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

 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 08-032 February 19, 2008 

NRC ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC PLAN FOR FISCAL YEARS 2008-2013 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today issued its new Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 

2008 to 2013, establishing how the agency intends to carry out its mission to protect people and 

the environment by licensing and regulating the safe and secure use and management of 

radioactive materials for the public good. 

“This Strategic Plan reflects real world changes and describes how the NRC as a strong, 

independent and stable regulator will continue to ensure the safe use of radioactive materials and 

nuclear power in a dynamic environment,” said NRC Chairman Dale Klein. “Some of the more 

significant challenges facing the agency over the next several years include the expected receipt 

of applications to construct and operate new nuclear power plants and a high-level nuclear waste 

facility.” 

The Strategic Plan sets forth two goals: 1) Safety – Ensure adequate protection of public 

health and safety; and 2) Security – Ensure adequate protection in the secure use and 

management of radioactive material. The plan reflects greater emphasis being placed on 

improving regulatory processes for ensuring the safety of new power reactors while reflecting 

the agency’s continuing priority to ensure that existing reactors continue to operate safely. 

Strategies also reflect increased security requirements for radioactive sources and highlyenriched uranium fuel. 

In addition, the plan has three organizational excellence objectives that describe how the 

agency intends to carry out its safety and security goals. They are: 

1) Openness - Keep stakeholders informed about and have an opportunity to participate in 

NRC’s regulatory process; 

2) Effectiveness - Take actions that are high-quality, efficient and realistic; and 

3) Operational Excellence - Use business methods and solutions to achieve NRC’s mission. 

The document emphasizes the importance of effective leadership and the relationship between 

human capital, knowledge management and space challenges that must be addressed in order to 

ensure that the agency can succeed. 
Success in achieving each goal will be determined primarily through performance 

measures developed for the agency’s annual performance budget and reported in the annual 

Performance and Accountability Report. 

Stakeholder feedback was particularly valuable in helping the Commission develop a 

clear and comprehensive Strategic Plan. 

The new Strategic Plan (NUREG-1614, Volume 4) is available on the NRC’s Web site at 

this address: http://www.nrc.gov in the lower left-hand corner of the home page. Copies are 

available from the U.S. Government Printing Office by calling 202-512-1800. 

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