NRC Reorganizes Materials, Agreement State Programs
October 10, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS
The NRC Agreement State program has grown to 34 states, with three more in the process of negotiating agreements to regulate the industrial, academic and medical uses of radioactive materials. Currently, the Agreement States maintain approximately 18,000 licenses, while the NRC has jurisdiction over approximately 4,400 licenses in the remaining states. "The increase in the number of Agreement States, along with the expected wave of applications for new nuclear power plants, spent fuel reprocessing plants and a high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain, have created new challenges and demands on the agency's resources," said Martin J. Virgilio, NRC deputy executive director for materials, research, state and compliance programs. "This reorganization will help us meet these demands while maintaining our ability to protect public health and safety and the environment." The newly created Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs (FSME) officially began operations Oct. 1. The new office is comprised of the former Office of State and Tribal Programs, two of the technical divisions from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) and a small program support staff. A refocused NMSS also began operations effective Oct. 1, concentrating on the nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium conversion and enrichment to fuel manufacturing and high-level waste storage, transportation and disposal. Source: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). |