Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request

AGENCY:

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

ACTION:

Notice of the OMB review of information collection and solicitation of public comment.

SUMMARY:

The NRC has recently submitted to OMB for review the following proposal for the collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). The NRC hereby informs potential respondents that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and that a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

1. Type of submission, new, revision, or extension: Revision.

2. The title of the information collection: “Nuclear Material Events Database (NMED)” for the Collection of Event Report, Response, Analyses, and Follow-up Data on Events Involving the Use of Atomic Energy Act (AEA) Radioactive Byproduct Material.

3. The form number if applicable: N/A.

4. How often the collection is required: Agreement States are requested to provide copies of licensee event reports electronically or by hard copy to NRC on a monthly basis or within 30 days of receipt from their licensee. This schedule provides the Agreement States 30 days to assess the licensee information prior to providing the information to NRC. Reportable events involve industrial, commercial, medical use, and/or academic use of radioactive byproduct materials. In addition, Agreement States are requested to report events that may pose a significant health and safety hazard to the NRC Headquarters Operations Officer within the next working day of notification by an Agreement State licensee.

5. Who will be required or asked to report: Current Agreement States and any State receiving Agreement State status in the future.

6. An estimate of the number of responses: 900.

7. The estimated number of annual respondents: 31.

8. An estimate of the total number of hours needed annually to complete the requirement or request: 945 hours (an average of approximately 1.0 hour per response) for all existing Agreement States reporting; any new Agreement State would and approximately 29 event reports (including follow-up reports) per year or 29 burden hours.

9. An indication of whether Section 3507(d), Pub. L. 104-13 applies: Not applicable.

10. Abstract: NRC regulations require NRC licensees to report incidents and events involving the use of radioactive byproduct material, and source material, such as those involving the radiation overexposures, leaking or contaminated field source(s), release of excessive contamination of radioactive material, lost or stolen radioactive material, equipment failures, and abandoned well logging sources. Medical misadministrations are required to be reported in accordance with 10 CFR 35.33. Agreement State licenses are also required to report these events and medical misadministrations to their individual Agreement State and regulatory authorities under compatible Agreement State regulations. NRC is requesting that the Agreement States provide information on the initial notification, response actions, and follow-up investigations on events and medical misadministrations involving the use of nuclear materials regulated pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act. The event information should be provided in a uniform electronic format, for assessment and identification of any facilities/site specific or generic safety concerns that could have the potential to impact public health and safety. The identification and review of safety concerns may result in lessons learned, and may also identify generic issues for further study which could result in proposals for changes or revisions to technical or regulatory designs, processes or standards.

A copy of the final supporting statement may be viewed free of charge at the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW (lower level), Washington, DC. OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC worldwide web site (http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/PUBLIC/OMB/index.html). The document will be available on the NRC home page site for 60 days after the signature date of this notice.

Comments and questions should be directed to the OMB reviewer listed below by July 24, 2000. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but assurance of consideration cannot be given to comments received after this date, Erik Godwin, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (3150-0178), NEOB-10202, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

Comments can also be submitted by telephone at (202) 395-3087.

The NRC Clearance Officer is Brenda Jo. Shelton, 301-415-7233.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.