The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was established as an independent regulatory agency under the provisions of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (88 Stat. 1242; 42 U.S.C. 5841) and Executive Order 11834, of January 15, 1975, effective January 19, 1975. Transferred to the NRC were all licensing and related regulatory functions formerly assigned to the Atomic Energy Commission, which was established by the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 755) as amended by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (68 Stat. 919; 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), as amended.

The major program components of the NRC are the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, and the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, which were created by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974; plus the Commission-created Office of Standards Development and Office of Inspection and Enforcement. Headquarters offices are located in Bethesda, Md., and regional offices are located in five domestic areas.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's purpose is to assure that the civilian uses of nuclear materials and facilities are conducted in a manner

consistent with the public health and safety, environmental quality, national security, and the antitrust laws. The major share of the Commission effort is focused on the use of nuclear energy to generate electric power.

Programs and Activities

NRC fulfills its responsibilities through a system of licensing and regulation which includes, among other things: licensing the construction and operation of nuclear reactors and other nuclear facilities and the possession, use, processing, transport, handling and disposal of nuclear materials; regulation of licensed activities including assurance that measures are taken for the physical protection of facilities and materials; development and implementation of rules and regulations governing licensed nuclear activities; conduct of public hearings on radiological safety, environmental, common defense and security and antitrust matters, and the development of effective working relationships with the States regarding the regulation of nuclear materials. This relationship includes the assurance that adequate regulatory programs are maintained by those States which exercise, by agreeme

with the Commission, regulatory control over certain nuclear materials within their respective borders. Inspection of NRC-licensed activities is carried out from five regional offices.

The Commission also contracts for research deemed necessary for performing licensing and related regulatory functions and is conducting and is conducting surveys dealing with the feasibility of a NRC security agency for safeguards and safeguard aspects in using mixed oxide fuels in light water reactors.

Sources of Information

General information may be obtained by directing inquiries to the Director, Office of Public Affairs, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.Č. 20555. Specific information is available as shown below.

PUBLIC DOCUMENT ROOM

NRC has a Public Document Room located at 1717 H Street NW., Washington, D.C. 20555, which may be visited in person or contacted by mail.

Local Public Document Rooms, located in 136 public libraries closest to various nuclear facility sites, contain information about the operations of the particular nuclear plants involved. These may be visited in person. A list of these Local Public Document Rooms is available from the Director, Division of Rules and Records, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555.

RECORDS

Freedom of Information Act queries should be directed to the Director, Office of Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555.

PUBLICATIONS

Annual Report 1976 provides a summary of major activities for the year. It is available from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

A variety of scientific and technical information dealing with licensing and regulating civilian nuclear power is produced by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Publications, JanuaryDecember 1976, Accessions List is available free from the Director, Division of Document Control. Updated monthly, this listing identifies NRC reports by title and report number and states the price and availability of each publication.

Single copies of some publications are available free from the NRC originating office, such as Draft Environmental Statements, from the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, or other originating office. Regulatory Guides describe methods to implement specific NRC regulations. These are published in ten subject areas: Power Reactors, Research and Test Reactors, Fuels and Materials Facilities, Environmental and Siting, Materials and Plant Protection, Products, Transportation, Occupational Health, Antitrust Review, and General. Currently, single copies of most guides are available free on written request to the Director, Office of Standards Development.

Many publications such as Safety Evaluation Reports, Final Environmental Statements and the Standard Review Plan are available for sale from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, Va. 22161. Orders to NTIS should cite exact title and report numbers. Regulatory Guide 1.70 Standard Format and Content of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants is available as NUREG-75/094 for $10.50. The Report to the Congress on Abnormal Occurrences (quarterly) is available at current rates. Subscription material available from NTIS includes: NUREG-0025 Monthly Inspection Summary Report, $35.00 a year; NUREG-0020 Operating Units Status Report (monthly) and

NUREG-0030 Construction Status