[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 10, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 57600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19943]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Notice of Intent To Establish Independent External Review Panel 
To Identify Vulnerabilities in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's 
Material Licensing Program

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: This notice is to announce the NRC intends to establish a new 
advisory committee.

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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
is chartering a new advisory committee. This action is being taken in 
accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, after consultation 
with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services 
Administration. The committee, designated as the Independent External 
Review Panel to Identify Vulnerabilities in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission's Material Licensing Program is being tasked to respond to 
the NRC Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recommendation (OIG-07-A-
12), ``* * * that the Executive Director for Operations convene an 
independent panel of experts external to the agency to identify agency 
vulnerabilities concerning NRC's material licensing and tracking 
programs and validate the agency's ongoing byproduct material security 
efforts.'' The OIG report also stated, ``Such an assessment should 
necessarily include examination of the management, operational, and 
technical security controls and the extent to which these controls are: 
(1) Implemented correctly, (2) operating as intended, and (3) producing 
the desired outcome with respect to mitigating security 
vulnerabilities.''
    In responding to this recommendation, the panel will include in its 
review an assessment of the existing and potential security 
vulnerabilities related to NRC's specific, import, export and general 
license programs. The panel is to also evaluate the apparent good-faith 
presumption that pervades the NRC licensing process (See Recommendation 
S-1 in the Action Plan).
    The panel is expected to develop an agenda and plan for the review; 
this plan will include, as a minimum, assessment of pre-licensing 
guidance, licensing procedures, the licensing process, possession 
limits on licenses, and license reviewer training and oversight. The 
panel will document each significant issue identified and make 
appropriate recommendations and propose corrective actions.
    The panel is being asked to complete and submit a report with 
recommendations to the Director of the Office of Federal and State 
Materials and Environmental Management Programs by January 31, 2008. In 
addition to documenting its recommendations and the bases for those 
recommendations, the panel will be asked to document other options that 
were considered and the reasons for not adopting them.
    For Further Information Please Contact: Aaron McCraw (301-415-1277) 
[email protected], U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.

    Dated: October 3, 2007.
Andrew L. Bates,
 Federal Advisory Committee Management Officer.
 [FR Doc. E7-19943 Filed 10-9-07; 8:45 am]
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