The panel focused on the US NRC March 2015 Proposed Rule: Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal -10 CFR 61 (80 FR 16081) and Implementation Aspects. After extensive public outreach, the staff incorporated stakeholder input into the final rule that was submitted to the Commission in September 2016. The major changes in the final rule pertain to: duration of the compliance period; requirements for demonstrating defense-in-depth; clarification of inadvertent intruder exposure scenarios; streamlining details from the rule into guidance (Final NUREG-2175); and Agreement State compatibility designations. The panel discussed major changes and potential implications, focused on how the rule should be more useful for licensees and regulators, and how it will be sufficiently protective of public health and safety.  If the Commission has not yet issued the final rule by then, the discussion would have focused  on the content of the rulemaking as proposed to the Commission and scope of future activities.