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Open Government Plan 

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Activities for 2012 - 2013 

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U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

Open Government Plan Addendum 

Activities for 2012–2013 

CONTENTS 

Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 2

Approach to Building the Open Government Program for 2012–2013 ....................................... 2

What We Learned ....................................................................................................................... 3

Looking Forward to 2012–2013 .................................................................................................. 3

A. Accomplishments and Highlights, 2010–2011 ..................................................................... 3

B. Measuring Progress ............................................................................................................ 5

C. Transparency ...................................................................................................................... 7

1. Focus on Plain Writing ................................................................................................ 8

2. Improve Public Document Room Services .................................................................. 9

3. Publish and Maintain High-Value Datasets .................................................................. 9

D. Participation ...................................................................................................................... 10

1. Strengthening Social Media Services ........................................................................ 10

2. Expand the Use of Virtual Meetings .......................................................................... 10

3. Increase the Visibility of Rulemaking and Other NRC Documents 

Open for Comment ................................................................................................... 11

E. Collaboration..................................................................................................................... 11

1. Further Collaboration with Agreement States—Web-Based Licensing ...................... 12

F. Flagship Initiative—Mobile NRC........................................................................................ 12

Attachment A – Dataset Download Statistics (as of February 9, 2012) ..................................... 17

Attachment B – Open Government Milestone Commitments 2012-2013 .................................. 20

Attachment C – List of Web Addresses for Hyperlinks Used in the Plan ................................... 21
2

Introduction 

On December 8, 2009, Peter R. Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB), sent a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies directing 

them to take specific actions to implement the principles of transparency, participation, and 

collaboration set forth in the President’s Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, 

dated January 21, 2009. Because of its long history of openness, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) welcomed this opportunity and has participated fully in the President’s Open 

Government Initiative. 

One of the actions identified by OMB was the development and publication of open government 

plans describing how each agency will “improve transparency and integrate public participation 

and collaboration into its activities.”1 In response, the NRC developed its first Open Government 

Plan, which was published on the agency’s Open Government Web page. 

Since its creation in 1975, the NRC has viewed openness as a critical element for achieving the 

agency’s mission to regulate the Nation’s civilian use of radioactive materials and thereby 

protect people and the environment. As a result, the agency has built a strong foundation of 

openness policies and practices that guide its regulatory activities. Over the last 2 years, the 

agency has taken advantage of new technologies to take these practices to the next level. 

This addendum to the NRC’s initial plan, published on April 7, 2010, and revised on 

June 7, 2010, provides a synopsis of the significant progress the NRC has made under its Open 

Government Program to date and outlines plans to continue this progress over the next 2 years. 

Approach to Building the Open Government Program 

for 2012–2013 

The NRC’s Open Government Advisory Group, composed of representatives from the agency’s 

public affairs, internal communications, and information technology organizations, oversees the 

agency’s Open Government program. The advisory group was established by the Deputy 

Executive Director for Corporate Management (DEDCM) on August 12, 2010, with the purpose 

of providing operational oversight, performance assessment, and progress reporting on 

commitments reflected in the agency’s Open Government Plan. The advisory group meets 

monthly and provides quarterly updates on the program to the DEDCM. 

On December 6, 2011, the advisory group hosted a Webinar to solicit stakeholder input about 

activities to include in the next revision of the NRC’s Open Government Plan, to be published in 

April 2012. As indicated in the meeting notice and agenda, the goal of the Webinar was to 

obtain feedback on the agency’s Open Government accomplishments in 2010–2011, the 

high-value datasets published so far, and the goals pursued in our flagship initiative to enhance 

stakeholder engagement. We also hoped to learn what new initiatives stakeholders would like 

us to pursue as we establish our Open Government roadmap for the next 2 years. 

To guide this discussion, we worked with a meeting facilitator who used an approach that 

focused on soliciting from participants their views of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, 

 

1

 See U.S. Office of Management and Budget, “Open Government Directive,” December 8, 2009, 

Section 3a, p. 4. 
3

and threats (SWOT) or challenges a program faces. This approach is often referred to as a 

SWOT analysis. We asked for these views on each of the cornerstones of our Open 

Government program: transparency, public participation, and collaboration. 

In addition to the December 6 Webinar, we collected stakeholder views from responses to 

various blog posts and from feedback received from the agency’s 2011 strategic planning 

stakeholder meeting. All of this feedback was summarized in a worksheet published at our 

public web site. The NRC’s internal Open Government Working Group also provided input. 

What We Learned 

While we received comments on each of the cornerstones of our Open Government Program, 

our efforts on transparency drew the most input. A considerable focus of the transparencyrelated section of our April 2010 plan dealt with the publication of high-value datasets. In total, 

we have published 29 datasets and 1 data mining tool. We have not received any requests for 

additional data either during these meetings or in response to a February 2, 2011, blog posting 

on this topic. We received positive feedback on our introduction of social media tools (blog, 

Twitter, YouTube) and our initial efforts focusing on plain language. Individual difficulties were 

noted in accessing our phone directory and in passing information on to us through data.gov. 

