NRC Independent External Review Panel to Identify Vulnerabilities in the Materials Licensing Program – Final Report
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Independent External Review Panel to Identify Vulnerabilities in the Materials Licensing Program presented its final report to the Commission during a March 18 briefing. The Panel was formed as part of the NRC response in the wake of last summer’s U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) covert investigation where the GAO set up a false company, obtained a NRC license to acquire a small number of portable moisture-density gauges, and modified the license to allow them to possess larger quantities.
The members of the panel were Chairman Thomas E. Hill, Georgia Radiation Control Program (retired); Benjamin Nerud, Defense Threat Reduction Agency; and Michael T. Ryan, PhD, CHP, NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste and Materials.
The charge of the Panel was to review the NRC materials licensing program and provide recommendations to prevent security weaknesses from being exploited in the future. To achieve this, the Panel held seven public meetings to collect information and talk with NRC headquarters staff, NRC and Agreement State regional inspectors and license reviewers, and stakeholders from the regulated community. In December, ACR member Ralph Lieto, MSE, also a member of NRC’s Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes, presented on behalf of the ACR regarding the concerns of medical use licensees.
The first draft of the report was released for public comment in February and several changes proposed by stakeholders were implemented in the final report released March 18. It emphasized perceived needs in the areas of license verification, pre-licensing site visits, anti-counterfeiting measures, security training for personnel, and a more efficient, consolidated Web Based Licensing and National Source Tracking System. The Panel recommended the suspension of the “Good Faith Presumption” for new license applicants until they have established familiarity and trust, while also protecting known licensees and their access to short-lived medical isotopes and other low risk radioactive materials.
Rulemakings and/or orders may be initiated in the near future to implement some of the Panel’s recommendations. The GAO and Congress are pressuring the Commission to act quickly and decisively to enhance NRC’s security measures.
For additional information, please access the below materials.
Presentation slides: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/slides/2008/20080318/080318-ierp-commission-briefing-slides.pdf
NRC press release: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2008/08-059.html