POLICY ISSUE 

INFORMATION 

October 26, 2010 SECY-10-0139

FOR: The Commissioners 

FROM: James T. Wiggins, Director 

 Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response 

SUBJECT: ANNUAL UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS 

ACTIVITIES 

PURPOSE: 

To update the Commission on the status of significant emergency preparedness (EP) issues 

and activities. 

BACKGROUND: 

In the staff requirements memorandum (SRM), dated May 4, 2005, for SECY-05-0010, 

“Recommended Enhancements of Emergency Preparedness and Response at Nuclear Power 

Plants in the Post-9/11 Environment,” dated January 10, 2005, the Commission directed the 

staff to provide a semiannual report on important EP activities. In SECY-07-0182, “Semi-Annual 

Update on the Status of Emergency Preparedness Activities,” dated October 19, 2007, the staff 

asked the Commission to approve a change in the frequency of this report from semiannual to 

annual. In SRM-SECY-07-0182, “Staff Requirements—SECY-07-0182—Semi-Annual Update 

on the Status of Emergency Preparedness Activities,” dated December 21, 2007, the 

Commission approved the request, adding the following: 

CONTACT: Walter Lange, NSIR/DPR 

(301) 415-8028 
The Commissioners -2- 

The annual paper should become more of a self-assessment and communication 

tool, perhaps summarizing accomplishments and providing a status on 

improvement initiatives within our EP programs. Such an assessment should be 

coordinated with and not overlap the Reactor Oversight Process self-assessment 

of the EP cornerstone, and should be designed to aid the staff in effecting 

continuous and coordinated improvements to the overall EP program, as well as 

to inform the Commission and public of progress. (W200500137) 

DISCUSSION: 

This paper summarizes the key accomplishments and challenges of the EP program and 

provides the status of significant initiatives based on the staff’s review of the EP activities that 

occurred in fiscal year (FY) 2010. Overall, the EP program established and overseen by the 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), in conjunction with the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA), continues to provide reasonable assurance of the health and 

safety of the public in the vicinity of licensed facilities for which emergency plans are required. 

These activities support the NRC Strategic Plan and the objectives of openness, effectiveness, 

and operational excellence. The enclosure to this paper provides supplemental information on 

overall EP program accomplishments, ongoing initiatives, challenges, and upcoming activities. 

The staff continues to work extensively with FEMA on proposed changes to NRC regulations to 

enhance EP requirements. The staff has addressed and adjudicated more than 680 public 

comments that it received on proposed NRC regulations and guidance documents and 

collaborated with FEMA to address comments relevant to both agencies. As part of this 

rulemaking effort, the staff continues to seek comments from all stakeholders to address the 

cumulative effect of the EP implementation schedule. The EP final rule is on schedule for 

submittal to the Commission in February 2011. 

A draft revision to “Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological Emergency Response 

Plans and Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power Plants, Guidance for Protective Action 

Recommendations for General Emergencies”, NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Supplement 3, 

was published in March 2010, and is scheduled for publication in FY 2011. This revision will 

address advances in the understanding of potential accident sequences, protective action 

strategies, and consequence modeling. During FY 2010, the NRC held four public meetings in 

coordination with FEMA to discuss the proposed new guidance and to facilitate stakeholder 

involvement. The staff will continue to engage FEMA and other stakeholders. 

The staff initiated three projects to explore risk-informed and performance-based enhancements 

to the NRC’s EP regulatory regimen which are targeted for completion in FY 2012: 

• Risk Informing Regulatory Oversight of Emergency Preparedness: The staff initiated a 

study to identify a spectrum of representative accident scenarios that could be used to 

quantify the protection provided by the current EP regulatory regimen and form a basis 

for risk-informing regulatory oversight. 

• Risk Informing Emergency Action Levels (EAL): The staff is examining the consistency 

of the EAL scheme currently approved by the NRC in order to identify any EAL entry 

criteria that may need to be enhanced. 
The Commissioners -3- 

• Performance Based Approach for Offsite Evaluation: This project will study the current 

methodology for evaluation of offsite EP and assess the potential for use of 

performance-based evaluation methodologies. 

