INFORMATION REPORT

May 23, 2002 SECY-02-0087

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-02-0087 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING MAY 17, 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:

M. Layton, OEDO
May 23, 2002 SECY-02-0087

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-02-0087 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING MAY 17, 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:

M. Layton, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\WEEK517.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

MLayton:paa JWCraig

05/23/02 05/23/02
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MAY 17, 2002

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: M. Layton, OEDO by E-mail: mcl@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 *

NSIR 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I *

ADM 10 Region II 21

CIO 11 Region III 22

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 OEDO *

SB/CR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Beaver Valley, Units 1 and 2, Davis-Besse

FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), the licensee for the Beaver Valley Power

Station, Perry Nuclear Plant, and Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, announced three newly

created positions within FENOC’s senior management and several senior management

changes at FENOC headquarters, Davis-Besse, and Beaver Valley.

Gary R. Leidich, Executive Vice President of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO)

has been named to the newly created position of "Executive Vice President - FENOC," and will

report directly to Mr. Robert Saunders, President and CNO of FENOC. Reporting to Mr. Leidich

will be John Wood, Vice President of FENOC Engineering Services and directors of

engineering from each of FENOC’s nuclear plants. Mr. Leidich will also have responsibility for

GPU Nuclear. His appointment will become effective on June 10, 2002.

Lew W. Myers, FENOC Senior Vice President for Beaver Valley has been named to the newly

created position of FENOC Chief Operating Officer (COO) and will report to Mr. Saunders. As

the new COO, Mr. Myers will be stationed at Davis-Besse to focus on the restoration and restart

of the plant. Reporting to Mr. Myers will be Guy G. Campbell, Vice President for Perry Nuclear

Power Plant; Howard Bergendahl, Vice President for Davis-Besse, and; Mark Bezilla, Vice

President for Beaver Valley. Mr. Myers’ appointment to this new position is effective

immediately.

L. William Pearce, plant manager at Beaver Valley, has been promoted to Vice President -

FENOC Oversight and will report to Mr. Saunders. This appointment is effective immediately.

Mark B. Bezilla, currently the Vice President - Technical Support at PSEG, Nuclear LLC, has

been named Vice President for Beaver Valley. He will report to Mr. Myers. This appointment

will be effective on May 20, 2002. 

Summary of Meeting with Joint Owners’ Group to Discuss Motor-Operated Valve Periodic

Verification Program

On May 8, 2002, the NRC staff held a public meeting with representatives of the Joint Owners’

Group (JOG) to discuss the current status of the JOG Program on Motor-Operated Valve

(MOV) Periodic Verification being conducted as an industry-wide response to Generic Letter

(GL) 96-05, “Periodic Verification of Design-Basis Capability of Safety-Related Motor-Operated

Valves.” The staff issued GL 96-05 to provide recommendations for long-term MOV programs

to be implemented following the initial verification of MOV design-basis capability performed in

response to GL 89-10, “Safety-Related Motor-Operated Valve Testing and Surveillance.” 

The JOG program consists of the following three phases: (1) an interim MOV static diagnostic

test program; (2) a 5-year MOV dynamic diagnostic test program; and (3) a long-term MOV

periodic diagnostic test program. The staff prepared a safety evaluation dated October 30,

1997, accepting the JOG program with certain conditions and limitations. At the May 8, 2002
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

meeting, the staff reported that the review of the GL 96-05 programs had been completed for all

103 active operating reactor units based, in large part, on licensee commitments to the JOG

program.

The JOG representatives reported that licensees of 98 reactor units are participating in the

program. The JOG program currently includes 197 valves that are receiving three repetitive

dynamic tests with at least a 1-year time interval between tests. The JOG representatives

provided an update of the key observations from the MOV dynamic tests performed as part of

the JOG program. The target date for the submittal of the JOG final topical report to the NRC

is December 2003. The staff plans to prepare a safety evaluation addressing the JOG final

topical report. The JOG will prepare a summary document of lessons learned following

completion of the JOG dynamic test program for use by licensees in system application and

setup of MOVs and other power-operated valves. Further, the staff stated that it will consider

the development of an information notice that alerts all licensees to the key lessons learned

from the JOG program. The staff and JOG representatives set a tentative date of October 16,

2002, for the next public meeting to discuss the status of the JOG program.

