NRC: News Release - 2005-164 - NRC and States Issue Requirements for Increased Controls on Certain Radioactive Materials


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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs	Telephone: 301/415-8200
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No. 05-164

December 5, 2005

NRC AND STATES ISSUE REQUIREMENTS FOR
INCREASED CONTROLS ON CERTAIN RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
Printable Version

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and state regulators have issued legally binding requirements to licensees to implement increased controls over radioactive materials in certain "quantities of concern."

The requirements are the first part of a cooperative effort, announced in September, between the NRC and the 33 Agreement States to enhance controls of radioactive materials that could potentially be of use to terrorists. The effort is consistent with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Code of Conduct for the Safety and Security of Radioactive Materials, which is the internationally recognized standard for categorizing and protecting radioactive materials.

The NRC’s Order to its licensees was published Dec. 1 in the Federal Register. As of Dec. 2, the Agreement States have issued the increased controls to their licensees. Approximately 2,200 licensees nationwide have received the requirements.

"This effort demonstrates close cooperation between federal and state agencies toward the common goal of protecting public health and safety in the productive use of radioactive materials," said Jack Strosnider Jr., director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards.

"The 33 Agreement States have done a tremendous job in rapidly issuing increased controls that were essentially identical to NRC’s requirements," said Janet Schlueter, director of the NRC’s Office of State and Tribal Programs. "Like the NRC, the states recognize the critical importance of enhancing control of certain radioactive materials." Agreement States are those that regulate the medical, industrial and academic uses of radioactive materials under agreements with the NRC.

Licensees must complete implementation of the required measures within 180 days of receiving them, or the first day they possess quantities of concern, whichever is later.

Additional information about the increased controls, including guidance to licensees, is available from the NRC’s electronic document database, ADAMS, by entering ML053130241 at this address on the agency’s Web site: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html.

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