Federal Reports

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) oversight of the reactor operator licensing examination process is effective, efficient, and reliable. However, the agency could benefit from providing additional guidance and clarity in the current version of NUREG-1021, “Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors” (Rev. 12). Specifically, NUREG-1021 contains process gaps and lacks clarity in policy interpretation. This occurred because when the agency updated NUREG-1021, it did not identify certain process gaps. This lack of clarity in the guidance could lead to potential delays and errors in processing reactor operator licensing applications and in rendering requalification decisions. This report makes one recommendation to identify process gaps and update NUREG-1021 to ensure that guidance in future revisions remains current and addresses emerging issues.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) contracted with Sikich to conduct the Audit of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board’s Implementation of the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 for Fiscal Year 2024. The objective was to assess the effectiveness of the information security policies, procedures, and practices of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB). The findings and conclusions presented in this report are the responsibility of Sikich. The OIG’s responsibility is to provide oversight of the contractor’s work in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Based on its assessment of the period October 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, Sikich found that the DNFSB has not established an effective agency-wide information security program or effective information security practices. There are weaknesses that impact the agency’s ability to adequately protect the DNFSB’s systems and information.