Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Procedures for Meetings

Background

This notice describes procedures to be followed with respect to meetings conducted pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW). These procedures are set forth so that they may be incorporated by reference in future notices for individual meetings.

The ACNW advises the NRC on technical issues related to nuclear materials and waste management. The bases of ACNW reviews include 10 CFR parts 20, 60, 61, 63, 70, 71, and 72 and other applicable regulations and legislative mandates, such as the Nuclear Waste Policy Act as amended, the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act and amendments, and the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act, as amended. The Committee's reports become a part of the public record.

The ACNW meetings 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. The 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. ACNW meetings are conducted in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

General Rules Regarding ACNW Meetings

An agenda is published in the Federal Register for each full Committee meeting and is available on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/ACRSACNW. 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 during another meeting. Persons planning to attend a meeting may contact the Designated Federal Official (DFO) specified in the individual 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 ACNW 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 for the individual meeting in care of the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Comments should be in the possession of the DFO prior to the meeting to allow time for reproduction and distribution. Comments should be limited to topics being considered by the Committee.

(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 specified in the individual Federal Register notice.

(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 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. ACNW 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 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 some ACNW meetings. Those wishing to use this service for observing ACNW meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACNW 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.

ACNW Working Group Meetings

From time to time the ACNW may sponsor an in-depth meeting on a specific technical issue to understand staff expectations and review work in progress. Such meetings are called Working Group meetings. These Working Group meetings will also be conducted in accordance with these procedures noted above for the ACNW meeting, as appropriate. When Working Group 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 ACNW 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.