ML18108A043
| ML18108A043 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/11/2018 |
| From: | Kristine Svinicki NRC/Chairman |
| To: | Frelinghuysen R, Shelby R US HR, Comm on Appropriations, US SEN, Comm on Appropriations |
| Kaplan M, EDO | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18108A040 | List: |
| References | |
| CORR-18-0040, SRM-OGC170505803 | |
| Download: ML18108A043 (3) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON , D.C. 20555-0001 May 11, 2018 The Honorable Richard Shelby Chairman, Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Washington, DC 20510
Dear Mr. Chairman:
On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am submitting the fourth quarterly report related to the NRC's progress on certain licensing actions and right-sizing commitments as first directed in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, and continued in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018.
The Joint Explanatory Statement directed the Commission to report: 1) "the on-board strength of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, including any identified areas of critical skill shortages and targeted hiring strategies against these shortage areas;" 2) "actions taken to right-size the NRC in accordance with the recommendations of the Project Aim report, to include re-baselining assumptions and projection of FTEs and required budget authority;" 3) "progress to eliminate the backlog of pending licensing actions in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation by 2017;" and 4) "progress to complete the licensing reviews of pending reactor license renewal applications (power and research reactors), combined license applications, early site permit applications, design certification applications, and uranium recovery applications (initial and renewal) against currently projected schedules."
The fiscal year (FY) 2018 staffing level in the agency's enacted appropriation is 3,123 FTE. NRC's current projection would utilize 3,082 FTE in 2018, which is approximately 150 FTE below the FY 2017 utilization.
Hiring of additional agency staff will continue to be limited to only those skills that are both critical to the agency operations and not available within the existing agency workforce .
The NRC has identified additional skill needs in the areas of cybersecurity, cloud computing, probabilistic risk assessment, health physics, fuel technology, acquisitions, and advanced reactors (non-light water reactors); and is implementing strategies to mitigate any future critical skill gaps in these areas. These strategies include retraining and redeploying current agency staff, partnering with other Federal agencies, and supplementing the NRC workforce with contractor support.
The status of a variety of licensing activities as requested in the Joint Explanatory Statement is provided in Enclosure 1. The NRC continues to implement activities resulting from Project Aim, as described in Enclosure 2.
Please feel free to contact me or have your staff contact Eugene Dacus, Director of the Office of Congressional Affairs, at (301) 415-1776 if you have questions or need additional information.
Sincerely,
Enclosures:
- 1. Progress on Licensing Applications - Mar 2018
- 2. Progress Aim Status Update - Jan 2018 - Mar 2018 cc: Senator Patrick Leahy
Identical letter sent to:
The Honorable Richard Shelby Chairman , Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Washington , DC 20510 cc : Senator Patrick Leahy The Honorable Rodney Frelinghuysen Chairman , Committee on Appropriations United States House of Representatives Washington , DC 20515 cc : Representative Nita Lowey