The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, is a subordinate part of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The office should not be confused with the NRC's Nuclear Regulatory Research. The office's current director is William Dean. 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 evaluation of license renewal applications is conducted by its Division of License Renewal. Of current interest to the public and elected officials is the proposed renewal license for the

Diablo Canyon Power Plant The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is a nuclear power plant near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, California. Since the permanent shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in 2013, Diablo Canyon has been the only operational nuclea ...

, which is also sometimes referred to as the

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is a nuclear power plant near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, California. Since the permanent shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in 2013, Diablo Canyon has been the only operational nucl ...

. 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 Diablo Canyon, and the "found a high level of preparedness and strong capability in terms of equipment and procedures to respond to severe events..."

Scope of authority

The office is in charge of nuclear reactor safety for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Its mandate includes four main areas: * Rulemaking * Licensing * Oversight * Incident response team

Jurisdiction

* Commercial nuclear power reactors * Test and research reactors

Mandate

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. It works with the regions and other offices to accomplish its mission and contribute to the agency mission.

Divisions

* Safety Systems * Component Integrity * Engineering * Risk Assessment * License Renewal * Operating Reactor Licensing * Inspection and Regional Support * Policy and Rulemaking

Reorganization

In 1999, the office underwent reorganization under the aegis of the then-Director Samuel J. Collins.

Role during Three Mile Island accident

In 1979, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation played a key role in the

Three Mile Island accident The Three Mile Island accident was a partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island, Unit 2 (TMI-2) reactor in Pennsylvania, United States. It began at 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979. It is the most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclea ...

that occurred in Pennsylvania. The office's director at the time,

Harold Denton Harold Ray Denton (24 February 1936 – 13 February 2017) was the Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation at the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) and is best known for his role as Jimmy Carter, President Jimmy Cart ...

, personally advised President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

throughout the crisis. This direct liaison is notable in that it was NRC Chairman

Joseph Hendrie Joseph Mallam Hendrie (born March 18, 1925) is a former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). On August 9, 1977 he was named to a four-year term on the Commission and designated as its chairman by President Jimmy Carter.

, Denton's superior, who interacted with Pennsylvania's governor

Dick Thornburgh Richard Lewis Thornburgh (July 16, 1932 – December 31, 2020) was an American lawyer, author, and Republican politician who served as the 41st governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987, and then as the United States attorney general fro ...

. This event provoked considerable public interest that coincided with release of the film ''

The China Syndrome ''The China Syndrome'' is a 1979 American disaster thriller film directed by James Bridges and written by Bridges, Mike Gray, and T. S. Cook. The film stars Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas (who also produced), Scott Brady, James Ham ...

'', galvanizing public opinion on nuclear policy in the United States. Given this context, President Carter was advised to walk into the crisis zone in person in order to demonstrate that the dangers were not as high as many believed. These events occurred at approximately the same time as the beginning of the

J. Samuel Walker J. Samuel Walker is an American historian and author based in Maryland, most notable for his research and writing on the nuclear age, both weaponry and atomic energy. Several of his books have earned broad-based critical acclaim and advanced nove ...

term of service as the official historian of the NRC and are documented by him in '' Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective''.

References

External links

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Nuclear power safety and security
{{DEFAULTSORT:Office Of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Nuclear safety and security Nuclear power in the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission