NUREG-0548, Forwards Draft Charter for Screening Committee for Technical Vacancies on ASLB & Aslab.Proposes Establishment of Committee Under Federal Advisory Committee Act
| ML19208A419 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/06/1979 |
| From: | Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Howton C GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION |
| References | |
| RTR-NUREG-0548, RTR-NUREG-548 NUDOCS 7909130558 | |
| Download: ML19208A419 (5) | |
Text
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August 6, 1979 CHAIRM AN Mr. Charles F. Howton Committee Management Secretariat General Services Administration Washington, DC 20450
Dear Mr. Howton:
Section 7 of the NRC's 1979 Authorization Act (Public Law 95-601) required that the Comission " undertake a comprehensive review of the existing process for selection and training of members of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards, including, but not limited to, the selection criteria, including qualifications, the selection procedures, and the training programs for Board members."
In the Commission's report to Congress, published as NURES-0548, the Com-mission stated that it would establish screening committees, one for lawyer vacancies and the other for technical vacancies, with membership drawn from within and without the NRC and the government.
As these committees will not consist solely of Federal employees, the Commission proposes to charter them as advisory committees under the Federal Advisory Ccumittee Act.
This letter will serve as the consultation required by Section 9 of that Act and by Executive Order 12024.
Draf t advisory committee charters are enclosed for your information.
Purpose of the Committees The NRC's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel is a group of attorneys and technically trained persons. Three-member boards drawn from the Panel preside over NRC adjudications. The ordinary composition of a board is a lawyer, who serves as chairman, and two technical members who are engineers or scientists in differing areas of expertise.
The panel from which board members are chosen numbers about 60, of which about 16 are full-time and the remainder part-time.
For each vacancy on the panel, the Commission receives a large number of applications.
In the pa<t the screening of these candidates was performed by the Chairman of the Licensing Board Panel assisted by other officials of the Panel.
The Commission wishes to provide for wider involvement in this process, both within the NRC and outside the government.
This can be accomplished by establishing two screening committees, one for lawyer candidates and one for technical candidates, which would be responsible for providing to the Commission three candidates for each vacancy.
The final selection among these candidates would, of course, be made by the Com-mission itself.
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Mr. Charles F. Howton 2
Each committee will consist of seven members, four of which will be drawn from within the NRC. The Chairman of the Licensing Board Panel (or his designee) will serve as chairman of both committees.
Recognizing the adjudicatory functions of the Licensing Boards, at least one attorney will serve on the Technical Vacancies Committee.
The three remaining members of each committee will be drawn from other government agencies or from the private sector.
The Lawyer Vacancies Comittee will consist of the followirej:
Chairman of the Licensing Board Panel (ex officio)
Chairman of the Appeal Panel (ex officioT General Counsel (ex officio)
Attorney from the Office of the Executive Legal Director Attorney who represents utilities Attorney who represents intervenors Attorney not associated with the nuclear bar The ex officio members will be permanent members of the coc:mittee.
The otheFmembers will serve staggered four-year appointments.
(Ir.itially,of course, the appointments will range from one to four years.)
The Technical Vacancies Committee is similar in compositiom Chairman of the Licensing Board Panel (ex officio)
Vice-Chairman of the Licensing Board Paifel (ex officio)
Vice-Chairman of the Appeal Panel (ex_ officiBT Member of the NRC staff Person associated with nuclear industry Person associated with int 2rvenors Person not affilated with the NRC, nuclear industry, or intervenors The same considerations in regard to membership and terns apply.
Balance Each committee will be balanced in terms of its function.
Naturally, the lawyer selection comittee will consist mainly of lawyers, and the tech-nical selection committee will consist mainly of scientists and engineers.
The Commission will endeavor, however, to appoint to the legal committee members of diverse legal backgrounds and careers, and will attempt where possible to obtain members with experience in the adjudicative process.
Similarly, the Commission will endeavor to appoint to the technical com-mittee members whose expertise covers a variety of scientific and engineer-ing disciplines.
The committees will also be balanced in terms of "in-house" members and members drawn from outside the NRC and outside the government entirely.
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the legal side, this may mean lawyers (or adjudicators) frczn other govern-ment agencies, attorneys in private practice, and law professors acquainted with the adjudicative process.
On the technical side, members may be drawn from other agencies, from private scientific or engineering firms, and from university faculties. The Commission will strive to attain the widest possible representation of these various sectors on each committee, subject only to the necessity that each member, legal or technical, be highly qualified.
f!eed for the Committees The Commission's goal in establishing these committees is to achieve wider participation in the selection process for Licensing Board members.
This objective can only be accomplished by bringing into that process viewpoints from outside tha fiRC and, indeed, from outside of the Federal government entirely.
TI.e Commission believes that active participation by non-NRC personnel in the critical screening process is essential to ensure that the broadest possible perspective has been achieved in selecting candidates for the Licensing Board Panel.
We would be pleased to provide any additional information you may require to as ess the merits of the proposed committees.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
\\ Sincerely,
(
'Voseph 11. Hendrie
Enclosure:
Draft Charters D
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Charter for the Screening Committee for Technical Vacancies on the Licensing Board Fanel 1.
Official Designation Screening Committee for Technical Vacancies on the Licensing Board Panel.
2.
Objectives and Scope of Activities and Duties The committee will evaluate all candidates offered to fill technical vacancies on the NRC Licensing Board Panel. Upon completion of the screening process, the committee will submit to the Commission the names of three candidates, together with a statement of reasons and the complete file on each of those selected.
3.
Time Period The committee will be a standing committee, to be utilized as needed to fill Licensing Board Panel vacancies.
4.
Aaency to Whom the Committee Reports United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission 5.
Agency Responsible for Providing Necessary Support United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission 6.
Duties As set forth in Item 2 above.
7.
Cost (a) Approximately $6000 per calendar year.
(b) Approximately 0.25 man-years per calendar year.
8.
Estimated Number of Meetings Per Year The frequency of meetings will be highly variable according to the number of vacancies to be filled. A rough estimate is 4-6 meetings per year.
9.
Termination Date None.
10.
Date of Filing 3<1u280
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Charter for the Screening Comittee for Lawyer Vacancies on the Licensing Board Panel 1.
Official Designation Screening Committee for Lawyer Vacancies on the Licensing Board Panel.
2.
Objectives and Scope of Activities and Duties The committee will evaluate all candidates offered to fill lawyer vacancies on the NRC Licensing Board Panel. Upon completion of the screening process, the committee will submit to the Commission the names of three candidates, together with a statement of reasons and the complete file on each of those selected.
3.
Time Period The committee will be a standing committee, to be utilized as needed to fill Licensing Board Panel vacancies.
4.
Agency to Whom the Committee Reports United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission 5.
Agency Responsible for Providing Necessary Support United States Nuclear Regulatory Comission 6.
Duties As set forth in Item 2 above.
7.
Cost (a) Approximately $4000 per calendar year.
(b) Approximately 0.25 man-years per calendar year.
S Estimated Number of Peetings Per Yea-r h frequency of meetings will be highly variable according to the number of veancies to be filled. A rough estimate is 4-6 meetings per year.
9.
Termination Date None.
10.
Date of Filin D**O n S' O
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