U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Region III Office of Public Affairs

801 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL 60532-4351

NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: RIII-96-68 October 29, 1996

CONTACT: Jan Strasma 630/829-9663

Angela Dauginas 630/829-9662

E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov

NRC STAFF SCHEDULES TWO-DAY PUBLIC MEETING IN CHICAGO AREA

ON STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT INITIATIVE

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled the

last of three public meetings for November 7 - 8 in the Chicago

to receive comments on its direction-setting issue papers

resulting from the agency's strategic assessment process.

Chairman Shirley Ann Jackson initiated the strategic assessment

in September 1995 to provide a comprehensive, critical evaluation

of the agency's direction and decision-making for the rest of

this decade and into the next.

The meeting will be held at the Ramada O'Hare Airport Hotel,

6600 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont, Illinois, two miles north of

Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The meeting will be open

to the public but advance registration is suggested.

In addition to the general public, all those who may be

affected by NRC's strategic initiative --- public interest

groups, nuclear industry groups, NRC licensees and their

employees, Federal entities, Agreement States, non-Agreement

States -- are encouraged to attend and provide comments on the

issue papers.

The first day, from 9:15 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., will feature

a plenary session entitled "Building Public Trust and

Confidence," and will include discussion of the issue papers on

public communications initiatives, the role of industry, and

enhancing regulatory excellence.

The afternoon breakout sessions, from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30

p.m., will cover issue papers on NRC's research program and

international activities. Also during this time, the session

"Assuring the Safe Use and Handling of Nuclear Materials" will be

discussed, including issue papers on safety oversight of

Department of Energy facilities, NRC's relationship with the

Agreement States, and materials and medical oversight.

The following day, from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., the

session will feature, "Assuring Safe Operation of Nuclear
Reactors," which will focus on issue papers covering reactor

licensing for future applicants, operating reactor program

oversight, power reactor decommissioning, and risk-informed,

performance-based regulation.

From 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m., the session, "Assuring Safe

Management of Nuclear Waste," will focus on low-level waste,

high-level waste and spent fuel, and decommissioning of nonreactor facilities. An additional session on "Managing NRC

Finances" will be held from 1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m.

For additional information, contact Anna May Haycraft at

301-415-3075, by internet e-mail: amh@nrc.gov, or by facsimile at

301-415-3707.

More detailed information on the strategic assessment and

the meetings is available electronically from the NRC's Home Page

on the World Wide Web at http://www.nrc.gov and on the FedWorld

online service at 1-800-303-9672. Paper copies are available by

calling NRC's Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209.

The comment period on the issue papers closes November 15.

In addition to attending the public meeting, individuals may

provide comments in writing and electronically. Comments may be

sent by internet e-mail to secy@nrc.gov or by regular mail to Mr.

John C. Hoyle, Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, ATTN: Chief of Docketing and Services

Branch, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

###

Nuclear Regulatory Commission news announcements are issued by

fax and by internet e-mail. If you wish to receive Region III

news releases by e-mail, send a message to opa3@nrc.gov. To

receive news announcements issued by NRC Headquarters and all

regional offices by e-mail, send an e-mail message to

listproc@nrc.gov with the message: subscribe pr-opa followed by

your name. A weekly printed summary of news releases is

available by writing Office of Public Affairs, Nuclear Regulatory

Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555.

News releases are also available on the NRC's internet web site

at the address: <http://www.nrc.gov/OPA>.