U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, led an oversight hearing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to discuss recent updates to the agency’s mission statement and explore opportunities for regulatory efficiency.
During the hearing, Capito questioned NRC commissioners about steps being taken to make the revised mission statement actionable and how reporting requirements could be streamlined. The updated mission statement, realigned for the first time in many years, was adopted by the full commission in January.
“I want to talk about the mission statement, making it actionable. We've all kind of alluded to the fact that the mission statement was realigned for the first time in many, many years, and to achieve its greatest impact, the Commission has to, with the staff, has to rewrite the guidance so that further actions can adhere to the vision that's outlined in that statement. The ADVANCE Act required the Commission to describe to Congress how it will update agency guidance to reflect the new mission statement. The report was due in July, but we have yet to receive that report. So, what are your observations about how the agency has reflected the spirit of the revised mission statement in its activities to implement the ADVANCE Act, and where do you see us going from here?” Capito asked.
Chairman Wright responded: “The mission statement is something that we work very hard on, especially with colleague here to my left, we worked very hard on that over the holidays last year. And finally, the whole Commission, as you know, adopted it in January. The mission statement outlines exactly what we do as an agency every day. It hits every factor and even with the executive orders that are out there, as I see it right now, it supports the executive orders as well.”
Commissioner Crowell added: “I think the mission statement we've worked out on a bipartisan basis was well received by this Committee. I think it reflects the current goals and mission of the agency.”
Capito also addressed efforts toward streamlining reporting requirements at NRC facilities under regulations established by Congress through legislation known as the ADVANCE Act. She cited ‘non-emergency event reporting’—where licensees must notify NRC of certain issues—as an area where simplification could help focus resources on safety concerns.
“Congress passed [the] ADVANCE Act to direct [the] NRC to be more efficient in its regulation...to focus on issues that are most important to safety,” she said during her remarks. Capito pointed out a proposal submitted by career NRC staff last summer aimed at eliminating some non-essential reporting obligations.
Chairman Wright voiced support for these changes: “My position for a long time has been that that effort to eliminate these requirements is a good example of risk-informing our regulations and improving them. So yes, I would support.”
Commissioner Crowell agreed: “Yes, I think what we can do to reduce [the] burden on our inspectors for doing potentially needless paperwork exercises is a valuable part of our efficiency goals.”
Commissioner Marzano noted areas for improvement while emphasizing situational awareness: “There's definitely room for improvement. I support [the] staff’s work here. In any way that we can ensure that [the] NRC remains situationally aware of what's going on [in] fleet at any given time—that is a valuable aspect of this type of reporting. But I do support streamlining—making that process more efficient.”
