use of new information technology, systematizing the appropriate consideration of risk in decision making and encouraging innovative solutions to agency challenges.
The NRC anticipates that the efficiencies gained by transformation will allow the staff to make more timely and better quality decisions vital for accomplishing the agencys safety and security missions. While the transformation does not change the NRCs regulatory framework, stakeholder engagement is important and the agency is communicating its progress through public meetings and conferences, as well as through the NRC Web site.
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N R C : A N I N D E P E N D E N T R E G U L AT O R Y A G E N C Y A TYPICAL RULEMAKING PROCESS Figure 3. A Typical Rulemaking Process RULEMAKING TRIGGERS
- Congress/Executive order
- Commission/EDO direction COMMISSION
- Staff-identified need REVIEW AND
- Petition for rulemaking COMMISSION APPROVAL OF START REVIEW AND DRAFT FINAL RULE APPROVAL OF PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT/
- Commission issues RULEMAKING staff requirements STAKEHOLDER INPUT memorandum PLAN
- Advance notice of
- Staff resolves proposed rulemaking Commission
- Regulatory basis comments
- Preliminary proposed rule language
- Public meeting STAKEHOLDER INPUT STAFF EVALUATES PUBLIC COMMENTS RULE PUBLISH FINAL RULE TAKES PUBLISH PROPOSED
- Final environmental EFFECT RULE FOR COMMENT assessment
- Draft environmental
- Final regulatory RULE assessment COMMISSION REVIEW analysis
- Draft regulatory
- Final guidance AND APPROVAL OF DRAFT analysis (cost-benefit) PROPOSED RULE COMPLIANCE
- Draft guidance DEADLINE
- Commission issues staff
- Public meeting requirements memorandum
- Staff resolves Commission comments The process of developing regulations is called rulemaking. The NRC initiates a new rule or a change to an existing rule when there is a need to do so to protect public health and safety. Additionally, any member of the public may petition the NRC to develop, change, or rescind a rule. The Commission directs the staff to begin work on a new rulemaking activity through approval of a staff rulemaking plan.
Regulatory Basis A regulatory basis document is an analysis that describes the technical, legal, and policy information that supports changes to the NRCs regulations. It describes why the current regulation needs to be updated, explains how a change in the regulations will resolve the problem, and discusses other regulatory options to potentially address the problem. It provides a high-level discussion of the costs and benefits of each option and identifies any backfitting and forward fitting considerations. For each rulemaking, the NRC determines whether development of a regulatory basis is necessary based on the regulatory issues involved. If development of a regulatory basis is warranted, it is generally published for public comment. Any comments received on the regulatory basis would be considered in the development of the proposed rule.
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1 Proposed Rules Each proposed rule that involves significant matters of policy is sent to the NRC Commission for approval. Less significant rules may, with Commission approval, be signed by an NRC staff manager. If approved, the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register and usually contains the following items:
the background information about the proposed rule
an address for submitting comments
the date by which comments should be received to ensure consideration by the NRC
an explanation indicating why the rule change is thought to be needed
the proposed text to be changed Usually, the public is given 30 to 90 days to provide written comments. Not all rules are issued for public comment. Generally, those excepted from public comment concern agency organization, procedure, or practice or are rules for which delaying their publication to receive comments would be contrary to the public interest and not practical.
Final Rules Once the public comment period has closed for the proposed rule, the staff analyzes the comments, makes any needed changes, and prepares a final rule for approval by the Commission or delegated NRC manager. Upon approval, the final rule is published in the Federal Register and usually becomes effective 30 days later.
Direct Final Rulemakings When appropriate, the NRC can shorten the traditional rulemaking process by using a direct final rulemaking process. This process is only used for regulatory changes that the NRC believes are noncontroversial. In a direct final rule, a companion proposed rule is published at the same time as the direct final rule. If there are no significant and adverse comments on the proposed rule, the direct final rule becomes effective. If there are significant and adverse comments, the direct final rule is withdrawn and the rulemaking proceeds as a typical final rule addressing public comment.
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking For especially important or complex rules, the NRC may engage the public at the earliest stages of rulemaking to define the scope and content of the rule. One way of doing this is through an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The notice requests public comment well in advance of the proposed rulemaking stage. The notice describes the need for the proposed action but discusses only broad concepts. The NRC may also conduct public meetings at this stage to gather direct input on the rulemaking.
