Enhancing Participation in NRC Public Meetings, 60026-60029 [2016-20946]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 169 / Wednesday, August 31, 2016 / Notices
advisory committees have member
vacancies from time to time throughout
the year, and NASA will consider selfnominations to fill such intermittent
vacancies. NASA is committed to
selecting members to serve on its
Federal advisory committees based on
their individual expertise, knowledge,
experience, and current/past
contributions to the relevant subject
area.
DATES: The deadline for NASA receipt
of all public nominations is September
30, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
any questions, please contact Ms. Marla
King, Advisory Committee Specialist,
Advisory Committee Management
Division, Office of International and
Interagency Relations, NASA
Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546,
(202) 358–1148. To view advisory
committee charters and obtain further
information on NASA’s Federal
advisory committees, please visit the
NASA Advisory Committee
Management Division Web site noted in
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Selfnominations from interested U.S.
citizens must be sent electronically to
NASA in letter form, be signed, and
must include the name of specific
NASA Federal advisory committee of
interest for NASA consideration. Selfnomination letters are limited to
specifying interest in only one (1) NASA
Federal advisory committee per year.
The following additional information is
required to be attached to each selfnomination letter (i.e., cover letter): (1)
Professional resume (one-page
maximum); (2) professional biography
(one-page maximum). Please submit the
self-nomination package as a single
package containing cover letter and both
required attachments to hq-nasanoms@
mail.nasa.gov. All public selfnomination packages must be submitted
electronically via email to NASA; paperbased documents sent through postal
mail (hard-copies) will not be accepted.
NOTE: Nomination letters that are
noncompliant with the directions above
and do not include the two (2)
mandatory documents listed will not
receive further consideration by NASA.
NASA’s six (6) currently chartered
Federal advisory committees are listed
below. The individual charters may be
found at the NASA Advisory Committee
Management Division’s Web site at
https://oiir.hq.nasa.gov/acmd.html:
• Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel—
The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel
provides advice and recommendations
to the NASA Administrator and the
Congress on matters related to safety,
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and performs such other duties as the
NASA Administrator may request.
• Applied Sciences Advisory
Committee—The Applied Sciences
Advisory Committee provides advice
and makes recommendations to the
Director, Earth Science Division,
Science Mission Directorate, NASA
Headquarters, on Applied Sciences
programs, policies, plans, and priorities.
• International Space Station (ISS)
Advisory Committee—The ISS Advisory
Committee provides advice and
recommendations to the NASA
Associate Administrator for Human
Exploration and Operations Mission
Directorate on all aspects related to the
safety and operational readiness of the
ISS. It addresses additional issues and/
or areas of interest identified by the
NASA Associate Administrator for
Human Exploration and Operations
Mission Directorate.
• International Space Station (ISS)
National Laboratory Advisory
Committee—The ISS National
Laboratory Advisory Committee
monitors, assesses, and makes
recommendations to the NASA
Administrator regarding effective
utilization of the ISS as a national
laboratory and platform for research,
and such other duties as the NASA
Administrator may request.
• NASA Advisory Council—The
NASA Advisory Council (NAC)
provides advice and recommendations
to the NASA Administrator on Agency
programs, policies, plans, financial
controls, and other matters pertinent to
the Agency’s responsibilities. The NAC
consists of the Council and five (5)
Committees: Aeronautics; Human
Exploration and Operations;
Institutional; Science; and Technology,
Innovation and Engineering. NOTE: All
nominations for the NASA Advisory
Council must indicate the specific entity
of interest, i.e., either the Council or one
of its five (5) Committees.
• National Space-Based Positioning,
Navigation and Timing (PNT) Advisory
Board—The National Space-Based PNT
Advisory Board provides advice to the
PNT Executive Committee (comprised
of nine stakeholder Federal agencies, of
which NASA is a member) on U.S.
space-based PNT policy, planning,
program management, and funding
profiles in relation to the current state
of national and international spacebased PNT services.
Patricia D. Rausch,
Advisory Committee Management Officer,
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016–20863 Filed 8–30–16; 8:45 am]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2016–0178]
Enhancing Participation in NRC Public
Meetings
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Proposed revision to policy
statement; request for comments.
AGENCY:
To further clarify and
enhance participation in public
meetings conducted by the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC), the NRC
is proposing to revise its public meeting
policy. The revised policy statement
redefines the three categories of public
meetings and identifies the level of
public participation offered at each type
of meeting. The revised policy statement
also clarifies notification expectations
for meetings that include physical
presence in the meeting room and
meetings that rely solely on remote
access technology such as a
teleconferencing. The proposed
revisions will improve the consistency
of the NRC’s public meetings and help
participants better prepare for NRC
meetings.
DATES: Submit comments by November
14, 2016. Comments received after this
date will be considered if it is practical
to do so, but the Commission is able to
ensure consideration only for comments
received on or before this date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2016–0178. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–415–3463;
email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For
technical questions contact the
individual listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
document.
• Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey,
Office of Administration, Mail Stop:
OWFN–12–H08, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001.
• For additional direction on
obtaining information and submitting
comments, see ‘‘Obtaining Information
and Submitting Comments’’ in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lance Rakovan, Office of the Executive
Director for Operations, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415–
2589; email: Lance.Rakovan@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 169 / Wednesday, August 31, 2016 / Notices
I. Obtaining Information and
Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2016–
0178 when contacting the NRC about
the availability of information for this
action. You may obtain publiclyavailable information related to this
action by any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2016–0178.
• NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publiclyavailable documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. To begin the search, select
‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and then
select ‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS
Search.’’ For problems with ADAMS,
please contact the NRC’s Public
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at
1–800–397–4209, 301–415–4737, or by
email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
• NRC’s PDR: You may examine and
purchase copies of public documents at
the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
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B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC–2016–
0178 in your comment submission.
The NRC cautions you not to include
identifying or contact information that
you do not want to be publicly
disclosed in your comment submission.
The NRC will post all comment
submissions at https://
www.regulations.gov as well as enter the
comment submissions into ADAMS.
The NRC does not routinely edit
comment submissions to remove
identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating
comments from other persons for
submission to the NRC, then you should
inform those persons not to include
identifying or contact information that
they do not want to be publicly
disclosed in their comment submission.
Your request should state that the NRC
does not routinely edit comment
submissions to remove such information
before making the comment
submissions available to the public or
entering the comment into ADAMS.
II. Further Information
The entire text of the proposed
revision of the policy statement,
‘‘Enhancing Public Participation in NRC
Meetings,’’ is available as an attachment
to this document.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day
of August, 2016.
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For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Annette L. Vietti-Cook,
Secretary of the Commission.
Attachment—Commission Policy Statement
on Staff Meetings Open to the Public
A. Purpose
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s
(NRC) longstanding practice is to provide the
public with substantial information on its
activities, to conduct business in an open
manner, and to balance openness and
transparency with the need to exercise
regulatory and safety responsibilities without
undue administrative burden. The NRC’s
policy is to open meetings between the
agency staff and one or more outside persons
to observation and participation to the extent
possible. The NRC has had a formal policy
regarding open (public) meetings since 1978.
The current Commission Policy Statement
Enhancing Public Participation in NRC
Meetings was issued in 2002 and can be
accessed at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
doc-collections/commission/policy/
67fr36920.html.
This policy establishes three public
meeting categories based on the level of
participation offered to attendees. The policy
provides information such as descriptions of
each category, information on how public
meetings are announced, post-meeting
activities, and applicability and exceptions.
B. Participation in NRC Public Meetings
In order to fulfill the NRC’s commitment to
openness, the level of participation, purpose,
and description for each category of public
meeting are described below. When assigning
a category to a meeting, NRC staff will
consider the objective of the meeting and the
extent of known public interest in the topic.
The three meeting categories are based on
the level of public participation to be
provided at each type of meeting. Thus, some
categories may support multiple meeting
formats. The label for each category provides
an indication of the level of participation
meeting attendees can expect.
The NRC is committed to providing an
atmosphere of civility and inclusion at its
public meetings. All participants are
expected to follow established ground rules,
including those provided in the applicable
meeting notice posted on the NRC’s public
Web site, to support this atmosphere of
civility and inclusion regardless of personal
viewpoints. If the actions of one or more
participants significantly impact this
atmosphere, and therefore other participants’
ability to observe or participate in a meeting,
the NRC staff shall take appropriate actions
to restore a more respectful environment,
including ending a meeting early if
necessary.
Observation Meeting
Meeting Purpose—The purpose of this type
of meeting is for the NRC to meet with
representatives from one or more groups in
an open and transparent manner to discuss
regulatory and technical matters. The
meeting will inform the public by providing
information to help them understand the
applicable regulatory issues and NRC actions.
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Level of Participation—Other attendees
besides the representatives noted above are
invited to observe the meeting and discuss
regulatory issues with NRC representatives at
a designated point or points identified on the
agenda. This does not preclude the licensee
from responding to questions if they choose
to do so.
Description—Meetings in this category
include the NRC meeting with one or more
industry groups, licensees, vendors,
applicants, potential applicants, or nongovernment organizations, to discuss
regulatory issues regarding a specific facility
(or facilities), certificates of compliance,
licenses, or license applications. This
category of meeting could also include the
NRC meeting with representatives of task
force groups, industry groups, or public
interest and citizen groups. The primary
discussions are expected to occur between
the NRC and representatives of those entities
or groups.
The following description will be included
in an Observation Meeting notice:
This is a meeting in which attendees will
have an opportunity to observe the NRC
performing its regulatory function or
discussing regulatory issues. Attendees will
have an opportunity to ask questions of the
NRC staff or make comments about the issues
discussed following the business portion of
the meeting, but the NRC is not actively
soliciting comments on regulatory decisions.
Examples—Meetings of this category may
include meetings with licensees (or
applicants) to discuss license renewal,
amendment or exemption requests; meetings
with applicants related to topical report
reviews, combined licenses, early site
permits, or design certifications; annual
public meetings to discuss plant performance
as part of the Reactor Oversight Process;
renewals, or amendments. Certain inspection
exit meetings, such as those for Incident
Investigation Teams or Augmented
Inspection Teams, are included under this
category.
Information Meeting With a Question and
Answer Session
Meeting Purpose—The purpose of this type
of meeting is for the NRC to share
information and discuss applicable
regulatory issues and NRC actions with
meeting attendees. The meeting will inform
the public by providing information to help
them understand the applicable regulatory
issues and NRC actions through NRC
presentations and discussions with NRC
staff. These are organized, yet informal
opportunities to interact with and ask
questions of the NRC staff not associated
with a more traditional public meeting
format.
Level of Participation—This type of
meeting is tailored to inform attendees and
allow them to ask questions.
Description—Meetings in this category are
held with interested parties, including
representatives of non-government
organizations, private citizens, or various
businesses or industries, to engage them in a
discussion of regulatory issues.
The following description will be included
in the notice for an Information Meeting with
a Question and Answer Session:
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The purpose of this meeting is for the NRC
staff to meet directly with individuals to
provide an opportunity to discuss regulatory
and technical issues. Attendees will have an
opportunity to ask questions of the NRC staff
or make comments about the issues
discussed throughout the meeting, however
the NRC is not actively soliciting comments
towards regulatory decisions at this meeting.
Examples—Meetings of this category may
include town hall and roundtable
discussions, and open house meetings.
Comment-Gathering Meeting
Meeting Purpose—The purpose of this type
of meeting is for the NRC to obtain feedback
on regulatory issues and NRC actions. In
most cases, the meeting will include a
presentation by the NRC to explain the
regulatory issue. The feedback received at
these meetings is used to support actions
such as licensing and rulemaking activities.
Level of Participation—This type of
meeting is tailored for attendees to provide
opinions, perspectives, and feedback.
Description—This type of meeting would
be held with a broad number of interested
parties, including representatives of nongovernment organizations, private citizens, or
various businesses or industries, to fully
engage them in a discussion of a specific
regulatory issue.
The following description will be included
in the notification of a Comment-Gathering
Meeting:
The purpose of this meeting is for NRC
staff to meet directly with individuals to
receive comments from participants on
specific NRC decisions and actions to ensure
that NRC staff understands their views and
concerns.
The notice for such meetings should
include details as to how comments will be
taken at the meeting (e.g., NRC staff taking
notes, or creating a transcript of the meeting)
and how NRC will use the comments (e.g.,
to inform NRC discussions, or as official
comments related to a formal NRC regulatory
decision), as well as to clarify whether
participants will need to also submit
comments made at the meeting in writing to
receive formal consideration.
Examples—Meetings of this category may
include town hall and roundtable
discussions, environmental impact statement
scoping meetings, and workshops.
C. Notice and Access
Although the extent of meeting outreach
and preparation by NRC staff can be different
for each meeting, certain steps are usually
taken. Meeting information will be
announced as soon as the NRC staff is
reasonably confident that a meeting will be
held and firm date, time, and facility
arrangements have been made. This will
generally occur no fewer than 10 days before
a meeting. When a meeting must be
scheduled but cannot be announced within
the 10-day timeframe, the NRC staff will
provide as much advance notice as possible.
Public notice of meetings will be made
through the NRC’s Public Meetings &
Involvement Web page at https://
www.nrc.gov/public-involve.html. Meeting
changes or cancellations will also be
announced promptly on this Web page.
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Individuals who cannot access the NRC’s
public Web site can contact the NRC’s PDR
staff via a toll-free number (1–800–397–4209)
or by email (pdr.resource@nrc.gov) for
information on scheduled NRC meetings.
Some meetings, specifically meetings with a
high level of public interest, may also be
noticed in the Federal Register or through
other means such as a press release, blog
post, or advertisement in local newspapers.
Meeting details and materials such as an
agenda, names of participants, and
background documents will be entered into
the NRC’s Public Meeting Schedule Web site.
A link to the materials as well as the
Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) accession
number for additional meeting materials such
as presentations will, when possible, be
provided in the meeting notice on the NRC’s
public Web site under the ‘‘Public Meetings
& Involvement’’ page at https://www.nrc.gov/
public-involve.html.
Audio teleconferencing and other
technologies that allow participation from
locations other than a meeting room will be
used whenever possible to help ensure
widespread involvement in meetings. If
information on how to participate remotely
in a meeting is not provided in the meeting
notice, individuals may request the use of
such technology through the meeting contact
listed on the meeting notice. Such requests
may be granted to the extent budgeted
resources are available and technical factors
can be accommodated.
D. After-Meeting Activities
The NRC staff will provide answers to
questions as appropriate during the public
meeting and will inform attendees at the
meeting how it plans to address questions
that cannot be answered at the meeting.
Informal follow-up (telephone or email) may
be appropriate. Individuals also have the
option of calling, writing, or emailing the
NRC staff about particular concerns. NRC
staff will provide feedback forms at all public
meetings so that comments can be reviewed
and offices can track any planned
improvements or resulting actions, as
appropriate. NRC staff will make meeting
summaries publicly available in ADAMS
following the meeting.
E. Innovation
The NRC staff will make efforts, as
appropriate, to find new and innovative ways
to interact with individuals, including
exploring varied meeting formats and other
ways to incorporate technologies that allow
participation from locations other than a
meeting room. Experiences with new
methods will be shared across the agency for
information and consideration by other NRC
staff.
F. Applicability and Exceptions
This policy applies to planned, formal
encounters between NRC staff members and
outside individuals or entities, with an
expressed intent of discussing substantive
issues directly associated with the NRC’s
regulatory responsibilities. Such meetings
will be designated in advance as public
meetings, open for public attendance and
categorized in accordance with this policy,
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subject to the following conditions and
exceptions:
1. This policy applies solely to NRC staffsponsored and conducted meetings with an
outside individual or entity. It does not apply
to a meeting conducted by an outside
individual or entity where an NRC staff
member might participate, nor when an NRC
employee attends a meeting outside of his or
her official capacity.
2. This policy does not apply to meetings
between the NRC staff and outside
individuals or entities who are:
a. Under contract to the NRC;
b. Acting as an official consultant to the
NRC;
c. Acting as an official representative of an
agency of the executive, legislative, or
judicial branch of the U.S. Government
(except on matters where the agency is
subject to NRC regulatory oversight);
d. Acting as an official representative of a
foreign government or representing an
international organization such as the
International Atomic Energy Agency; or
e. Acting as an official representative of a
State or local government or Tribal official.
3. Meetings between the NRC staff and
outside individuals or entities will not be
designated as public meetings if the NRC
staff determines that the subject matter or
information to be discussed in the meeting:
a. Is specifically authorized by an
Executive Order to be withheld in the
interests of national defense or foreign policy
(classified information);
b. Is specifically exempt from public
disclosure by statute (e.g., safeguards or
proprietary information);
c. Is of a personal nature where such
disclosure would constitute a clearly
unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
d. Is related to a planned, ongoing, or
completed investigation, or contains
information compiled for law enforcement
purposes;
e. Could compromise the ongoing reviews
and inspections associated with an open
allegation;
f. Could result in the inappropriate
disclosure and dissemination of preliminary,
pre-decisional, or unverified information;
g. Is for general information exchange
having no direct, substantive connection to a
specific NRC regulatory decision or action;
however, should discussions in a closed
meeting approach issues that might lead to a
specific regulatory decision or action, the
NRC staff may advise the meeting attendees
that such matters cannot be discussed and
propose discussing the issues in a future
public meeting; or
h. Indicates that the administrative burden
associated with public attendance at the
meeting could interfere with the NRC staff’s
execution of its safety and regulatory
responsibilities, such as when the meeting is
an integral part of the execution of the NRC
inspection program.
4. This policy does not apply to
Commission meetings, advisory committee
meetings, meetings related to financial
assistance or acquisition requirements, or to
meetings sponsored by offices that report
directly to the Commission (for example, the
Office of the General Counsel or the Office
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of the Chief Financial Officer). Similarly, it
does not apply to ‘‘government-togovernment’’ meetings: Meetings between
NRC staff and representatives of State
governments, including Agreement State
representatives, relating to NRC Agreement
State activities or to State regulatory actions
or to other matters of general interest to the
State or to the Commission, as well as
meetings between NRC staff and
representatives of local or Tribal
governments. Also, the policy does not apply
to or supersede any existing law, rule or
regulation that addresses public attendance
at a specific type of meeting. For example,
part 7 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR), ‘‘Advisory
Committees,’’ and 10 CFR part 9, ‘‘Public
Records,’’ will continue to be applicable to
advisory committee meetings and
Commission meetings, respectively.
5. This policy does not cover the hearings
associated with adjudicatory proceedings
under the Commission’s Rules of Practice
and Procedure set forth in 10 CFR part 2. The
term ‘‘hearings’’ relates primarily to
Commission adjudicatory proceedings on
various types of license applications and
licensing actions (e.g., applications for initial
issuance of a license, amendment of an
existing license, renewal of a license) or to
enforcement actions involving the imposition
of civil penalties or orders to modify,
suspend, or revoke a license or take other
appropriate action. Specific requirements
regarding participation in and the conduct of
adjudicatory proceedings (including the
settlement of such proceedings) are provided
in the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure set forth in 10 CFR part 2. This
policy does not cover meetings concerning
the settlement of enforcement matters.
