INFORMATION REPORT

June 13, 2002 SECY-02-0102

For: The Commissioners

From: John W. Craig, Assistant for Operations, Office of the EDO

Subject: SECY-02-0102 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING JUNE 7, 2002

Contents Enclosure

Nuclear Reactor Regulation A

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B

Nuclear Regulatory Research C

Nuclear Security and Incident Response D

General Counsel E*

Administration F*

Chief Information Officer G

Chief Financial Officer H*

Human Resources I

Small Business & Civil Rights J*

Enforcement K*

State and Tribal Programs L*

Public Affairs M

International Programs N

Office of the Secretary O

Region I P

Region II P*

Region III P*

Region IV P

Executive Director for Operations Q*

Congressional Affairs R*

*No input this week.

/RA/

John W. Craig

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

S. Rosenberg, OEDO
June 13, 2002 SECY-02-0102 

For: The Commissioners

From: John W. Craig, Assistant for Operations, Office of the EDO

Subject: SECY-02-0102 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING JUNE 7, 2002

Contents Enclosure

Nuclear Reactor Regulation A

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B

Nuclear Regulatory Research C

Nuclear Security and Incident Response D

General Counsel E*

Administration F*

Chief Information Officer G

Chief Financial Officer H*

Human Resources I

Small Business & Civil Rights J*

Enforcement K*

State and Tribal Programs L*

Public Affairs M

International Programs N

Office of the Secretary O

Region I P

Region II P*

Region III P*

Region IV P

Executive Director for Operations Q*

Congressional Affairs R*

*No input this week.

/RA/

John W. Craig

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

S. Rosenberg, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\WEEK607.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

SRosenberg:paa JWCraig

06/12/02 06/13/02
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JUNE 7, 2002

The Weekly Information Report is compiled by the Office of the EDO and includes highlights of

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: H. Nieh, OEDO by E-mail: slr1@nrc.gov. 

Use GO TO (Ctrl+Home) to advance to the page number for a specific Office.

PgDn and PgUp can also be used to advance through the text.

OFFICE Page OFFICE Page

NRR 2 STP *

NMSS 4 OPA 17

RES 8 IP 18

NSIR 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I 20

ADM * Region II *

CIO 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 OEDO *

SB/CR * OCA *

OE *

*No input this week
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

Reactor Oversight Process

On May 30, 2002, the Inspection Program Branch (IIPB) staff briefed the Advisory Committee

on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Plant Operations Subcommittee on the staff’s efforts to date

regarding the upcoming pilot program for the Mitigation Systems Performance Index. Overall,

ACRS was supportive of the pilot program. Their major areas of interest were: (1) the

calculational methodology of the performance indicators (PIs); (2) the basis for the baseline

values; (3) the stated objectives of the pilot program and solving the known problems with the

existing safety system unavailability PI; and (4) the tabletop exercises. In addition, the staff

briefed results of the industry trends program. 

Staff Holds Public Meetings on the Draft Surry Environmental Impact Statement in Support of

License Renewal

The NRC staff participated in two outreach activities last week related to the license renewal

application for Surry Power Station, Units 1 and 2. On May 29, 2002, the staff conducted two

meetings to solicit comments from the public on the draft supplemental environmental impact

statement (SEIS) issued on April 3, 2002. The staff conducted open houses for one hour prior

to each meeting session. Several individuals took advantage of this opportunity to meet with

the NRC staff and discuss the proposed renewal of the Surry Units 1 and 2 operating licenses.

The draft SEIS is a plant-specific supplement to the "Generic Environmental Impact Statement

for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants" (NUREG-1437). Approximately 40 people

attended the meetings, including representatives of the NRC staff, Virginia Electric and Power

Company (VEPCo), the nuclear industry, the press, and members of the public. Eleven

individuals spoke at the meetings, all of whom expressed support for extending the operating

life of the two nuclear units at Surry. The comment period on the draft SEIS ends on July 12,

2002.

Extended Power Uprates approved for Brunswick Units 1 and 2 

On May 31, 2002, license amendments were issued that allow Carolina Power & Light to

implement Brunswick's 15% extended power uprate (EPU) from 2558 MWt to 2923 MWt per

unit, an increase of 365 MWt. This represents a combined addition of up to 230 MWe for the

Brunswick site. The licensee began implementation of the EPU on June 1, 2002, on Unit 1 and

began performance testing immediately. 

