When did the NRC decide to evaluate the use of ADR in the enforcement program?
The NRC was first requested to use ADR techniques in enforcement to resolve a dispute in a discrimination case between the agency and a nuclear power licensee in April 2000. Because the use of ADR was a significant policy issue, the staff provided a preliminary evaluation of the potential use of ADR in NRC enforcement activities in SECY-01-0176, dated September 20, 2001, and recommended that the NRC seek public comments from which a final evaluation and recommendation could be made. The staff published a Federal Register notice soliciting comments on the use of ADR in enforcement on December 14, 2001, and reported the status of the evaluation of the use of ADR to the Commission in SECY-02-0098, dated June 4, 2002. In SECY-02-0098, the staff noted that the initial comments received indicated that many stakeholders may have had misperceptions regarding the nature of ADR. Accordingly, a public workshop was held in March 2002 to explore the nature of ADR and its potential benefits. During