Consistent with the Commission’s goals of openness and transparency, the staff has expanded 

its outreach to other Federal agencies, industry, and State and local stakeholders. The 

staff continues to use web-based conferencing, periodic newsletters, and other means 

of communication to enhance stakeholder involvement and participation in proposed 

regulatory improvement activities. The White House recognized the staff’s use of webbased conferencing for public meetings in the Open Government Initiative Innovations 

Gallery. In addition, the staff has actively engaged the emergency management community 

through organizations such as the National Emergency Management Association, International 

Association of Emergency Managers, and Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors 

to further enhance participation in developing proposed changes to EP regulations and 

guidance.

RESOURCES: 

No additional funds are required in FY 2011 and FY 2012 in support of identified EP activities. 

COORDINATION: 

The Office of the General Counsel reviewed this package and has no legal objection. The 

paper was coordinated with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer for resource implications. 

/RA/ 

James T. Wiggins, Director 

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response 

Enclosure: 

As stated 
The Commissioners -3- 

• Performance Based Approach for Offsite Evaluation: This project will study the current 

methodology for evaluation of offsite EP and assess the potential for use of 

performance-based evaluation methodologies. 

Consistent with the Commission’s goals of openness and transparency, the staff has expanded 

its outreach to other Federal agencies, industry, and State and local stakeholders. The staff 

continues to use web-based conferencing, periodic newsletters, and other means of 

communication to enhance stakeholder involvement and participation in proposed regulatory 

improvement activities. The White House recognized the staff’s use of web-based conferencing 

for public meetings in the Open Government Initiative Innovations Gallery. In addition, the staff 

has actively engaged the emergency management community through organizations such as 

the National Emergency Management Association, International Association of Emergency 

Managers, and Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors to further enhance 

participation in developing proposed changes to EP regulations and guidance. 

RESOURCES: 

No additional funds are required in FY 2011 and FY 2012 in support of identified EP activities. 

COORDINATION: 

The Office of the General Counsel reviewed this package and has no legal objection. The 

paper was coordinated with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer for resource implications. 

James T. Wiggins, Director /RA/

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response 

Enclosure: 

As stated 

W200900088 W200900090 W201000091 W200500137 

ADAMS Accession No.: ML102440008 Log: 2822 WITS/EDATS: SECY-2009-0165 

OFFICE NSIR/DPR Tech Editor NSIR/DPR NSIR/DPR NSIR/DPR DDEP/DPR 

NAME TBrockington K Azariah-Kribbs JAnderson RKahler KWilliams KWilliams 

for CMIller 

DATE 08/31/10 9/29/10 09/01/10 09/08/10 09/09/10 09/09/10 

OFFICE NSIR/DPR PMDA/NSIR CFO OE NRR NRO 

NAME SMorris 

for BMcDermott 

SAbraham GPeterson for JDyer RZimmerman TQuay for ELeeds MJohnson 

DATE 09/10/10 09/16/10 09/21/10 09/15/10 09/17/10 09/16/10 

OFFICE RES Region I Region II Region III Region IV OGC 

NAME BSheron DRoberts HChristensen for 

KKennedy 

ABoland RCaniano BJones 

DATE 09/22/10 09/24/10 09/17/10 10/01/10 09/14/10 10/18/10 

OFFICE NSIR/OD 

NAME JWiggins 

DATE 10/26/10 

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY 
1 

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ONGING INITIATIVES, 

CHALLENGES, AND UPCOMING ACTIVITIES 

PURPOSE

This enclosure provides the background for the annual paper on emergency preparedness (EP) 

activities in the following categories: 

• EP regulatory improvement activities 

• EP inspection activities 

• EP licensing activities 

• EP outreach/communication activities 

The categories have the following four sub-areas, where appropriate: 

(1) accomplishments 

(2) ongoing initiatives 

(3) challenges 

(4) upcoming activities 

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS REGULATORY IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES

Accomplishments 

NUREG/CR-6953, Volume 3, “Technical Basis for Protective Action Strategies”, issued 

August 2010, provides a technical basis for decision criteria that licensees and offsite response 

organizations (OROs) can use to enhance protective action strategies for nuclear power plant 

accidents that progress rapidly. The analysis integrated advances in the knowledge of potential 

accident sequences, protective action strategies, and consequence modeling. The EP planning 

basis includes the potential for rapidly progressing accidents, and this analysis was performed 

to specifically identify protective action recommendation (PAR) strategies for rapidly progressing 

accidents to support the PAR logic diagram that was developed for an update to 

NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Supplement 3, “Guidance for Protective Action Recommendations 

for General Emergencies,” issued March 2010. 