Unit 2 EPU implementation will be carried out following next year's refueling outage when the

use of the Alternative Source Term (AST) will be implemented for Unit 2. A license condition

requires the licensee to complete certain seismic verification walkdowns prior to implementing

the AST on Unit 2. Therefore, Unit 2 cannot implement the EPU until the next refueling outage

scheduled for March 2003. Unit 1 has completed the necessary walkdowns and has begun

implementing the AST as approved by the NRC staff in accordance with a license amendment

dated May 30, 2002. Although the license allows operation of the reactor at a full uprated
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

power level of 2923 MWt, Unit 1 will be limited in operation by balance-of-plant equipment in the

current operating cycle. 

Public Meeting on the Use of PRA Standards and Industry Programs to determine PRA Quality

On May 30 2002, the staff held a public meeting to discuss NRC expectations on the use and

application of the ASME PRA Standard and the NEI Peer Review Process (as documented in

NEI-00-02) in evaluating the technical quality of PRA results for risk informed activities. The

staff discussed the outline and scope of the Reg Guide and Standard Review Plan that is to be

published to address this issue. These documents are intended to provide guidance on how to

use consensus PRA standards or industry peer review processes to demonstrate that the

results used in the decision-making process are supported by the underlying PRA. 

At the meeting, the staff presented preliminary findings on the ASME PRA Standard published

in April 2002. Industry representatives thought that these findings were reasonable. NEI

presented a "delta document" which tabulated the differences between the ASME PRA

Standard and the subtier criteria used in NEI-00-02. NEI also described a process to be used

by licensees to reconcile the differences between the ASME and NEI documents so that credit

can still be taken for the NEI PRA peer reviews that have already been performed. This

process will be formally submitted to the NRC by approximately the end of June. 
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

Staff Attendance at Department of Energy Northeast High-level Radioactive Waste

Transportation Task Force 2002 Spring Meeting

On May 29, 2002, a staff member from the Spent Fuel Project Office (SFPO) attended the

Department of Energy (DOE) Northeast High-level Radioactive Waste Transportation Task

Force 2002 spring meeting in Concord, New Hampshire. The purpose of this meeting was to

improve interactions between DOE and external groups interested in transportation of DOE’s

hazardous (particularly radioactive) materials. Members representing U.S. northeastern states,

industry, and professional associations, as well as other Federal agencies, attended. 

Representatives from DOE provided updates on the Naval Reactor program and changes in

DOE’s transportation emergency preparedness program. A representative from the Federal

Railroad Administration updated the task force on high-level radioactive waste inspection

activities. The SFPO staff member made a presentation on the Agency’s response to the

events of September 11, 2001.

NAC Multi-Purpose Canister Spent Fuel Storage System Amendment Approved for

Haddam Neck

On May 30, 2002, the NRC staff issued Amendment No. 2 to Certificate of Compliance No.

1025 for the NAC International Multi-Purpose Canister Spent Fuel Storage System. The

amendment includes changes to the authorized contents to allow fuel from the Haddam Neck

reactor and implements the standard technical specification format specified in NUREG-1745,

“Standard Format and Content for Technical Specifications for 10 CFR 72 Cask Certificates of

Compliance.” The effective date of the amendment was May 29, 2002.

Staff Presentations at the American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting

On May 28-31, 2002, staffs from the Division of Waste Management and the Center for Nuclear

Waste Regulatory Analyses attended the spring meeting of the American Geophysical Union in

Washington, DC. A total of 10 conference presentations dealt with the scientific and policy

issues associated with the proposed Yucca Mountain Nevada repository. The staff presented

four papers in oral and poster sessions on aspects of the NRC’s high-level radioactive waste

program. The staff posters were grouped in one session and NRC’s high-level waste public

outreach informational materials were made available to meeting attendees at the poster

session.

