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	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II 61 Forsyth Street, Suite 23T85, Atlanta, GA 30303
	CONTACT:	Ken Clark (Phone: 404/562-4416, E-mail: kmc2@nrc.gov )
		Roger Hannah (Phone 404/562-4417, E-mail: rdh1@nrc.gov )

No: II-99-57

Wednesday, December 29, 1999

NRC Staff Schedules Enforcement Conference with West Virginia University on January 7

Meeting Is Open To Observation By The Public

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a predecisional enforcement conference with West Virginia University at 11:00 a.m. on January 7 at the NRC's Region II office, located on the 24^th floor in the Atlanta Federal Center at 61 Forsyth Street in Atlanta.

The conference has been scheduled to discuss six apparent violations associated with the university's NRC radioactive materials license.

NRC officials say the apparent violations include the failure to properly control licensed material in several areas, the failure to make adequate surveys in some areas, the failure to effectively prohibit eating and drinking in radionuclide work areas, the failure to check for contamination in active laboratories, the failure to label bags containing radioactive waste and the failure to post a radiation area. The apparent violations were discovered during an inspection last month at the university's facilities.

The decision to hold a predecisional enforcement conference does not mean that a determination has been made that a violation has occurred or that enforcement action will be taken. The purpose is to discuss apparent violations, their causes and safety significance, to provide the licensee with an opportunity to point out errors that may have been made in the NRC inspection report and to enable the company to outline its proposed corrective actions.

No decision on the apparent violations or any contemplated enforcement action, such as a civil penalty, will be made at the conference. Those decisions will be made by NRC officials at a later time.

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