Nuclear Regulatory Commission
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Nuclear Regulatory Commission - NRC - |
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| Founded | 19th January 1975 |
| Predecessor organization | Atomic Energy Commission |
| headquarters | Rockville, Maryland |
| Employees | 3600 (2006) |
| Chairman | Stephen G. Burns |
| Website | www.nrc.gov |
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission ( NRC ) is an American authority that emerged from the Atomic Energy Commission in 1974 through the Energy Reorganization Act and was founded on January 19, 1975.
The Commission is responsible for the safety of nuclear power plants , the approval and renewal of operating licenses for nuclear facilities , the licensing and safety of nuclear materials and the management of radioactive waste (storage, recycling and disposal).
In August 2012, the NRC stated that it would suspend all ongoing new applications and approval processes for extensions and conversions to existing facilities because the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit considered the NRC's 2010 radioactive waste disposal and interim storage order in contravention of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and repealed the order. After a two-year review process and the issuance of a new order for the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel at the power plant sites, the NRC, with a resolution dated August 26, 2014, lifted the suspension of the approval process.
tasks
Its tasks are regulating the civilian use of nuclear materials, ensuring adequate protection of public safety and health, supporting national security and defense, and protecting the environment in the United States.
The area of responsibility comprises the three main areas:
- Reactors
- Commercial nuclear power plants for generating electrical power and research and test reactors for research, testing and training
- materials
- Use of nuclear materials in medical, industrial and scientific facilities and plants that produce nuclear fuel
- waste
- Transport, storage and disposal of nuclear materials and radioactive waste as well as the decommissioning of nuclear facilities
The agency is headed by five commissioners, who are appointed for five-year terms by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate . One commissioner is appointed chairman by the president and acts as the commission's official spokesperson. The current chairman is Stephen G. Burns. He was sworn in as a commissioner on November 5, 2014, and his term runs until June 2019. He was appointed chairman of the commission on January 1, 2015 by President Barack Obama .
history
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was part of the Atomic Energy Commission until 1975 . When the Atomic Energy Commission became the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA), the NRC was formed as an independent commission to oversee nuclear energy issues, nuclear medicine and radiation protection .
The development and supervision of nuclear weapons has been delegated to the National Nuclear Security Administration , part of the ERDA. The research and promotion of the civil use of radioactive materials, for example for materials testing , nuclear medicine and nuclear energy, was taken over by the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science & Technology within the ERDA (after 1977 United States Department of Energy , DoE).
Regions
The seat is in Rockville, Maryland . Initially, the NRC monitored five regions; in the late 1990s, Region V's Walnut Creek seat was dissolved and Regions VI and V were united. The current four regions are:
- Region I , based in King of Prussia , Pennsylvania, includes the northeastern states.
- Region II , based in Atlanta , Georgia, includes the southeastern states.
- Region III , based in Lisle , Illinois, covers the northern part of the Midwest.
- Region IV , based in Arlington , Texas, includes the southern portion of the Midwest as well as the western states.
Within these four regions, 104 commercial reactors in nuclear power plants and 36 research reactors are monitored. The supervision takes place at different levels, for example the following:
- Every nuclear power plant has on-site inspectors who observe day-to-day operations.
- A number of inspection teams with different focuses conduct routine inspections at each location.
- Whistleblower reports are investigated by specialist teams.
Training and accreditation
Through the Training Rule from 1993, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission recognizes the training and accreditation of employees by industry.
The NRC follows the accreditation meetings of the National Nuclear Accrediting Board and conducts reviews and inspections of the training. The NRC also nominates some of the members of the National Nuclear Accrediting Board. The National Nuclear Accrediting Board is not a government organization, but is part of the National Academy for Nuclear Training , founded in 1985, which integrates and standardizes the training services of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) and all US nuclear power plants.
Terrorism Threat
Terrorist attacks, such as in New York on September 11, 2001 and London on July 7, 2005, have heightened fears that extremist groups could use radioactive dirty bombs in future attacks in the United States and elsewhere.
In March 2007, undercover agents with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) formed a front company and obtained a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that would have allowed them to purchase radioactive materials that could be used in a dirty bomb. According to the GAO investigation report, the company was not visited by officers from the NRC, nor were any attempts made to interview management. Instead, the license was mailed to a PO Box in West Virginia after 28 days . After obtaining the license, GAO investigators could easily have modified restrictive clauses and removed the limit on the maximum amount of radioactive material that can be purchased. A spokesman for the NRC said the agency viewed such radioactive weapons as "a minor threat." Although a bomb built with the material would have contaminated an area the size of a block, it would not have posed an immediate threat to the health of the population.
See also
Web links
- Website of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (English)
- American Nuclear Society (English)
- Nuclear Energy Institute (English)
- The future of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ CNN :: Nuclear waste issues freeze permits for US power plants. August 9, 2012, accessed December 9, 2019 .
- ↑ NRC: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/orders/2014/2014-08cli.pdf , August 26, 2014
- ^ NRC - Related Documents and Other Resources
- ↑ Jay Davis: After A Nuclear 9/11. In: washingtonpost.com. Washington Post , March 25, 2008, accessed July 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Averting Catastrophe ( Memento from June 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 2.7 MB) p. 338. (English)
- ^ Nicholas D. Kristof: A Nuclear 9/11. In: nytimes.com. The New York Times , March 10, 2004, accessed July 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Eric Lipton: A Nuclear Ruse Uncovers Holes in US Security. In: nytimes.com. The New York Times , July 12, 2007, accessed July 6, 2016 .