6. Certain meetings that would normally be
closed under section F.3.a. or F.3.b. above
may be opened to cleared members of the
public who also have a need-to-know. A
cleared member of the public is a person who
holds a U.S. Government security clearance
or has been granted access to Safeguards
Information in accordance with 10 CFR
73.22(b).
7. This policy may be applicable to only
part of a meeting. For example, an NRC
meeting may have a portion that is open to
the public and a portion that is closed to the
public due to any of the exceptions listed
above. In these cases, this policy statement is
applicable to the public portion of the
meeting only.
8. This policy is a matter of NRC
discretion; the NRC reserves the right to
depart from any stated conditions as
circumstances may warrant.
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G. Contact
The primary point of contact in the agency
for general issues related to this policy will
be the Deputy Assistant for Operations,
Office of the Executive Director for
Operations. The Office of Public Affairs is
also available to receive questions and
suggestions. There are also opportunities for
comment on our public participation
policies, or on many of our programs through
the NRC’s Web site under the ‘‘Public
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Meetings & Involvement’’ page at https://
www.nrc.gov/public-involve.html.
[FR Doc. 2016–20946 Filed 8–30–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2015–0211]
Instrumentation and Controls
Guidance
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Standard review plan-final
section revision; issuance.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is issuing a final
revision to Chapter 7, ‘‘Instrumentation
and Controls,’’ of NUREG–0800,
‘‘Standard Review Plan (SRP) for the
Review of Safety Analysis Reports for
Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition.’’
DATES: The effective date of this SRP
update is September 30, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2015–0211 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of
information regarding this document.
You may access publicly-available
information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2015–0211. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol
Gallagher; telephone: 301–415–3463;
email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For
technical questions, contact the
individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
document.
• NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publiclyavailable documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. To begin the search, select
‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and then
select ‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS
Search.’’ For problems with ADAMS,
please contact the NRC’s Public
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at
1–800–397–4209, 301–415–4737, or by
email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. For the
convenience of the reader, the ADAMS
accession numbers are provided in a
table in the ‘‘Availability of Documents’’
section of this document.
• NRC’s PDR: You may examine and
purchase copies of public documents at
the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Carolyn Lauron, telephone: 301–415–
SUMMARY:
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60029
2736; email: Carolyn.Lauron@nrc.gov or
Mark Notich, telephone: 301–415–3053;
email: Mark.Notich@nrc.gov; both are
staff of the Office of New Reactors, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On September 16, 2015 (80 FR 55654),
the NRC published for public comment
the proposed revisions to Chapter 7 of
the SRP. The NRC made no changes to
the proposed revisions after the
consideration of comments received. A
summary of the comments and the NRC
staff’s disposition of the comments are
available in a separate document,
‘‘Response to Public Comments on Draft
SRP Sections in Chapter 7.’’
The Office of New Reactors and the
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation are
revising these sections from their
current versions. Details of specific
changes in the proposed revisions are
included at the end of each of the
proposed sections.
The changes to this SRP chapter
reflect current NRC staff’s review
methods and practices based on lessons
learned from the NRC’s reviews of
design certification and combined
license applications completed since the
last revision of this chapter.
II. Backfitting and Finality Provisions
Issuance of these revised SRP sections
does not constitute backfitting as
defined in § 50.109 of title 10 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),
‘‘Backfitting,’’ (the Backfit Rule) and is
not inconsistent with the issue finality
provisions in 10 CFR part 52. The NRC’s
position is based upon the following
considerations:
1. The SRP positions do not constitute
backfitting, inasmuch as the SRP is
internal guidance directed at the NRC
staff with respect to their regulatory
responsibilities.
The SRP provides guidance to the
staff on how to review an application for
the NRC’s regulatory approval in the
form of licensing. Changes in internal
staff guidance are not matters for which
either nuclear power plant applicants or
licensees are protected under either the
Backfit Rule or the issue finality
provisions of 10 CFR part 52.
2. The NRC staff has no intention to
impose the SRP positions on current
licensees and regulatory approvals
either now or in the future.
The staff does not intend to impose or
apply the positions described in the SRP
to existing (already issued) licenses and
regulatory approvals. Therefore, the
issuance of a final SRP—even if
considered guidance that is within the
E:\FR\FM\31AUN1.SGM
31AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 169 (Wednesday, August 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60026-60029]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20946]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2016-0178]
Enhancing Participation in NRC Public Meetings
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Proposed revision to policy statement; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: To further clarify and enhance participation in public
meetings conducted by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the
NRC is proposing to revise its public meeting policy. The revised
policy statement redefines the three categories of public meetings and
identifies the level of public participation offered at each type of
meeting. The revised policy statement also clarifies notification
expectations for meetings that include physical presence in the meeting
room and meetings that rely solely on remote access technology such as
a teleconferencing. The proposed revisions will improve the consistency
of the NRC's public meetings and help participants better prepare for
NRC meetings.
