NRC AFFIRMS FINAL RULE AMENDING DESIGNATION AND
HANDLING OF SAFEGUARDS INFORMATION
Printable Version

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is affirming a final rule today that will amend its regulations on the designation and handling of security-related information known as “Safeguards Information,” or SGI. SGI is a special category of sensitive unclassified information authorized under the Atomic Energy Act.

The rule, published in the Federal Register soon, will be effective 120 days from publication.

The final rule reflects changes in the threat environment since Sept. 11th, 2001, and the need to protect as SGI additional types of security information held by a broader group of licensees. The final rule incorporates public comments and new authority granted to the NRC by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. An original version of the proposed rule was published in February 2005, and a revised version was published for additional comment in October 2006.

Individuals provided access to SGI must have a valid “need to know” the information, and be authorized for access based on a background check for trustworthiness and reliability. Since the unauthorized release of SGI could harm the country’s nuclear power plants and other facilities and materials regulated by the NRC, SGI must be protected from unauthorized disclosure and physically controlled. Inadvertent release and unauthorized disclosure may result in civil penalties while willful violation of SGI regulations is a felony.

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Wednesday, November 26, 2008