In response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8, “National Preparedness,” dated 

December 17, 2003, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) proactively engaged 

State and local response organizations through the integration of the Radiological Emergency 

Preparedness Program (REPP) into the national Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation 

Program (HSEEP) for the scheduling, development, conduct, and evaluation of drills and 

exercises. Under HSEEP’s standardized process, State and local response organizations may 

receive credit for actual events and for the conduct of nonradiological EP drills and exercises. 

FEMA also successfully conducted HSEEP pilot programs with State and local response 

organizations at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating 

Station, and Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. The integration of REPP drills and exercises under 

HSEEP has reduced the burden on State and local organizations and provided alternative 

methods for verifying offsite capabilities within REPP requirements. (W200900088) 

Enclosure
2 

Ongoing Initiatives 

Initiative 1—Emergency Preparedness Rulemaking 

The public comment period for the EP proposed rulemaking closed on October 19, 2009. The 

staff received a total of 94 submittals containing more than 680 comments on the proposed rule 

and associated guidance documents. On December 8, 2009, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC), FEMA staff, and a panel of external stakeholders briefed the Commission 

on the major topics and concerns identified in the submittals. In Staff Requirements 

Memorandum (SRM) M091208, “Staff Requirements—Briefing on the Proposed Rule: 

Enhancements to Emergency Preparedness Regulations, 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, 

December 8, 2009, Commissioners’ Conference Room, One White Flint North, Rockville, 

Maryland (Open to Public Attendance),” dated January 13, 2010, the Commission directed the 

staff: (1) to ensure that guidance documents align with the rulemaking language to provide 

clarity on issues on which stakeholders expressed confusion; (2) to address the impacts of the 

rule and consider providing a public draft of the rule language and guidance documents via the 

NRC’s public web site as the staff addresses comments and works with the Advisory Committee 

on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) on the draft EP final rule; and (3) to consider the cumulative 

effects of the new regulations and others that may already be scheduled for implementation. 

SRM M091208 also directed the staff to continue to work with FEMA in considering comments 

from State and local officials and other interested stakeholders to enhance EP regulations and 

guidance. 

As a result of the stakeholder comments that the NRC received, the staff made several changes 

to the proposed rule and guidance documents. The staff jointly resolved comments involving 

both onsite and offsite EP issues with FEMA staff. FEMA updated proposed offsite guidance 

documents to maintain alignment with the draft final rule language and onsite guidance. The 

NRC has no significant unresolved issues related to the rulemaking remaining with FEMA. 

The staff submitted the draft EP final rule package and onsite guidance documents to ACRS in 

support of an ACRS subcommittee briefing scheduled for November 1, 2010, and an ACRS full 

committee briefing scheduled for December 2, 2010. In response to SRM M091208, the staff 

published the draft final rule language on the NRC’s public web site (Agencywide Documents 

Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession Number ML102800016) on October 8, 

2010. The submittal of the EP final rule package is due to the Commission in February 2011. 

(W201000091) 

In consultation with the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), the staff performed 

activities that were transparent and open to stakeholders participating in the EP rulemaking 

process. To address the impact of the EP implementation schedule on the cumulative effect of 

regulations, the staff performed the following actions: 

• Interacted with external stakeholders during the regulatory basis stage; 

• Interacted with stakeholders during the development of the supporting guidance; 

• Issued the draft guidance documents with the EP proposed rule;
3 

• Explicitly requested public input on the implementation schedule in the EP proposed rule 

during the public comment period; 

• Considered the comments received on the EP proposed rule implementation schedule 

and made the appropriate adjustments to the EP final rule; and 

• Coordinated the implementation activities with FEMA. 