One commenter suggested that the public would benefit from a more dynamic interaction with 

the agency’s support groups through the use of live chat. A more robust frequently asked 

questions (FAQ) facility to allow site users to quickly find the answers to their questions was 

also suggested. It was also recognized that there is a tradeoff between openness and security. 

On the topic of collaboration, while the NRC’s participation in the International Atomic Energy 

Agency (IAEA) and its assistance to other countries was noted, stakeholders felt more could be 

done at the IAEA—and, more generally, in international issues and in promoting the NRC’s 

nuclear regulatory model in other countries. 

Looking Forward to 2012–2013 

We are encouraged by the feedback we have received to date. With this addendum to our 

Open Government Plan, we commit to expanding on the progress we have made to further 

enhance transparency, participation, and collaboration during the next 2 years. 

The discussion that follows reviews our accomplishments to date, lays out our approach to 

measuring and monitoring progress, and discusses planned initiatives to further transparency, 

participation, and collaboration. We also introduce our new flagship initiative, Mobile NRC., 

which builds on the foundation put in place by our first flagship initiative, Enhancing Stakeholder 

Engagement. Attachments A, B, and C provide our Dataset Download Statistics (as of February 

9, 2012), Open Government Milestones Commitments for 2012-2013, and a List of Web 

Addresses for Hyperlinks Used in the Plan. 

A. Accomplishments and Highlights, 2010–2011 

On April 7, 2010, the NRC published its Open Government Plan to serve as the roadmap for 

agency activities in support of President Obama’s Memorandum on Transparency and Open 

Government. On June 7, 2010, Version 1.1 was published. The plan has served the agency well 

as a roadmap guiding our Open Government program to date. As we revisit the plan—as called 
4

for in the OMB’s Open Government Directive—and build the roadmap for the next 2 years, it is 

worthwhile to review our accomplishments to date. 

1. 2010 Highlights 

In 2010, the NRC’s Open Government Program focused on enhancing stakeholder 

engagement (our flagship initiative), publishing high-value datasets, and building a 

foundation for work to be done in 2011. This focus yielded the following 

accomplishments in 2010: 

• We implemented new subscription-based services on our public Web site to enable 

stakeholders to keep abreast of the most current agency news and activities. 

• We enhanced stakeholder involvement in public meetings by expanding the use of 

Web event and virtual meeting technologies. 

• We furthered collaboration within industry and Government workgroups by using 

Web conferencing technologies. 

• We exceeded target goals for publishing high-value agency datasets at data.gov in open 

formats that enable stakeholders to download, manipulate, and analyze the data. 

• We launched the NRC’s Open Government Web site on February 4, 2010, as 

scheduled. We subsequently began reporting progress quarterly against our Open 

Government Plan commitments in a milestone inventory and posted a dashboard 

that highlights significant accomplishments and plan changes. 

• We enhanced the facility locator to provide detailed information for each operating 

nuclear power reactor. 

• We implemented significant improvements to the agency’s Web-based search 

capability. 

• We established the foundation for the introduction of social media technology to 

further citizen engagement. 

2. 2011 Highlights 

In 2011, the NRC focused on building on the foundation established in 2010, yielding the 

following additional accomplishments: 

• We introduced social media technology and made significant progress in our social 

media program: 

o We launched the NRC blog in January. The blog has proven especially useful 

in enabling quick public communications during and after events in both Japan 

and the United States: 

 On average, the blog has just under 500 views per day; immediately 

after the event at Fukushima, views peaked at just over 5,700 in a 

single day. 

 During the week of August 22, 2011, blog posts provided information on 

earthquake response and hurricane preparation at nuclear power 

plants. 

 Daily views of the blog peaked at more than 1,000 during the Missouri 

River flooding event. 

o We enabled staff access to LinkedIn in January for professional networking 

with colleagues outside of the agency. 
5

o We launched the NRC Twitter account in August. Within 2 days, the NRC had 

400 followers, by the end of 2011 the number of followers had grown to more 

than 1000 and many different organizations and individuals were “retweeting” 

our tweets, greatly expanding the agency’s reach. 

o We launched the NRC YouTube channel in September. The first video 

featured NRC employees talking about their experiences on 9/11, and its effect 

on their lives. Subsequent videos consisted of segments of some important 

Commission briefings, videos previously produced but not extensively 

distributed, and new content. 