DATES: Submit comments by November 14, 2016. Comments received after
this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the
Commission is able to ensure consideration only for comments received
on or before this date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2016-0178. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For technical questions contact
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration,
Mail Stop: OWFN-12-H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001.
For additional direction on obtaining information and
submitting comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting
Comments'' in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lance Rakovan, Office of the Executive
Director for Operations, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-2589; email:
Lance.Rakovan@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 60027]]
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2016-0178 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain
publicly-available information related to this action by any of the
following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2016-0178.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and
then select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS,
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
B. Submitting Comments
Please include Docket ID NRC-2016-0178 in your comment submission.
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at https://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions into
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove
identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to
remove such information before making the comment submissions available
to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.
II. Further Information
The entire text of the proposed revision of the policy statement,
``Enhancing Public Participation in NRC Meetings,'' is available as an
attachment to this document.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of August, 2016.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Annette L. Vietti-Cook,
Secretary of the Commission.
Attachment--Commission Policy Statement on Staff Meetings Open to the
Public
A. Purpose
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) longstanding practice
is to provide the public with substantial information on its
activities, to conduct business in an open manner, and to balance
openness and transparency with the need to exercise regulatory and
safety responsibilities without undue administrative burden. The
NRC's policy is to open meetings between the agency staff and one or
more outside persons to observation and participation to the extent
possible. The NRC has had a formal policy regarding open (public)
meetings since 1978. The current Commission Policy Statement
Enhancing Public Participation in NRC Meetings was issued in 2002
and can be accessed at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/policy/67fr36920.html.
This policy establishes three public meeting categories based on
the level of participation offered to attendees. The policy provides
information such as descriptions of each category, information on
how public meetings are announced, post-meeting activities, and
applicability and exceptions.
B. Participation in NRC Public Meetings
In order to fulfill the NRC's commitment to openness, the level
of participation, purpose, and description for each category of
public meeting are described below. When assigning a category to a
meeting, NRC staff will consider the objective of the meeting and
the extent of known public interest in the topic.
The three meeting categories are based on the level of public
participation to be provided at each type of meeting. Thus, some
categories may support multiple meeting formats. The label for each
category provides an indication of the level of participation
meeting attendees can expect.
The NRC is committed to providing an atmosphere of civility and
inclusion at its public meetings. All participants are expected to
follow established ground rules, including those provided in the
applicable meeting notice posted on the NRC's public Web site, to
support this atmosphere of civility and inclusion regardless of
personal viewpoints. If the actions of one or more participants
significantly impact this atmosphere, and therefore other
participants' ability to observe or participate in a meeting, the
NRC staff shall take appropriate actions to restore a more
respectful environment, including ending a meeting early if
necessary.
Observation Meeting
Meeting Purpose--The purpose of this type of meeting is for the
NRC to meet with representatives from one or more groups in an open
and transparent manner to discuss regulatory and technical matters.
The meeting will inform the public by providing information to help
them understand the applicable regulatory issues and NRC actions.
Level of Participation--Other attendees besides the
representatives noted above are invited to observe the meeting and
discuss regulatory issues with NRC representatives at a designated
point or points identified on the agenda. This does not preclude the
licensee from responding to questions if they choose to do so.
Description--Meetings in this category include the NRC meeting
with one or more industry groups, licensees, vendors, applicants,
potential applicants, or non-government organizations, to discuss
regulatory issues regarding a specific facility (or facilities),
certificates of compliance, licenses, or license applications. This
category of meeting could also include the NRC meeting with
representatives of task force groups, industry groups, or public
interest and citizen groups. The primary discussions are expected to
occur between the NRC and representatives of those entities or
groups.
The following description will be included in an Observation
Meeting notice:
This is a meeting in which attendees will have an opportunity to
observe the NRC performing its regulatory function or discussing
regulatory issues. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask
questions of the NRC staff or make comments about the issues
discussed following the business portion of the meeting, but the NRC
is not actively soliciting comments on regulatory decisions.
Examples--Meetings of this category may include meetings with
licensees (or applicants) to discuss license renewal, amendment or
exemption requests; meetings with applicants related to topical
report reviews, combined licenses, early site permits, or design
certifications; annual public meetings to discuss plant performance
as part of the Reactor Oversight Process; renewals, or amendments.
Certain inspection exit meetings, such as those for Incident
Investigation Teams or Augmented Inspection Teams, are included
under this category.
Information Meeting With a Question and Answer Session
Meeting Purpose--The purpose of this type of meeting is for the
NRC to share information and discuss applicable regulatory issues
and NRC actions with meeting attendees. The meeting will inform the
public by providing information to help them understand the
applicable regulatory issues and NRC actions through NRC
presentations and discussions with NRC staff. These are organized,
yet informal opportunities to interact with and ask questions of the
NRC staff not associated with a more traditional public meeting
format.
