The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission’s Mission

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was 

established by Congress in 1974 as an independent 

regulatory agency. The NRC licenses and regulates the 

Nation’s civilian use of radioactive materials to protect 

public health and safety, promote the common defense 

and security, and protect the environment.

NRC Locations:

NRC Headquarters is located in Rockville, MD, and NRC 

regional offices are in King of Prussia, PA; Atlanta, GA; 

Lisle, IL; and Arlington, TX.

For Additional NRC Information, See:

The agency’s public Web site: 

https://www.nrc.gov 

State and Tribal Programs page:

http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/state-tribal.html 

https://scp.nrc.gov/

Emergency Preparedness and Response page:

http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/emerg-preparedness.html 

NRC Tribal page:

https://tribal.nrc.gov/

State Communication Portal:

https://scp.nrc.gov

STATE PROGRAMS AT

THE U.S. NUCLEAR

REGULATORY

The NRC’s regulatory mission covers COMMISSION

three main areas:

Reactors—Commercial reactors for generating electric 

power and research and test reactors used for research, 

testing, and training.

Materials—Uses of nuclear materials in medical, 

industrial, and academic settings and facilities that 

produce nuclear fuel.

Waste—Transportation, storage, and disposal of 

nuclear materials and waste and decommissioning of 

nuclear facilities.

NUREG/BR-0520, Rev. 2

December 2020

UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
The NRC’s Interactions with States

The NRC is committed to working in collaboration 

with States. Through many State-focused policies and 

programs, the NRC strives to do the following:

• Keep States informed on topics of mutual interest.

• Give States opportunities to participate in the

NRC’s regulatory processes.

• Assist State activities when appropriate.

• Maintain oversight when States assume regulatory

authority from the NRC for specific radioactive

materials and activities.

The NRC has dedicated staff members in its various 

offices who routinely interact with their State counterparts 

through meetings, conferences, and outreach activities. 

These activities include developing State-specific 

communications and participating in State organizations 

and national groups. Through these interactions, the 

NRC staff keeps the agency and the States informed 

of relevant activities, views, and interests to support 

ongoing cooperation.

Coordination on Emergency

Preparedness and Incident Response

The NRC and the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA) cooperate on radiological emergency 

planning and preparedness at NRC-licensed facilities. 

A joint memorandum of understanding outlines the 

responsibilities of each agency. FEMA has the lead 

responsibility for assessing State, local, and Tribal 

(offsite) emergency planning. FEMA reports the results of 

its assessments to the NRC, and the NRC factors these 

results into its decisionmaking.

The NRC’s Incident Response Program regularly 

coordinates with States by participating in licensee 

emergency preparedness exercises and by periodically 

inviting senior State officials to observe the NRC 

emergency exercises at its Headquarters Operations 

Center. In the unlikely event of an actual incident, the 

NRC would frequently communicate with the State and 

support the actions of State, local, and Tribal authorities.

Agreement State Program

Under the Agreement State Program, some States have

signed formal agreements with the NRC that allow the 

State to assume regulatory authority over certain types 

of radioactive material. The program was established in 

1959, with the first agreement signed in 1962. Once a 

State signs such an agreement, it is commonly referred 

to as an Agreement State. Currently, there are 39 

Agreement States.

The NRC provides support and assistance to Agreement 

States, beginning when a State expresses interest in 

signing an agreement and continuing after an agreement 

is signed. Although Agreement States assume regulatory 

authority over some radioactive materials, the NRC 

interacts with and supports Agreement States through 

the following actions:

• sponsoring and conducting technical training

courses and workshops

• evaluating State regulatory changes to ensure

compatibility with NRC requirements

• offering opportunities for early and substantive

involvement in NRC rulemaking and other

regulatory efforts

While the NRC discontinues its regulatory authority, 

the agency still maintains an oversight role by 

periodically reviewing Agreement State programs. 

This is accomplished through the NRC’s Integrated 

Materials Performance Evaluation Program, which was 

established in 1995. The goal of this review is to ensure 

that States’ programs adequately protect public health 

and safety from radiological hazards and adhere to the 

NRC’s regulatory program. Under the Agreement State 

Program, the NRC and its State regulatory partners 

safely and securely regulate over 18,000 radioactive 

material licenses.

State Liaison Officer Program

In 1976, the NRC adopted a recommendation from 

several State organizations, including the National 

Governors Association, that each Governor appoint 

a single person to act as a liaison to the NRC to help 

improve cooperation and two-way communication.

State liaison officers, with support from the NRC staff, 

perform activities such as the following:

• keeping Governors informed of NRC updates

• coordinating with State and local agencies and

counterparts on NRC-related activities

• answering questions from and providing information

to the NRC

• providing communication and support to State,

local, and Federal emergency agencies during

emergencies at NRC-regulated facilities

The State liaison officers have diverse backgrounds 

and qualifications, and they generally work for State 

agencies that focus on protecting public health, safety, 

and the environment. Each regional office of the NRC 

has designated staff whose main responsibility is to 

communicate with the State liaison officers in that region

Advance Notification of Radioactive

Material Shipments

The NRC and the Agreement States have regulations 

that require their licensees to provide advance 

notification to the Governor (or the Governor’s 

designated representative), as well as to the Tribal 

official of participating Tribes (or the Tribal official’s 

designee), before shipping certain types of radioactive 

material within or across the boundary of the State or the 

Tribe’s reservation. Advance notification is required for 

shipments of the following:

• Irradiated reactor fuel

• Large quantities of nuclear waste meeting

certain criteria

• Specified quantities of other radioactive material

The NRC maintains contact information for all State 

and Tribal representatives designated to receive the 

advance notification.

On the cover: photo at the top right of Limerick Nuclear Power Plant is 

courtesy of Exelon Nuclear.