• We continued publishing high-value datasets: 

o We formalized our process for identifying, prioritizing, and publishing datasets, 

including the option for stakeholders to receive e-mail notifications when new 

datasets are published. 

o To foster use of the NRC’s high-value datasets, we publicized their availability 

in a February 2, 2011, blog post and at the annual Regulatory Information 

Conference. 

o Through Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, we’ve published 29 datasets—considerably 

more than the 17 identified in the agency’s Open Government Plan. 

o Data.gov selected our dataset of U.S. nuclear power plant inspection reports to 

be featured on the rotating pane of its home page. 

o We added a licensee event report application to data.gov, allowing searches 

for licensee event reports based on a variety of criteria. 

• We launched a significantly redesigned public Web site with greatly improved search 

capabilities: 

o The redesigned site features a modern look and feel. 

o New search capabilities allow site visitors to use a single search to easily retrieve 

information from the NRC’s entire public Web site, as well as the extensive 

collection of more than 700,000 publicly available documents in the Agencywide 

Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). 

o Since the redesign, the new site’s scores on content, look and feel, and 

transparency have continued to improve, as reported in the American Customer 

Satisfaction Index (ACSI). 

o The NRC Web site was recognized as “a gold mine of information” in the 

2012 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 

• We further improved search capability for the NRC’s public documents based on 

stakeholder feedback. 

• We expanded the agency’s Open Government Web site to serve as an “umbrella” for 

the following related initiatives and plans: 

o Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service and the 

Customer Service Plan 

o CIO Council’s .Gov Reform Initiative and Web Improvement Plan 

o Plain Writing at the NRC 

B. Measuring Progress 

The NRC’s Open Government strategic direction is set forth in the latest version of the NRC 

Strategic Plan in the first objective, “Openness,” under “Organizational Excellence.” The plan 

explicitly addresses the three components of openness—transparency, participation, and 

collaboration—and contains six strategies for making improvements. The agency’s Information 
6

Technology/Information Management Strategic Plan, published in December, contains two 

goals supporting openness. 

Goal 1 of that plan is Effective Information Access (NRC staff and stakeholders can quickly and 

easily access the information they need). Associated with Goal 1 are several measures directly 

related to transparency: 

• the public’s score for information access—overall NRC score on the ACSI for Federal 

Web sites 

• the public’s score for search effectiveness (a subelement of the ACSI) 

• the public’s score for online transparency (a subelement of the ACSI) 

• the number of timeliness targets met for key information dissemination channels 

(Freedom of Information Act requests, public meeting notices, and publication of ADAMS 

documents) 

As noted on page 5, ACSI stands for the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The NRC 

uses an independent service to report scores for the NRC’s public Website using the ASCI 

methodology, which is also used to reports scores for over 100 other federal and local 

government services. 

Goal 3 of the plan is Effective IT Infrastructure (i.e., the NRC’s IT infrastructure is available, cost 

effective, and responsive to agency business needs). Associated with Goal 3 is the following 

measure related to participation: 

• increase in the annual number of virtual meetings held, including both Web streaming 

and Web conferencing 

The NRC monitors these measures quarterly and measures progress annually. Table 1 shows 

the performance results for these six measures at the end of the last 3 fiscal years. The NRC 

began executing its Open Government Plan in April 2010. 

 
7

Table 1 

Open Government Performance Results 2009 – 2011 

Measure 2009 

(Baseline) 

2010 2011 Long-Term 

Target 

Public’s score for information 

access on a scale of 1–100 

72 72 74 73 

Public’s score for search 

effectiveness 

on a scale of 1–100 

69 69 70 70 

Public’s score for online 

transparency on a scale of 1–

100 

N/A2

76 78 80 

Number of targets met for 

information dissemination 

timeliness (maximum is 

4 out of 4) 

N/A3

4 4 4 

Increase in the number of 

virtual meetings held 

N/A N/A 150/month 

(baseline) 

168/month 

(12% 

increase) 

The table shows noticeable improvement in the measures. Of particular note are the scores 

that are benchmarked against other organizations in the ACSI results reports. The overall 

score of 74 for the NRC’s public Web site now exceeds the average score for public sector Web 

sites (72) by 2 points and the average regulatory agency score (67) by 7 points. The NRC 

score of 78 for online transparency exceeds the average public sector score (75) by 3 points 

and the average regulatory agency score (71) by 7 points. 

C. Transparency 

Transparency promotes accountability by providing the 

public with information about the NRC’s activities. More 

specifically, this means that public stakeholders must have 

timely access to clear and understandable information 

about the NRC’s role, processes, activities, and decision 

making. 

The NRC’s Open Government Plan discusses existing 

practices the NRC uses to conduct its regulatory responsibilities in an open and transparent 

manner to keep the public informed of the agency's regulatory, licensing, and oversight 

activities. Section III.A describes what the NRC is already doing to promote transparency in its 

 

2

 ForeSee began evaluating this metric in Q2 of FY 2010, and the NRC did not begin participating until Q4 of 

FY 2010, so we have no data prior to that time. 

