INFORMATION REPORT

May 29, 2003 SECY-03-0086

For: The Commissioners

From: William M. Dean, Assistant for Operations, Office of the EDO

Subject: SECY-03-0086 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING MAY 23, 2003

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/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

M. Fields, OEDO
May 29, 2003 SECY-03-0086

For: The Commissioners

From: William M. Dean, Assistant for Operations, Office of the EDO

Subject: SECY-03-0086 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING MAY 23, 2003

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/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

M. Fields, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\ML031490698.wpd

OEDO AO/OEDO

MBFields WMDean

05/28/03 05/29/03
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MAY 23, 2003

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: M. Fields, OEDO by E-mail: MBF1@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 3 STP *

NMSS 3 OPA 1

RES 2 IP *

NSIR 1 SECY 1

OGC * Region I 1

ADM 1 Region II 1

CIO 1 Region III 1

CFO * Region IV *

HR 1 OEDO *

SB/CR * OCA 1

OE *

*No input this week
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

North Anna Power Station, Unit 1

On May 14, 2003, a tractor trailer carrying the replaced North Anna, Unit 1, reactor vessel head

(RVH) from North Anna Power Station to EnviroCare in Clive, Utah, was involved in a vehicle

accident with a pickup truck on Route 42 near Kingman, Kansas. The impact between the

tractor trailer and pickup truck caused a 22-inch tear in the plastic packaging that covered the

RVH, along with depositing some paint on the metal support plates connecting the head to the

tractor trailer. The head itself did not appear to be impacted. The Sumner County, Kansas Fire

Department Team responded to the scene. After continuing to travel 20-25 miles, the driver

stopped for the evening just south of Kingman, Kansas, and informed his carrier dispatcher of

the accident. The following morning, the carrier dispatcher informed Waste Management

Group, Inc. (WMG), the subcontractor for the head replacement project, of the accident. WMG

requested the tractor trailer be stopped at the nearest available location. The driver of the

tractor trailer stopped at a location just east of Greensburg, Kansas, on Route 54. WMG then

notified the North Anna Power Station, U.S. Department of Transportation, and the State of

Kansas about the accident. Representatives from the Wolf Creek Generating Station, State of

Kansas Department of Health & Environment Radiation & Asbestos Control Group, and North

Anna Power Station were sent to survey the tractor trailer and assess the damage. Three

independent radiological surveys conducted by these representatives determined there had

been no spread of radiological contamination and only minor damage had occurred to the

shipping container for the reactor vessel head. The shipping container was repaired and

inspected to ensure it met the U.S. Department of Transportation packaging standards. The

tractor trailer was released by North Anna Power Station and the State of Kansas on May 16,

2003. That same day, the tractor trailer left Greensburg, Kansas, en route to the State of Utah. 

A more extensive evaluation of the damage will be performed at the tractor trailer’s final

destination, EnviroCare in Clive, Utah.

Public Comment Proposed GL 2003-XX: “Requirements for Steam Generator Tube Inspections

A proposed generic letter, GL 2003-XX: “Requirements for Steam Generator Tube Inspections,”

was published in the Federal Register on May 14, 2003, (68 FR 25909) for public comment,

with a 60-day comment period. In 2002, the staff learned that some licensees were not

inspecting the full length of tubing in the tubesheet area with appropriate specialized probes for

detecting certain types of defects, like circumferential cracks, that may exist there. Although

these licensees were using a safety analysis to justify their inspection practices, these safety

analyses were not provided to the NRC for review and approval. The staff asked the licensees

to submit TS amendment requests or safety analyses to obtain NRC approval of their

inspection approaches. The staff reviewed the resulting submittals on a one-cycle basis before

the plants restarted. Upon identification of this issue and its potential generic implications, the

staff developed a draft GL to discuss the NRC’s interpretation of the requirements in this area. 

When finalized, the GL will ask the Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) licensees to assess

whether their tube inspection practices comply with regulatory requirements and to propose

corrective actions if they do not. A sample change to the technical specifications for plants

limiting inspections in the tube sheet region was also included in the proposed GL. The staff
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

has received media inquiry on the proposed GL, and an article was published in The Energy

Daily on May 15, 2003. The staff is preparing a communication plan to facilitate communication

with the internal and external stakeholders.