On November 15, 2010, the staff plans to hold a public meeting with stakeholders in 

coordination with FEMA to discuss the implementation aspects of the final EP rule and 

associated guidance documents. 

Initiative 2—Revision to NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Supplement 3, “Guidance for Protective 

Action Recommendations for General Emergencies” 

The staff is enhancing offsite protective action guidance in collaboration with FEMA based on 

stakeholder input. On March 8, 2010, the NRC published a draft revision to 

NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Supplement 3 for a 75-day comment period. This period was 

subsequently extended for a total of 150 days based on stakeholder input and closed on 

August 9, 2010. In collaboration with FEMA, the NRC conducted four public meetings during 

the comment period to establish dialog with licensees and State and local response 

organizations on the proposed revision. The NRC and FEMA are currently reviewing and jointly 

adjudicating comments received. The revision to NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Supplement 3 is 

scheduled for publication in 2011 concurrently with the EP final rule. 

Initiative 3—Risk-Informed/Performance-Based Emergency Preparedness Regulations 

The staff initiated three projects to explore risk-informed and performance-based enhancements 

to the NRC’s EP regulatory regimen which are targeted for completion in 2012: 

 

(1) Risk Informing Regulatory Oversight of Emergency Preparedness: The staff initiated 

a study to identify a spectrum of representative accident scenarios that could be used 

to quantify the protection provided by the current EP regulatory regimen and form a 

basis for risk-informing regulatory oversight. This project uses techniques from the 

state-of-the-art reactor consequence analysis (SOARCA) and will include 

consideration of potential internal, external, and hostile action initiating events in the 

spectrum of accident scenarios. 

(2) Risk Informing Emergency Action Levels (EAL): The staff is examining the 

consistency of the EAL scheme currently approved by NRC in order to identify any 

EAL entry criteria that may need to be enhanced. For this project, the staff will use 

existing risk models to determine if the probability of reactor core damage for a given 

EAL entry criteria (plant condition) is consistent with the probability for core damage 

represented by other EAL entry criteria within the same emergency classification. 

(3) Performance Based Approach for Offsite Evaluation: This project will study the 

current methodology for evaluation of offsite EP and assess the potential for use of 

performance-based evaluation methodologies. Possible attributes of a performancebased oversight regimen would include greater reliance on exercise performance and 

 
4 

use of performance indicators. The staff has initiated discussions with FEMA staff to 

obtain necessary support and concurrence for proceeding with a study of 

performance-based techniques for evaluation of offsite response organizations and 

preparedness. 

Initiative 4—Status of the Resolution of Medium- and Low-Priority Emergency Preparedness 

Rulemaking Issues (W200900090) 

In SECY-06-0200, “Results of the Review of Emergency Preparedness Regulations and 

Guidance,” dated September 20, 2006, the staff identified eight medium- and low-priority EP 

rulemaking issues that the EP proposed rulemaking did not address. The staff intends to 

resolve these issues through a proposed revision to NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1 or other 

related guidance documents, with the exception of a license transfer issue. For this low-priority 

issue, the staff has determined that changes to a site’s emergency plan because of a license 

transfer should be evaluated under the existing regulation in Title 10 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations (10 CFR) Section 50.54(q) and any reduction in effectiveness (RIE) should be 

submitted for prior NRC approval in accordance with 10 CFR 50.90, “Application for 

Amendment of License, Construction Permit, or Early Site Permit,” as indicated in the EP 

proposed rulemaking. Therefore, no additional action to address this issue is planned. 

Challenges 

Given the prioritization of EP activities and the need to achieve alignment with FEMA, the staff 

may be challenged to complete the risk-informed projects by fiscal year (FY) 2012. 

Upcoming Activities 

The NRC and FEMA are jointly developing an integrated transition and implementation plan for 

the EP final rule and guidance. The plan addresses preparations that the NRC, FEMA, NRC 

licensees, NRC applicants, and OROs must make to implement the new requirements. Several 

outreach activities (both before and after publication of the final rule) are planned to 

communicate expectations for the transition to, and implementation of, the new EP program 

requirements to external stakeholders. 