Level of Participation--This type of meeting is tailored to
inform attendees and allow them to ask questions.
Description--Meetings in this category are held with interested
parties, including representatives of non-government organizations,
private citizens, or various businesses or industries, to engage
them in a discussion of regulatory issues.
The following description will be included in the notice for an
Information Meeting with a Question and Answer Session:
[[Page 60028]]
The purpose of this meeting is for the NRC staff to meet
directly with individuals to provide an opportunity to discuss
regulatory and technical issues. Attendees will have an opportunity
to ask questions of the NRC staff or make comments about the issues
discussed throughout the meeting, however the NRC is not actively
soliciting comments towards regulatory decisions at this meeting.
Examples--Meetings of this category may include town hall and
roundtable discussions, and open house meetings.
Comment-Gathering Meeting
Meeting Purpose--The purpose of this type of meeting is for the
NRC to obtain feedback on regulatory issues and NRC actions. In most
cases, the meeting will include a presentation by the NRC to explain
the regulatory issue. The feedback received at these meetings is
used to support actions such as licensing and rulemaking activities.
Level of Participation--This type of meeting is tailored for
attendees to provide opinions, perspectives, and feedback.
Description--This type of meeting would be held with a broad
number of interested parties, including representatives of non-
government organizations, private citizens, or various businesses or
industries, to fully engage them in a discussion of a specific
regulatory issue.
The following description will be included in the notification
of a Comment-Gathering Meeting:
The purpose of this meeting is for NRC staff to meet directly
with individuals to receive comments from participants on specific
NRC decisions and actions to ensure that NRC staff understands their
views and concerns.
The notice for such meetings should include details as to how
comments will be taken at the meeting (e.g., NRC staff taking notes,
or creating a transcript of the meeting) and how NRC will use the
comments (e.g., to inform NRC discussions, or as official comments
related to a formal NRC regulatory decision), as well as to clarify
whether participants will need to also submit comments made at the
meeting in writing to receive formal consideration.
Examples--Meetings of this category may include town hall and
roundtable discussions, environmental impact statement scoping
meetings, and workshops.
C. Notice and Access
Although the extent of meeting outreach and preparation by NRC
staff can be different for each meeting, certain steps are usually
taken. Meeting information will be announced as soon as the NRC
staff is reasonably confident that a meeting will be held and firm
date, time, and facility arrangements have been made. This will
generally occur no fewer than 10 days before a meeting. When a
meeting must be scheduled but cannot be announced within the 10-day
timeframe, the NRC staff will provide as much advance notice as
possible.
Public notice of meetings will be made through the NRC's Public
Meetings & Involvement Web page at https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve.html. Meeting changes or cancellations will also be
announced promptly on this Web page. Individuals who cannot access
the NRC's public Web site can contact the NRC's PDR staff via a
toll-free number (1-800-397-4209) or by email (pdr.resource@nrc.gov)
for information on scheduled NRC meetings. Some meetings,
specifically meetings with a high level of public interest, may also
be noticed in the Federal Register or through other means such as a
press release, blog post, or advertisement in local newspapers.
Meeting details and materials such as an agenda, names of
participants, and background documents will be entered into the
NRC's Public Meeting Schedule Web site. A link to the materials as
well as the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS) accession number for additional meeting materials such as
presentations will, when possible, be provided in the meeting notice
on the NRC's public Web site under the ``Public Meetings &
Involvement'' page at https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve.html.
Audio teleconferencing and other technologies that allow
participation from locations other than a meeting room will be used
whenever possible to help ensure widespread involvement in meetings.
If information on how to participate remotely in a meeting is not
provided in the meeting notice, individuals may request the use of
such technology through the meeting contact listed on the meeting
notice. Such requests may be granted to the extent budgeted
resources are available and technical factors can be accommodated.
D. After-Meeting Activities
The NRC staff will provide answers to questions as appropriate
during the public meeting and will inform attendees at the meeting
how it plans to address questions that cannot be answered at the
meeting. Informal follow-up (telephone or email) may be appropriate.
Individuals also have the option of calling, writing, or emailing
the NRC staff about particular concerns. NRC staff will provide
feedback forms at all public meetings so that comments can be
reviewed and offices can track any planned improvements or resulting
actions, as appropriate. NRC staff will make meeting summaries
publicly available in ADAMS following the meeting.
E. Innovation
The NRC staff will make efforts, as appropriate, to find new and
innovative ways to interact with individuals, including exploring
varied meeting formats and other ways to incorporate technologies
that allow participation from locations other than a meeting room.
Experiences with new methods will be shared across the agency for
information and consideration by other NRC staff.