Staff Issues Final Supplement 11 to The Generic Environmental Impact Statement on License

Renewal For St. Lucie Units 1 And 2 

The staff issued final Supplement 11 to NUREG-1437, “Generic Environmental Impact

Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants,” regarding St. Lucie, Units 1 and 2 on May

16, 2003. The supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) represents the completion

of the staff’s environmental review for the license renewal application submitted by Florida

Power and Light Company. 

The SEIS includes the staff’s final analysis in which the staff considers and weighs the

environmental effects of the proposed actions, the environmental impacts of alternatives to the

proposed actions, and mitigative measures available for reducing or avoiding adverse impacts. 

They also include the staff’s final recommendations regarding the proposed actions; that the

Commission determine that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for St. Lucie

Units 1 and 2 are not so great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy planning

decisionmakers would be unreasonable.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue the Notice of Filing of the final

SEIS in the May 30, 2003, Federal Register. The NRC can then proceed with the renewal

actions after a 30-day period expires (June 29, 2003), should no Federal agency refer matters

in dispute in the final SEIS to the Council on Environmental Quality.

License Renewal Steering Committee Meeting

The NRC License Renewal Steering Committee met with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)

License Renewal Working Group on May 16, 2003, to discuss license renewal review

resources. Based on the number of applications being reviewed and those planned to be

submitted in coming years, a significant increase in the resources allocated for license renewal

will be needed. To accommodate the resource needs for license renewal application reviews

and the other office’s programs, the staff has proposed limiting the number of in-house license

renewal application reviews to eight at any one time starting in FY 2004. Based on this

proposal, reviews in FY 2004 and 2005 would be delayed ranging from 2 to 18 months. The

industry discussed that potential schedule and financial impacts of this proposal. By an 

April 18, 2003, letter, the staff requested NEI comments on the potential impact of license

renewal resources. NEI indicated that they are conducting an industry survey to gather data to

respond to that letter. NEI also indicated that they plan to discuss this subject at the June 16,

2003, senior management public meeting.

Commission Briefing

The Commission was briefed by NRC staff on the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) and the

results of the Agency Action Review Meeting (AARM) on May 15, 2003. Agenda topics

included the results of the Industry Trends and the ROP Self-Assessment Program, an

informational update on Davis-Besse, a briefing of the Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

(NMSS) process for selecting licensees for AARM discussion, and the results of four reactor

plant licensees (Indian Point 2, Oconee 1, Point Beach 1 and 2, and Cooper) that met the

criteria for AARM discussion. Additionally, representatives of Entergy and Greenpeace

provided the Commission with their perspectives on the ROP. 
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

Advisory Committee on the Medical Use of Isotopes

On May 20-21, 2003, the Advisory Committee on the Medical Use of Isotopes (ACMUI) held its

semi-annual meeting. The first session, on May 20, 2003, was a closed meeting, where NRC

staff and ACMUI discussed internal administrative committee business. The open public

session began at 1:00 p.m. and included presentations from NRC staff and ACMUI, as well as

various outside speakers, including a representative of the Government Accounting Office. 

Topics covered ranged from discussion of NRC’s National Materials Program Pilot Project on

Operating Experience, to the requirement that NRC report, to the Department of Health and

Human Services’ database, certain adverse actions against licensee health care practitioners. 

A transcript of the meeting will be available via both ADAMS and the NRC website, on

approximately June 20, 2003.

Sequoyah Fuels Public Meeting and Site Visit

On the evening of May 13, 2003, staff from the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards

and the Division of Waste Management, with assistance from staff from the Office of the

General Counsel, Region IV, and contractors, held a public meeting in Gore, Oklahoma. Staff

discussed the change in classification, from source material to byproduct material, as defined in

Section 11e.(2) of the Atomic Energy Act, of most of the waste at the Sequoyah Fuels

Corporation (SFC) conversion facility, and how that will affect the reclamation of the site. 

Additionally, a scoping meeting was conducted for the Environmental Impact Statement being

prepared for the cleanup of the site. Several reporters attended: articles appeared in local

media the following day.

