ML25254A172
| ML25254A172 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 12/23/2025 |
| From: | Flaherty S NRC/NMSS/DMSST/ASPB |
| To: | |
| References | |
| SA-118 | |
| Download: ML25254A172 (0) | |
Text
Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards Procedure Approval Orientation Meetings for New Agreement States SA-118 Issue Date:
Review Date:
December 18, 2029 Dafna Silberfeld Acting Director, NMSS/MSST Adelaide Giantelli Branch Chief, NMSS/MSST/SLPB Sherrie Flaherty Procedure Contact Sarah Sanderlin
/RA/
Organization of Agreement States, Chair Date: 11/18/2025 ML25254A172 NOTE Any changes to the procedure will be the responsibility of the NMSS Procedure Contact.
Copies of NMSS procedures are available through the NRC website at https://scp.nrc.gov December 18, 2025 Signed by Silberfeld, Dafna on 12/18/25 Signed by Giantelli, Adelaide on 12/18/25 Signed by Flaherty, Sherrie on 09/18/25
Procedure SA-118: Orientation Meeting for New Agreement States Page: 1 of 7 Issue Date: 12/18/2025 I.
INTRODUCTION This procedure describes the general objectives and processes to be followed when scheduling, staffing, conducting, and documenting an orientation meeting with a new Agreement State radioactive materials program.
II.
OBJECTIVES A.
To designate the timing of an orientation meeting with a new Agreement State.
B.
To establish protocols for scheduling and conducting an orientation meeting with a new Agreement State.
C.
To identify the appropriate participants for an orientation meeting, including the staff responsible for conducting the meeting.
D.
To define the scope of activities and areas for discussion during an orientation meeting.
E.
To define the methods and the timing for documenting and communicating the results of an orientation meeting.
F.
To specify the appropriate actions to take when performance concerns are identified during an orientation meeting.
G.
To establish mechanisms to communicate orientation meeting results to the Management Review Board (MRB) Chair.
III.
BACKGROUND For new Agreement States, an orientation meeting will be held after the signing of the Agreement and prior to the first program review. This meeting will be used to gain an understanding of the States program status when evaluated against the criteria of Management Directive (MD) 5.6, Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP), and to identify any concerns or issues during the initial implementation of the Agreement prior to the first IMPEP review.
IV.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES A.
IMPEP Project Manager:
1.
Coordinates the scheduling and completion of the orientation meeting.
2.
Ensures timely preparation and issuance of the orientation summary.
3.
If the MRB Chair calls for an MRB, coordinates the scheduling and logistics of the MRB meeting. The Project Manager will assist in preparing materials and, if necessary, lead the presentation of the orientation meeting results when original attendees are unavailable.
Procedure SA-118: Orientation Meeting for New Agreement States Page: 2 of 7 Issue Date: 12/18/2025 B.
Regional State Agreements Officer (RSAO):
1.
Schedules and coordinates orientation meetings with new Agreement States in his/her Region, including any U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) attendees. The RSAO should plan the meeting to ensure that Agreement State attendance will include at least one radiation control program representative who can speak on behalf of the Agreement State program.
Agreement State staff attendance at the meeting will be determined by the Agreement State.
2.
Informs the IMPEP Project Manager, Division of Materials Safety, Security, State, and Tribal Programs (MSST) management and appropriate Regional management of the meeting date.
3.
Develops a draft agenda for the meeting in coordination with the Agreement States Radiation Control Program Director (RCPD).
4.
Issues a letter to the RCPD at least 60 days before the meeting confirming the meeting date. The letter should include the draft agenda that was developed in coordination with the RCPD, as well as a request for any comments on the draft agenda and/or additional specific meeting discussion topics. A sample scheduling letter and draft agenda for an orientation meeting with an Agreement State can be found on the IMPEP Toolbox https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nmss-procedures/index.html.
5.
Becomes familiar with the new Agreement State program prior to the meeting.
The RSAO should review the final staff assessment of the proposed Agreement State program.
6.
Obtains and reviews a detailed printout of all Nuclear Materials Event Database (NMED) entries since the effective date of the Agreement for the respective Agreement State.
7.
Becomes familiar with all allegations and concerns referred to the respective Agreement State since the effective date of the Agreement. This information can be obtained from the Regional Senior Allegations Coordinator and the NRCs Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) Allegations Coordinator.
8.
Reviews the status of the Agreement States regulations as detailed in the State Regulation Status Sheet maintained by NMSS.
9.
Serves as lead facilitator for the meeting. If the RSAO cannot serve as lead, the RSAO will reschedule the meeting, or request that an alternate NRC attendee lead the meeting.
- 10. Issues the final orientation meeting summary to the Agreement State RCPD.
- 11. Identifies any meeting action items, outside of the routine RSAO/State interactions, that have not been resolved at the time the meeting summary letter is dispatched and notifies the MSST Technical Assistant to formally ticket and assign any necessary action items.
Procedure SA-118: Orientation Meeting for New Agreement States Page: 3 of 7 Issue Date: 12/18/2025
- 12. Leads the presentation of the results of the orientation meeting to the MRB, if an MRB is deemed necessary by the MRB Chair.
C.
NMSS Designee:
1.
Attends and participates in assigned orientation meetings with Agreement States. Assignments will be made on a case-by-case basis, depending on expertise of an individual and/or performance issues in an Agreement State.
2.
Coordinates and assists the RSAO in meeting preparation and development of specific information areas to be covered during the meeting such as event reporting, allegations, and the status of regulations.
3.
Participates in briefings, as necessary, with the RSAO, MSST Director, IMPEP Project Manager, NMSS Director, and Regional management.
4.
Leads the orientation meeting with an Agreement State, if necessary or requested.
5.
Leads the presentation of the results of the final orientation meeting to the MRB, if necessary or requested.
D.
MRB Chair:
1.
Reviews the final orientation meeting summary.
2.
Determines the need for an MRB. If the MRB Chair identifies performance concerns or other issues warranting further review, they may convene an MRB in accordance with NMSS Procedure SA-106, The Management Review Board (MRB).
3.
Initiate MRB if necessary. Should an MRB be convened, the Chair will follow the membership, responsibilities, and protocols outlined in SA-106.
V.
GUIDANCE A.
Frequency of Orientation Meetings:
Orientation meetings with new Agreement States should take place approximately 9 months after the signing of the Agreement, unless an alternative time frame is decided upon by the NRC management.
B.
Scope of Discussions with Agreement States during Orientation Meetings As appropriate, topic areas for discussion during the meeting should include:
1.
Strengths and/or weaknesses of the State program, as identified by the State or the NRC, including identification of actions that could strengthen the program.
2.
Feedback on the National Materials Program, as identified by the State, including identification of any action that should be considered by the NRC.
Procedure SA-118: Orientation Meeting for New Agreement States Page: 4 of 7 Issue Date: 12/18/2025 3.
Status of the States program, including:
a.
Staffing and training:
i.
Number of staff in the program and status of their training and qualifications; ii.
Program vacancies; iii. Staff turnover; and, iv. Adequacy of full-time equivalent for the materials program.
- b. Program reorganizations:
Discuss any changes in program organization, including program/staff relocations and new appointments; c.
Changes in program budget/funding; d.
Materials inspection program:
Discuss the status of the inspection program, including whether an inspection backlog exists and the steps being taken to work off that backlog; e.
Regulations and legislative changes:
Discuss status of States regulations and actions to keep regulations up to date, including the use of legally binding requirements; and, f.
Discuss status of the financial assurance instruments controlled by the State for those licensees that required financial assurance for decommissioning while under the NRCs regulatory authority.
4.
Event reporting, including follow-up and closure information in NMED.
5.
Response to incidents and allegations:
a.
Status of allegations and concerns referred by the NRC for action; and, b.
Significant events and generic implications.
6.
Status of the following program areas, if applicable:
a.
Sealed Source and Device Evaluation Program; b.
Uranium Recovery Program; and/or, c.
Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Program.
7.
Information exchange and discussion:
a.
Current State initiatives; b.
Emerging technologies;
Procedure SA-118: Orientation Meeting for New Agreement States Page: 5 of 7 Issue Date: 12/18/2025 c.
Large, complicated or unusual authorizations for use of radioactive Materials; d.
States mechanisms to evaluate performance; and, e.
NRC current initiatives.
8.
Schedule for the first IMPEP review.
9.
Action items resulting from the orientation meeting (these should be documented in the meeting summary report) outside the routine exchange of information between the RSAO and State. [Note: the meeting should not be used by the States to refer major policy issues to the NRC since these are addressed through other mechanisms].
- 10. Other topics.
C.
Evaluation of Casework during Orientation Meetings 1.
As discussed in Section III of this procedure, orientation meetings are not formal evaluations of program performance. Reviews of licensing, inspection, or incident casework does not need to be performed. Review of some documents, however, may be useful to clarify points made in discussions.
