Anyone have any thoughts on this, my company holds a repository license in this state and work there fairly often? Any need for concern or increased audits?

No: 13-065 August 8, 2013
CONTACT: Maureen Conley, 301-415-8200
NRC Approves Probation For Georgia’s Agreement State Regulatory Program
The Commission has approved placing the state of Georgia on probation for deficiencies in its
Agreement State program—the first time the NRC has taken such action. This move does not affect
oversight of nuclear reactors in Georgia, which remain under NRC authority, or state responsibilities
related to emergency preparedness at reactor sites.
Georgia is one of 37 states that have entered into agreements with the NRC giving them
authority to license and regulate certain nuclear materials users within their borders. The agency
reviews these Agreement State programs regularly. Probation is an option for ensuring continued
protection of public health and safety in cases where program weaknesses exist. The weaknesses
identified in Georgia do not immediately threaten public health and safety.
The managers of Georgia’s program are addressing the performance concerns. The program
submitted an improvement plan that has been reviewed and approved by NRC staff. The NRC will
remain closely involved with the state program managers as they implement improvements.
A review team comprised of technical staff from the NRC, North Carolina and Florida
evaluated the Georgia program in October 2012. The team identified significant deficiencies throughout
the program that, if left uncorrected, have the potential to impact public health and safety. The team
observed a basic misunderstanding of several important safety and security requirements, and it noted
significant communication issues between staff and management that affected the program’s safety
culture and performance. Overall, the team identified a decline in performance since Georgia’s last
evaluation in 2008.
The problems identified relate largely to prioritization of work, specifically responding to
incidents promptly and prioritizing inspections of licensees using radioactive materials with the greatest
potential for harm. The team found numerous examples where tasks were not appropriately prioritized.
The review found Georgia’s program to be compatible with the NRC regulatory program and
“adequate but needs improvement.” The team recommended, and an NRC management review board
agreed, that Georgia’s performance be found unsatisfactory for several performance indicators. The
team made 11 specific recommendations to Georgia for improving performance. The report on
Georgia’s agreement state program can be found here.
Pending the Commission’s decision, the state has been on “Heightened Oversight,” a condition
requiring increased interaction with NRC staff, preparation of a program improvement plan, bimonthly
conference calls and periodic status reports. The NRC will continue to interact more frequently with the