NRC: News Release - 2002-024 - NRC to Hold Workshop March 12 on Alternate Dispute Resolution

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No. 02-024

February 21, 2002

NRC TO HOLD WORKSHOP MARCH 12 ON ALTERNATE DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Printable Version

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public workshop on March 12 to discuss the possible use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in its enforcement policy.

The workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Kentlands Mansion, 320 Kent Square Road, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

ADR involves the use of voluntary methods to resolve conflicts and disputes. ADR techniques normally make use of a neutral third-party to facilitate conflict or dispute resolutions. Techniques can include facilitated discussions, mediation, fact-finding, mini-trials, and arbitration. In considering the possible use of ADR, the agency has identified a number of issues that must be evaluated. These include the point at which it would be appropriate to use ADR in the enforcement process and the possible implications for the confidentiality of settlement discussions.

The objectives of the workshop will be to develop a better understanding of ADR techniques, how they might apply to specific NRC enforcement scenarios, and the potential advantage and disadvantages of the use of ADR in various parts of the NRC enforcement process.

The format of the workshop will be a facilitated discussion among invited participants representing the interests of stakeholders who may be affected by the use of ADR in the NRC enforcement process, as well as expert ADR practitioners from other agencies and private practice. The invited participants currently include people from the NRC Office of Enforcement, the Office of the General Counsel, the Nuclear Energy Institute, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The workshop will be open to the public. Although the focus of the discussion will be among the invited participants and the expert ADR practitioners, the audience will be able to participate in the discussion at selected points during the workshop. Additional details will be available at: http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/enforcement/public-involvement.html

The NRC has also extended the period for public comment from January 28 to March 29 on a list of questions regarding ADR published in the December 14, 2001 edition of the Federal Register.

NRC news releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site.