NRC Regulatory Issue Summary 2002-07: Clarification of NRC Requirements Applicable to

Worker Fatigue and Self-Declarations of Fitness-For-Duty dated May 10, 2002

The NRC issued this regulatory issue summary to highlight recent concerns about worker selfdeclarations of fitness-for-duty and to clarify the applicable regulatory requirements.
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Staff Attends Spring Meeting of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

On May 7-8, 2002, staff from the Division of Waste Management and the Center for Nuclear

Waste Regulatory Analyses attended the spring meeting of the Nuclear Waste Technical

Review Board held in Washington, D.C. The meeting agenda included programmatic and

technical subjects. Programmatic presentations covered the safety case (i.e., international

perspectives; Department of Energy (DOE) strategy; State of Nevada views; and NRC

requirements for the safety case presented by NRC staff); staged repository development (i.e.,

status of the National Academy of Sciences’ study on adaptive staging, international

perspectives, DOE views, and State of Nevada views); and the performance confirmation

program (i.e., enhancing confidence by DOE; role of long-term research and development and

performance confirmation by the Electric Power Research Institute; and testing priorities by

DOE). Technical presentations were made on the status of corrosion studies (i.e., DOE’s waste

package performance peer review, and evaluation of near-field corrosion processes for the

State of Nevada). As a result, staff gained more insights on State of Nevada and NWTRB’s

concerns regarding those areas covered.

Holtec International HI-STORM 100 Cask System

On May 9, 2002, the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) and the Office

of the General Counsel (OGC) made a decision to withdraw a direct final rule that was

published on March 27, 2002, revising the Holtec International HI-STORM 100 cask system

listing within the "List of approved spent fuel storage casks" in 10 CFR 72.214, to include

Amendment 1 to the Certificate of Compliance. In response to the request for public comments

in the companion proposed rule (3/27/02; 67 FR 14662), the NRC received a significant

adverse comment that warranted withdrawal of the direct final rule. The main concern in the

comment was based on an assumption that "certain forms of" Greater Than Class C waste

were to be commingled with spent nuclear fuel. The comment will be addressed in the normal

notice and comment process, and a final rule package is in preparation.

Meeting Regarding New Transport Package for Fresh Fuel Assemblies

On May 15, 2002, Spent Fuel Project Office staff met with the Westinghouse Electric Company

to discuss the design of the Model No. Traveller package. The Traveller is being designed for

the transport of fresh fuel assemblies. Westinghouse described the package design, plans for

package testing, and criticality analyses performed for the package. Westinghouse plans to

perform final certification tests using a full-scale specimen. Testing will include the hypothetical

accident test sequence in 10 CFR Part 71, including free drop, puncture, and fire tests. 

Westinghouse plans to submit an application for package approval in the summer of 2003.
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Joint NRC/EPRI Fire Research Study- Kickoff Meeting at Millstone NPP 

A successful kickoff meeting for the fire risk requantification study was held at Millstone nuclear

power plant (NPP) on May 14, 2002. In attendance were representatives from EPRI, NRC,

(including EPRI and NRC contractors) and D.C. Cook and Millstone Unit 3, pilot plants whose

fire risk analyses (FRAs) will be updated with improved methods derived from this project. 

During the meeting, the requantification study program plan developed jointly by EPRI and NRC

was discussed with the pilot plants. Issues which arose during the discussions were resolved.

The fire risk requantification study is identified as a program element in the EPRI-NRC(RES)

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) fire risk addendum.

