The Nuclear Regulatory Commission envisions itself as leaner and more focused within five years, according to a new outlook report.
In the coming weeks, the NRC said it would consider recommendations of what is called “Project Aim,” which was initiated in June 2014, and that it would begin to give direction to the staff on its implementation.
“The report projects that the NRC could be about 10 percent smaller in 2020 with a suggested workforce of about 3,400 employees, compared to 3,677 projected for fiscal year 2015 and 3,976 employees at the height of the agency's expansion in FY 2010.”
The report says the NRC began Project Aim in June to “reposition” the agency to meet demands “in a dynamic environment.” This idea found support among the agency's top executives, including Executive Director for Operations Mark Satorius and Chief Financial Officer Maureen Wylie.
That “dynamic environment,” is euphemism for a shrinking industry. Past expansion was due to anticipation of “a wave of new reactor license and other applications.” However, “changing economic conditions, especially reduced prices for natural gas, led to declining interest in constructing new nuclear plants.”
The agency says Project Aim 2020 includes four key “transcending themes,” including strengthening unity of the agency as a whole and enhancing the culture “to increase efficiency, effectiveness, agility and flexibility.” The third step is to “sharpen NRC focus on achieving desired outcomes.” And the final step is to “improve talent management … to ensure the NRC has the right number of people with the right skills at the right time.”
In a word, the agency said it is mandated to aim for efficiency, which is one of the five Principles of Good Regulation adopted by the agency in 1991. As a back-story, “since the terrorist attacks in 2001, the agency has grown significantly to enhance security and incident response and to prepare for projected growth in the use of nuclear power in the United States,” the report says.
“That forecast in growth has now been adjusted downward … resulting in fewer new nuclear power plants and earlier decommissioning of some existing plants.”
The response to a smaller than anticipated workload: “Right-sizing the agency … streamlining … timeliness … unity,” the NRC says.