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	CONTACT:	Breck Henderson (817) 860-8128/e-mail: bwh@nrc.gov

RIV: 99-37

November 23, 1999

NRC to Hold "Roundtable Discussion" at Public Meeting November 30 in Auburn on New Reactor Oversight Program

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with invited community leaders, industry representatives and members of public interest groups for a "roundtable" discussion of the agency's new reactor oversight process for the Cooper Nuclear Station during a public meeting on Tuesday, November 30.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Arbor Manor Inn, 1617 Central Ave., Auburn, Nebraska. The roundtable discussion portion of the meeting will be open to public observation. Members of the general public will have an opportunity to present their views to NRC officials afterward.

The Cooper Nuclear Station, operated by Nebraska Public Power District, is one of 13 plants at nine sites participating in a pilot program which began June 1 to test and adjust the new oversight process. A public meeting is planned for each plant site. Following a several month trial to verify the new program and determine if revisions are needed, the process is expected to be implemented next year at all 103 commercial nuclear power reactors.

The NRC is seeking input from the public on its new reactor oversight process, including the inspection and assessment programs to maintain safety, improve public confidence, increase efficiency and effectiveness and reduce unnecessary regulatory burden. The changes reflect, in part, improvements in nuclear power plant safety performance over the past 20 years. Plants that perform well generally will have less regulatory oversight than plants that have problems.

The pilot plant sites are: (1) Salem 1 and 2, near Wilmington, Delaware, operated by Public Service Electric & Gas; (2) Hope Creek near Wilmington, Delaware, operated by Public Service Electric & Gas; (3) Fitzpatrick, near Oswego, New York, operated by the Power Authority of the State of New York; (4) Shearon Harris, near Raleigh, North Carolina, operated by Carolina Power & Light Co.; (5) Sequoyah 1 and 2, near Chattanooga, Tennessee, operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority; (6) Prairie Island 1 and 2, near Minneapolis, Minnesota, operated by Northern States Power Co.; (7) Quad Cities 1 and 2, near Moline, Illinois, operated by Commonwealth Edison Co.; (8) Ft. Calhoun, near Omaha, Nebraska, operated by the Omaha Public Power District; and (9) Cooper, near Nebraska City, Nebraska, operated by the Nebraska Public Power District.

Information on the new oversight program, including a list of questions that will be discussed at the roundtable meeting, is available on the NRC website at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/index.html .

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