June 29, 2016 

The Honorable Robert A. Brady 

United States House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Congressman Brady: 

 On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to a 

May 4, 2016, letter from you and a number of your colleagues. In your letter, you urge the 

Commission to reject the NRC staff’s recommendation that the agency initiate an expedited 

rulemaking to clarify that only licensees can make final access authorization determinations. 

The staff had provided its recommendation to the Commission in SECY-15-0149, “Role of ThirdParty Arbitrators in Licensee Access Authorization and Fitness-For-Duty Determinations at 

Nuclear Power Plants.” The Commission has now completed its deliberations on the matter and 

I am writing to advise you the Commission’s decision. 

 The Commission has approved a modified version of the staff’s proposal to proceed with 

the rulemaking process to further explore the issues raised in SECY-15-0149 and to consider 

the divergent comments offered by labor organizations and licensees. Specifically, the 

Commission directed the staff as it proceeds with this rulemaking to do the following: 

• Endeavor to ensure that any proposed revisions to NRC regulations are as narrow in 

scope as is necessary to ensure the public safety and security; 

• Not unnecessarily preclude arbitration outright, but consider how the NRC’s goals can 

be achieved while still allowing review of a licensee’s access determinations; 

• Make specific outreach to potentially affected labor organizations regarding the 

proposed content and timeframe for the proposed rule, in addition to the NRC staff’s 

normal outreach efforts during rulemaking; 

• Ensure that, in any further rule on access authorizations and fitness-for-duty 

determinations at nuclear power plants, there is a reasonable and balanced 

accommodation of interests in access determinations; 

• Provide a robust appeal process for workers whose access authorization is denied or 

revoked; 

• Address third-party review of fitness-for-duty determinations in the same rulemaking; 

and 

• Maintain awareness of ongoing arbitration of access authorization determinations so that 

orders can be prepared in any case in which Commission intervention is necessary to 

ensure the safety and security of a nuclear power plant. 
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The Commission’s direction to the staff will ensure that the views of all affected parties 

will be fully considered. If you need any additional information, please contact me or Eugene 

Dacus, Director of the Office of Congressional Affairs, at (301) 415-1776. 

Sincerely, 

 /RA/ 

Stephen G. Burns 
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