Abstract :
Performance-based regulation (PBR) has been mandated at the national level in the United States and at the agency level, where appropriate, at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). Guidance has been developed that implements the USNRCʹs definitions of PBR and other such conceptual regulatory improvements. This paper describes why PBR is important, what constitutes PBR in the context of direction provided at the USNRC, and how PBR can be implemented using a five-step process. The process steps articulate questions to be posed by the analyst regarding various aspects of a regulatory issue so that a suitably performance-based resolution can be developed. A regulatory alternative thus developed can be included among other options to be considered as part of the regulatory decision-making process.
