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NRC RIN: 3150-AF62 Publication ID: Fall 1998 
Title: Initial Licensed Operator Examination Requirements 
Abstract: The proposed rule would amend the Commission's regulations to require power reactor facility licensees to prepare the written examinations and operating tests, and to proctor and grade the written examinations, that the NRC uses to license operators and senior operators at those facilities. The rule will also require the NRC to review and approve each examination and test before it is given and preserve the NRC's authority to prepare the examinations and tests, as necessary, to maintain examination quality and staff proficiency. This rule is not expected to affect reactor safety. ^PAlthough a 1994 industry proposal to implement such a program on a voluntary basis was rejected by the NRC, subsequent budget reductions prompted the NRC to reconsider its position. In 1995, the Commission approved a voluntary pilot program to evaluate the revised examination process and, in 1996, directed the staff to initiate the subject rulemaking. The results of the pilot examinations conducted through the end of FY 1997 are consistent with results of NRC-prepared examinations conducted before and since initiating the pilot program, and voluntary participation in the program has allowed the NRC to eliminate approximately $3 million per year in contractor support for the operator licensing programs. This rule will enable facility licensees to exercise more control over the cost of licensing operators at their facilities. Some licensees have saved money during the pilot program, but others have had more costly examinations, largely because the examinations they submitted for NRC review and approval required extensive revisions to achieve NRC standards for quality and level of difficulty. 
Agency: Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC)  Priority: Substantive, Nonsignificant 
RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Final Rule Stage 
Major: No  Unfunded Mandates: No 
CFR Citation: 10 CFR 55   
Legal Authority: 42 USC 2201    42 USC 5841   
Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
NPRM  08/07/1997  62 FR 42426   
NPRM Comment Period End  10/21/1997    
Final Action  10/00/1998    
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No  Government Levels Affected: None 
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No 
Agency Contact:
Siegfried Guenther
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation,
Washington, DC 20555-0001
Phone:301 415-1056
Email: sxg@nrc.gov