The resources requested for Management Direction and Support provide for the overall policy guidance and management direction of the Nuclear Reactor Regulation programs by the Office Director and the Regional Administrators. Requested resources also provide for independent assessments of selected technical programs, proposals and other management issues, which include scheduling and direction of consideration of technical issues, the annual budget submission, proposed mid-year financial reprogramming, executive program analysis reports, staffing plans, congressional budget testimony, responses to congressional inquiries and required support services in the areas of procurement, administration, and personnel. NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDS PROGRAMS (Dollars are in thousands, except in text, where whole dollars are used; staff numbers are in full-time equivalents.) Program Support Funds and Staff The Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards staff and program support funds are allocated to the major programs shown below. The program support funds are primarily for contractual work by the Department of Energy laboratories and commercial contractors. The narrative that follows describes these programs and the reasons they are needed. 1/Estimates do not reflect the 4.3% reduction required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. The total NRC reduction is $17,974,000. Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Programs Continued DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMS The Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards is responible for the health and safety licensing and environmental protection reviews for all activities regulated by the agency, except reactors, and for safeguards technical review of all licensing applications including reactors and the export of special nuclear material. These responsibilities include development and implementation of agency policy for the regulation of activities involving the use and handling of nuclear and other radioactive materials such as uranium milling; fuel fabrication and fuel development; medical, industrial, academic and commercial uses of radioactive isotopes; certification of containers for transport of large quantities of radioactive material; outof-reactor spent fuel storage; and safe disposal of low-level and high-level radioactive waste. Safeguards responsibilities include those licensing and review activities appropriate to deter and protect against threats of radiological sabotage and threats of theft or diversion of special nuclear material both at fixed facilities and during transport. These responsibilities are administered under four programs: (1) Fuel Cycle Facility and Nuclear Material Safety, (2) Safeguards, (3) High-Level Waste Management, and (4) Low-Level Waste Management and Uranium Recovery. The safety and environmental regulatory programs are designed to assure that workers, the public health and safety, and the environment are protected during both normal and off-normal operations. These programs regulate activities ranging from complex operations--such as disposal of high-level radioactive waste in deep geologic repositories, reactor fuel development and fabrication, and medical radiopharmaceutical production--to relatively simple operations--such as medical diagnostic use of small quantities of radioisotopes. Implementation of these programs provides appropriate assurances for adequate and safe facilities; trained and competent personnel; appropriate practices to control personnel exposures and environmental releases; contingency planning; transport casks to withstand conditions of normal transport and of accidents; and appropriate handling of radioactive wastes. The safeguards regulatory program is designed to deter, detect, and protect against threats both within and outside of facilities, and during transport. In addition to providing for appropriate theft protection, the safeguards program includes appropriate planning to protect against and to respond to intentional plant damage by radiological sabotage sufficient to cause significant off-site releases. All safeguards activities are designed to assure that safeguards protective measures do Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Programs Continued not interfere with the safe operation of a facility both during normal and off-normal situations. The Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Programs have been strongly affected by the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978, the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980, as amended in 1985, and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. The Uranium Mill Tailings Act directed the agency to develop regulations and to license the disposal of mill tailings from licensed uranium mills. Congressional action has directed that the agency regulations be amended in recognition of the Environmental Protection Agency standards both for radiation and groundwater protection. In addition to revised regulations for licensees and approval of licensee mill tailings disposal plans, the Uranium Mill Tailings Act directed the agency to review and approve the site-by-site implementation of the Department of Energy program for mill tailings remedial actions, and to eventually license possession of these sites by the Department of Energy. The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 placed the responsibility on the states to provide for disposal capacity for low-level waste generated within a state. The agency must ensure that appropriate regulations exist for both agency and state licensing of disposal sites and must be prepared to provide technical assistance to states in reaching decisions on disposal facilities. On January 15, 1986, the President signed into law the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985, which significantly increases NRC responsibilities in a number of areas. Resources have not been included in this budget request for implementing this new legislation. The NRC is currently assessing the extent to which additional resources are required to implement the Act. This The Nuclear Waste Policy Act lays out a detailed approach for high-level waste disposal--an extensive, long-range undertaking with the Department of Energy having operational responsibility and the Commission having regulatory responsibility. undertaking involves a complex, integrated system of waste handling, transportation, interim and retrievable storage, and ultimate deep geologic disposal of high-level radioactive waste requiring a high certainty of acceptable environmental and health impacts over thousands of years. |