United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20555

Phone 301-415-8200 Fax 301-415-2234

Internet:opa@nrc.gov

No. 99-237

November 5, 1999

PILOT PROGRAM EVALUATION PANEL

TO MEET IN ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, NOVEMBER 16-17

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Pilot Program Evaluation Panel (PPEP) will hold

its third meeting November 16-17 in Rockville, Maryland, to hear comments from a number of

states, industry representatives and public interest groups on the new oversight process.

The NRC established the panel to independently evaluate and review its new inspection,

assessment and enforcement processes now being conducted as a pilot program at 13 nuclear

power plants. The panel will meet periodically to review data being supplied by NRC licensees

on plant performance, as well as the results of NRC's baseline inspection, assessment and

enforcement activities.

The November 16-17 meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at the

DoubleTree Hotel, 1750 Rockville Pike.

The panel includes NRC staff from headquarters and regional offices and a

representative of the Nuclear Energy Institute, as well as representatives from participating

licensees, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety.

At the end of the pilot program, which began May 30, the panel will prepare a written

report representing the views of the panel members. The NRC will use the report to consider

whether any changes to the new oversight program should be made before it is fully

implemented next year.

The meeting agenda follows:

November 16:

8:00 a.m. -- Introduction/Meeting objectives and goals.

8:30 a.m. -- Performance indicators and risk-informed baseline inspections; input from

each non-NRC participant (10 minutes each); PPEP discussion and questions (30 minutes).

11:00 a.m. -- Significance determination process and assessments; input from each

non-NRC participant (10 minutes each).

1:00 p.m. -- Significance determination process and assessments; PPEP discussion

and questions (30 minutes).
2:00 p.m. -- Enforcement and overall evaluation; input from each non-NRC participant

(10 minutes each); PPEP discussion and questions (30 minutes).

3:30 p.m. -- General discussion.

4:00 p.m. -- Adjourn.

November 17:

8:00 a.m. -- Recap of previous day/meeting objectives and goals.

8:30 a.m. -- Performance indicators and risk-informed baseline inspections; NRC

headquarters panel presentation (45 minutes); NRC regional panel presentation (15 minutes);

PPEP discussion and questions (30 minutes).

10:15 a.m. -- Significance determination process and assessments; NRC headquarters

panel presentation ( 45 minutes); NRC regional panel presentation (15 minutes); PPEP

discussion and questions (30 minutes).

1:00 p.m. -- Enforcement and overall program evaluation criteria; NRC headquarters

panel presentation (45 minutes); NRC regional panel presentation (15 minutes); PPEP

discussion and questions (30 minutes).

3:00 p.m. -- PPEP teams caucus (30 minutes).

3:30 p.m. -- PPEP discussion.

4:00 p.m. -- Adjourn.

Transcripts of the Pilot Program Evaluation Panel's meetings and reports will be

available through the NRC's Public Document Room. Meeting transcripts will be placed on the

NRC's homepage at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/index.html

Those seeking information on opportunities to present oral statements or on schedule

changes should contact Frank Gillespie at (301) 415-1004, or Mohan Thadani at (301)

415-1476.

##