Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
On this page:
- Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
- The Panel
- Chief Counsel
- Licensing Support Network (LSN) Administrator
- Program Support and Analysis Staff
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
Chief Administrative Judge (Chairman): E. Roy Hawkens
Associate Chief Administrative Judge (Legal): Paul S. Ryerson
Associate Chief Administrative Judge (Technical): Anthony J. Baratta
Conducts hearings for the Commission and performs such other regulatory functions as the Commission authorizes. The Chief Administrative Judge develops and applies procedures governing the activities of boards, administrative judges, and administrative law judges, and makes appropriate recommendations to the Commission concerning the rules governing the conduct of hearings.
The Panel
ASLBP Members - Biographical Descriptions
The Panel conducts all licensing and other hearings as directed by the Commission, primarily through individual Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards or single presiding officers appointed by either the Commission or the Chief Administrative Judge. The Panel, which has no fixed number of positions, is composed of (1) administrative judges (full-time and part-time), who are lawyers, engineers, and scientists; and (2) administrative law judges (ALJs) who are lawyers. Administrative judges and ALJs serve as single presiding officers or on three-member boards, which generally are chaired by a lawyer, for a broad range of proceedings.
When Congress enacted the Atomic Energy Act, it expected that the Panel's technical judges would be "persons of recognized caliber and stature in the nuclear field." In addition, both legal and technical judges are subject to the conflict of interest laws and regulations applicable to Federal employees and the high ethical standards for Federal judges. They, along with their spouses and minor children, are prohibited from owning any securities issued by nuclear utilities and key components of the nuclear industry. All full-time judges have no employment relationships with any nuclear entity regulated by the NRC. Some part-time technical judges maintain their expertise by working on grants and assignments concerning the study and implementation of cutting-edge science and technology. Some grants and assignments may involve the Department of Energy and participants in the nuclear industry. However, no part-time judge participates in any proceeding that could affect the interests of any party funding the judge's activities. The impartiality of judges is further ensured through a multi-layered screening mechanism intended to identify any instance in which a judge’s participation in a case would involve a conflict of interest or raise a question about whether a judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned.
Chief Counsel
Anthony C. Eitreim
Provides legal support to the Chief Administrative Judge, administrative judges-and licensing boards; oversees the Panel's law clerks and manages the Panel’s Judicial Law Clerk Program.
Licensing Support Network (LSN) Administrator
Daniel J. Graser
Responsible for the Digital Data Management System (DDMS), which supports digital information retrieval, use, and display for prehearing conferences and evidentiary hearings.
Program Support and Analysis Staff
Director: Jack G. Whetstine
Provides planning, development, coordination, implementation, and analyses of policies and programs in support of the Panel, including budget; personnel; labor relations; professional services; travel; space and facilities; equipment; contracts; information management, including IT equipment and development; adjudicatory files and services; library facilities; stenographic and clerical services, including field hearing space; equipment management and coordination; meetings; employee training and development; FOIA; security; and safety engineering.
Provides support services for information management including computerized adjudicatory files, management information systems, and other management information applicable to Panel activities.
Manages court reporting services contract for all agency offices.
