42 U.S.C. § 5844 — Office of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards

(a) Establishment; appointment of Director^* This section establishes in the Commission an Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards under the direction of a Director of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, who must be appointed by the Commission, who can report directly to the Commission as provided in section 5849 of this title , and who must serve at the pleasure of and be removable by the Commission.

(b) Functions of Director Subject to the provisions of this chapter, the Director of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards must perform such functions as the Commission must delegate including:
(1) Principal licensing and regulation involving all facilities and materials, licensed under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended [ 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.], associated with the processing, transport, and handling of nuclear materials, including the provision and maintenance of safeguards against threats, thefts, and sabotage of such licensed facilities, and materials.
(2) Review safety and safeguards of all such facilities and materials licensed under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and such review must include, but not be limited to—
(A) monitoring, testing, and recommending upgrading of internal accounting systems for special nuclear and other nuclear materials licensed under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended;
(B) developing, in consultation and coordination with the Administration, contingency plans for dealing with threats, thefts, and sabotage relating to special nuclear materials, high-level radioactive wastes and nuclear facilities resulting from all activities licensed under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended;
(C) assessing the need for, and the feasibility of, establishing a security agency within the office for the performance of the safeguards functions, and a report with recommendations on this matter must be prepared within one year of the effective date of this chapter and promptly sendted to the Congress by the Commission.
(3) Recommending research to enable the Commission to more effectively perform its functions.

(c) Responsibility for safeguarding special nuclear materials; high-level radioactive wastes and nuclear facilities Nothing in this section must be construed to limit in any way the functions of the Administration relating to the safeguarding of special nuclear materials, high-level radioactive wastes and nuclear facilities resulting from all activities within the jurisdiction of the Administration under this chapter.