Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

United States Department of Energy
Seal of the Department of Energy
James Forrestal headquarters complex in Washington, D.C.
Department overview
Formed	August 4, 1977
Preceding agencies	Energy Research and Development Administration Federal Energy Administration
Employees	16,000 federal (2009)[1] 93,094 contract (2008)
Annual budget	$24.1 billion (2009)
Department executives	Steven Chu, Secretary Daniel Poneman, Deputy Secretary.
Website
energy.gov

The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation is known by the acronym NRR.^[2] It is a subordinate part of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.which is itself part of the United States Department of Energy.

The Office should not be confused with the NRC's Nuclear Regulatory Research. The Office's It's current Director is Eric Leeds. It has deputy directorates for two areas: (1) Reactor Safety Programs and (2)Engineering and Corporate Support. It has program management, policy development and analysis staff as well as an array of divisions.

The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation is responsible for ensuring the public health and safety through licensing and inspection activities at commercial nuclear power plants. However, the actual evaluation of license renewal applications, known as LRA's, is conducted by the Division of License Renewal, a subordinated Division of the multifaceted NRR.^[3] Of current interest to the public and elected officials is the proposed renewal license for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant,DCPP, which is also sometimes referred to as the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. According to Victor Dricks, senior public affairs officer for NRC Region IV, the NRC recently conducted a review of the over 100 nuclear power plants in the United States, including DCPP, and the "found a high level of preparedness and strong capability in terms of equipment and procedures to respond to severe events..."

Scope of authority

It is in charge of nuclear reactor safety for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Its mandate include four main areas:

• rulemaking
• licensing
• oversight
• Incident response team

Jurisdiction

• commercial nuclear power reactors
• test and research reactors

Mandate

The office is charged with the priorities to protect the public health, safety, and the environment. It frequently works in conjunction with the NRC regional organizational structure and other task focused offices for these purposes. The NRC also coordinates at the Commission level with other Federal agencies including its superordinate agency, the NRC.

Divisions

• Division of Safety Systems
• Division of Component Integrity
• Division of Engineering
• Division of Risk Assessment
• Division of License Renewal
• Division of Operating Reactor Licensing
• Division of Inspection and Regional Support
• Division of Policy and Rulemaking

Reorganization

In 1999 the office underwent reorganization under the aegis of the then current director Samuel J. Collins.^[4]

Historic spotlight during TMI accident

The NRR was a key player in the Three Mile Island nuclear incident. The then current Director was Harold Ray Denton who was President Jimmy Carter's adviser for the TMI accident. This direct liaison is notable in that it was NRC Chairman Joseph Hendrie, Denton's superior, who interacted with Pennsylvania Governor Thorndike.^[5] This event provoked considerable public interest which coincided with release of the film The China Syndrome which galvanized public opinion on nuclear policy in the US. In this context, President Carter was advised to walk into the crisis zone personally, in order to demonstrate that the dangers were not as high as many believed.^[6] These events occurred at approximately the same time as the beginning of the J. Samuel Walker term of service as the official historian of the NRC.^[7] These events are documented in Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective

See also

• Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
• Nuclear safety
• Nuclear safety in the United States
• Nuclear policy in the United States
• Nuclear Accident Response Organisation
• Nuclear energy policy in the United States
• Nuclear regulation
• United States Department of Energy
• United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

References

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1. ^ http://www.cfo.doe.gov/CF1-2/2008CR.pdf
2. ^ http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/organization/nrcorg.pdf
3. ^ https://www.fbo.gov/indexs=opportunity&mode=form&id=59347ae5f7c05bfe53814e0c897cdf19&tab=core&_cview=0
4. ^ http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/gen-comm/admin-letters/1999/al99001.html#ATTACHMENT 1
5. ^ 2.^ A Decade Later, TMI's Legacy Is Mistrust The Washington Post, March 28, 1989, p. A01.
6. ^ ^ Lewis, George N.. "Documenting Three Mile Island | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists". Thebulletin.org. http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/documenting-three-mile-island. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
7. ^ ^ Edwards, Rob (2004 -03-20). "Three Mile Island by J. Samuel Walker Reviewed by Rob Edwards issue 2439". newscientist.com. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18124395.900-ithree-mile-islandi-by-j-samuel-walker.html.

External links

• The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission supervises the US Nuclear industry
• Nuclear Power Safety and Security Information