Nuclear Plant Journal, May-June 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com
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think when we develop new regulations,
when we conduct our oversight program,
I think what we’re really trying to look
for is this performance-based and risk-
informed approach, to make sure that
the criteria really are what are essential
to safety. And also, from the standpoint
of allowing innovation by the industry in
terms of where they’re going, in terms of
improving their operations and making
their own assessment about where there
are good things. Ultimately for us, as I
emphasized, is that we’re not trying to
achieve zero risk as a regulator. That’s
not our mandate. But it is trying to be the
most effective, and I think if we always
keep that goal in mind, that helps us head
in the right direction.
6.
Once NRC’s tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3
actions are complete, is NRC looking at a
way to sustain this momentum?
This is the year where we hope
and we expect the bulk of the Tier 1
actions will be implemented at most
plants, and then we do have the seismic
and flooding evaluations. They will
come in over the next few years. We are
beginning to fold the oversight of those
safety enhancements into our regular
reactor oversight process. They will be
inspected through the routine reactor
oversight process. We’re taking the next
steps beyond implementation, moving
to routine oversight and inspection of
the maintenance of the equipment and
of the changes. For example, the FLEX
equipment that’s been added or installed
after that, we’ll inspect that. That will go
into the normal oversight program. We
want to assure that personnel at the plant,
who may be called upon to look at or to
use the equipment, are trained on it and
know how to deploy it, and that’s another
thing to inspect. So, where I think the
primary road to assuring that momentum
or keeping the improvements in place
is to incorporate that into our normal
oversight activities.
7.
How can the students in American
universities take advantage of the Nuclear
Energy Agency’s Law School?
Probably half of the students who
went through the Nuclear Energy
Agency’s Law School program did not
have law degrees. That was actually
one of the interesting things about the
program, is that you had people who were
from regulators, you had people from
what I would call project management,
from insurers, from government agencies
who might not be in the nuclear field, go
to it. The program provides an in-depth
overview of various aspects of nuclear
law from an international perspective.
Students learn that here are the treaties
in the safety area, in the safeguards area,
nonproliferation, and in liability and
dealing with those things. And one of the
things we were adding during the time I
was there, we added like a half a day or so
on basically project management.
And what I would say to those who
might be interested in the program, I
think you’re going to want to have a
nuclear interest. It can complement
your work. If you’re already a lawyer
and you’re interested in the nuclear
field or have some contact with it, it
helps you in that area. It helps, I know,
the people in the insurance area. They
were particularly interested in what’s
the scheme for regulation, both from
the international convention standpoint,
and how it gets implemented. It’s not
going to give you a career in itself. We
have people of all ages too. We did have
(university) students. IAEA sponsors
about 15 people a year, particularly
with emerging nuclear programs. We
had a number of, for example, African
countries, where basically they needed
a solid radiation protection program for
industrial and medical uses. So, I’m still
touting the benefits of the program, but
it gives participants a good grounding in
these various areas.
Contact: NRC Office of Public
Affairs, telephone: (301) 415-8200,
email:
.
NRC Chairman Burns at Palo Verde.
Photo Credit: Arizona Public Service Co.
