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. 98-166 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Tuesday, September 15, 1998)

NRC ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS TO MEET

IN ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 2

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advisory Committee on Reactor

Safeguards (ACRS) has scheduled a meeting September 30-October 2 in Rockville,

Maryland.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held in conference room T-2B3

in the NRC’s Two White Flint North Building at 11545 Rockville Pike.

The meeting may include closed sessions, if required, to discuss proprietary or

personnel information. Here is the complete meeting agenda:

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

8:30 - 8:45 a.m. -- Opening remarks by the ACRS chairman.

8:45 - 10:00 a.m. -- Discussion on the proposed ACRS report on impact of probabilistic

risk assessment (PRA) results and insights on the regulatory system.

10:15 - 11:45 a.m. -- Discussion with NRC staff and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)

regarding NEI’s petition to modify 10 CFR Part 50.54(a) to eliminate the requirement for

licensees to obtain NRC approval prior to making changes to their quality assurance

programs.

12:45 - 2:15 p.m. -- Discussions with NRC staff and the nuclear industry regarding a

pilot application of a risk-informed approach for post-accident hydrogen monitoring at

Arkansas Nuclear One.

2:30 - 3:30 p.m. -- Discussion with a representative of Performance Technology, Inc.,

on criteria for safety decisions and comments on Regulatory Guide 1.174 (previously

DG-1061).

3:30 - 4:30 p.m. -- Presentations and discussions by the NRC staff and owners’ groups

regarding industry initiatives to certify PRAs.
4:45 - 7:00 p.m. -- Discussion of proposed ACRS reports

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1

8:30 - 8:35 a.m. -- Opening remarks by the ACRS chairman

8:35 - 10:00 a.m. -- Lessons learned from the independent safety assessment at the

Maine Yankee nuclear plant and generic safety implications.

10:15 - Noon -- Format and content of the 1999 ACRS reports to Congress and the

Commission on the NRC safety research program.

1:00 - 1:45 p.m. -- Report of the planning and procedures subcommittee on the conduct

of ACRS business and qualifications of candidates for membership.

1:45 - 2:30 p.m. -- Recommendations of items for future consideration by the full

Committee.

2:45 - 7:00 p.m. -- Discussion of proposed ACRS reports.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2

8:30 - 10:00 a.m. -- Discussions with NRC staff regarding the integrated review of

assessment processes and proposed improvements to the senior management

meeting process.

10:00 - 10:15 a.m. -- Discussion of responses from the NRC’s Executive Director for

Operations to recent ACRS report recommendations.

10:30 - Noon -- Preparation of ACRS reports

Noon - 12:15 p.m. -- Conduct of Committee activities and other items not completed

during previous meetings.

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Persons wishing to submit statements on any of these topics may do so by

providing a readily reproducible copy to the committee or by mailing it to the Executive

Director, Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Washington, D.C., 20555-0001.

ACRS meeting schedules are subject to change. Anyone planning to attend

should confirm the schedule the day before the meeting by calling (301)415-5024.

ACRS meeting notices, meeting transcripts, and letter reports are available on

the Internet at www.nrc.gov/ACRSACNW.