Office of the Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress (NUREG-1415, Volume 25, No. 1)

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• Publication Information
• A Message from the Inspector General

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Publication Information

Date Published: April 2012
Reporting Period: October 1, 2011 – March 31, 2012

Office of the Inspector General
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555

Availability Notice

A Message from the Inspector General

I am pleased to present this Semiannual Report to Congress on the activities and accomplishments of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) from October 1, 2011, to March 31, 2012.

Our work reflects the legislative mandate of the Inspector General Act, which is to identify and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse through the conduct of audits and investigations relating to NRC programs and operations. The audits and investigations highlighted in this report reflect our commitment to ensuring integrity and efficiency in NRC’s programs and operations.

During this reporting period, the NRC OIG continued its focus on critical NRC operations to include the agency use of Confirmatory Action Letters to supplement its enforcement program and the effectiveness of NRC’s regulatory oversight of decommissioned uranium recovery sites. Working with the NRC timely to identify program areas warranting improvement will afford the agency the opportunity to take any necessary corrective action.

During this semiannual reporting period, we issued 11 audit reports. As a result of this work, OIG made a number of recommendations to improve the effective and efficient operation of NRC’s safety, security, and corporate management programs. OIG also opened 30 investigations and completed 30 cases. Nine of the open cases were referred to the Department of Justice, and 17 allegations were referred to NRC management for action.

The NRC OIG remains committed to the integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness of NRC programs and operations, and our audits, investigations, and other activities highlighted in this report demonstrate this ongoing commitment. OIG efforts were recently recognized with the granting of two Awards for Excellence by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. I commend the recipients of these awards for their noteworthy achievements in carrying out the mission of the Office of the Inspector General.

My office continuously strives to maintain the highest possible standards of professionalism and quality in its audits and investigations. I would like to acknowledge our auditors, investigators, and support staff for their superior work and ongoing commitment to the mission of this office.

Finally, the success of the NRC OIG would not be possible without the collaborative efforts between my staff and those of the agency to address OIG findings and to implement recommended corrective actions timely. I wish to thank them for their dedication and support, and I look forward to their continued cooperation as we work together to ensure the integrity and efficiency of agency operations.

Hubert T. Bell
Inspector General