Press Release-12-024, NRC Publishes Regulatory Issue Summary on Reintegration of Security Into Reactor Oversight Process Assessments

Press Release-12-024: NRC Publishes Regulatory Issue Summary on Reintegration of Security Into Reactor Oversight Process Assessments

ML120800464
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Issue date:	03/15/2012
From:	Office of Public Affairs
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Press Release-12-024
Download: ML120800464 (1)

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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No.12-024 March 15, 2012 NRC PUBLISHES REGULATORY ISSUE

SUMMARY

ON REINTEGRATION OF SECURITY INTO REACTOR OVERSIGHT PROCESS ASSESSMENTS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is informing operators of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants that information on security issues will be reintegrated into the agencys Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) assessment program, starting on July 1.

The NRC currently treats safety and security inputs to the ROP Action Matrix separately.

Reintegrating security information, as described in a Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) issued today, will provide for a more holistic representation of licensee performance. This will allow NRC staff to more fully leverage supplemental inspection procedures and resources.

The integrated assessment process will provide for increased transparency through a complete representation of licensees performance. Under the new provisions, licensees will receive a single assessment letter that will cover all seven ROP cornerstones. This will begin with the 2012 mid-cycle performance assessments, scheduled for August, and continue with subsequent assessments.

In addition, the agencys ROP public website will show information on all seven ROP cornerstones when the quarterly updates to Action Matrix inputs are posted. The website will display security inputs in one of two ways. Issues of very low security significance will show up as green findings. Issues of greater security significance will show up as blue findings, regardless of their actual significance level. Specific information about all security performance deficiencies will remain non-publicly available, consistent with current NRC policy. The change will be apparent during the quarterly updates posted in August.

The RIS is available on the NRC website, and through the agencys ADAMS document database, by entering accession number ML11326A039.

News releases are available through a free Listserv subscription or by clicking on the EMAIL UPDATES link on the NRC homepage (www.nrc.gov). E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's website. For the latest news, follow the NRC on www.twitter.com/NRCgov.