Senators request monthly progress reports from NRC

Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) recently sent a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), requesting monthly progress reports to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

“In this letter we will revisit several of these issues, which oftentimes appear inconsistent with the NRC’s Principles of Good Regulation,” the senators wrote. “We will also set out our expectations for the NRC to report routinely to the committee on actions to correct these and other problems.”

The request follows an NRC public meeting in July and a letter from NRC Chairman, Stephen Burns, which concluded that the NRC did not find any issues it needed to address.

“The conclusion that the NRC staff has matters well-in-hand and needs to take no further action does not comport with the results of our oversight,” the letter said. “This assertion also stands in contrast [to] the NRC values of Service and Excellence which advocate that employees should strive to be proactive, self-aware, and continuously improving.”

The senators requested updates on staffing level, as well the statuses of license renewals, second license renewal reviews, design certifications, combined licenses and early permit applications. The letter also pressed the NRC to more quickly review new plant applications, strictly follow the backfit rule and focus on Project Aim, an initiative to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the agency.