Briefly, the objectives of the requantification study are to (1) improve tools, methods, and data

through EPRI and NRC deliberation and discussion (based upon results of their respective

research programs), (2) update pilot plant FRAs with these improvements, (3) develop insights,

and (4) identify areas for future research. Both EPRI and NRC recognize that improvements

should be made in the current methods guidance to support risk-informed regulatory

applications.

EPRI and NRC will develop products benefitting from their collaboration. Specifically, EPRI will

update its FRA methods guidance document, the Fire PRA Implementation Guide. NRC will

produce a NUREG on improved methods, the pilot plant studies it performs to obtain methods

insights, and those insights. It is also expected that the results of the fire risk requantification

study will support the ANS fire risk standard.

Annual CSARP Technical Review Meeting

The annual Cooperative Severe Accident Research Program (CSARP) Technical Review

meeting was conducted on May 6-8, 2002. This international meeting serves an important role

in providing a forum for applying the knowledge base acquired to address regulatory and safety

issues. The meeting was attended by 60 participants from 15 CSARP Partner countries and

from national laboratories, universities, and the NRC. The technical sessions covered two

major themes: progress in phenomenological research and experiments, and progress in code

development, assessment, and applications. For current generation reactors, participants

identified melt coolability and melt-structure-coolant interactions as areas where ongoing

research is directed to address remaining uncertainties. 
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Nuclear Materials Management and Safeguards System (NMMSS) Users Annual Training

Meeting

Staff members of the NRC Offices of International Programs (OIP), Inspector General (OIG),

Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR), and Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

(NMSS) participated in the annual training meeting with NMMSS stakeholders. NMMSS is the

U.S. national data base for source and special nuclear material. NRC-licensed facilities and

Department of Energy (DOE) facilities are required to report actions that result in a change in

the quantity of special nuclear material to NMMSS. The meeting was held May 7-9 and was

attended by approximately 110 stakeholders from both private industry and the DOE sites as

well as approximately 20 employees of the U.S. Government (i.e., DOE, NRC and Department

of State). The main area of training addressed how to structure reports in an electronic

manner, to be read by the upgraded NMMSS data base. This change in report structure is a

result of the work being performed to upgrade the NMMSS from a software platform that is no

longer vendor-supported, to Oracle software. In addition, the Government representatives

provided several training sessions concerning revised procedures to report transactions

involving material obligated to foreign countries. These revised procedures are needed to

satisfy treaty commitments the U.S. Government has undertaken through the implementation of

various Agreements for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation. 

Office of Homeland Security (OHS) Training and Exercise Policy Coordination Committee

On May 14, 2002, the Director of the Division of Incident Response Operations attended a

meeting of the OHS Training and Exercise Policy Coordination Committee. About 25

representatives of various Federal agencies participated. Principal topics included TOPOFF2

planning and an initial discussion of a training concept for inclusion in the National Strategy for

Homeland Security. Department of Justice planning for TOPOFF2 continues to envision two

primary venues and a possible tertiary venue. An initial TOPOFF2 planning conference is

scheduled for May 21 and a series of seminars are planned in the next six months. The OHS

training concept is still evolving and is expected to provide an approach for Federal

engagement with State and local entities to improve the capabilities of first responders.

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-IV-02-023, Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation (Wolf Creek Nuclear Plant),

UNPLANNED SHUTDOWN DUE TO LOOSE PART IN STEAM GENERATOR D.

2. PNO-IV-02-024, Huntington Memorial Hospital, THEFT OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL.
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Acquisition Training and Certification Program

On May 15, 2002, the Division of Contracts and Property Management conducted an

Acquisition Certification and Training Program module entitled “Source Evaluation Panel

Procedures” with nine attendees. This module focuses on the duties and responsibilities of

SEP members including effective evaluation of proposals, determination of the competitive

range, and contractor selection.