F. Applicability and Exceptions
This policy applies to planned, formal encounters between NRC
staff members and outside individuals or entities, with an expressed
intent of discussing substantive issues directly associated with the
NRC's regulatory responsibilities. Such meetings will be designated
in advance as public meetings, open for public attendance and
categorized in accordance with this policy, subject to the following
conditions and exceptions:
1. This policy applies solely to NRC staff-sponsored and
conducted meetings with an outside individual or entity. It does not
apply to a meeting conducted by an outside individual or entity
where an NRC staff member might participate, nor when an NRC
employee attends a meeting outside of his or her official capacity.
2. This policy does not apply to meetings between the NRC staff
and outside individuals or entities who are:
a. Under contract to the NRC;
b. Acting as an official consultant to the NRC;
c. Acting as an official representative of an agency of the
executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the U.S. Government
(except on matters where the agency is subject to NRC regulatory
oversight);
d. Acting as an official representative of a foreign government
or representing an international organization such as the
International Atomic Energy Agency; or
e. Acting as an official representative of a State or local
government or Tribal official.
3. Meetings between the NRC staff and outside individuals or
entities will not be designated as public meetings if the NRC staff
determines that the subject matter or information to be discussed in
the meeting:
a. Is specifically authorized by an Executive Order to be
withheld in the interests of national defense or foreign policy
(classified information);
b. Is specifically exempt from public disclosure by statute
(e.g., safeguards or proprietary information);
c. Is of a personal nature where such disclosure would
constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
d. Is related to a planned, ongoing, or completed investigation,
or contains information compiled for law enforcement purposes;
e. Could compromise the ongoing reviews and inspections
associated with an open allegation;
f. Could result in the inappropriate disclosure and
dissemination of preliminary, pre-decisional, or unverified
information;
g. Is for general information exchange having no direct,
substantive connection to a specific NRC regulatory decision or
action; however, should discussions in a closed meeting approach
issues that might lead to a specific regulatory decision or action,
the NRC staff may advise the meeting attendees that such matters
cannot be discussed and propose discussing the issues in a future
public meeting; or
h. Indicates that the administrative burden associated with
public attendance at the meeting could interfere with the NRC
staff's execution of its safety and regulatory responsibilities,
such as when the meeting is an integral part of the execution of the
NRC inspection program.
4. This policy does not apply to Commission meetings, advisory
committee meetings, meetings related to financial assistance or
acquisition requirements, or to meetings sponsored by offices that
report directly to the Commission (for example, the Office of the
General Counsel or the Office
[[Page 60029]]
of the Chief Financial Officer). Similarly, it does not apply to
``government-to-government'' meetings: Meetings between NRC staff
and representatives of State governments, including Agreement State
representatives, relating to NRC Agreement State activities or to
State regulatory actions or to other matters of general interest to
the State or to the Commission, as well as meetings between NRC
staff and representatives of local or Tribal governments. Also, the
policy does not apply to or supersede any existing law, rule or
regulation that addresses public attendance at a specific type of
meeting. For example, part 7 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR), ``Advisory Committees,'' and 10 CFR part 9,
``Public Records,'' will continue to be applicable to advisory
committee meetings and Commission meetings, respectively.
5. This policy does not cover the hearings associated with
adjudicatory proceedings under the Commission's Rules of Practice
and Procedure set forth in 10 CFR part 2. The term ``hearings''
relates primarily to Commission adjudicatory proceedings on various
types of license applications and licensing actions (e.g.,
applications for initial issuance of a license, amendment of an
existing license, renewal of a license) or to enforcement actions
involving the imposition of civil penalties or orders to modify,
suspend, or revoke a license or take other appropriate action.
Specific requirements regarding participation in and the conduct of
adjudicatory proceedings (including the settlement of such
proceedings) are provided in the Commission's Rules of Practice and
Procedure set forth in 10 CFR part 2. This policy does not cover
meetings concerning the settlement of enforcement matters.
6. Certain meetings that would normally be closed under section
F.3.a. or F.3.b. above may be opened to cleared members of the
public who also have a need-to-know. A cleared member of the public
is a person who holds a U.S. Government security clearance or has
been granted access to Safeguards Information in accordance with 10
CFR 73.22(b).
7. This policy may be applicable to only part of a meeting. For
example, an NRC meeting may have a portion that is open to the
public and a portion that is closed to the public due to any of the
exceptions listed above. In these cases, this policy statement is
applicable to the public portion of the meeting only.
8. This policy is a matter of NRC discretion; the NRC reserves
the right to depart from any stated conditions as circumstances may
warrant.
G. Contact
The primary point of contact in the agency for general issues
related to this policy will be the Deputy Assistant for Operations,
Office of the Executive Director for Operations. The Office of
Public Affairs is also available to receive questions and
suggestions. There are also opportunities for comment on our public
participation policies, or on many of our programs through the NRC's
Web site under the ``Public Meetings & Involvement'' page at https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve.html.
[FR Doc. 2016-20946 Filed 8-30-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
