NRC PREPARES FOR SHUTDOWN

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is preparing for shutdown sometime in the middle of this week if lawmakers can not find a solution to end the government shutdown. NRC spokesman Eliot Brenner said that Wednesday night was the target date for when NRC would begin shutdown operations, but he cautioned that could change depending on the CFO’s projections. With the looming shutdown of the Commission, two of the Commissioners have begun to cancel public appearances. Commissioner William Magwood canceled an appearance at a university and nuclear plant he had scheduled while Commissioner William Ostendorff cancelled his travel and speaking engagement for next Monday. Late last week, the NRC announced that it had post-poned two public meetings in California on the proposed Waste Confidence ruling due to the shutdown.

 

The NRC announced late last week that it had enough carryover funding to avoid impacts for at least a week from the beginning of the government shutdown. The federal government shut down on Oct. 1 due to Congress’ failure to complete appropriations legislation to provide funding at the start of Fiscal Year 2014. If the shutdown continues after the NRC has exhausted its available carryover funds, the Commission has a plan to reduce staff to essential and emergency personnel, approximately 300 out of 3,900 employees.