The staff engaged FEMA and external stakeholders on the future initiative to revise 

NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1. In coordination with FEMA, the staff presented information at 

various public venues, including the NRC Regulatory Information Conference (March 2010), the 

National Radiological Emergency Preparedness Conference (March 2010), and the Nuclear 

Energy Institute (NEI) Emergency Preparedness and Communication Forum (June 2010). The 

NRC and FEMA have committed to maintain openness and transparency in the joint agency 

revision process by continuing to actively engage external stakeholders. The NRC and FEMA 

have formed a joint working group and have begun initial discussions on the scope of the 

project and the resources needed. 

 
5 

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS INSPECTION ACTIVITIES

Accomplishments 

The staff conducted an in-person counterpart meeting in March 2010 with regional inspectors. 

This meeting provided an opportunity for an open discussion of inspection experiences and 

lessons learned, including significant findings and related enforcement actions, program 

implementation issues, and potential trends in observed licensee performance. This annual 

meeting supplements monthly teleconferences to maintain a strong relationship between NRC 

Headquarters and regional counterparts. These meetings contribute significantly toward 

achieving a high level of consistency in inspection activities across the regions. 

Ongoing Initiatives 

Initiative 1—Assessment of the Drill and Exercise Performance Indicator 

The staff completed an analysis of a temporary instruction (TI) that collected data on the drill 

and exercise performance (DEP) indicator and initiated revisions to the EP Reactor Oversight 

Process inspection activities. The DEP indicator is the numerical average of a licensee’s 

performance in making emergency event classifications, notifications, and PARs. The TI was 

performed in response to staff concerns that some licensees were not providing a comparable 

number of performance opportunities in these areas. The assessment confirmed that the staff’s 

concerns were relevant to a minority of the sites; however, the data also indicated that a large 

majority of licensees were providing the appropriate number of opportunities for performance 

enhancement. The staff presented the results of this evaluation at the annual NEI Emergency 

Preparedness and Communications Forum to alert the industry to the results of the staff’s 

analysis and, in doing so, to encourage the industry to take necessary actions to maintain the 

validity of the DEP indicator. 

Initiative 2—Inspection Program Changes for Conformance with Emergency Preparedness 

Rulemaking 

The staff is developing EP inspection procedures and revising Appendix B, “Emergency 

Preparedness Significance Determination Process,” to NRC Inspection Manual Chapter 0609, 

“Significance Determination Process,” dated March 6, 2003, to conform to the new and 

amended provisions of the EP final rule. In addition, the staff is developing a new inspection 

procedure that will focus on hostile action-based (HAB) exercise and training programs. 

Initiative 3—Emergency Response Organization Performance Indicator 

In response to an industry frequently asked question (FAQ), the staff is considering a proposal 

that seeks to give credit for the exercise performance of emergency response organization 

personnel assigned to a common emergency operation facility that serves multiple sites. 

Challenges 

The EP final rule will establish new requirements that will result in the need for licensees to 

make changes to their EP programs. The new requirements have varied implementation 

schedules. The staff is evaluating options for performing oversight of the licensees’ 
6 

implementation of these requirements. The options that the staff is considering include 

performing a one-time inspection under a TI or relying on currently-scheduled baseline 

inspections. The NRC Headquarters staff will be working with its regional EP counterparts to 

decide upon an appropriate inspection approach. 

Upcoming Activities 

The staff is considering the issuance of a generic communication to clarify the NRC’s 

expectations on licensee PAR decisionmaking. As a result of recent inspections, the staff is 

evaluating whether additional PAR decisionmaking guidance is necessary. The NRC held a 

public meeting on August 5, 2010, with stakeholders to discuss existing strategies and obtain 

feedback on these strategies. 

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS LICENSING ACTIVITIES

Accomplishments 

The staff completed 20 reviews of licensee submittals since the last annual report. These 

reviews included EAL scheme upgrades; license applications for facilities under 

10 CFR Part 70, “Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material”; and license exemptions and 

renewals. 