2.
In some cases, casework for allegations may need to be reviewed in order to ensure that appropriate follow-up action was taken. All casework for allegations and concerns referred directly to the State by the NRC in which the allegers identity has been withheld should be reviewed. Performance concerns closed through NMSS Procedure SA-400, Management of Allegations, do not need to be reviewed in depth.
D.
Documentation of Orientation Meetings 1.
The meeting lead should prepare, issue, and distribute the orientation meeting summary and transmittal correspondence within 30 days of the date of the meeting. A sample orientation meeting summary and transmittal letter may be found on the IMPEP Toolbox.
2.
Prior to issuance of the orientation meeting summary, the meeting lead should share a draft of the orientation meeting summary with the Agreement State RCPD and any other attendees for factual review and comment.
3.
No specific information regarding any allegations or concerns discussed at the orientation meeting that could potentially identify an alleger should be contained in the orientation meeting summary or transmittal correspondence.
The orientation meeting summary should only state the number of allegations and concerns discussed and whether the casework has been handled adequately. (If an Agreement State is not handling allegations or concerns in a manner consistent with the guidance provided in MD 8.8, Management of Allegations, the RSAO or NMSS designee at the meeting should report this fact separately to NMSS management).
Procedure SA-118: Orientation Meeting for New Agreement States Page: 6 of 7 Issue Date: 12/18/2025 E.
Review of the Results of Orientation Meetings by the MRB Chair 1.
The final orientation meeting summary will be submitted to the MRB Chair for review in a timely manner.
2.
The MRB Chair will determine whether an MRB should be convened based on the review of the orientation meeting summary, in accordance with NMSS Procedure SA-106.
3.
If an MRB is convened, Agreement State representatives of programs that are being discussed will be invited to participate.
F.
Performance Concerns Identified during an Orientation Meeting:
1.
If programmatic or performance concerns about a program are identified during an orientation meeting, the concern should be documented in the orientation meeting summary and submitted to the MRB Chair for review.
2.
The MRB Chair will determine whether the concerns warrant convening an MRB.
If an MRB is convened, it will determine the appropriate course of action.
Possible actions may include any or all of the following:
a.
altering the schedule for the next IMPEP review; b.
scheduling an additional meeting with the program; c.
conducting a special review of selected program areas; and, d.
placing the Agreement State on Heightened Oversight or Monitoring (See NMSS Procedure SA-122, Enhanced Oversight, for additional information).
3.
If the concerns have the potential to immediately affect public health and safety, the meeting lead should immediately inform NMSS management, NRC Regional management, and the IMPEP Project Manager of the findings and propose a course of action. NMSS management should notify the MRB Chair of the concerns identified and the proposed course of action. The MRB Chair may convene an MRB to discuss the concerns and decide on the proposed course of action.
VI.
REFERENCES MD 5.6, Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP), available at ML19213A024.
MD 8.8, Management of Allegations, available at ML18073A206.
NMSS Procedure SA-106, The Management Review Board available, available at ML20192A315.
NMSS Procedure SA-122, Enhanced Oversight, available at ML21160A158.
Procedure SA-118: Orientation Meeting for New Agreement States Page: 7 of 7 Issue Date: 12/18/2025 NMSS Procedure SA-400, Management of Agreement State Program Performance Concerns, available at ML22243A239.
VII.
NRC AGENCYWIDE DOCUMENT ACCESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ADAMS)
REFERENCE DOCUMENTS For knowledge management purposes, all previous revisions of this procedure, as well as associated correspondence with stakeholders, that have been entered into ADAMS are listed below.
No.
Date Document Title/Description ADAMS Accession Number 1
5/4/04 STP-04-035, Opportunity to Comment on Draft Revisions to STP Procedure SA-118 ML041320579 2
3/9/05 STP Procedure SA-118 ML051830100 3
3/9/05 STP Procedure SA-118, Redline/Strikeout Copy ML051830101 4
3/9/05 Summary of Comments on SA-118 ML051830102 5
3/8/05 STP-05-019, Final STP Procedure SA-118 ML050680563 6
3/19/10 FSME Procedure SA-118 ML100491807
ML25254A172 OFFICE NMSS/MSST/SLPB NMSS/MSST/SMPB NMSS NAME SFlaherty AGiantelli DSilberfeld DATE Sep 18, 2025 Dec 18, 2025 Dec 18, 2025