Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe, chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, sent a letter to the comptroller general of the United States Government Accountability Office seeking data regarding the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s use of requests for additional information (RAI). The letter, dated, March 1, 2016, was also signed by Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso and West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, chairman of the Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety for Senate Environment and Public Works.
“During the late 1990s, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee oversight activities unearthed concerns regarding the excessive use of RAIs resulting in unnecessary increased costs and schedule delays,” the members stated.
The letter further states, “Similar concerns have resurfaced in the past year regarding the number, nature, and management of RAIs.”
Inhofe indicates that his committee would like to have a GAO report before hearings are held in the spring of 2017. The detailed information sought includes:
Volume of NRC-issued RAIs during the past five years including successive rounds and types of data requested;
Outline of NRC’s processes to issue RAIs and steps used to ensure compliance with the NRC’s guidance;
Frequency of deviation from the NRC guidelines;
Management procedures used to track the issuance of RAIs, collection of responses and accuracy verification;
Data regarding failure of applicants to respond within the requested time period; and
RAI concerns by all pertinent parties and actions being taken by the NRC to address the concerns.
RAIs are designed to enable the NRC staff to obtain all relevant information needed to make a regulatory decision that is fully informed, technically correct and legally defensible.
