Re: Future role for NRC?

[Tim <tstead@ntirs.org>]

Just out of curiosity, why are radioactive materials

and radiation just about the only hazardous material

with its own special and seperate regulator?  I mean,

we don't have a CRC (Chemical Regulatory Commission),

LNGRC (LNG Reg. Comm.), PRC (Petroleum Reg. Comm.),

etc.



Am I missing the boat on something here?  Why are

radioactive materials so special that they require a

totally seperate governmental beurocracy to control

every aspect surrounding them?  No wonder the NRC

isn't as effective as it could be - they have to do

many concurrent functions as other groups and

therefore assume the same responsibilities as many

other governmental organizations.  Talk about not only

reinventing the wheel, but hiring a few hundred people

to help out on doing so.



When we have thousands of Molotav cocktails on wheels

traverssing our nation each day which result in many,

many terrible accidents all the time (compared to the

impecible safety record of rad waste shipments) I'd

say we have our priorities backwards!



Regards,

Tim Steadham, P.E.



--- "Jacobus, John (OD/ORS)" <jacobusj@ors.od.nih.gov>

wrote:

> I received this through another list server.

> 

> -- John

> John Jacobus, MS

> Certified Health Physicist 

> 3050 Traymore Lane

> Bowie, MD  20715-2024

> 

> E-mail:  jenday1@email.msn.com (H)      

> 

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: "Gary H. Zeman" <ghzeman@lbl.gov>

> To: <navrhoret@rad.usuhs.mil>

> Cc: <navrho@rad.usuhs.mil>

> Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2001 3:04 PM

> Subject: Re: navrhoret: BOOKMARKED 10CFR35 FILE

> 

> 

> Interestng to note that last week's appropriations

> bill conference report

> included yet another tasking on external regulation

> (NRC and OSHA) of some

> DOE labs.  See below.  Unanswered questions from

> previous pilot studies are

> (1)

> who will be the licensee (DOE or contractor)?, (2)

> how will accelerators be

> covered (NRC or OSHA)?, and (3) What (if any) will

> be the role of Agreement

> States

> (now, later, never)?

> 

> Cheers,

> 

> Gary

> 

> 

> EXTERNAL REGULATION

> 

> The Department is directed to prepare an

> implementation plan for the

> transition to external regulation at the

> Department's

> non-defense science laboratories. For the purpose of

> preparing this plan,

> the Department should assume that the Nuclear

> Regulatory Commission (NRC) would take over

> regulatory responsibility for

> nuclear safety at the Department's non-defense

> science laboratories, and the Occupational Safety

> and Health Administration

> (OSHA) would take over regulatory responsibility for

> worker safety at these

> laboratories. The conferees expect the Department to

> coordinate with NRC and

> OSHA, and to build upon the previous external

> regulation pilot programs, in

> developing this plan. For planning purposes,

> external regulation would apply

> to the five multiprogram and five single-purpose

> laboratories under the

> Office

> of Science, and the Department should assume

> external regulation to become

> effective beginning in fiscal year 2004. The

> implementation plan for

> external regulation is not to address nuclear

> weapons facilities,

> environmental

> remediation sites, or other Department laboratories,

> facilities, and sites.

> The implementation plan should address all details

> necessary to implement

> external regulation, including an estimate of the

> additional resources

> needed by the

> NRC and OSHA, corresponding reductions in funding

> and staffing at the

> Department, specific facilities or classes of

> facilities for which external

> regulation

> cannot be implemented in a timely manner, necessary

> changes to existing

> management and operating contracts, and changes in

> statutory language

> necessary to effect the transition to external

> regulation.

> 

> This plan is due to the House and Senate Committees

> on Appropriations by May

> 31, 2002. Note that this provision only

> requires  the Department to produce an

> implementation plan for external

> regulation for a limited set of DOE facilities; the

> actual transition to

> external regulation for those facilities will

> require additional legislative

> direction.

>

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