This bill creates an Office of Public Engagement and Participation inside the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The Office must be established within 180 days and will be led by a Director appointed by the Commission chair with Commission approval. The Director serves a five-year term and may serve up to two terms. The Director reports to the Commission but the Office is intended to operate independently from individual Commission members.
The Office will help the public participate in NRC proceedings. Its duties include giving plain-language guidance on how to submit comments, contentions, and hearing requests; serving as a liaison for public-interest advocates; increasing virtual participation options; and coordinating assistance to participants. The bill directs the Office to help implement certain environmental justice recommendations assigned to it by the Commission.
The bill creates an Intervenor Trust Fund administered by the Office and used by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel (the Panel) to pay reasonable attorney fees, expert witness fees, and other costs for participants. The Panel, in consultation with the Office, may provide compensation if a participant shows both significant financial hardship and that their participation would make a substantial contribution to the proceeding. The Commission must adopt rules for compensation within 180 days. The Panel may provide up-front grants for expected costs for approved parties. Compensation provided under the fund is not affected by the final outcome of the related proceeding. Participants may appeal Panel decisions about compensation to the Commission under existing procedures.
The Director must send an annual report to Congress covering assistance requests, common participation problems, accounting of compensation requests and payments, and activities related to environmental justice recommendations.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.