On the morning of May 14, 2003, staff met with SFC at its site near Gore, Oklahoma, to discuss

technical issues related to the proposed reclamation plan, and to tour the site. Staff from the

State of Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and several members of the public

attended the meeting and site tour. In the afternoon, staff met with representatives of the

Cherokee Nation at their offices in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Meeting of National Academy of Sciences Transportation of Radioactive Waste Committee

On May 16-17, 2003, the National Academy of Sciences convened the first meeting of the

Transportation of Radioactive Waste Committee. The panel will study the societal and

technical risks of transportation, with a special focus on spent fuel transportation. The purpose

of the open portion of the kickoff meeting was to collect the views of the sponsors and

interested members of the public. NRC’s Spent Fuel Project Office provided the first

presentation, followed by the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, and the

Electric Power Research Institute. Up to eight meetings are planned (some closed) over

two years.
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Meeting with PacTec Regarding Transport Package for MOX Fresh Fuel Assemblies

On May 15, 2003, Spent Fuel Project Office staff met with Packaging Technology, Inc.,

(PacTec) to discuss the transport packages that will be used to support the plutonium

disposition program for irradiating mixed uranium and plutonium oxide (MOX) fuel in

commercial reactors. Current program plans include fabrication of four MOX lead assemblies

in Europe. PacTec described the design and analysis of two French-approved package

designs that may be used to transport the plutonium oxide from the U.S. to Europe, and the

fresh MOX fuel assemblies back to the U.S. PacTec plans to request approval in fall 2003 to

use the packages for these import and export shipments. After lead assembly testing, future

MOX fuel assemblies will be fabricated in the U.S. and shipped to domestic reactors. PacTec

also described the package being designed for shipments within the U.S. It plans to submit an

application for package approval to NRC in March 2004.

NRC and DOE Hold Technical Exchange and Management Public Meeting

On May 15, 2003, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards staff met with Department

of Energy (DOE) staff to discuss the use of risk information to address Key Technical Issue

(KTI) agreements concerning the DOE Yucca Mountain program. The meeting was held via

three-way video-conferencing hosted at NRC Headquarters, with connections to the Yucca

Mountain Repository Development Office in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Center for Nuclear

Waste Regulatory Analyses in San Antonio, Texas. Various stakeholders, including

representatives from the State of Nevada, Clark County, and the Electric Power Research

Institute attended at the NRC location. Presentations included overviews of: (1) the DOE

approach to address KTI agreements using risk information; (2) NRC staff perspective on riskinformed issue resolution; and (3) NRC staff perspective on the combined effects of uncertainty.

NRC Staff Holds Decommissioning Counterparts Meeting

On May 13-14, 2003, staff and management from the Division of Waste Management,

representatives from the Office of the General Counsel, and the Advisory Committee on

Nuclear Waste (observer capacity), and Regional decommissioning staff and management

participated in an exchange of current decommissioning issues. The participants discussed the

status of the Site Decommissioning Management Plan sites, lessons learned from

decommissioning sites managed by the Regions, and a number of cross-cutting issues such as

the technical assistance request process, dose modeling, material release, and site

characterization. A representative from the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

(ORISE) provided an update on ORISE’s lessons learned during site confirmatory surveys, and

discussed ORISE capabilities to provide future targeted decommissioning training. On May 14,

2003, participants received an on-site briefing, followed by a site tour of the West Valley

Demonstration Project, hosted by the Department of Energy and the New York State Energy

Research and Development Authority.

Staff Participates in 13th Annual Department of Defense Low-Level Radioactive Waste

Generators Meeting

On May 12-15, 2003, in response to a Department of Defense invitation, Office of Nuclear

Material Safety and Safeguards staff attended the 13th Annual Low-Level Radioactive Waste
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Generators meeting, held in St. Louis, Missouri. Staff delivered a presentation on "NRC Update

of Key Programs and Activities in the Waste Arena." The staff presentation focused on

decommissioning; low-level waste (LLW); disposition of solid materials; and areas of

interagency cooperation. Approximately 150 participants attended the meeting. Participants

included representatives from key Federal agencies, the States, the National Academies, and

the industry. The meeting concentrated on the future of LLW Compacts, LLW disposal

facilities, LLW generation and disposal, and regulatory implications. Industry representatives

presented innovative technical approaches for cleanup, waste handling, packaging,

transportation, and disposal.
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

Public Meeting on Mitigating Systems Performance Index (MSPI) Pilot Program

In a May 21, 2003, public meeting to discuss technical and implementation issues with the

MSPI pilot program staff presented the status and most recent findings of the program. In the

presentation, the staff discussed the most recent efforts to enhance the Standardized Plant

Analysis Risk (SPAR) models for the pilot plants. Also, the sensitivity of the MSPI results to the

generic industry data used in the analysis were presented. General consensus on the

principles, assumptions, and modeling details is emerging, and that resolution of technical

issues by the end of the summer 2003 may be feasible. The industry has asked for an

accelerated schedule for potential implementation of the MSPI beginning in the summer of

2004.

