Chapter 4937 | Utility Radiological Safety

Section 4937.01 | Utility radiological safety definitions.

• Effective: October 17, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly

As used in sections 4937.01 to 4937.05 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Hazard" has the same meaning as in section 5502.21 of the Revised Code.

(B) "Member agency" means the state agency of which a member of the utility radiological safety board is an officer.

(C) "Nuclear electric facility" means any facility operated by a nuclear electric utility using nuclear energy to produce electricity and any facility for the storage of spent nuclear fuel arising from such production.

(D) "Nuclear electric facility incident" means any hazard within the state which is associated with a nuclear electric facility and requires, pursuant to sections 5502.21 to 5502.51 of the Revised Code, emergency management to mitigate its effects.

(E) "Nuclear electric utility" includes every person, their agents, assignees, or trustees, within this state engaged in the business of producing electricity using nuclear energy, or in the storage of spent nuclear fuel arising from such production.

(F) "Nuclear electric utility holding company" means any company that holds an equity interest in a nuclear electric utility and is part of an electric utility holding company system exempt under section 3(a)(1) or (2) of the "Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935," 49 Stat. 810, 15 U.S.C.A. 79c, and the regulations adopted under the act.

Section 4937.02 | Utility radiological safety board.

• Effective: September 29, 1999
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 283 - 123rd General Assembly

(A) There is hereby created the utility radiological safety board composed of the chairperson of the public utilities commission, the director of environmental protection, the director of health, the director of agriculture, the executive director of the emergency management agency, and the director of commerce, or their designees each of whom shall be an employee of the member agency of the board member for whom the person is a designee. The purpose of the board is to develop a comprehensive policy for the state regarding nuclear power safety. The board's objectives shall be to promote safe, reliable, and economical power; establish a memorandum of understanding with the federal nuclear regulatory commission and the state, including agreements with individual state agencies to interact with the commission and the federal emergency management agency; and recommend policies and practices that promote safety, performance, emergency preparedness, and public health standards that are designed to meet the state's needs.

(B) The governor shall appoint a chairperson of the board from among the members of the board. The board shall elect one of its members as vice-chairperson, who shall possess, during the absence or disability of the board chairperson, all the powers of the board chairperson. All examinations, studies, or other official proceedings of the board shall be conducted by the board or its designees. The board's authority under this chapter shall not be exercised by any officer, employee, or body other than the board itself, except by express action of the board.

(C) The chairperson of the board shall cause to be kept a complete record of all proceedings of the board, and any books, maps, documents, and papers used or produced by the board, and shall perform such other duties as the governor may prescribe.

(D) A majority of the board's members constitutes a quorum for the transaction of any business, performance of any duty, or exercise of any power of the board. No vacancy on the board shall impair the right of the remaining board members to exercise all powers of the board. The act of a majority of the board, when in session as a board, is an act of the board.

(E) Members of the board and their designees shall not receive compensation from the board, but shall receive all ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in performance of board business, including actual travel expenses. All such expenses shall be paid by the agency of which the individual board member or designee is an officer or employee.

(F) The attorney general is the board's legal advisor, but shall designate, subject to the board's approval, one or more of the attorney general's assistants to discharge the duties of board attorney.

(G) The board may call to its assistance, temporarily, with the consent of the member agency, any employee of a member agency to conduct studies, examinations, and investigations for the board or prepare any report required or authorized by this chapter. The employee shall receive no compensation, but shall receive all ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in performance of such duties, including actual travel expenses. All such expenses shall be paid by the member agency.

(H) The offices of the board shall be located in the offices of the emergency management agency.

Section 4937.03 | Powers and duties of utility radiological safety board.

• Effective: July 1, 1989
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 111 - 118th General Assembly

(A)(1) The utility radiological safety board may request information from nuclear electric utilities or nuclear electric utility holding companies which it considers necessary to conduct investigations, examinations, and studies it may undertake, but shall not impose any undue burden on the utilities or holding companies in this regard.

