Marvin S. Fertel
Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer
Nuclear Energy Institute

U.S. Senate
Committee on Environment and Public Works
Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 2007

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) is the organization responsible for establishing unified nuclear industry policy on matters affecting the nuclear energy industry, including the regulatory aspects of generic operational and technical issues. NEI’s members include all utilities licensed to operate commercial nuclear power plants in the United States, nuclear plants designers, major architect/engineering firms, fuel fabrication facilities, materials licensees, and other organizations and individuals involved in the nuclear energy industry.

NEI, on behalf of the nuclear energy industry, appreciates the opportunity to provide this testimony for the record in support of congressional oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

This testimony will focus on:

• the effectiveness of the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) and a few areas where the agency can improve this process
• our agreement with the NRC that the ROP is superior to the one-time experience of conducting an Independent Safety Assessment (ISA)
• the current status of NRC readiness for review of new-plant license applications and industry activities and expectations related to those applications.

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