Annual Decommissioning Counterpart Meeting

On May 29-31, 2002, the annual Decommissioning Counterpart meeting was held in Lisle,

Illinois. Region III hosted this year’s meeting. Meeting participants included representatives

from each of the four Regions, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, the Office of the

General Counsel, the Spent Fuel Project Office, and the Division of Waste Management. 

Topics discussed included inspection resources for the decommissioning reactor inspection

program; changes to the inspection manual to address 10 CFR 50.59, security, and emergency
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

planning inspections for decommissioning reactors; and planning, conducting, and participating

in public meetings. This year’s meeting also included a tour of the Kerr-McGee West Chicago

Rare Earths facility, a complex material site requiring significant remediation.

Public Meeting on 10 CFR Part 71 Proposed Rule

On June 4, 2002, staff from the Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, the Spent

Fuel Project Office, the Office of the General Counsel, and the Department of Transportation

(DOT) held a public meeting in Chicago to hear stakeholder views/concerns on the NRC’s

10 CFR Part 71 proposed rule for compatibility with the International Atomic Energy Agency

(IAEA) safety standards (TS-R-1), and for other NRC-initiated amendments. DOT also

published its proposed rule for compatibility of its 49 CFR with the same IAEA standards (the

two rules were coordinated). All attendees received copies of the rules and supporting

documents. Except for one person from the pharmaceutical industry, and another who is a

Radiation Safety Officer, all the attendees were members of citizen and environmental groups. 

NRC and DOT staffs responded to the comments and assured the attendees that the rule

provisions will maintain the same level of protection to the public, transportation workers, and

the environment. Because of time limitations in the first session, the attendees were

encouraged to submit additional written comments on the form provided at the meeting, on-line

on the NRC web site, or by mail.
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

Meeting with DOE/RW on PPS

On June 4, 2002, the directors for the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research and the Office of

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, and members of their respective staffs met with

Dr. Margaret Chu, the new Director of DOE’s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management

and members of her staff to discuss potential cooperation on the Package Performance Study. 

The NRC staff provided a brief presentation of the goals, work scope, and planned schedule for

the study. The resultant discussion covered the need for NRC to maintain its independence,

the role of stakeholder input in development of the study, the prospects for foreign partners,

and overall funding for the study. Dr. Chu expressed high level technical interest in the study

and indicated the appropriateness of DOE’s support for the study. She or her staff will contact

NRC about preparing an MOU after confirming the availability and timing of possible funding. 

DOE NEPO meeting

On May 29 and 30, staff members from the Engineering Research Applications Branch and the

Materials Engineering Branch represented the NRC at DOE Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization

(NEPO) project screening meeting. The RES staff participated in the review and screening of

potential research project for FY 2003. The NEPO Program is a DOE research and

development program focused on enhancing performance of operating U.S. nuclear power

plants. The primary areas of focus for this program are plant aging and optimization. The

NEPO Program is also a public-private R&D partnership with equal or greater matching funds

coming from the nuclear power industry. 
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

Meeting of the Committee for National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications

On May 30, 2002, the Director of the Division of Incident Response Operations attended the

meeting of the Committee for National Security and Emergency Preparedness

Communications. These meetings, which take place every 3-6 months, are chaired by Lt.

General Raduege, USAF and are held by the National Communications System. They are

attended by most of the major Federal Departments or agencies, and are primarily informationsharing meetings. Areas of discussion included:

- Update on the OHS Homeland Security Advisory System, handling of sensitive homeland

security information, and OHS information sharing activities.

- Update on National Strategy and Office of Cyber Security activities

- Critical Infrastructure Protection Board Taskings Overview, including backup dial-tone

analysis for Washington D.C. area, emergency notification service and global early

warning on potential Internet threats.