(2) The board may, either through its members or by persons authorized by it, examine under oath, at any reasonable time to assist the board in the performance of its duties, any officer, agent, or employee of a nuclear electric utility or nuclear electric utility holding company or any other person regarding a nuclear electric facility or utility or a nuclear electric facility incident, and may compel the attendance of such witness for the purpose of the examination. The board may examine all books, contracts, records, documents, and papers of any person and, by subpoena duces tecum, may compel the production of the books, contracts, records, documents, and papers or of verified copies.

(3) If a person disobeys a subpoena of the board, or if a witness refuses to testify to any matter regarding which he may be lawfully interrogated, the court of common pleas of a county or a judge of the court, on application of a board member, shall compel obedience by attachment proceedings for contempt, as in the case of disobedience of the requirements of a subpoena issued from the court or a refusal to testify in the court.

(B) The board may procure all necessary goods and supplies for the proper administration of the board's affairs. The board shall have a seal bearing the following inscription: "The Utility Radiological Safety Board of Ohio." The seal shall be affixed to authentications of copies of records and to other instruments as the board directs.

(C) The board shall coordinate its activities with those of the power siting board.

(D) The board shall recognize that the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction to regulate the nuclear safety and national security aspects of the construction and operation of nuclear electric facilities, except for certain authority over air emissions. Sections 4937.01 to 4937.05 of the Revised Code do not affect the state's responsibilities for emergency preparedness and offsite safety requirements.

(E) None of the powers or duties of the board under sections 4937.01 to 4937.05 of the Revised Code in any way supersede existing powers or duties of member agencies or county or other local authorities.

Section 4937.04 | Additional powers of utility radiological safety board.

• Effective: July 1, 1989
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 111 - 118th General Assembly

(A) The utility radiological safety board may:

(1) Conduct any investigations, examinations, or studies requested by the governor or which it considers necessary or appropriate to carry out its responsibilities or duties under sections 4937.01 to 4937.05 of the Revised Code.

(2) Formulate a recommendation regarding whether the governor should enter into any agreement with the federal nuclear regulatory commission pursuant to 42 U.S.C.A. 2021, 96 Stat. 2078 (1983), as such section existed on the date this section was enacted.

(B) The board shall:

(1) Monitor plans and programs among its member agencies providing for the management of nuclear electric facilities, environmental and public health protection, and emergency management to promote nuclear safety and to mitigate the effects of a nuclear electric facility incident in the areas surrounding a nuclear electric facility. The board shall make recommendations to increase cooperation and coordination among the member agencies toward the promotion of nuclear safety and mitigation of the effects of a nuclear electric facility incident.

(2) Review any changes to federal policy or law pertaining to nuclear electric facilities, and may submit comments to and represent the state in proceedings before the federal nuclear regulatory commission or the federal emergency management agency.

(3) Assess the appropriateness of and make recommendations concerning the state's participation with the federal nuclear regulatory commission in a joint inspection program. The assessment and recommendations shall consider input from the state's nuclear electric utilities and nuclear electric utility holding companies.

(4) Provide oversight of all activities relating to nuclear power in the state.

(5) Serve as the clearinghouse for recommendations made by independent organizations or private citizens and review and investigate such recommendations.

(6) Adopt and publish rules to conduct its business and regulate the mode and manner of all investigations, examinations, and studies it undertakes.

(7) Provide an annual report to the governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives detailing the board's activities in response, planning, and inspections and including a listing of recommendations received and actions taken by the board.

(8) Allow for and consider comments from the state's nuclear electric utilities and nuclear electric utility holding companies before making recommendations that may substantially affect their costs or activities. This shall include comments on draft memoranda of understanding, draft instruments of cooperation, and any other agreements with the federal nuclear regulatory commission.

(C) The board has no independent regulatory authority, but may make recommendations to the governor or member agencies regarding nuclear electric facilities, nuclear electric utilities, and nuclear electric facility incidents.

(D) Nothing in sections 4937.01 to 4937.05 of the Revised Code grants the utility radiological safety board the authority to examine the records or accounts or to compel the attendance of any witness of a holding company or its subsidiaries organized under the laws of another state, rendering no public utility service in this state, and regulated as a public utility by the public utility regulatory agency of another state or primarily by a federal regulatory commission.

(E) No court other than the Ohio supreme court shall interfere with the functions of the board, by writ of mandamus or otherwise.

