This bill creates an Office of Public Engagement and Participation inside the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The Office will be run by a Director appointed by the Chairman with Commission approval. The Director serves five-year terms and may serve up to two terms, can hire staff, and is paid up to the maximum Senior Executive Service rate. The Director can only be removed by the Commission for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance. The Office must be kept independent from other NRC officers and employees.
The Office's duties include supporting public participation in NRC proceedings, advocating for the public interest within the NRC's jurisdiction, and giving educational, legal, and technical guidance to people who want to take part in proceedings. It will coordinate assistance to participants and coordinate public help related to NRC authorities. The Commission may, under rules it makes, pay reasonable attorney and expert witness fees and other participation costs to people whose participation substantially contributed to a position approved by the Commission, when the proceeding is significant and participation without payment would cause significant financial hardship.
The Director must submit an annual report to Congress starting within one year of enactment. Each report must list the number and types of assistance requests received and describe common difficulties the public faced when trying to participate in NRC proceedings. The bill also states it does not reduce existing public engagement standards.
If you want to take part in NRC proceedings, this Office is meant to offer help such as guidance on submitting comments, contentions, and hearing requests, and coordinate access to legal or technical assistance. The Office may help connect you to paid legal or expert help in limited circumstances described in the bill.
The bill sets the Director's pay at no more than the maximum Senior Executive Service rate, but does not set an overall budget. The Commission may provide compensation for reasonable attorney and expert witness fees and other participation costs under certain conditions, but the bill does not specify dollar amounts or overall funding sources. No publicly available information on estimated total costs or budget offsets is provided in the bill text.
The bill text frames the Office as a way to increase and support public participation in NRC proceedings, to provide education and technical or legal assistance, and to advocate for the public interest within the Commission's jurisdiction. It also provides for annual reporting to Congress about the Office's activities.
No publicly available information on opponents' views or objections is included in the bill text or provided metadata.