3 The then-current measure was modified.

“Transparency promotes 

accountability by providing 

the public with information 

about what the Government 

is doing.” (Open 

Government Directive)
8

operations, including (1) its policies, management controls, and performance measures, 

(2) its key information dissemination channels, and (3) its participation in Federal transparency 

initiatives. Section III.B provides an action plan for improving transparency through the 

publication of high-value datasets, policy changes, expansion of Web streaming, use of new 

tools for public communication, and improvements to ADAMS and the NRC public Web site. 

We are pleased that the NRC was able to meet or exceed each goal it established for itself in 

2010 and 2011. As noted above, we have re-designed our public website, and have seen 

improvements in user satisfaction scores. A January 2012 article in the Bulletin of the Atomic 

Scientists gave the NRC’s Web site this very favorable review: 

...the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) website is a gold mine of 

information. It has comprehensive collections of documents, organized by topic 

area as well as by facility location. Searches generate results that include titles 

and descriptions of the documents available. And in December, the NRC 

announced enhancements—be still my heart!—that include a more powerful and 

versatile search engine and the ability for users to save searches as web links for 

streamlined access to frequently used documents. The NRC even has a free 

service that automatically notifies subscribers about new documents on selected 

topics. 

Looking forward, the NRC will continue to focus on transparency through an initiative on plain 

writing and by identifying opportunities to improve the customer experience for users of our 

Public Document Room (PDR). We will also maintain the collection of high-value data already 

published and publish additional high-value data, in open formats, as opportunities present 

themselves. 

In addition, the staff plans to strengthen its communications on high-profile topics by utilizing a 

combination of tools such as public meetings, improved web pages, use of plain language and 

social media. This is in response to Commission direction regarding NRC’s engagement with 

stakeholders following the March, 2011 Fukushima events in Japan. 

1. Focus on Plain Writing 

In its Final Guidance on Implementing the Plain Writing Act, dated April 13, 2011, OMB 

stated that “plain writing is writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and consistent 

with other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience. Such 

writing avoids jargon, redundancy, ambiguity, and obscurity.” 

The NRC takes that definition a step further. We believe that plain writing is 

communication our intended audience can easily understand the first time they read or 

hear it. It’s not overly casual or unprofessional, and it doesn’t strip out necessary 

technical details to “dumb down” the information or “talk down” to the reader. 

We realize that language that is plain to some readers may not be plain to others. We 

know we’ve succeeded, however, if our writing enables our intended audiences to do the 

following: 

• find what they need 

• understand what they find 
9

• use what they find to meet their needs 

To this end, the agency instructed managers to familiarize themselves with the 

requirements of the Act, and to encourage staff to take appropriate training. A new 

online course, specifically tailored to the Plain Writing guidance issued by the Office of 

Management and Budget, was made available to all employees and the Commission 

has directed staff to make greater use of plain language when speaking to the public 

about high profile events, such as the nuclear accident at Fukushima-Daiichi in Japan. 

Additionally, staffs are reminded to use plain language through periodic articles in the 

agency’s in-house newsletter, the NRC Reporter. Finally, a new pilot project is 

beginning that will attach an interactive “widget” to some of the agency’s most widely 

read online documents, to gather feedback from stakeholders on the documents’ 

readability. 

OMB instructed Federal agencies to publish annual reports that describe their continuing 

compliance with the Plain Writing Act of 2010. Consistent with that guidance, we will 

report our progress and compliance by April 13, 2012, and will update that report each 

year. Those annual reports will appear in the plain writing section of the NRC’s Open 

Government Web site. 

In addition, we survey agency stakeholders on an annual basis as part of our 

self-assessment of the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Program. These surveys include 

questions to assess our success in issuing inspection reports that are relevant, useful, 

and written in plain language. See Stakeholder Feedback on the NRC Web site for a 

discussion of the survey results since 1999. 

2. Improve Public Document Room Services 

The NRC PDR staff helps the public find NRC documents in the agency’s extensive 

electronic, paper, and microfiche collections. The PDR staff also assists the public in 

using ADAMS, an online document and records management repository. 

Key customer groups include members of the general public; licensees; stakeholders; 

official visitors to the NRC; and Federal, State, and local government officials. 

A challenge facing the PDR is a current lack of a systematic way to find out from 

customers their desires for improvements to PDR services. The NRC plans to set up a 

simple voluntary survey for customers to provide feedback about their PDR experience; 

the agency will make changes in response to this information. Starting in 2012, rating 

percentages and feedback comments from the survey will be published on the public 

NRC Web site twice each year (in May and November). Starting in early 2012, monthly 

summaries of survey results will be provided to the Chief of the Technical Information 

Center Section. 

3. Publish and Maintain High-Value Datasets 

We will continue to monitor the use of the data we have already published (Attachment 

A), and we will continue to post usage statistics. We will maintain the currency of 

published data and publish additional high-value datasets in open formats as 

opportunities present themselves. 
10

D. Participation 

Participation allows members of the public to contribute ideas 

and expertise so the NRC can make regulatory decisions with 

the benefit of information from a wide range of stakeholders. 

These stakeholders must have a reasonable opportunity to 

participate meaningfully in the NRC’s regulatory processes. 

The NRC is responsible for developing, implementing, and 

enforcing policies that are well informed and effective. To do so, 

the agency recognizes that the public must be informed about, 

and have a reasonable opportunity to participate meaningfully in, 

its regulatory processes and (where appropriate) its decision making. 

Section IV.A of the NRC’s Open Government Plan discusses how participation is encouraged and 

provided for through public meetings, hearings, conferences, symposia, and workshops. Also noted 

is the NRC’s use of its Web site, where the public can learn about public meetings, comment on 

proposed rules and draft documents, understand how to petition the agency to take an enforcement 

action, participate in hearings, or ask the NRC to consider changing or establishing a regulation. 

Section IV.B of the NRC’s Open Government Plan notes the agency’s plans to explore the use of 

new media and tools for enhancing public participation.

In all aspects of its work, the agency is committed to making public participation as expansive and 

meaningful as possible. 

Over the last two years Web technology was employed to promote meeting participation, and 

subscription-based services and we launched three social media sites. 

Looking forward, the NRC will continue to focus on growing opportunities for stakeholder 

participation through a continued focus on social media, use of virtual meetings, and increased 

visibility of rulemaking and other NRC documents open for comment. 

1. Strengthening Social Media Services 

Social media capabilities introduced in 2011 have enhanced relationships between the NRC 

and stakeholders by promoting a sense of common community. The NRC will continue to 

use and refine the use of current social media tools, increasing content within NRC’s current 

social media channels. In addition, new tools will be assessed as opportunities present 

themselves. In 2012, a new NRC photo gallery was launched on the Flickr photo-sharing 

site to give the public a pictorial look at what the NRC does and to increase transparency 

and participation. For example, we anticipate that these photos will help the media 

report more effectively on stories about facilities the NRC regulates. 

2. Expand the Use of Virtual Meetings 

To continue to enhance outreach and stakeholder involvement in public meetings, virtual 

meeting technologies such as Web streaming and Web conferencing will continue to be 

promoted within the agency. The use of these technologies enables members of the 

“Participation allows 

members of the public to 

contribute ideas and 

expertise so that their 

government can make 

policies with the benefit of 

information that is widely 

dispersed in society.” 

(Open Government Directive) 
11

public to participate, regardless of their physical location. The NRC also will explore 

incorporating use of other collaborative tools—such as wikis—that increase workgroup 

efficiency and improve results by enabling easy access to reference materials, online 

brainstorming, and the development of collaborative work products. The use of targeted 

community portals when registered and secured access is required to participate in 

discussions and exchanges of nonpublic information also may be considered. 

3. Increase the Visibility of Rulemaking and Other NRC Documents 

Open for Comment 

The NRC is redesigning and consolidating its “Documents for Comment” Web pages to 

provide a one-stop location for all rulemaking and other NRC documents currently open 

for comment. In keeping with the recently adopted recommendations from the 

Administrative Conference of the United States, the new page will be readily available 

from the NRC homepage. The NRC staff will assemble a list of all dockets on 

www.regulations.gov that contain documents currently open for public review and 

comment. The entry for each document available for comment will link directly to the 

docket for the action. With one click, members of the public will be able to view the 

document open for comment, access any additional supporting information on the NRC 

activity, and easily submit electronic comments. The new page will serve as a source for 

pushing out information on those documents available for comment via RSS and Twitter 

feeds and will contain additional alert features. The NRC will complete this activity in 

Q4 of FY 2012. 

E. Collaboration 

Collaboration improves the effectiveness of Government 

by encouraging partnerships and cooperation across 

Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments and with 

international regulatory authorities. 

In the coming years, the NRC will confront a variety of 

challenges, including ensuring the safety and security of 

existing and proposed nuclear power plants and other 

licensed facilities and materials, preparing for 

emergencies, and storing and disposing of high-level 

radioactive waste. The NRC recognizes that meeting 

these challenges will call for the highest levels of collaboration among its own employees, 

cooperation and partnership with other Federal and non-Federal government agencies, and 

collaboration with nonprofit and other private entities. 

Section V.A of the NRC’s Open Government Plan notes the extensive network of regulatory 

agencies, State and Tribal governments, international organizations, and nonprofit and private 

entities with which the NRC partners. Section V.B of the NRC’s Open Government Plan noted a 

review of key existing internal and external collaborative activities to assess how collaboration 

with our partners could be further improved. 