The purpose of the MSPI is to monitor the performance of six systems based on their ability to

perform risk-significant functions. The index, which approximates the change in core damage

frequency, is comprised of two elements - system unavailability and system reliability. Plantspecific Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA) models will be used to calculate the contribution of

component failures and maintenance unavailability to the index. 

Proactive Degradation Management

Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) staff made a presentation to the International Cooperative

Group on Environmentally Assisted Cracking (ICG-EAC) during its 25th Anniversary Meeting on

May 11 to 16, 2003 in Ottawa, Canada regarding the need for proactive materials degradation

management programs. The main focus of the presentation was to seek ways to develop a

more proactive approach for dealing with materials degradation problems. Such an approach

to proactive degradation management would identify materials and environment combinations

that may lead to degradation; identify and implement effective inspection procedures,

techniques, and intervals for components that may be affected; evaluate possible new materials

and degradation mechanisms; and evaluate repair and mitigation strategies to ensure that

these do not leave the component susceptible to further degradation by the current or other

degradation mechanism. It was proposed that the ICG-EAC setup a working group to address

proactive materials degradation management.

Following the open meeting presentation to the full membership, RES staff met with the

ICG-EAC Executive Committee, in closed session, to further discuss the proposal. Results of

these discussions and of the Committee’s deliberations were presented by the executive

committee chairman to the full membership. The Executive Committee supports the need and

interest in developing proactive degradation management, and a special session will be

planned for next year’s meeting on this subject. The Executive Committee encouraged

ICG-EAC members to participate in a group that would be setup by the NRC and to express

their interest directly to the RES representative. Many of the ICG-EAC members agreed with

the need for, and strongly supported development of proactive materials degradation

management.
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE C

RES is planning to assemble a task group to address proactive degradation management

selecting materials engineering and corrosion experts from ICG-EAC, systems experts, experts

with plant operational experience, etc., as appropriate, possibly in cooperation with Electric

Power Research Institute (EPRI).
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-IV-03-026, TXU Energy- SHUTDOWN OF GREATER THAN 72 HOURS.

2. PNO-IV-03-027, SK Geotechnical Corporation - STOLEN PORTABLE GAUGE.

3. PNO-IV-03-028, Oklahoma University Medical Center - MEDICAL

MISADMINISTRATION.

4. PNO-I-03-016, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station - BARGAINING UNIT STRIKE

AT OYSTER CREEK (#39876).
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

Radiation Exposure Reports: Labeling Personal Information; Confirmation of Effective Date

(Part 20)

A document confirming the effective date of June 9, 2003, for a direct final rule that amends the

NRC’s regulations on written reports submitted to the NRC that contain personal information

was published in the Federal Register on May 22, 2003 (68 FR 27903).

Agency Award

On May 21, 2003, NRC received the "2003 Excellence in Recycling Award" during Montgomery

County's Recycling Awareness Week Awards Luncheon. This award was presented by the

Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services for exceeding the County's recycling goal

of 50%. The Director, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, accepted

the award for the Agency. The recycling program manager also attended the awards luncheon.
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

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

May 16 through May 22, 2003:

Stakeholders, all documents that identify, interaction, clearance held

by, re: 04-29-03 NRC Press Release “NRC Approves Changes to the

Design Basis Threat & Issues Orders for Nuclear Power Plants to

Further Enhance Security”

FOIA/PA-2003-0282

Security files & associated records on self FOIA/PA-2003-0283

Court Reporting Services, Solicitation ASL-01-0302, current

contractor unit prices for CLINs 001a, b, 002a, b, c, 003a, b, c and

004a, b, c

FOIA/PA-2003-0284

Solicitation Number RS-OCIO-03-314, Computer Facility Operations,

contact’s section B-Price, incumbent, address and phone number,

major contract modifications (Contract NRC-33-98-180)

