Evidence Building and Evaluation

The NRC is committed to using evidence and science to make evidence-based decisions. The NRC is an evidence based organization, with a culture of continuous learning and improvement. The NRC’s evaluations and other evidence building activities depend on objective technical analyses and assessments to make evidence based decisions. Evidence building is used to inform agency activities and actions, such as licensing, oversight, budgeting, program improvement, rulemaking, guidance development, and policy development.

The "Foundations for Evidence Based Policymaking Act of 2018" (Public Law 115-435) (Evidence Act) requires the development of an Evidence Building Plan (Learning Agenda), a Capacity Assessment, an Annual Evaluation Plan, and an Open Data Plan.

Key Elements of Evidence Building and Evaluation Required by the Evidence Act

Key Evidence Act Positions

The Evidence Act requires federal agencies to take various steps to enhance federal data and evidence-building functions.  In support of its goals, the Evidence Act requires the designation of a Chief Data Officer (CDO), the Evaluation Officer (EO), and the Statistical Official (SO). Below are the designations of these key positions at the NRC.

Designated Senior Agency Officials:

Chief Data Officer (CDO)
            NRC Position: Chief Information Officer
            David Nelson
            David.Nelson@nrc.gov

Evaluation Officer (EO)
            NRC Position: Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)
            Raymond (Ray) Furstenau
            Raymond.Furstenau@nrc.gov

Statistical Official (SO)
            NRC Position: Director, Division of Risk Analysis, RES
            John Tappert
            John.Tappert@nrc.gov

In September 2019, the NRC established a Data Governance Board (DGB) that is comprised of senior-level staff to ensure that the NRC is setting priorities for managing data as a strategic asset in service to the agency's mission. The DGB is chaired by the NRC's Chief Data Officer and meets on a quarterly basis or as often as necessary. Additional information can be found in the charter established for the DGB.