List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: NAC-MPC; Confirmation of Effective Date

(Part 72)

A document confirming the effective date of May 29, 2002, for a direct final rule that revised the

NAC-MPC cask system listing within the list of approved spent fuel storage casks was

published in the Federal Register on May 13, 2002 (67 FR 31938).
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Requests received during the period of May 10, 2002

through May 16, 2002:

OIG Investigation of U.S. Robotech Inc., Contract RG4-97-246, all documents (FOIA/PA-2002-

0260)

Westinghouse Electric Corp.’s NRC license SUC-509, SNM-37, and SNM-338, specific

documents (FOIA/PA-2002-0261)

Westinghouse Electric Corp.’s NRC license SUC-509, SNM-37, and SNM-338, specific

documents (FOIA/PA-2002-0262)

IMPAC listing (FOIA/PA-2002-0263)

Hematite Nuclear Facility, MO, specific documents (FOIA/PA-2002-0264)

Crystal River Unit 3, documents from Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and Florida Power

Corporation to NRC on proposed rule on antitrust review authority (docket 50-302) (FOIA/PA2002-0265)

Radiation records from J. A. Fitzpatrick Plant, Oswego, NY, from April 1972 through December

1976 (FOIA/PA-2002-0266)

Radiation exposure at Plymouth Massachusetts Nuclear Power Plant, 1986-1993 (FOIA/PA2002-0267)

Decommissioning funds, licensees (FOIA/PA-2002-0268)

“Evaluation of Aircraft Crash Hazards Analyses for Nuclear Power Plants,” June, 1982, referral

by Department of Energy (FOIA/PA-2002-0269)
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Arrivals

ANDERSON, Angel* SUMMER CLERK RIII

BAKHSH, Sarah* STUDENT ENGINEER RIII

BENJAMIN, Jamie REACTOR INSPECTOR RI

CAI, June NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN RES

CHENEY, Valentina OFFICE AUTOMATION ASSISTANT NMSS

COX, Mark REACTOR INSPECTOR RI

FANNER, Rodney NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN RII

KLETT, Audrey* STUDENT ENGINEER RIII

LARE, Megan* STUDENT CLERK RI

MILLER, Glenn NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN NRR

MORENO, Jeffrey* STUDENT ENGINEER RIV

O'KELLY, Kevin** OFFICE ASSISTANT RIII

RUTTENKROGER, Scott* STUDENT ENGINEER RIV

SALTER-WILLIAMS, Monica NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN RI

TAYLOR, Ryan NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN RII

TROCKI, Tamara TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST NMSS

VIRANT, Thomas* STUDENT ENGINEER RIII

WYLAM, Justin* STUDENT ENGINEER RIV

*Summer employee

**Employee returning from LWOP to work full-time during the summer months.
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Media Interest

Region I Administrator Hubert J. Miller met with the editorial board of the Westchester JournalNews to discuss issues regarding Indian Point.

There was press interest in Vermont Yankee’s Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation.

An announcement by TVA that it plans to re-start Browns Ferry-1, which has been idle since

1985, drew media interest.

There was continuing interest in plans by FirstEnergy regarding the degraded reactor vessel

head at its Davis-Besse plant.

Press Releases

Regions:

I-02-038 NRC, Viacom to Discuss Cleanup of Bloomfield, N.J., Facility

III-02-026 NRC Announces New Senior Resident Inspector At D.C. Cook

Nuclear Power Station

III-02-027 NRC Names Resident Inspector at Prairie Island

III-02-028 NRC Announces New Senior Resident Inspector at Davis-Besse

Nuclear Power Station
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Information Papers

1. SECY-02-0078 05/09/02 SECY-02-0078 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending May 3, 2002

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Ryan Buboltz dated May 7, 2002, extends congratulations upon completion of

requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor in Scouting. 

2. Letter to Dario Herrera, Chairman, Las Vegas Board of County Commissioners, dated

May 6, 2002, responds to request for public meetings to discuss the safety and security

issues surrounding Yucca Mountain and the transportation of 77,000 tons of the nation’s

high-level nuclear waste to Nevada. 

