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NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532

NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC WORKSHOP OCTOBER 19 IN PADUCAH, KENTUCKY, ON THE HANDLING OF DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a workshop October 19 in Paducah, Kentucky, to review the agency's handling of complaints by nuclear industry workers who allege their employer discriminated against them after they raised safety concerns.

The Paducah workshop will begin at 7 p.m. CDT at the Paducah Community College, 4810 Alben Barkely Dr., Crounse Hall. It will be the fifth in a series of public workshops NRC staff members are holding throughout the country to help evaluate agency policies and develop recommendations to enhance public protection.

The NRC has formed a Discrimination Task Group to review the way the agency handles discrimination complaints filed by nuclear industry workers and recommend possible changes to the agency's regulations, enforcement policy or other guidelines. The Task Group also will consider issues raised in a rulemaking petition filed by the Union of Concerned Scientists in October 1999. The petition asks the Commission to require that nuclear plant operators provide training for their management on implementing employee protection regulations.

Draft recommendations from the Task Group will be published about the middle of next year for public comment.

The workshop will not be transcribed, but summaries will be available from the NRC Public Document Room at (301) 415-4737. The group's charter and other pertinent documents related to its activities will be posted periodically at: http://www.nrc.gov/OE on the agency's web site. Additional information about upcoming meetings can be obtained by calling Barry Westreich at (301) 415-3456 or via e-mail: BCW@nrc.gov.

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