NRC Conference to Focus on Safety, Knowledge Sharing
The theme of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s 21st Annual Regulatory Information Conference (RIC) will be Safe Today -- Safer Tomorrow: The Power of Sharing Knowledge. The RIC will be held March 10-12 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Bethesda, Md. More than 2,300 people are expected to attend, including representatives from more than 25 foreign countries, the nuclear industry and congressional staff.
Agency speakers at the conference will include NRC Chairman Dale E. Klein and Commissioners Gregory B. Jaczko, Peter B. Lyons, Kristine L. Svinicki, and Executive Director for Operations William Borchardt. This year’s special guest speaker is Jason Grumet, the founder and president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, which has been active in leading unique coalitions that could lead to significant policy achievements at both the state and federal level.
The conference brings together NRC staff, plant owners, nuclear materials users and other interested stakeholders to discuss nuclear safety and security topics and current regulatory activities. Topics at this year’s RIC include: construction and licensing of new nuclear power plants; advanced reactor designs; security; safety research; domestic and international nuclear power plant operating experience; technical issues such as digital instrumentation and control in nuclear plants and fire protection; operator training; and safe disposal of nuclear waste. The conference also will feature posters, exhibits and models on various nuclear topics of interest.
The RIC also offers tours of the NRC’s Operations Center, which serves as the focal point for coordinating and communicating with plant personnel, state entities, and other federal agencies during an emergency involving a nuclear facility or nuclear materials.
The full conference program is available at http://www.nrcric.org/ricProgram.asp.