3. Letter to Paul Leventhal, Nuclear Control Institute, dated May 6, 2002, concerns the

application from Transnuclear, Inc., to amend NRC an license. 

4. Joseph S. Mahaley, DOE, dated May 7, 2002, responds to requests for NRC’s urgent

attention to deficiencies identified in the Nuclear Material Management and Safeguards

System as discussed in an audit report prepared by the U.S. department of Energy’s

Office of Inspector General. 

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Joint Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittees

on Materials and Metallurgy, on Thermal-Hydraulic Phenomena, and on Reliability and

Probabilistic Risk Assessment - Notice of Meeting.

2. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, June 6-8, 2002 - Notice of Meeting.

3. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Subcommittee on Fire Protection - Notice of

Meeting.
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Leaders Growing Leaders in Virginia

On May 15-17, 2002, the Director, Division of Reactor Projects, attended the "Leaders Growing

Leaders" training at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, VA. This is part of the

regional effort to send managers to specialized, leadership training.

Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.

On May 14, 2002, a small fire occurred in the recovery area at the Nuclear Fuel Services site in

Erwin, TN. The fire was promptly extinguished by an operator with a portable dry chemical fire

extinguisher. No fuel processing or other radioactive material was directly involved. The

equipment involved consisted of two small water heaters. An offsite fire department was called

but did not enter the site. Two Region II fuel facility inspectors were onsite at the time of the

fire and immediately responded. The senior resident inspector is monitoring the licensee's

investigation and implementation of corrective actions.

Tennessee Valley Authority - Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant

On May 16, 2002, the Tennessee Valley Authority Board approved a recommendation to begin

recovery of the Browns Ferry, Unit 1 power reactor for service. The Board issued a press

release on May 16, announcing this decision and a decision to request license extension from

NRC for all three reactor units at the Browns Ferry power plant site.
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region III

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Operator License Presentation at Perry

On May 16, 2002, the Regional Administrator presented Reactor Operator license certificates to

two individuals and Senior Reactor Operator license certificates to five individuals at the Perry

Nuclear Power Station. The license examinations were administered to the seven candidates in

March 2002.
May 17, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

Predecisional Enforcement Conference with Department of the Interior

On May 15, 2002, the Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety and RIV staff members

conducted a closed Predecisional Enforcement Conference with representatives of the

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), to discuss apparent violations of NRC

requirements for using soil density gages from BIA’s Aberdeen, SD facility. The apparent

violations are (1) the failure to appoint a radiation safety officer, and (2) amend the license to

reflect a change in radiation safety officers, as described in NRC Inspection Report 030-

08502/2001-001.

Comanche Peak Visit

On May 14, 2002, the Regional Administrator visited Comanche Peak to tour the plant with the

Resident Inspector. While on site he met with the Senior Vice President. He also discussed

implementation of the security order with security personnel and changes made to prevent the

release of radioactive material from the restricted area with the radiation protection manager.
May 17, 2002 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 17, 2002

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 54

OCA

Contact

DATE

&

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Gerke 05/21/02

2147 RHOB

 1:00 TBA More Value for Federal Employees: 

Cafeteria Benefit Plans

Reps. WeCivil ServGovernm

Combs 05/22/02

SD-106

 9:30 Governor Guinn, Nevada

Representatives 

S.J.Res. 34, Approving YuccaMountain for the Repository

Senators Energy an

Combs 05/23/02

SH-216

 9:30 Commission, NWTRB, GAO,

EPA

S.J.Res. 34, Approving YuccaMountain for the Repository

Senators Energy an

Keeling 06/05/02

Tentative

 9:30 NRC and others S. 1586 and S. 1746, Security at

Nuclear Power Plants

Senators Environm

Combs 06/05/02

SD-366

TBA Markup S.J.Res. 34, Approving Yucca

Mountain for the Repository

Senators Energy an