Many of the accomplishments reported above under our discussion of participation also 

contribute to furthering our collaboration efforts. Included here is our introduction of social 

“Collaboration improves the 

effectiveness of Government 

by encouraging partnerships 

and cooperation within the 

Federal Government, across 

levels of government, and 

between the Government and 

private institutions.” (Open 

Government Directive)
12

media technologies and our expansion of the use of virtual meetings. For example, in 

January 2011, the NRC gave its staff access to LinkedIn for professional networking with 

colleagues outside of the agency. 

Looking forward, the NRC will continue to focus on growing opportunities for collaboration 

through a continued focus on social media and through the use of Web conferencing 

technologies to further collaboration within industry and Government workgroups as we have 

done in 2010 and 2011. One particular area of note is the opportunity for further collaboration 

with Agreement States through the introduction of Web-based licensing. 

1. Further Collaboration with Agreement States—Web-Based Licensing 

The NRC is working towards streamlining the current paper-based materials licensing 

process and making the new system easy to use for applicants and Agreement States 

(States that have signed agreements with the NRC that authorize them to regulate 

certain uses of radioactive materials). Key users of this system include current and 

potential materials licensees, Agreement States, and other Federal agencies that need 

NRC and Agreement State data for license verification. This effort will provide an 

opportunity for Agreement States to avoid the costs of developing their own licensing 

systems and will further collaborative efforts between Agreement States and the NRC. 

Further cost saving and collaboration will be achieved over time as this system becomes 

the single source for authoritative license information for all parties. Through 

participation in the annual meetings for the Organization of Agreement States and the 

Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, the NRC staff meets with the 

agency’s regulatory partners in the Agreement States. This and the continued 

coordination efforts with Agreement States and NRC regional offices after system 

deployment (Beginning in Fall 2012) will provide opportunities to solicit feedback. 

F. Flagship Initiative—Mobile NRC 

The NRC has selected Mobile NRC as its flagship initiative to expand the agency’s stakeholder 

community and engage a broader public audience by promoting and taking advantage of new 

mobile-friendly capabilities. The use of the Worldwide Web and mobile technologies has 

become commonplace, providing more creative and cost-effective ways to engage current and 

new stakeholders in the agency’s regulatory processes. The NRC’s flagship initiative will focus 

on employing these technologies to foster public engagement. 

1. Overview of the Initiative 

A key element of the NRC’s initial flagship initiative was to enhance the NRC’s engagement with 

the public and agency stakeholders by employing Web 2.0 technologies. These technologies 

include social networking, citizen engagement, media streaming, and virtual meeting tools. The 

same technologies were also used to increase the visibility of the NRC’s public Web site, which 

was redesigned to better address the informational needs of site visitors, improve their site 

experience, and foster greater public engagement. 

The NRC’s next generation flagship initiative will expand upon previous successes and promote 

greater use and support for mobile capabilities. According to Nielsen, approximately 44 percent of 

Americans now own smartphones, up from 18 percent just 2 years ago. This growth is 

expected to continue as more consumers and enterprise users are attracted by the new 
13

features and applications available on these phones. The mobile Internet is also gaining 

traction. Nielsen found that the number of smartphone users surfing the Web on their devices 

has increased by 45 percent since 2010. The Mobile NRC flagship initiative will strengthen the 

ability of the agency’s stakeholders who use smart phones or other mobile devices to engage 

with the NRC and better understand its regulatory mission. By providing more ready access to 

regulatory information, both NRC stakeholders and staff will benefit. 

The NRC will incorporate mobile-friendly Web pages for popular information into its public Web site, 

where the information is of high public interest. We will use quick response (QR) codes on NRC 

publications and at media events to make it easier for members of the public to access 

information by scanning a barcode with their mobile phones and tablets. In addition, the agency 

will assess its public applications to determine whether mobile capabilities should be 

incorporated to improve the user experience, enhance public participation, and, where 

appropriate, strengthen collaboration in NRC regulatory activities. 

The NRC’s Open Government Web page will be used to introduce new technologies to assess 

their usability and value to the agency and its stakeholders. Table 2 shows the engagement 

tools and improvements that may be included in this initiative, their benefits, and the open 

government principles they support. 

 
14

Table 2 

Mobile NRC - Framework

Open 

Government 

Principle 

Enhanced Engagement Improvements and 

Tools Key Benefits

TransparencyParticipation Collaboration 

9 9 9

Mobile Strategy 

The NRC will develop a unified mobile strategy to 

introduce mobile capabilities that improve the 

user experience and enable greater 

transparency, participation, and collaboration. 

This strategy will lay out a plan to provide 

incremental mobile capabilities over time to 

address specific business objectives and 

effectively use resources. For example, the NRC 

will explore and evaluate potential use of new 

mobile Web application technologies for use with 

NRC public applications. These technologies 

can enable implementation and use of rich, 

mobile-friendly forms to solicit feedback on public 

meetings or register for upcoming events to 

foster broader participation. They can also be 

used to enhance existing Web applications to 

improve the mobile user experience and foster 

greater transparency, participation, and 

collaboration with the public. Use of mobile Web 

technologies in strategic ways will help the NRC 

to deliver these capabilities to a wider audience 

and in a more cost-effective and supportable 

manner. 

3⁄4 Improve information 

accessibility to enable the 

public to participate and 

collaborate, regardless of 

location. 

3⁄4 Encourage the use of NRC and 

industry information in new and 

innovative ways. 

3⁄4 Enable information sharing and 

participation from any remote 

location with an Internet 

connection and a mobile 

device. 

3⁄4 Reduce implementation and 

support costs by using 

standards-based mobile Web 

technologies and common 

approaches. 
15

Table 2 

Mobile NRC - Framework

Open 

Government 

Principle 

Enhanced Engagement Improvements and 

Tools Key Benefits

TransparencyParticipation Collaboration 

9 9

Quick Response Codes 

The NRC will use QR codes to enhance the 

public’s ability to quickly and easily access NRC 

information and Web sites from smartphones. 

QR codes are two-dimensional bar codes that 

can be read or scanned by smartphones or 

tablets with a bar code reader application. These 

barcodes are placed on publications, marketing 

materials, posters, Web sites, or any medium 

that provides sufficient contrast to be scanned by 

the smartphone reader. They are used in 

marketing campaigns, advertising, recruitment, 

and as a communication channel targeted toward 

smartphone users. A smartphone with a camera 

and reader can be used to quickly access 

content such as a Web site (using its uniform 

resource locator (URL), contact information, a 

text message, or a video (using a URL). 

QR codes have been widely used in Japan and 

Asia for years, and their popularity has grown in 

Europe and the United States as a result of 

growth in smartphone availability and usage. 

The NRC conducted a pilot of this technology 

and will expand use more broadly to enhance 

engagement with stakeholders. 

3⁄4 Encourage more active 

participation from a broader 

audience. 

3⁄4 Support information outreach 

(e.g., the Japan crisis, 

Regulatory Information 

Conference, NUREGs, media 

events) and increase public 

awareness by making it easy 

for mobile users to quickly 

access regulatory information, 

regardless of where they are. 

3⁄4 Promote communication and 

information sharing to foster 

greater participation in public 

meetings, industry 

conferences, and public events 

by allowing mobile users to 

easily get to NRC information 

on their mobile devices before, 

during, and after these events. 

3⁄4 Use in recruiting activities, such 

as job fairs, that are designed 

to maintain a strong regulatory 

workforce; enable mobile users 

to quickly access job 

announcements; and discuss 

areas of interest with the NRC. 
16

Table 2 

Mobile NRC - Framework

Open 

Government 

Principle 

Enhanced Engagement Improvements and 

Tools Key Benefits

TransparencyParticipation Collaboration 

9 9 9

Mobile-Friendly Web Pages 

The NRC’s public Web site serves as the central 

information portal that provides access to 

information resources, tools, and services to the 

public. This Web site will incorporate new 

mobile-friendly Web pages for information 

determined to be of high interest. The mobile 

Web pages will serve as the launching point to 

gradually introduce new mobile capabilities that 

make it easy for mobile users to quickly find and 

access NRC regulatory informational resources 

while on the go. New mobile capabilities will be 

assessed, based on their value in achieving 

business objectives, and incorporated into the 

NRC’s unified mobile strategy. 

3⁄4 Better engage, inform, and 

educate the public. 

3⁄4 Improve site usability, 

organization, search, and 

access to tools for mobile 

users. 

3⁄4 Foster information sharing, 

innovation, and engagement 

through use of common tools 

and open standards that 

enhance mobile capabilities. 

9

Pilot a mobile-friendly Web form for the Public 

Meeting Feedback System to enable the public to 

complete a survey for any public meeting using 

handheld devices. 

3⁄4 Provide flexible alternatives for 

submission of survey information 

to encourage feedback from a 

wider audience. 

3⁄4 Enable the public to submit 

feedback quickly and easily after 

meetings, from any location. 

 
17

Attachment A – Dataset Download Statistics (as of February 9, 2012)

Data Set Name 

Open Format 

Pub Date (Actual) Status Date 

Cumulative Downloads to Date 

Last MonthDownlo

U.S. Nuclear Power Reactor Plant Status CSV 1/15/2010 2/9/2012 1,729 U.S. Commercial Nuclear Power Reactors XLS 1/14/2010 2/9/2012 1,631 U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Inspection Reports XLS 1/5/2011 2/9/2012 782 NRC Commercial Contracts of Value Greater Than or Equal to $100,000 XLS 1/14/2010 2/9/2012 992 Performance Indicators of Operating Reactors CSV 10/17/2011 2/9/2012 121 Event Reports for Operating Reactors CSV 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 525 U.S. Nuclear Research and Test Reactors (Operating): Demographic Data XLS 1/14/2010 2/9/2012 768 Generic Issues XLS 11/22/2011 2/9/2012 56 Licensee Event Report Search Tool 