On June 2, 2010, the staff supported NRR in conducting an industry workshop focusing on the 

use of the license amendment process for the submittal of emergency plan changes determined 

by the licensee to constitute an RIE. 

The staff participated in the ACRS meetings for the design certification of the economic 

simplified boiling-water reactor, the AP1000 design certification amendment, and the review of 

Chapter 13 of the South Texas Project combined license. The staff also supported six public 

meetings pertaining to the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, South Texas Project, and Levy 

County Nuclear Power Plant combined license draft environmental impact statements; the 

Turkey Point Nuclear Power Generating Station environmental scoping meeting; and the 

proposed Victoria County Station and Public Service Enterprise Group early site permit 

applications. 

In December 2009, the final HAB EP drill took place in response to NRC Bulletin 2005-02, 

“Emergency Preparedness and Response Actions for Security-Based Events,” dated 

July 18, 2005 (ADAMS Accession No. ML051740058), completing this 3-year initiative. On 

November 24, 2009, the staff issued NRC Information Notice 2009-019, “Hostile Action-Based 

Emergency Preparedness Drills,” dated November 24, 2009 (ADAMS Accession No. 

ML092250360), which outlined good practices and lessons learned that the staff identified 

during its observations of these HAB EP drills. 

The staff completed an internally focused assessment of its EAL FAQ process. A charter dated 

August 31, 2005 (ADAMS Accession No. ML051950112), established this process as a pilot to 

clarify for licensees the staff’s interpretation of NRC-endorsed guidance for the development of 

EALs. The assessment report (ADAMS Accession No. ML102070445), recommended the 

formalization of the EAL FAQ process to provide clearer expectations for timely FAQ resolution 

and establishment of performance metrics. In addition, the assessment report recommended 
7 

that the staff evaluate the potential for expanding the FAQ process to address the interpretation 

of other EP regulations and guidance, based on available staff resources. 

Ongoing Initiatives 

Initiative 1—Hostile Action-Based Emergency Preparedness Transition 

The staff continues to engage the NEI and interested stakeholders in discussing options for 

continuing the voluntary conduct of drills or exercises involving HAB scenarios, with the intent of 

building upon the knowledge and experience gained before the implementation of formal HAB 

exercises under the EP final rulemaking. Licensees are currently considering many different 

options for addressing generic and site-specific areas for improvement. On August 25, 2010, 

the Callaway Nuclear Generating Station, in coordination with NEI, conducted a HAB drill 

involving State and local response organizations to assist in validating proposed industry 

guidelines contained in Revision 2 to NEI 06-04, “Conducting a Hostile Action-Based 

Emergency Response Drill,” dated October 30, 2007 (ADAMS Accession No. ML101180290), 

which addresses various lessons learned identified during the recent 3-year HAB EP drill 

initiative. 

Initiative 2—Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster-Initiated Review Process 

In coordination with FEMA, the staff is revising NRC Inspection Manual Chapter 1601, 

“Communication and Coordination Protocol for Determining the Status of Offsite Emergency 

Preparedness Following a Natural Disaster, Malevolent Act, or Extended Plant Shutdown,” 

dated July 7, 2005. In addition, FEMA is revising its standard operating procedure entitled, 

“Disaster Initiated Review (DIR).” The revisions are intended to clarify expectations for 

communication and coordination among agencies and to provide consistent criteria for when a 

DIR is warranted. The NRC and FEMA will jointly conduct outreach on the FEMA DIR process 

for licensees and State and local response organizations. 

Initiative 3—Development of New Reactor Inspection Procedures 

The staff is developing inspection procedures that the NRC will use to review, confirm, and 

evaluate the EP program for new reactors. This initiative includes the EP inspections, tests, 

analyses, and acceptance criteria and EP programmatic procedures associated with new 

reactor construction. 

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OUTREACH/COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES

Accomplishments 

In addition to holding periodic NRC/FEMA EP steering committee meetings between 

headquarters staff, the staff held an in-progress review conference on March 18–19, 2010, that 

included EP representatives from the NRC and FEMA regions. The conference provided an 

opportunity to update the staff on the status of significant issues and activities, obtain direct 

input from regions, and obtain alignment between agencies. 

