NRC Coordination Meeting With Standards Development Organizations

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 230 (Wednesday, December 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67329-67330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-31186]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


NRC Coordination Meeting With Standards Development Organizations

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The NRC has committed through its Strategic Plan to utilize 
consensus standards to increase the involvement of licensees and others 
in the NRC's regulatory development process, consistent with the 
provisions of Public Law (Pub. L.) 104-113, the National Technology and 
Transfer Act of 1995, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
Circular A-119, ``Federal Participation in the Development and Use of 
Voluntary Consensus Standards and Conformity Assessment.'' As part of 
this commitment, periodic coordination meetings with key standards 
development organizations (SDOs) and other stakeholders will be held to 
foster better communication of SDOs' ongoing activities, and NRC needs 
regarding standards development and their use.

DATES: December 8, 1999--Registration will be from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. 
The meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will last approximately four 
hours.

LOCATION: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Headquarters, Two White 
Flint North, Room T-3B45, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 
20852-2738.

CONTACT: Wallace E. Norris, USNRC, Telephone: (301) 415-6796; Fax: 
(301) 415-5074; Internet: wen@nrc.gov.

ATTENDANCE: This meeting is open to the general public. All individuals 
planning to attend, including SDO representatives, are requested to 
preregister with Mr. Norris by telephone or e-mail and provide their 
name, affiliation, phone number, and e-mail address.

PROGRAM: The purpose of the meeting is to foster better communication 
between SDOs and NRC regarding standards development and use. By 
holding periodic coordination meetings, the SDOs will be able to 
describe their on-going and planned activities, and the NRC will be 
able to discuss activities and issues related to specific standards 
that are being developed or revised to meet its regulatory needs. The 
meeting will be coordinated by the NRC Standards Executive.
    The first meeting between NRC and SDOs was held on May 26, 1999. 
The following issues were identified at the May 26, 1999, for 
discussion at this meeting:
    (1) Policy: A proposal for the participating organizations to fill 
the void resulting from the dissolution of the ANSI Standards Nuclear 
Board (SNB) by addressing policy issues such as standards 
implementation problems, needs, and priorities was favorably discussed. 
It is requested that SDO representatives consider processes for 
implementing this proposal.
    (2) Timeliness: The length of time between identification of the 
need for a standard and endorsement by the NRC is excessive. Some SDOs 
are presently implementing trial standards development and approval 
programs in an attempt to speed up the process. A status summary is 
requested from those organizations implementing trial programs.
    (3) Pub. L. 104-113: Questions related to implementation of the 
public law were raised. To provide direction in implementing Pub. L. 
104-113 and OMB Circular A-119, the NRC issued Management Directive 
6.5, ``NRC Participation in the Development and Use of Consensus 
Standards,'' on November 2, 1999. A copy of the Management Directive 
will be provided to those in attendance, and NRC staff will provide an 
overview.
    (4) Status: A continuing item will be SDO discussion of standards 
under development to address emerging issues.


[[Page 67330]]


    Dated in Rockville, Maryland this 24th day of November, 1999.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John W. Craig,
NRC Standards Executive.
[FR Doc. 99-31186 Filed 11-30-99; 8:45 am]
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