 I'm Andrea Vell, Executive Director of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguard. In 1957, an amendment to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 established the ACRS as a statutory committee reporting to the NRC. The committee has four primary purposes. One, to review and report on safety studies and reactor facility license and license renewal applications. Two, to advise the commission on the hazards of proposed and existing production and utilization facilities and the adequacy of proposed safety standards. Three, to initiate reviews of specific generic matters or nuclear facility safety related items. And four, to provide advice in the areas of health physics and radiation protection. The ACRS can consist of up to 15 individuals who are technical experts. The membership currently includes expertise in the following fields. Nuclear engineering, risk assessment, chemistry, facility operations management, severe accident phenomena, material science and metallurgy, digital instrumentation and control systems, thermohydraulic and heat transfer, mechanical, civil and electrical engineering. The ACRS meets as a full committee approximately 10 times a year. They deliberate as a collective body and provide advice to the commission accordingly in the form of letters, reports, white papers and memorandums. Each meeting is led by the ACRS chairman with the meeting agenda being organized by each technical topic needing to be addressed. NRC offices and other interested parties may be invited to present. The lead engineer on the ACRS staff is the liaison between the committee and the NRC office responsible for the agenda item. Based on the recommendations of the subcommittee and the recommendations of the full committee meetings, the ACRS collectively writes letters and reports to the commission providing their recommendations and conclusions regarding a specific topic. The basis for the Federal Advisory Committee Act is to increase openness and transparency and government operations. Since 1972, the ACRS has come under the auspices of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Therefore, their deliberations are conducted primarily in public and their reports and memorandums are open and available to the public.