FOIA/PA-2003-0285

General Electric Nuclear Energy, stop work order of 8-29-97, quality

control of power uprate project for GE boiling water reactors, all

documents and correspondence

FOIA/PA-2003-0286

James Gibbons, Representative, correspondence and other

information requested by or provided to him and other members of

his staff, 1-1-97 to present

FOIA/PA-2003-0287

Contracts NRC3398180 and NRC3395173, Data Center Computer

Facility Operations Support, copy of contracts

FOIA/PA-2003-0288

Amchitka Island, Alaska, radiation exposure on named individual,

1960's and 1970's, studies and analysis

FOIA/PA-2003-0289

Amchitka Island, Alaska, radiation exposure on named individual,

1960's and 1970's, studies and analysis

FOIA/PA-2003-0290

Amchitka Island, Alaska, radiation exposure on named individual,

1960's and 1970's, studies and analysis

FOIA/PA-2003-0291

Amchitka Island, Alaska, radiation exposure on named individual,

1960's and 1970's, studies and analysis

FOIA/PA-2003-0292
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

Arrivals

BELCHER, Stephanie ** STUDENT ENGINEER (Summer-hire) RII

CORBIN, Brian STUDENT LAW CLERK (Summer-hire) ASLBP

DIAMOND, David CONSULTANT ACRS

GERARDI, Craig *** STUDENT ENGINEER (Co-op) RES

JOYCE, Regina STUDENT IT SPEC. (Summer-hire) NMSS

KAHN, Aaron STUDENT MGMT ANALYST (Summer-Hire) RES

MARINCEL, Michelle STUDENT ENGINEER (Summer-hire) NMSS

RUND, Jonathan STUDENT LAW CLERK (Summer-hire) ASLBP

PICHUMANI, Raman CONSULTANT NRR

STRINGER, Daniel* STUDENT ENGINEER (Summer-hire) RIV

WHITE, James CONSULTANT ACRS

WOLF, Brian STUDENT ENGINEER (Summer-hire) RES

YOUNT, Hannah STUDENT ENGINEER (Summer-hire) NMSS

Retirements

None

Departures

MORRELL, Amber NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN RIII

* Actual EOD Date was Monday, May 19, 2003

** Actual EOD Date was Thursday, May 22, 2003

***Returning from LWOP
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

Media Interest

National media attention focused on the terrorism alert level being raised to Orange, including

appropriate measures taken to further bolster nuclear power plant security. This includes

Pennsylvania’s decision to re-deploy the National Guard at its five nuclear power plants. 

The New York Times ran separate op-ed pieces on Tuesday for and against the NRC’s policy

on emergency preparedness and security at nuclear plants.

Reports in the media, including The Cleveland Plain Dealer, say that South Texas Project

nuclear facility officials indicate testing at the plant has confirmed the presence of five small

cracks in a location where such damage had never been seen before -- in tubes that penetrate

the bottom of the reactor. 

Several New Jersey newspapers covered a strike called Thursday by IBEW Local 1289 at the

Oyster Creek nuclear power plant. Officials at the facility say the walkout will have no impact

on safety, plant operations or security. 

Press Releases

Headquarters:

03-063 NRC to Hold Meeting June 4 in California on Potential Nuclear Waste

Disposal Facility at Yucca Mountain (5/20)

03-064 NRC Media Workshop Scheduled June 24-25 (5/21)

03-065 NRC Licensing Board Issues Decision on Seismic Issues Affecting Private

Fuel Storage Application (5/22)

03-066 NRC Approves Power Uprate For Indian Point Unit 2

Regions:

IV-03-023 NRC to Hold Pre-decisional Enforcement Conference with Schlumberger

Technology Corp. in Montana (5/22)

IV-03-024 NRC Proposes $6,000 Fine For Global X-Ray and Testing Corp.
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

SECY-03-0069 5/2/03 Results of the License Termination Rule

Analysis

Information Papers

1. SECY-03-0076 5/15/03 SECY-03-0076 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending May 9, 2003

2. SECY-03-0080 5/16/03 Steam Generator Tube Integrity (SGTI) -

Plans for Revising the Associated

Regulatory Framework

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Senator Chuck Hagel, dated May 9, 2003, concerns comments on NRC’s

ongoing efforts to enhance security requirements.

2. Letter to Senator Jeff Sessions, dated May 9, 2003, concerns comments on NRC’s

ongoing efforts to enhance security requirements.

