[Federal Register: October 16, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 200)]
[Notices]
[Page 59644-59645]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16oc03-124]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Procedures for Meetings
Background
This notice describes procedures to be followed with respect to
meetings conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's)
Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) pursuant to the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA). These procedures are set forth so that
they may be incorporated by reference in future notices for individual
meetings.
The ACRS is a statutory group established by Congress to review and
report on nuclear safety matters and applications for the licensing of
nuclear facilities. The Committee's reports become a part of the public
record.
The ACRS meetings are conducted in accordance with FACA; they are
normally open to the public and provide opportunities for oral or
written statements from members of the public to be considered as part
of the Committee's information gathering process. ACRS reviews do not
normally encompass matters pertaining to environmental impacts other
than those related to radiological safety.
The ACRS meetings are not adjudicatory hearings such as those
conducted by the NRC's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel as part
of the Commission's licensing process.
General Rules Regarding ACRS Meetings
An agenda is published in the Federal Register for each full
Committee meeting. There may be a need to make changes to the agenda to
facilitate the conduct of the meeting. The Chairman of the Committee is
empowered to conduct the meeting in a manner that, in his/her judgment,
will facilitate the orderly conduct of business, including making
provisions to continue the discussion of matters not completed on the
scheduled day on another meeting day. Persons planning to attend the
meeting may contact the Designated Federal Official (DFO) specified in
the Federal Register notice prior to the meeting to be advised of any
changes to the agenda that may have occurred.
The following requirements shall apply to public participation in
ACRS full Committee meetings:
(a) Persons who plan to make oral statements and/or submit written
comments at the meeting should provide 35 copies to the DFO at the
beginning of the meeting. Persons who cannot attend the meeting but
wishing to submit written comments regarding the agenda items may do so
by sending a readily reproducible copy addressed to the DFO specified
in the Federal Register notice, care of the Advisory Committee on
Reactor Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001. Comments should be limited to items being considered by the
Committee. Comments should be in the possession of the DFO prior to the
meeting to allow time for reproduction and distribution.
(b) Persons desiring to make oral statements at the meeting should
make a request to do so to the DFO. If possible, the request should be
made five days before the meeting, identifying the topics to be
discussed and the amount of time needed for presentation so that
orderly arrangements can be made. The Committee will hear oral
statements on topics being reviewed at an appropriate time during the
meeting as scheduled by the Chairman.
(c) Information regarding topics to be discussed, changes to the
agenda, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, and the
time allotted to present oral statements can be obtained by contacting
the DFO.
(d) The use of still, motion picture, and television cameras will
be permitted at the discretion of the Chairman and subject to the
condition that the physical installation and presence of such equipment
will not interfere with the conduct of the meeting. The DFO will have
to be notified prior to the meeting and will authorize the installation
or use of such equipment after consultation with the Chairman. The use
of such equipment will be restricted as is necessary to protect
proprietary or privileged
[[Page 59645]]
information that may be in documents, folders, etc., in the meeting
room. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during those
portions of the meeting that are open to the public.
(e) A transcript is kept for certain open portions of the meeting
and will be available in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR), One White
Flint North, Room O-1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-
2738. ACRS meeting agenda, transcripts, and letter reports are available through the NRC Public Document Room at pdr@nrc.gov, by
calling the PDR at 1-800-394-4209, or from the Publicly Available
Records System (PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS) which
is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html or http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/. A copy of
oc-collections/. A copy of
the certified minutes of the meeting will be available at the same
location up to three months following the meeting. Copies may be
obtained upon payment of appropriate reproduction charges.
(f) Video teleconferencing service is available for observing open
sessions of ACRS meetings. Those wishing to use this service for
observing ACRS meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACRS Audio
Visual Technician, (301-415-8066) between 7:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.
eastern time at least 10 days before the meeting to ensure the
availability of this service. Individuals or organizations requesting
this service will be responsible for telephone line charges and for
providing the equipment and facilities that they use to establish the
video teleconferencing link. The availability of video teleconferencing
services is not guaranteed.
ACRS Subcommittee Meetings
In accordance with the revised FACA, the agency is no longer
required to apply the FACA requirements to meetings conducted by the
Subcommittees of the NRC Advisory Committees, if the Subcommittee's
recommendations would be independently reviewed by its parent
Committee.
The ACRS, however, chose to conduct its Subcommittee meetings in
accordance with the above procedures noted above for ACRS meetings, as
appropriate, to facilitate public participation, and to provide a forum
to stakeholders to express their views on regulatory matters being
considered by the ACRS. When Subcommittee meetings are held at
locations other than at NRC facilities, reproduction facilities may not
be available at a reasonable cost. Accordingly, 25 additional copies of
the materials to be used during the meeting should be provided for
distribution at such meetings.
Special Provisions When Proprietary Sessions Are To Be Held
If it is necessary to hold closed sessions for the purpose of
discussing matters involving proprietary information, persons with
agreements permitting access to such information may attend those
portions of the ACRS meetings where this material is being discussed
upon confirmation that such agreements are effective and related to the
material being discussed.
The DFO should be informed of such an agreement at least five
working days prior to the meeting so that it can be confirmed, and a
determination can be made regarding the applicability of the agreement
to the material that will be discussed during the meeting. The minimum
information provided should include information regarding the date of
the agreement, the scope of material included in the agreement, the
project or projects involved, and the names and titles of the persons
signing the agreement. Additional information may be requested to
identify the specific agreement involved. A copy of the executed
agreement should be provided to the DFO prior to the beginning of the
meeting for admittance to the closed session.
Dated: October 9, 2003.
Andrew L. Bates,
Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-26136 Filed 10-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P