[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 131 (Monday, July 8, 1996)] [Notices] [Pages 35732-35733] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-17293] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY Notice of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Intent To Conduct a Strategic Review of Its Radiological Emergency Preparedness Activities AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce FEMA's intent to conduct a strategic review of its Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) activities and to request specific suggestions for accomplishing this review. DATES: Comments from the public on this review of the REP Program are [[Page 35733]] encouraged and invited on or before August 22, 1996. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to the Rules Docket Clerk, Office of the General Counsel, Federal Emergency Management Agency, room 840, 500 C Street SW., Washington, DC 20472; (facsimile)(202) 646-4536. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: O. Megs Hepler, III, Director, Exercises Division, Preparedness, Training, and Exercises Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC 20472, (202) 646- 2867. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The mission of FEMA's REP Program, which was established in 1979, is to protect the health and safety of the public residing in the vicinity of a commercial nuclear power plant by ensuring that all levels of government have planned and prepared for their response to a possible radiological incident at the plant. As the REP Program has matured, a number of REP Program stakeholders have recommended that the program be restructured in order to become more streamlined and efficient. In light of stakeholders' recommendations and the fact that the REP Program has been in existence for over 16 years, FEMA intends to initiate a comprehensive strategic review of the way its offsite radiological emergency planning and preparedness responsibilities are performed. This comprehensive strategic review will examine the various mechanisms, policies, procedures, guidance documents, and processes now used to carry out FEMA's REP Program, with a view to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the program by implementing new policies, procedures, processes and guidance, if necessary. The review will further National Performance Review goals, will be closely coordinated with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and will provide for extensive input from all stakeholders in the REP community--States, utilities, Public Interest Research Groups, interested citizens, other Federal agencies, Congress, etc. The strategic review will also ensure that REP activities are consistent with the current requirements of the Government Performance Review Act. As a first step, FEMA is publishing this Federal Register notice announcing its intent to conduct the comprehensive strategic review and requesting comments from any interested parties. FEMA welcomes suggestions as to approaches to take in performing this review, as well as specific suggestions on how to streamline the REP program and make it more cost-effective. When submitting recommendations, commenters should note that the resulting REP Program must still accomplish the program's original mission, i.e., it must continue to ensure that measures can be taken to protect the health and safety of the public in the vicinity of commercial nuclear power plants in the event of a radiological incident. Dated: June 28, 1996. James Lee Witt, Director. [FR Doc. 96-17293 Filed 7-5-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6718-05-P