[Federal Register: August 12, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 155)] [Notices] [Page 44061-44062] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12au99-113] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Reactor Safety Chapter of the Strategic Plan Workshop AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Request for public comment/notice of meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is requesting public comment on the draft Nuclear Reactor Safety Chapter of the NRC Strategic Plan. The NRC is conducting a workshop on August 20, 1999, to give stakeholders an opportunity to meet with agency representatives to ask questions and comment on the Nuclear Reactor Safety Chapter of the Strategic Plan that the Commission has under consideration. This workshop is open to the public and all interested parties may attend. DATES: August 20, 1999, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ADDRESSES: One White Flint North, NRC Commission Hearing Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James L. Blaha, Mail Stop O16-E15, U.S. [[Page 44062]] Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001. Telephone: (301) 415-1703; FAX: (301) 415-2162; Internet: JLB@NRC.GOV. Background As part of the Government Performance and Results Act, the NRC is required to update its strategic plan triennially. The NRC's first strategic plan was issued in September 1997. Since that time, the NRC has implemented a Planning, Budgeting and Performance Measurement (PBPM) process which focuses on becoming more performance-based and outcome-oriented. The Nuclear Reactor Safety Chapter of the NRC Strategic Plan reflects this approach to long-range planning, as well as institutionalizing regulatory reforms that have been initiated within the last 18 months. The Nuclear Reactor Safety chapter has progressed to a point that further improvement will be enhanced by stakeholder input. In the Fall of 1997 the agency undertook an effort to review and revise its strategic plan to better align and link the goals and strategies and to improve the logic and functionality of the strategic plan. The revision, however, did not fully consider the issues raised during the NRC's July 30, 1998, hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property, and Nuclear Safety; the July 17, 1998, Commission meeting with stakeholders; the Chairman's August 7, 1998, tasking memorandum; or the progress achieved to make NRC planning and budgeting more outcome-oriented. Since that time, the agency has begun an internal review to address these issues. This has resulted in a draft of selected portions of the strategic plan. The draft of the Strategic Plan reflects revisions that focus on the Nuclear Reactor Safety arena and reflects the progress to date. Updates to this plan reflect changes in Commission policy over the past year, stakeholder input, as well as the development of new performance goals and measures. Also included in this package are edits to the front end sections that describe the Agency's mission, strategic goals, management goals, and strategic arenas. The Nuclear Reactor Safety Chapter reflects the new focus on four performance goals and the key strategies to be used to achieve these goals. Once completed, this chapter will be used as a model to revise and finalize the other program arena chapters. This draft of the strategic plan is intended to reflect the results from the change process which has occurred over the past 18 months and which continues at the NRC. It also describes how this paradigm shift will become an integral part of NRC's future planning, budgeting, and performance management. A schedule to facilitate dialogue among the Commission staff, stakeholders, and Congress is provided below: Revisions to the Nuclear Reactor Safety (NRS) Chapter of the Strategic Plan August 3: Issue draft NRS chapter to stakeholders for comment August 20: Stakeholder Workshop on NRS chapter Early September: Revised NRS chapter to Commission Late September: Senate Oversight hearing The remaining Strategic Plan chapters (Nuclear Materials Safety, Nuclear Waste Safety, International Nuclear Safety Support) will be revised over the next year. Stakeholder Input to the NRS Chapter of the Strategic Plan While NRC recognizes work is yet to be finished, further improvements to the draft Strategic Plan will benefit from stakeholder input. The NRC is particularly interested in stakeholder views on the four performance goals and their associated measures and strategies. The draft specifically identifies a number of performance measures for which stakeholder input will be especially useful. Stakeholder input is requested on the following broad areas: Do strategic goals, management goals, and performance goals address the appropriate areas requiring emphasis? Are the strategies to achieve these goals adequate to achieve success? Are the performance measures adequate to indicate whether we are achieving our goals? Are there better measures? Do goals and strategies reflect NRC's commitment to institutionalize change and become more performance based? August 20, 1999 Workshop NRC will be conducting a public workshop on August 10, 1999 at 1:00 p.m. in Rockville, Maryland, in the Commission Hearing Room to discuss the Nuclear Reactor Safety Chapter of the Strategic Plan. The NRC staff will answer questions and receive comments. Members of the public are invited to attend. Those wishing to participate in discussions are urged to contact Jim Blaha at 301-415-1703 to facilitate agenda planning. In addition to participating in the workshop, stakeholders may submit written comments on the draft of the Strategic Plan to the NRC. Comments are requested by August 27, 1999. The draft Strategic Plan, as well as the ability to provide comments electronically, are available on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/COMMISSION/INITIATIVES/ 1999/index.html. Comments may also be provided in writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ATTN: Debra J. Corley, Mail Stop O- 16E15, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001. Stakeholder comments will be considered in another update of the draft Nuclear Reactor Safety chapter. This update will be provided to the Commission and made publically available prior to our Senate oversight hearing planned for September 1999. Stakeholders will also have other opportunities to comment on the NRC Strategic Plan which is required to be submitted to Congress by September 2000 in accordance with the Government Performance and Results Act. The NRC is accessible to the White Flint Metro Station. Visitor parking near the NRC buildings is limited. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of August, 1999. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Frank J. Miraglia, Jr., Deputy Executive Director for Regulatory Programs, Office of Executive Director for Operations. [FR Doc. 99-20910 Filed 8-11-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P