Data Extraction Tool 12/20/2010 2/9/2012 293 

Cancelled U.S. Commercial Nuclear Power Reactors XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 351 Expected New Nuclear Power Plant Applications XLS 7/30/2010 2/9/2012 353 U.S. Commercial Nuclear Power Reactors Permanently Shut Down - Formerly Licensed to Operate XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 320 List of Nuclear Materials Licensing Actions Received XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 299 Materials Environmental Reviews Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 296 
18

Data Set Name 

Open Format 

Pub Date (Actual) Status Date 

Cumulative Downloads to Date 

Last MonthDownlo

Tribes Physically Located within fifty miles of a Nuclear Power Plant XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 308 Dry Spent Fuel Storage Licensees XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 291 Fire Event Data from Licensee Event Reports XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 291 New Reactor Licensing Applications (An Estimated Schedule) XLS 7/30/2010 2/9/2012 327 NRC Significant Enforcement Actions XLS 7/5/2011 2/9/2012 123 U.S. Nuclear Research and Test Reactors Under Decommissioning Regulated by the NRC XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 282 Waste Incidental to Reprocessing Key Documents XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 283 Dry Spent Fuel Storage Designs: NRC-Approved for Use by General Licensees XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 273 Estimated Schedules for Uranium Enrichment License Applications: AREVA Enrichment Services XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 267 Estimated Schedules for Uranium Enrichment License Applications: GE Laser Enrichment Facility XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 267 Findings From Fire Inspections XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 275 NRC Biennial Evaluated Emergency Exercise Schedule XLS 7/30/2010 2/9/2012 308 Status of Uranium Recovery Facility Applications, Reviews, and Letters of Intent XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 252 U.S. Independent Spent Fuel Storage Casework XLS 9/30/2010 2/9/2012 260 Reactor Pressure Vessel Steel Embrittlement XLS 9/21/2011 2/9/2012 49 
19

Data Set Name 

Open Format 

Pub Date (Actual) Status Date 

Cumulative Downloads to Date 

Last MonthDownlo

Status of NRC Regulated Materials Sites Currently Undergoing Decommissioning XLS 5/11/2011 2/9/2012 79 
20

Attachment B – Open Government Milestone Commitments 2012-2013

This attachment summarizes the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) key Open 

Government milestones discussed in this plan. 

Action Item Date 

Transparency 

Release an annual report describing the NRC’s compliance with the Plain 

Writing Act of 2010. 

April 2012 

(annually thereafter) 

Publish the results of the Public Document Room survey. May 2012 

November 2012 

(biannually thereafter) 

Maintain high-value datasets and publish monthly usage statistics. ongoing 

Participation 

Launch the Flickr photo-sharing site as a component of the social media 

initiative. 

January 2012 

Leverage best practices from the quick response (QR) code pilot to 

implement their use for the Regulatory Information Conference. 

March 2012 

Deploy the redesigned “Documents for Comment” Web page. June 2012 

Standardize broad use of QR codes to support public outreach, meetings, and 

events based on lessons learned. 

June 2012 

Implement a mobile-friendly Web form for the Public Meeting Feedback 

System. 

December 2012 

Develop a unified mobile strategy to support mobile capabilities for NRC staff 

and public stakeholders. 

February 2013 

Identify and implement select mobile-friendly Web pages of high public 

interest. 

TBD 

Collaboration 

Complete deployment of Web-based licensing. December 2013 

 
21

Attachment C – List of Web Addresses for Hyperlinks Used in the Plan

Reference Hyperlink Web Address

Page 2 Open Government Initiative http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/documents/opengovernment-directive 

Page 2 Open Government Plan http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/open/philosophy/nrcopen-gov-plan.pdf 

Page 2 Open Government Web 

page

http://www.nrc.gov/open 

Page 3 

Worksheet with Results of 

SWOT Analysis with 

Stakeholders

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/open/contactus/opengov-prelim-swot-feedback.pdf 

Page 4, 

Bullet 5 

NRC’s Open Government 

Web site

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/open.html 

Page 4 

Bullet 5 

Open Government 

Milestone Inventory (as of 

December 31, 2011) 

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/open/evaluatingprogress/ogd-milestone-inventory.html 

Page 4 

Bullet 5 

Open Government 

Dashboard (as of 

December 31, 2011) 

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/open/evaluatingprogress/open-gov-dashboard.html 

Page 5 NRC Strategic Plan http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/nuregs/staff/sr1614/v5/index.html 

Page 5 

agency’s Information 

Technology/Information 

Management Strategic Plan

http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1135/ML11357A125.pdf 

Page 6 American Customer 

Satisfaction Index

http://www.theacsi.org/ 

Page 9 Stakeholder Feedback http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/programevaluations.html#section3 

Page 11 www.regulations.gov http://www.regulations.gov/