Section 4937.05 | Apportionments and assessments against nuclear electric utilities.

• Effective: October 17, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly

(A) Subject to division (B) of this section, the utility radiological safety board may apportion among and assess against each nuclear electric utility in this state against which an assessment may be made under section 4905.10 of the Revised Code an amount no greater than the maximums specified in the applicable main operating appropriations act. The assessment shall be made in proportion to the intrastate gross receipts of the utility, excluding receipts from sales to other public utilities for resale, for the calendar year next preceding that in which the assessments are made, or be made based upon the utility's decommissioning budget for the year of the assessment, if the utility is not engaged in the business of producing electricity using nuclear energy. On or before the first day of October in each year, the board shall notify each such utility of the sum assessed against it, whereupon payment shall be made to the board. The board shall deposit the payment into any nuclear safety fund for which a maximum is specified, for the purposes of this section, in the applicable main operating appropriations act. Any assessments so deposited which are not expended shall be credited ratably to each nuclear electric utility that paid them, according to the respective portions of the amount assessable against the utility for the ensuing calendar year. The assessments for such calendar year shall be adjusted accordingly.

(B) The board shall assess an amount against the nuclear electric utilities pursuant to division (A) of this section only in accordance with this division and subject to the conditions it specifies.

(1) Nuclear electric utilities and, separately, the environmental protection agency, the department of health, the department of agriculture, and the emergency management agency of the department of public safety, as member agencies of the board, shall negotiate, in good faith, amounts to be given as grants by the nuclear electric utilities pursuant to this division for funding the member agency for a fiscal biennium. Any such grant shall cover all costs related to the statutory requirements or agreements specified in division (B)(4) of this section, but shall not be required to cover any costs of activities not directly related to those statutory requirements or agreements.

(2)(a) If any of the member agencies specified in division (B)(1) of this section disagrees, before the first day of September of the first year of a fiscal biennium, with the nuclear electric utilities on a grant amount under that division for the agency's funding for that biennium and the agency is requesting a specified amount not exceeding seventy-five per cent of the maximum specified in the applicable main operating appropriations act, the agency shall make a written directive to the board for an assessment against the nuclear electric utilities for that specified amount and shall notify the controlling board, the director of budget and management, and the nuclear electric utilities in writing of that directive. Upon receipt of the directive, the utility radiological safety board shall assess the specified amount against the nuclear electric utilities as provided in division (A) of this section, notwithstanding any provision of that division to the contrary, provided the amount assessed does not exceed the maximum specified in the applicable main operating appropriations act.

(b) If any of the member agencies specified in division (B)(1) of this section disagrees, before the first day of September of the first year of a fiscal biennium, with the nuclear electric utilities on a grant amount under that division for the agency's funding for that biennium and the agency is requesting a specified amount that exceeds seventy-five per cent of the maximum specified for that agency in the applicable main operating appropriations act, the agency may request that the controlling board approve an assessment against the electric utilities in the specified amount. The controlling board shall not approve an assessment so requested if it exceeds that maximum or will not be used for the purposes specified in division (B)(4) of this section. If the controlling board approves the request, the utility radiological safety board shall impose an assessment in the approved amount against the nuclear electric utilities as provided in division (A) of this section, notwithstanding any provision of that division to the contrary.

(c) The board shall not assess against the nuclear electric utilities pursuant to division (A) of this section in any fiscal biennium for which each member agency and the nuclear electric utilities agree on grant amounts pursuant to division (B)(1) of this section.

(3) Revenues received pursuant to grants or assessments under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section shall be deposited into the requesting agency's nuclear safety fund, as such fund is specified in the applicable main operating appropriations act.

(4) Funding provided under this division to a member agency shall be for the purpose of enabling a member agency to fulfill its authority and duties under the statutes related to nuclear safety or the utility safety radiological board, or under agreements with the nuclear regulatory commission.

(5) If a nuclear electric utility makes any recommendation to render the nuclear safety programs of member agencies of the utility radiological safety board more cost effective, the member agencies shall implement the recommendation or provide to the utility a written statement explaining why the recommendation will not be implemented or will be implemented with substantial modification.