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-IV-02-028, B. J. Services, REPORT OF MISPLACED SEALED SOURCE.
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Requests received during the period of

May 31, 2002 through June 6, 2002:

Licenses, what office receives request for termination, and are documents publicly available

(FOIA/PA-2002-0287)

Training materials, resident inspectors, re: SDP (significant determination process), all

documents (FOIA/PA-2002-0288)

Commissioner Diaz’ contract, to provide advice and guidance (FOIA/PA-2002-0289)

Indian Point 2, justification of 5-year extension on containment integrate leak rate test

(FOIA/PA-2002-0290)

Security file (FOIA/PA-2002-0291)

Davis Besse, correspondence between NRC and FirstEnergy re: safety concerns since 1995

(FOIA/PA-2002-0292)

FOIA/PA-2002-0245, all processing records (FOIA/PA-2002-0293)
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

Arrivals

ARNETT, Daniel STUDENT ENGINEER RII

DORSEY, Melissa STUDENT LAW CLERK ASLBP

DOWLING, Jonathan STUDENT LAW CLERK OGC

HANSON, Michael PROGRAM ANALYST OCFO

KASCAK, Matthew STUDENT ENGINEER RES

LIMATA, Laura STUDENT ENGINEER NMSS

MARTIN, David OFFICE ASSISTANT RIII

PENNAMON, Bryan STUDENT ENGINEER RII

RIDLEY, Stanley CONSULTANT NMSS

SCHNECK, Debra EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

SPECIALIST

NRR

SCOTT, Keianna STUDENT CLERK ADM

SKIDMORE, Karen OFFICE AUTOMATION ASSISTANT NRR

VARGAS-MÉNDEZ, Alexandra REACTOR INSPECTOR RII

WOLCHANSKY, Jennifer STUDENT PHYSICAL SCIENTIST NMSS
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

Media Interest

Chairman Meserve’s testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

on nuclear power plant security issues was widely reported.

There was media interest in a meeting between NRC and FirstEnergy Company officials

regarding the company’s plans to replace the reactor vessel head at Davis Besse.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

02-068 NRC Renews Charter of Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste

02-069 NRC Revises Public Meeting Policy

02-070 NRC Approves Power Uprate for Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant

02-071 NRC Renews License for Turkey Point Units 3 & 4 for an Additional 20

Years

02-072 NRC Advisory Committee on Medical uses of Isotopes to Meet June 21,

July 8

Regions:

I-02-041 NRC, Companies to Discuss Three Mile Island 2 Organizational Changes

I-02-042 NRC Names New Resident Inspector at Oyster Creek

II-02-032 Atomic Safety & Licensing Board to Continue Hearing June 11 in

Chattanooga on TVA Appeal of NRC Discrimination Ruling

III-02-032 NRC Staff to Meet with Northern Engraving on Possible Safety Violations

III-02-033 NRC to Hold 3 Public Meetings on Davis-Besse June 12 in Ohio

IV-02-027 NRC to Hold Public Meetings on Fort Calhoun Station License Renewal

IV-02-028 NRC Names Mark A. Sitek Resident Inspector at San Onofre Nuclear

Generating Station
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE N

Office of International Programs

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

German Visits

On June 4-5, 2002, Mr. Lothar Hahn, Technical Director of Gesellschaft fur Reaktorsicherheit,

headed a delegation that met with the Commissioners and staff. The purpose of the visit was

to identify areas of mutual interest for future research cooperation. Topics that were discussed

included analysis of operational experience, reactor sump clogging, PRA activities, material

aging, digital I&C and severe accident management. Additionally, the visitors were briefed on

emergency response and they toured the Operations Center.

On June 6, 2002, Mr. Gerhard Feige, from the Ministry of Environment and Nuclear Safety,

accompanied by Dr. Norbert Pelzer of the University of Gottingen, headed a team that wished

to discuss the legal structure that provides nuclear regulatory independence in the U.S. 

Karen Cyr, General Council, represented NRC in this discussion.

Chinese Visit

On June 7, 2002, Vice Chairman Xu Yuming, China Atomic Energy Authority, visited the NRC

and met with the Chairman and Commissioners Dicus and McGaffigan. He briefed on China’s

plans to expand its nuclear power program and was interested in the U.S. plans to build new

plants. Vice Chairman Xu was also interested in NRC’s reactor licensing process and whether

there would be any problems for a U.S. reactor vendor to obtain an export license to China.
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-02-0077 5/8/02 Proposed Rule to Update 10 CFR Part 52

"Early Site Permits, Standard Design

Certifications, and Combined Licenses for

Nuclear Power Plants"

2. SECY-02-0088 5/17/02 Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, Units 3 and 4,

Renewal of Full-Power Operating Licenses

SRM on 02-0088 6/5/02 (same subject)

Voting Record on 02-

0088

6/5/02 (same subject)

Information Papers

1. SECY-02-0091 6/3/02 SECY-02-0091 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending May 24, 2002

2. SECY-02-0097 6/6/02 SECY-02-0097 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending May 31, 2002

Memoranda

1. M020529 6/4/02 Briefing on the Status of New Reactor

Licensing Activities

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. ABB Prospects, Inc. - Designation of Presiding Officer - Notice.

