| United States Department of Energy |
|
|---|---|
| Seal of the Department of Energy | |
| James Forrestal headquarters complex in Washington, D.C. | |
| Department overview | |
| Formed | August 4, 1977 |
| Preceding agencies | Energy Research and Development Administration Federal Energy Administration |
| Employees | 16,000 federal (2009)[1] 93,094 contract (2008) |
| Annual budget | $24.1 billion (2009) |
| Department executives | Steven Chu, Secretary Daniel Poneman, Deputy Secretary. |
| Website | |
| energy.gov | |
The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation is known by the acronym NRR.[2] It is a subordinate part of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.which is itself part of the United States Department of Energy.
The Office should not be confused with the NRC's Nuclear Regulatory Research. The Office's It's current Director is Eric Leeds. It has deputy directorates for two areas: (1) Reactor Safety Programs and (2)Engineering and Corporate Support. It has program management, policy development and analysis staff as well as an array of divisions.
The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation is responsible for ensuring the public health and safety through licensing and inspection activities at commercial nuclear power plants. However, the actual evaluation of license renewal applications, known as LRA's, is conducted by the Division of License Renewal, a subordinated Division of the multifaceted NRR.[3] Of current interest to the public and elected officials is the proposed renewal license for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant,DCPP, which is also sometimes referred to as the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. According to Victor Dricks, senior public affairs officer for NRC Region IV, the NRC recently conducted a review of the over 100 nuclear power plants in the United States, including DCPP, and the "found a high level of preparedness and strong capability in terms of equipment and procedures to respond to severe events..."
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It is in charge of nuclear reactor safety for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Its mandate include four main areas:
The office is charged with the priorities to protect the public health, safety, and the environment. It frequently works in conjunction with the NRC regional organizational structure and other task focused offices for these purposes. The NRC also coordinates at the Commission level with other Federal agencies including its superordinate agency, the NRC.
In 1999 the office underwent reorganization under the aegis of the then current director Samuel J. Collins.[4]
The NRR was a key player in the Three Mile Island nuclear incident. The then current Director was Harold Ray Denton who was President Jimmy Carter's adviser for the TMI accident. This direct liaison is notable in that it was NRC Chairman Joseph Hendrie, Denton's superior, who interacted with Pennsylvania Governor Thorndike.[5] This event provoked considerable public interest which coincided with release of the film The China Syndrome which galvanized public opinion on nuclear policy in the US. In this context, President Carter was advised to walk into the crisis zone personally, in order to demonstrate that the dangers were not as high as many believed.[6] These events occurred at approximately the same time as the beginning of the J. Samuel Walker term of service as the official historian of the NRC.[7] These events are documented in Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective
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