Rulemaking Information The public can access a centralized, web-based tracking and reporting system, which provides near-real-time updates on all NRC rulemaking activities on the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/rulemaking/rules-petitions.html.
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N R C : A N I N D E P E N D E N T R E G U L AT O R Y A G E N C Y Organizations and Functions The NRCs Commission has five members nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate for 5-year terms. The members terms are staggered so one Commissioners term expires on June 30 of each year.
The President designates one member to serve as Chairman. The Chairman is the principal executive officer and spokesperson of the agency. No more than three Commissioners can belong to the same political party. The Commission as a whole formulates policies and regulations governing the safety and security of nuclear reactors and materials, issues orders to licensees, and adjudicates legal matters brought before it. The Executive Director for Operations carries out the policies and decisions of the Commission and directs the activities of the program and regional offices (see Figure 4. NRC Organizational Chart).
Commissioner Term Expiration*
Kristine L. Svinicki Jeff Baran Annie Caputo David A. Wright Christopher T. Hanson Chairman June 30, 2023 June 30, 2021 June 30, 2025 June 30, 2024 June 30, 2022
- Commissioners listed by seniority.
The NRC is headquartered in Rockville, MD, and has four regional offices. They are located in King of Prussia, PA; Atlanta, GA; Lisle, IL; and Arlington, TX. The NRCs corporate offices provide centrally managed activities necessary for agency programs to operate and achieve goals. Corporate support is needed for a successful regulatory program. The NRC has the following major program offices:
The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation handles all licensing and inspection activities for existing nuclear power reactors and research and test reactors. This office also oversees the design, siting, licensing, and construction of new commercial nuclear power reactors.
The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research provides independent expertise and information for making timely regulatory judgments, anticipating potentially significant safety problems, and resolving safety issues. It helps develop technical regulations and standards and collects, analyzes, and disseminates information about the safety of commercial nuclear power plants and certain nuclear materials activities.
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1 Figure 4. NRC Organizational Chart The Commission Commissioner Commissioner Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Executive Director, General Counsel Advisory Committee Director, Office of Director, Office on Reactor Safeguards Congressional Affairs of Public Affairs Director, Office of International Programs Director, Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication Inspector General Secretary of the Commission Chief AdministrativeJudge (Chairman), Atomic Safety Chief Financial and Licensing Board Panel Officer Executive Director for Operations Deputy Executive Director for Deputy Executive Director for Materials, Waste, Assistant for Reactor and Research, State, Tribal, Compliance, Administration, Operations Preparedness Programs and Human Capital Programs Regional Administrator Director, Office of Chief Information Region I Nuclear Regulatory Officer Research Regional Administrator Director, Office of Region II Director, Office of Small Business Enforcement and Civil Rights Regional Administrator Region III Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Regional Administrator Region IV Director, Office of Investigations Director, Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response Director, Office of Administration Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Chief Human Regulation Capital Officer Note: For the most recent information, go to the NRC Organization Chart at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/organization.html.
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N R C : A N I N D E P E N D E N T R E G U L AT O R Y A G E N C Y The Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards regulates the production of commercial nuclear fuel; uranium recovery activities; decommissioning of nuclear facilities; and the use of radioactive materials in medical, industrial, academic, and commercial applications. It regulates safe storage, transportation, and disposal of low- and high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. The office also works with other Federal agencies, States, and Tribal and local governments on regulatory matters.
The Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response initiates and oversees the implementation of agency security policy for nuclear facilities and users of radioactive material and coordinates with other Federal agencies and international organizations on security issues. This office also maintains the NRCs emergency preparedness and incident response programs.
The NRC regional offices conduct inspections and investigations, take enforcement actions (in coordination with the Office of Enforcement), and maintain incident response programs for nuclear reactors, fuel facilities, and materials licensees. In addition, the regional offices carry out licensing for certain materials licensees (see Figure 5. NRC Regions).
The advisory committees, including the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) and the Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes (ACMUI), are independent of the NRC staff. The ACRS reports directly to the Commission, which appoints its members. The advisory committees are structured to provide a forum where experts representing many technical perspectives can provide independent advice that is factored into the Commissions decision-making process. Most committee meetings are open to the public, and any member of the public may request an opportunity to make an oral statement during committee meetings.