Consistent with the NRC Strategic Plan objectives for openness and effectiveness, the staff 

continues to work diligently to enhance communications with, and outreach to, various 
8 

stakeholder groups. For example, NSIR’s use of web-based technology (i.e., “Live Meeting”) as 

an agency pilot significantly enhanced stakeholder involvement in recent public meetings 

conducted on the proposed revision to NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Supplement 3 and has 

received high praise from the radiological EP community. The White House recognized the 

NRC’s use of this web-based conferencing for public meetings in the Open Government 

Initiative Innovations Gallery. 

To further strengthen the NRC’s focus on stakeholder involvement, the staff continues to publish 

a periodic EP newsletter to enhance communication with both internal and external 

stakeholders on important EP issues, initiatives, and upcoming public meetings and 

conferences. The newsletter continues to be an important communications tool, allowing the 

staff to target specific groups such as nongovernmental organizations. 

In coordination with FEMA, the staff developed and hosted a multiagency tabletop exercise on 

December 16, 2009, called “Reliable Comment 2009” (RC09). RC09 focused on the challenges 

of aligning critical information (message flow) and event communications related to a postulated 

hostile action incident and an accident involving multiple system/equipment failures at the Palo 

Verde Nuclear Power Station. RC09 participants included senior officials from the NRC and 

FEMA headquarters and affected regions, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), 

the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Energy, NEI, the State of Arizona, 

Maricopa County in Arizona, and the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Station. In addition, the NRC 

hosted a series of workshops on October 15 and 29, 2009, to review and discuss agency 

responsibilities and operational response issues in preparation for the tabletop exercise. RC09 

was successful in aligning and verifying both operational and public messaging responsibilities 

for a nuclear power plant incident and highlighted the need to continue the development of 

interagency working relationships. DHS issued an after-action report based on input that it 

received from participating agencies. 

Ongoing Initiatives 

Initiative 1—Emergency Risk Communication and Message Mapping Guidance 

The staff provided extensive outreach to industry and State and local stakeholders on message 

development and message mapping to support the publication of guidance. The staff also 

presented information and provided workshops at several forums, including the Annual Health 

Physics Society Meeting, the NRC Regulatory Information Conference, the National 

Radiological Emergency Preparedness Conference, and the NEI Emergency Preparedness and 

Communication Forum. 

To enhance risk communications for nuclear power plant licensees and OROs, the staff is 

planning to publish the following guidance documents as NUREG/CRs by November 2011: 

• “Guidance on Developing an Emergency Risk Communications (ERC)/Joint Information 

Center (JIC) Plan for a Radiological Emergency,” Volume 1, will contain templates for 

use or adaption in the development of ERC and JIC plans for a radiological emergency. 

• “Guidance on Developing Effective Radiological Risk Communication Messages: 

Effective Message Mapping and Risk Communication with the Public in Nuclear Plant 
9 

Emergency Planning Zones,” will contain principles, strategies, and tools for the 

development of messages for radiological emergencies. 

Initiative 2—Engagement of Emergency Preparedness Professional Organizations 

The staff continues to interact with the public by attending national and regional meetings that 

attract a diverse group of EP professionals and stakeholders. The staff has actively engaged 

the emergency management community through such organizations as the National Emergency 

Management Association, International Association of Emergency Managers, and Conference 

of Radiation Control Program Directors to further enhance active participation in developing 

proposed changes to EP regulations and guidance. Specifically, the staff is focusing on the 

newly established radiological EP subcommittee of the National Emergency Management 

Association to assist in reaching out to State emergency management directors on items of 

mutual interest and in obtaining valuable stakeholder insights on current and EP proposed 

regulatory initiatives. 

Initiative 3—Integrated Communications Strategy 

The staff is currently working with FEMA to develop an integrated communications strategy that 

considers various ongoing and EP proposed rulemaking and guidance changes to facilitate the 

effective communication and understanding of the overall impact on external stakeholders. 

Upcoming Activities 

In coordination with FEMA, the staff is developing communication plans to support planned 

public meetings on the implementation of the EP final rule and revision to 

NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1.