2. Pacific Gas and Electric Company - Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

Alert Declared at Peach Bottom

On June 2, 2002, at 01:02 a.m. hours, Exelon declared an Alert at the Peach Bottom Atomic

Power Plant because the CARDOX system (C02 fire suppression system) injected into the E3

emergency diesel generator room while the diesel was being operated for testing purposes. 

The applicable Emergency Action Level (EAL) was “Toxic gases within the plant vital structures

in concentrations that will be life threatening to plant personnel.” Two operators promptly

evacuated the room when they recognized the CARDOX initiation. 

Exelon notified the NRC of the Alert at 0133. The Deputy Regional Administrator; Director,

Division of Reactor Projects; State Liaison Officer; Senior Public Affairs Officer; and several

other Region I staff, established and maintained a communications bridge through the

Headquarters Operation Center to monitor Exelon’s response. Communications also were

established with representatives from Maryland and Pennsylvania. The Senior Resident

Inspector was dispatched to the site. Two Region I staff were dispatched to the Regional Office

in the event the Region Incident Response Center required activation. The Region conducted

briefings for the NRR Director, Deputy EDO for Reactor Programs, and Commissioner

Technical Assistants. Exelon terminated the Alert at 0301. Exelon’s post event investigation

identified that the apparent cause of the CARDOX injection was a malfunction in a circuit card

within the CARDOX system.

Yankee Rowe Fuel Movement to Dry Cask Storage

During the week of June 3, 2002, Yankee Rowe began the first steps to transfer spent fuel from

the spent fuel pool to the onsite Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation. After resolving an

issue with the alarm on the crane used to move the fuel casks, the licensee successfully placed

a transportable storage container located inside a transfer cask in the spent fuel pool and

loaded the container with fuel bundles. The loaded container will be moved out of the spent

fuel pool, dried, have a welded lid installed, and moved to a vertical concrete cask and the

ISFSI. Region I onsite inspection coverage continues by both health physicists from DNMS and

engineering support from DRS.
June 7, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 7, 2002

Trip to Area of Yucca Mountain

On May 31, 2002, the Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Director,

Division of Waste Management, Region IV Regional Administrator, and the Regional State

Liaison Officer met with government officials, DOE management, tribal contacts and local

citizens in the Las Vegas, Pahrump and Amargosa Valley areas. Valuable insights into the

technical knowledge level of the local officials (and citizenry) in Nye County were gained and

contact with important key players in the local area was made.

Refueling Outage at Fort Calhoun Station

On June 1, 2002, Fort Calhoun Station achieved criticality at 5:48 a.m. and ended a record 29-

day, 3-hour, and 19-minute refueling outage. During this outage, the licensee completed

inspections of the reactor vessel head, steam generator tubes, and control element drive

mechanism housings in addition to replacing the seal packages for all four reactor coolant

pumps. The reactor vessel head inspection did not identify any degradation of the nozzles,

welds or, vessel surface.

Regulatory Conference with Entergy

On June 3, 2002, Region IV staff conducted a public regulatory conference with Entergy

personnel from River Bend Station. The subject was a proposed Yellow finding regarding

emergency preparedness deficiencies in the licensee’s plan to evacuate the owner-controlled

area.

Entergy Public Meeting

On June 6, 2002, a public meeting was conducted at Entergy’s corporate headquarters in

Jackson, Mississippi, between Entergy senior managers and NRC to discuss the general

performance of Region IV Entergy sites (Arkansas Nuclear One, Grand Gulf Nuclear Station,

River Bend Station, and Waterford 3 Steam Electric Station). The meeting was attended by the

Region IV Regional Administrator, representatives from the Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation, and other Region IV staff.