NRC ESTABLISHES NEW ADVISORY PANEL 

ON NUCLEAR MATERIALS LICENSING VULNERABILITIES 

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is establishing a special advisory panel to help 

identify vulnerabilities in the agency’s nuclear materials licensing program. 

 The new panel, designated as the Independent External Review Panel to Identify 

Vulnerabilities in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Material Licensing Program, is 

being created in response to criticism of the agency’s licensing process in three recent reports. 

 The NRC’s Office of the Inspector General earlier this year recommended that the 

agency “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.” 

 In July, the U.S. Senate’s Homeland Security and Government Affairs Permanent 

Subcommittee on Investigations issued a staff report on “Dirty Bomb Vulnerabilities,” which 

identified an “apparent good-faith presumption that pervades the NRC licensing process,” and 

recommended that NRC staff physically inspect the premises of most materials license applicants 

before issuing a license. 

 Also in July, the U.S. Government Accountability Office published a study in which 

investigators were able to apply for and obtain an NRC materials license for a dummy 

corporation. The NRC took immediate steps to address this issue and formed a task force to 

develop an action plan for further improvements in the materials licensing process. That task 

force recommended chartering the external review panel to identify any remaining weaknesses in 

the agency’s materials licensing process. 

 The panel will assess the existing and potential security vulnerabilities related to NRC’s 

import, export, specific and general license programs. It is expected to develop an agenda and 

plan for the review, including an 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 and propose recommended improvements. Some of 

its meetings will be public, while others will be closed to discuss security matters. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 

E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 07-132 October 5, 2007
 The panel is to report directly to Executive Director for Operations Luis A. Reyes, and 

will periodically update the Commission on its work. It is expected to submit its report in early 

2008. 

 The panel, established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, will include Benjamin 

Nerud, of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency; Thomas Hill, former director of the Georgia 

Radiation Control Program; and Michael Ryan, currently chairman of the NRC’s Advisory 

Committee on Nuclear Waste and Materials. 

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