3. Letter to Senator Lindsey Graham, dated May 9, 2003, concerns comments on NRC’s

ongoing efforts to enhance security requirements

4. Letter to Don Arbuckle, OMB, dated May 9, 2003, provides NRC FY 2003 Regulatory

Plan.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. ACRS Meeting Notice, June 12-13, 2003.

2. ACRS Meeting of the Subcommittee on Plant License Renewal.

3. Licensing Support System Advisory Review Panel Notice of Amendment of Charter.
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

Millstone Unit 1

On the evening of May 15, 2003, the Millstone I Decommissioning Advisory Committee held its

annual meeting at the Waterford, CT Town Hall. A member of the Region I Decommissioning

and Laboratory Branch reported to the committee on inspection activities during the past year. 

A State of Connecticut Department of Radiation Protection representative attended the

meeting, as did a Branch Chief from Region I, Division of Reactor Projects. Eight committee

members and three members of the public attended the meeting.

Region I Support to Region II Radiation Safety Program

On May 20 - 21, 2003, the NRC Region I Radiation Safety Officer supported Region II by

performing an audit of the Region II Radiation Safety Program. This audit satisfies the

requirements for an annual program audit in accordance with Management Directive 10.131,

“Protection of NRC Employees Against Ionizing Radiation.”

Confirmatory Survey Inspection at the Watertown, MA “GSA Site”

Staff from the Region I Decommissioning and Laboratory Branch performed confirmatory

radiological surveys of the Watertown, MA “GSA site” on May 21-22, 2003. This site is listed on

the NRC’s Site Decommissioning Management Plan (SDMP) list. The Army Corps of

Engineers, acting for the owners of the property, the General Services Administration (GSA),

submitted an analysis in April 2003 to demonstrate that the site satisfies the NRC criteria for

release for unrestricted use and is eligible for removal from the SDMP list. Staff obtained

groundwater and soil samples for NRC confirmatory analysis, and split samples with

Commonwealth of Massachusetts staff, who participated in the inspection. The Region I

Regional Administrator toured the site and observed survey activities on May 21, 2003.

Haddam Neck Integrated Response Table-Top Security Exercise

On May 22, 2003, a security table-top exercise was held at the Connecticut Yankee (CY)

Atomic Power Company’s Haddam Neck site. The objectives were to exercise the command

and control structure of an event at CY requiring response by a diverse group of external

agencies, and to understand the functions and capabilities of the response organizations to a

hostile force event involving spent nuclear fuel. Representatives from several local law

enforcement and federal agencies, as well as representatives from the Connecticut Department

of Environmental Protection, participated in the exercise, which was observed by a Region I

inspector.
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

Virginia Electric and Power Company - Surry Reactor Vessel Head Replacement

On May 20, 2003, the Regional Administrator visited the site and observed the Reactor Vessel

Head Replacement at the Surry nuclear power plant in Surry, VA.

Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Computer Security Review

On May 19-22, 2003, the Audit Manager and Project Officer, OIG, and representatives from

Carson Associates, conducted a Computer Security Review of the Information Systems in the

Region II Office.
May 23, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region III

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

Davis-Besse Inspection Exit on Safety-Significant Programs

On May 23, 2003, Region III (Chicago) met with FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company

officials at the Davis-Besse plant to present the preliminary findings of an inspection reviewing

safety-significant programs. The inspection report will close several items in the NRC Oversight

Panel’s restart checklist, including agency reviews of the boric acid corrosion management

program, the reactor coolant system unidentified leakage monitoring program, the in-service

inspection program, and the modification control program.

D. C. Cook Special Team Inspection Exit

On May 20, 2003, a Region III special inspection team presented the preliminary findings to

American Electric Power Company officials of the team’s review of the circumstances

surrounding the April 24, 2003, shutdown of both units at D. C. Cook Nuclear Power Station

caused by an intrusion of fish into the circulating and emergency service water intake structure

in Lake Michigan. The Regional Administrator and Director, Division of Reactor Projects,

participated in the meeting at the plant site.
May 23, 2003 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 23, 2003

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 15

OCA

Contact

DATE

&

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Combs 05/28/03

Las Vegas

1:00(PDT)

MIT, GAO, former NRCinspector, DOE contractor

DOE QA for Yucca Mountain Senators 

Energy anAppropria

Gerke 06/12/03

TBA

A.M. NRC Commission and

Others

Davis-Besse Reps. Gre

Oversight Energy an