Press Release-16-052, NRC Seeks Comment on Proposed Changes to Public Meeting Policy

Press Release-16-052: NRC Seeks Comment on Proposed Changes to Public Meeting Policy

ML16244A181
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Issue date:	08/31/2016
From:	Office of Public Affairs
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Press Release-16-052
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No: 16-052 August 31, 2016

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Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200 NRC Seeks Comment on Proposed Changes to Public Meeting Policy The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is gathering comments on proposed revisions to the agencys policy on enhancing participation in public meetings.

The proposed revisions aim to improve NRC public meeting consistency and help participants in meeting preparation. The revised policy would categorize public meetings as:

• Observation Meeting - The NRC meets with representatives from one or more groups in an open and transparent manner to discuss regulatory and technical matters. The meeting helps the public understand the applicable regulatory issues and NRC actions.

• Information Meeting with a Question and Answer Session - The NRC shares information and discusses applicable regulatory issues and NRC actions. These are organized, yet informal opportunities for the public to interact with and ask questions of the NRC staff.

• Comment-Gathering Meeting - The NRC obtains feedback on regulatory issues and NRC actions. The meeting will usually include an NRC presentation to explain the issue.

The feedback received at these meetings supports actions such as licensing and rulemaking activities.

The proposed revised policy continues the NRCs goal of providing at least 10 days advance notice for public meetings. The proposed revisions support teleconferencing and other technologies to help ensure widespread meeting participation. The revisions also clarify the types of meetings covered by other policies (such as legal proceedings) or otherwise exempted from public participation requirements.

In a related Federal Register notice published today, the NRC provided detailed instructions on how to submit written comments on the proposed revisions. Comments will be accepted through Nov. 14. For more information please contact Lance Rakovan at 301-415-2589 or lance.rakovan@nrc.gov.