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	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
	Office of Public Affairs	Telephone: 301/415-8200
	Washington, DC 20555-001	E-mail: opa@nrc.gov

No. 98-189

October 21, 1998

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting November 13 in Rockville, Maryland, to discuss suggested changes to its regulations on reporting requirements for nuclear power plants.

The meeting will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. in the auditorium of NRC's headquarters at Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike.

The NRC has previously discussed the proposal to change reporting requirements in an advance notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on July 23 and at public meetings held on August 21 and September 1.

As spelled out in the advance notice, the NRC is considering amending the requirements to reduce or eliminate the reporting burden associated with events of little or no safety significance. The amendments would also revise the requirements based on importance to risk and extend the required reporting times where consistent with the need for prompt NRC action.

For example, the contemplated amendments would require that, if an event or condition occurred that could keep a structure or system from fulfilling its safety function, the licensee would have to report to the NRC within 8 hours if the plant is in a mode where the structure or system is required to be operable. Otherwise, the initial report would be required within 30 days. Currently such events or conditions must be reported within 4 hours.

At the November 13 meeting, participants will focus on clarity and consistency of the regulations by discussing how reportability decisions could be made for example events. Topics for discussion will include: how to determine when a system is not capable of performing its intended safety functions, triggering the need for a report to NRC; the meaning of the term "significantly" in a requirement to report unanalyzed conditions that significantly compromised nuclear plant safety; whether a suggested change to the current requirement to report a condition that alone could prevent fulfillment of a safety function would detract from clarity; and reporting requirements regarding late performance of required tests and a nuclear power plant being in a seriously degraded condition.

Persons who wish to speak or to introduce particular examples for discussion are asked to contact Dennis P. Allison, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data, Washington, DC 20555-001, telephone 301/415-6835, e-mail dpa@nrc.gov, or his alternate, Bennett M. Brady, at the same address, telephone 301/415-6363, e-mail bmb1@nrc.gov. Contacts should be made in advance of the meeting to facilitate the scheduling of available time and orderly conduct of the meeting.