[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 17 (Thursday, January 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 2244]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-1204]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Advisory Committee on External Regulation of Department of Energy 
Nuclear Safety

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of release of Committee's final report.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770), notice is hereby given of the 
release of the Final Report of the Advisory Committee on External 
Regulation of Department of Energy Nuclear Safety entitled Improving 
the Regulation of Safety at DOE Nuclear Facilities, which was submitted 
to the Secretary of Energy, and to the White House Office of Management 
and Budget and the Council on Environmental Quality on January 19, 
1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the Report are available 
from the following sources:
    <bullet> Calling (toll free) 1-800-736-3282 through January 31, 
1996
    <bullet> Environment, Safety, and Health Information Center, EH-72, 
CXXI-20030, USDOE, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown MD 20874-1290 (1-
800-473-4375) after February 1, 1996.
    <bullet> The Internet World Wide Web at: <a href="http://www.em.doe.gov/acd/
index.html">http://www.em.doe.gov/acd/
index.html</a>
    <bullet> The National Technical Information Service, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161 
(prices and information available from 703-487-4650)
    <bullet> DOE and DOE contractors from the Office of Scientific and 
Technical Information, P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge TN 37831 (prices and 
information available from 615-576-8401).
    <bullet> All Department of Energy Freedom of Information Act 
Reading Rooms.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Committee's Final Report presents a 
number of recommendations to strengthen both the regulation and the 
assurance of safety at DOE nuclear facilities. Three recommendations 
are fundamental: (1) Essentially all aspects of safety at DOE's nuclear 
facilities and sites should be externally regulated; (2) existing 
agencies rather than a new one should be responsible for external 
regulation; and (3) under any regulatory scheme, DOE must maintain a 
strong internal safety management system. Along with recommendations 
for external regulation, the Report contains a summary of the current 
state of the DOE complex and its missions, recommendations on issues 
that must be addressed for any successful regulatory scheme, and 
recommended actions to achieve an effective internal system and a well-
managed transition. Additional information is available in the 
Appendices and References volumes of the Final Report.
    The Committee's charter was to provide advice, information, and 
recommendations on whether and how new and existing Department of 
Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities and operations, except those operations 
covered under Executive Order 12344 (Naval Propulsion Program), should 
be externally regulated to ensure safety. The Department currently 
self-regulates many aspects of nuclear safety, pursuant to the Atomic 
Energy Act of 1954, as amended. The Committee consisted of 24 members 
drawn from a cross section of public, Federal, State, Tribal, 
industrial, and academic sectors, representing a diversity of 
expertise. The Committee was co-chaired by John F. Ahearne, Lecturer in 
Public Policy, Duke University and Executive Director of Sigma Xi, The 
Scientific Research Society, and Gerard F. Scannell, President of the 
National Safety Council.

    Issued at Washington, DC on January 19, 1996.
Thomas H. Isaacs,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 96-1204 Filed 1-24-96; 8:45 am]
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