Nuclear regulator prepares for furloughs

{mosads}At that point, all but about 300 of its 3,900 workers will be sent home and won’t be allowed to come back to the office until Congress passes a funding bill.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been sent home by the shutdown.

Federal agencies are allowed to keep essential personnel on the jobs to protect safety and property.

NRC staffers responsible for responding to emergency situations, security and licensing will not be furloughed. Neither will some public affairs workers necessary to inform the public about potential emergencies, legal advisors and liaisons with states, Congress and foreign governments.

On Monday, the NRC began notifying those workers that would be able to ride out a shutdown at the agency.

In a shutdown plan filed with the White House budget office, the NRC adds that it may call back some specialized workers to deal with any “emergent issue[s]” that arise. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is also using its rainy day fund to keep its lights on for the time being. A spokeswoman was not able to give a specific timeframe about when it expected to have to shut down.

— This story was updated at 5:07 p.m., after the NRC clarified that it began notifying its employees who will not be furloughed. A spokesman previously said that furlough notices would be sent out on Monday, but later corrected that statement.