ACRS Charter
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION CHARTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS
(Pursuant to Section 9 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act)
- The Committee’s official designation:
Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)
- The Committee’s objectives and the scope of its activity:
- Section 29 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, provides:
- Section 182b. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, provides:
- Chapter 21, Section 313(f), of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended (by Public Law 100-456, The National Defense Authorization
Act, Fiscal Year 1989), established the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board and provides that: - 10 CFR 1.13 provides that the ACRS:
- The Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended by Section 6 of
Public Law 95-209, added the ACRS Fellowship Program providing that: - 10 CFR 52.23, 10 CFR 52.53, and 10 CFR 52.87 provide that the
application for Early Site Permits, Standard Design Certifications, and
Combined Licenses, respectively, be referred by the Commission to the
ACRS and that the ACRS report on those portions of the applications
which concern safety. - 10 CFR 54.25 provides that each application for the renewal of an
Operating License for a nuclear power plant be referred to the ACRS and
that the ACRS review and report on each application. - The ACRS shall report to and advise the Commission on issues associated with nuclear materials and waste management. The bases of reviews include 10 CFR Parts 20, 40, 50, 60, 61, 70, 71, and 72, and other closely related regulations and legislative mandates. These reviews shall include matters related to waste management, radiation health effects, and health physics as they pertain to the disposal of nuclear waste (including transportation issues) and the processing of nuclear materials.
- The time period necessary for the Committee to carry out its purposes:
- Agency or official to whom this Committee reports:
- Agency responsible for providing necessary support for the Committee:
- A description of the duties for which the Committee is responsible, and, if such
duties are not solely advisory, a specification of the authority for such functions: - The estimated annual operating costs in dollars and staff years for the
Committee1: - $5,431.000
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- The estimated number and frequency of Committee meetings:
- The Committee’s termination date, if less than two years, from the date of
establishment:
“There is hereby established an Advisory Committee on Reactor
Safeguards consisting of a maximum of fifteen members appointed by the
Commission for terms of four years each. The Committee shall review
safety studies and facility license applications referred to it and shall make
reports thereon, shall advise the Commission with regard to the hazards
of proposed or existing reactor facilities and the adequacy of proposed
reactor safety standards, and shall perform such other duties as the
Commission may request. One member shall be designated by the
Committee as its Chairman. The members of the Committee shall receive
a per diem compensation for each day spent in meetings or conferences,
or other work of the Committee, and all members shall receive their
necessary traveling or other expenses while engaged in the work of the
Committee. The provisions of Section 163 shall be applicable to the
Committee.”
“The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards shall review each
application under section 103 or section 104b. for a construction permit or
an operating license for a facility, any application under section 104c. for a
construction permit or an operating license for a testing facility, any
application under section 104a. or c. specifically referred to it by the
Commission, and any application for an amendment to a construction
permit or an amendment to an operating license under section 103 or
104a., b., or c. specifically referred to it by the Commission, and shall
submit a report thereon which shall be made part of the record of the
application and available to the public except to the extent that security
classification prevents disclosure.”
“With the consent of and under appropriate support arrangements with the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Board may obtain the advice and
recommendations of the staff of the Commission on matters relating to the
Board’s responsibilities and may obtain the advice and recommendations
of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards on such matters.”
“... upon request of the Department of Energy (DOE), reviews and advises
with regard to the hazards of DOE nuclear activities and facilities; reviews
any generic issues or other matters referred to it by the Commission for
advice. The Committee, on its own initiative, may conduct reviews of
specific generic matters or nuclear facility safety-related items.”
“To assist the ACRS in carrying out its function, the Committee shall
establish a fellowship program under which persons having appropriate
engineering or scientific expertise are assigned particular tasks relating to
the functions of the Committee. Such fellowships are for two-year periods
and the recipients of such fellowships shall be selected pursuant to such
criteria as may be established by the Committee.”
The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards is a continuing Committee, as
provided in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (see Item 2, above).
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The duties of the Committee are set forth in Item 2, above.
Frequency of meetings: 10 meetings per year of the full Committee; and an
estimated 45 meetings per year of ACRS subcommittees.
Not applicable. See Item 3, above.
Filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
December 11, 2008
/RA/ Andrew L. Bates |
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1
Figures are as reported in the Annual FACA report. Committee operating costs include
compensation to members, staff and consultants, travel and administrative costs such as rent, graphics, mail, etc.
