DOE to Submit Legislation for External Reg of Nuclear Safety

[Stuart.Altman@dp.doe.gov]

  Well RADSAFERs, with a new Secretary of Energy to come on line, it should 
  be interesting to see how much of the external regulation of nuclear 
  safety at DOE actually gets transferred to the NRC.  After all, ten years 
  is a long time......
  ________________________________________________________________________
  
                DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TO SUBMIT LEGISLATION FOR
                    EXTERNAL REGULATION OF NUCLEAR SAFETY
  
     The Department of Energy (DOE) will submit legislation to transfer 
     oversight of nuclear safety to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
     Secretary of Energy Hazel R. O'Leary announced on December 20, 1996.  
     The transfer will be phased in over a ten-year period according to 
     recommendations made to the Secretary by The DOE Working Group on 
     External Regulation.  Secretary O'Leary tasked the working group with 
     determining the details on how to implement the transition from self 
     regulation to external regulation of nuclear facilities and by what 
     agency.  Earlier this year, an independent committee, The Advisory 
     Committee on External Regulation of Department of Energy Nuclear 
     Safety, recommended that all aspects of safety at DOE nuclear 
     facilities should be externally regulated by an existing agency.
  
     The "Report of the Department of Energy Working Group on External 
     Regulation" is available to everyone to read or download 
     electronically at http://tis-nt.eh.doe.gov/extreg.  In addition,
     the report is available through the EH Information Center by calling 
     301-903-8358 or 1-800-473-4375 or e:mailing your request at 
     ESH-Infocenter@eh.doe.gov.
     
     ______________________________________________________________________
     
     Stuart M. Altman
     U.S. Department of Energy
     Defense Programs
     stuart.altman@dp.doe.gov