The NRC Headquarters complex is located in Rockville, MD.
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1 NRC Regions Figure 5. NRC Regions Region IV Region I Region III WA ME MT VT ND MN NH OR WI NY MA ID MI CT SD RI WY IA PA NJ OH DE NE IL IN NV MD UT MO WV DC CA CO VA KS KY NC TN AZ OK SC NM AR MS AL GA Region II TX LA FL USVI AK PR HI Headquarters (1)
Regional Office (4)
Technical Training Center (1)
Region IV oversees a nuclear plant in Missouri Region I Region II Region III Region IV Technical Training Ctr.
King of Prussia, PA Atlanta, GA Lisle, IL Arlington, TX Chattanooga,, TN Nuclear Power Plants Each regional office oversees the plants in its regionexcept for the Callaway plant in Missouri, which Region IV oversees.
Materials Licensees R egion I oversees licensees and Federal facilities located in Region I and Region II.
Region III oversees licensees and Federal facilities located in Region III.
Region IV oversees licensees and Federal facilities located in Region IV.
Nuclear Fuel Processing Facilities Region II oversees all the fuel processing facilities in all regions.
Region II also handles all construction inspection activities for new nuclear power plants and fuel cycle facilities in all regions.
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N R C : A N I N D E P E N D E N T R E G U L AT O R Y A G E N C Y Fiscal Year 2020 Budget For fiscal year (FY) 2020 (October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020), the NRCs budget is $856 million. The NRC has 2,970 full-time equivalents (FTE) in FY 2020; this includes the Office of the Inspector General (see Figure 6. NRC Total Authority, FYs 2010-2020). The Office of the Inspector General received its own appropriation of $13.3 million. This amount is included in the total NRC budget.
The breakdown of the budget is shown in Figure 7. NRC FY 2020 Distribution of Enacted Budget Authority; Recovery of NRC Budget. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, as amended, requires the NRC to recover, through fees billed to licensees and applicants, approximately 90 percent of its new budget authority, less certain amounts excluded from the fee-recovery requirement; in FY 2020, the following amounts are excluded from the fee-recovery requirement: to Waste Incidental to Reprocessing, generic homeland security activities, advanced reactor regulatory infrastructure activities, international activities, and the Office of the Inspector General services for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.
The NRC collects fees each year by September 30 and transfers them to the U.S.
Treasury. The agency estimates that it will recover $728.1 million in fees in FY 2020.
Figure 6. NRC Total Authority, FYs 2010-2020 34 1,067 23 15 20 1,054 1,056 40 1,038 1,015 986 1,002 917 922 911 856 3,992 3,961 3,953 3,931 3,815 3,779 3,595 3,396 3,186 3,106 2,970 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Total Authority Carryover Authority Full-Time Dollars in Millions Dollars in Millions Equivalents (FTE)
Note: Dollars are rounded to the nearest million.
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1 Figure 7. NRC FY 2020 Distribution of Enacted Budget Authority; Recovery of NRC Budget Nuclear Reactor Safety Program: 76%
($647.5 Million)
Nuclear Materials and Waste Safety Total Program: 21% ($178.7Million)
Budget:
$856 Integrated University Program:
2% ($16 Million)
Million Inspector General:
1% ($13.3 Million)
Headquarters Nuclear Reactor Safety 74% (2,207 FTE) Program:
77% (2,298 FTE)
Nuclear Materials and Waste Safety Program:
Total FTE: 21% (609 FTE) 2,970 Inspector General:
2% (63 FTE)
Regions 26% (763 FTE)
Reactor Fees:
$667.9 Million Nuclear Materials Fees:
$60.2 Million Recovery of Budget Budget Not Recovered FY 2020 By Fees:
$127.5 Million Estimated Fees To Be Recovered FY 2020:
$728.1 Million*
- Recovered fees do not include the use of prior-year carryover where fees were previously collected.
Notes: The NRC incorporates corporate and administrative costs proportionately within programs.
Numbers and percentages are rounded. Enacted budget for FY 2020. More budget information available in the Congressional Budget Justification at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1100/v36/
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