INFORMATION REPORT

November 27, 2002 SECY-02-0210

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-02-0210 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING NOVEMBER 22, 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:

C. Glenn, OEDO
November 27, 2002 SECY-02-0210

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-02-0210 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING NOVEMBER 22, 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:

C. Glenn, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\WEEKN22.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

CGlenn:paa JWCraig

11/27/02 12/02/02
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 22, 2002

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: C. Glenn, OEDO by E-mail: cjg@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 * IP 18

NSIR 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I 20

ADM 10 Region II 21

CIO 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 OEDO *

SB/CR * OCA *

OE 16

*No input this week
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

North Anna Power Station

On November 18, 2002, North Anna Power Station terminated its Notification of Unusual Event

(NOUE) for the lower water in the Lake Anna Reservoir. North Anna had declared a NOUE on

August 9, 2002, when the lake level had dropped below 246 ft. due to the lack of rainfall. The

recent weather conditions have increased the lake level to 246 ft.

Control Room Habitability Guidance

On November 14, 2002, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) transmitted a draft of NEI 99-03,

"Control Room Habitability Guidance," (Revision 1) to the Probabilistic Safety Assessment

Branch (SPSB). NEI states that the guidance now defines a program for periodic retesting and

assessment of the control room, methodologies for testing, and addresses the accuracy of the

Control Room Emergency Filtration System technical specifications. The staff is currently

evaluating this new revision.

Lower Reactor Vessel Head Inspections

On November 15-16, 2002, the Materials and Chemical Engineering Branch (EMCB) staff

supported Region I in evaluating observations from their inspection activities with two licensees

regarding their boric acid corrosion control (BACC) inspections of the lower reactor vessel

head. EMCB assisted the region in evaluating the BACC inspection observations and the

licensees’ assessments of the existing conditions, including whether there was a need to take

additional actions. These interactions are helpful for ensuring a consistent understanding of

BACC programs and in evaluating the responses to the Bulletin 2002-01 requests for additional

information that are currently being sent to licensees. 

Seabrook Tube Degradation

On November 14, 2002, a public meeting was held with the Seabrook licensee to discuss their

root cause evaluation of the steam generator tube degradation found during their May 2002

outage. During that outage, 42 eddy current indications, classified as axial outside diameter

cracks, were found in 15 tubes. All indications were located in one steam generator and all

were found at tube-to-tube support plate intersections. These findings are important since

cracks in thermally treated Alloy 600 tubes, such as those used at Seabrook, have never been

observed in the U.S. To characterize the degradation and to identify its root cause, portions of

two tubes were removed from the steam generator for destructive examination.

The destructive examination confirmed the indications were axially oriented outside diameter

stress corrosion cracks. The examination also confirmed that the indications were found at an

early enough stage such that the structural and leakage integrity of the tubes was not

compromised. Based on their investigation, the licensee concluded that the root cause of the 
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

degradation was high residual stress caused by inappropriate tube processing. The exact

nature of the inappropriate tube processing could not be determined. A contributing factor to

the degradation is the known concentration of contaminants at the tube-to-tube support plate

intersections.

To determine the extent to which other tubes could be affected by the higher residual stresses,

the licensee developed an eddy current technique which they used to review the eddy current

data from the May 2002 outage. This evaluation resulted in the identification of 21 tubes with

potentially higher residual stresses. The 21 tubes included the 15 tubes with cracks (all of

which were removed from service in May 2002) and 6 additional tubes. All tubes were located

in steam generator D. Of the 6 tubes remaining in service, none have indications of cracks.

The staff is evaluating the generic implications of the findings and will continue to follow the

inspection results at Seabrook to ensure the extent of condition has been bounded.

Early Site Permit (ESP) Pre-application Public Meeting At Port Gibson, Mississippi

On November 14, 2002, the New Reactor Licensing Project Office (NRLPO) conducted a preapplication early site permit (ESP) public meeting in Port Gibson, Mississippi for the Grand Gulf

site. The purpose of the meeting was to provide information regarding the NRC ESP review

process, as well as to outline future opportunities for public involvement in that process. 

NRLPO held two public meetings at the Port Gibson City Hall. The meetings, one in the

afternoon at 2:00 p.m. and one in the evening at 7:00 p.m. were preceded by an open house

beginning one hour before each meeting. During the open house, individual NRC staff

members were available to the public for informal discussions about the early site permit

process. Representatives from Region IV, Region II, Region III, the Office of the General

Counsel (OGC) and NRR personnel provided support to the subject meeting. There were

approximately 40 attendees in the afternoon session and approximately 60 attendees in the

evening session. 
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

State of Maine Petition for Hearing and Request for Commission Action

On November 15, 2002, the State of Maine filed a Petition for Hearing and a Request for

Commission action pursuant to 10 CFR 2.202 and 2.206. The petition and request were in

response to NRC’s October 16, 2002, Order on the Interim Compensatory Measure (ICM)

issued to Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Symposium on Transportation

On November 14, 2002, a Spent Fuel Project Office staff member spoke at a symposium on

transportation of spent nuclear fuel at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The session was

part of a series -- the Yucca Mountain Education Project (YMEP) -- intended to inform students

and the interested members of the public about key issues related to the proposed geological

repository. The audience included students; faculty; the press; NRC staff (including members

of the Division of Waste Management, the NRC site office in Las Vegas, and the Office of the

General Counsel); members of focus groups; and interested citizens. Although the YMEP

focuses on university students, all sessions are open to the public and are usually advertised in

the local media.

Staff Attends Meeting of Clark County Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Advisory Committee

On November 14, 2002, the On-Site Representatives attended a public meeting of the Clark

County Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Advisory Committee. Items discussed at this meeting

included updates on the status of Nevada’s lawsuits against the Department of Energy, NRC,

and the Environmental Protection Agency, and a briefing on the county’s nuclear waste

program activities. Additional topics discussed involved the status of Clark County’s public

outreach program, concerns related to the potential shipment of high-level waste, and the

development of specific local and regional impact recommendations to be presented to the

Board of County Commissioners. The meeting provided an opportunity for an effective

information exchange between the affected units of local government, community opinion

leaders, Native American tribal representatives, and citizen groups.
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

RASCAL Training

On November 21, 2002, the Division of Incident Response Operations (DIRO), in cooperation

with Region II, provided training on Radiological Assessment System for Consequence Analysis

(RASCAL) in Chattanooga, TN, for State emergency response personnel in the Southeastern

states. RASCAL is the code used by the NRC Operations Center for projecting doses during

radiological emergencies. In the previous week, on November 13-14, 2002, DIRO provided

similar training in Orlando, FL, for other State responders.

American Nuclear Society Meeting - Washington, D.C.

NRC Commissioners, managers and staff participated in the American Nuclear Society’s

(ANS’s) 2002 Winter Meeting and the Emergency Preparedness & Response (EP&R)

Embedded Topical Meeting held November 17-21, 2002, in Washington, D.C. The ANS

Meeting agenda included a spectrum of technical, programmatic, regulatory, and financial

issues related to nuclear energy and radioactive materials. The EP&R Topical Meeting focused

on issues related to integration of nuclear/radiological security and emergency preparedness. 

Meeting attendees numbered approximately 1500 and represented industry, academia,

research, government and non-government organizations from the national and international

communities. NRC participation included plenary session presentation by the Chairman and

Commissioner Diaz, presentation of technical papers and participation in panel sessions. 
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending November 22, 2002

List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: VSC-24 Revision (Part 72)

A direct final rule that revises the VSC-24 cask system listing in the list of approved spent fuel

storage casks was published in the Federal Register on November 20, 2002 (67 FR 69987). 

This action modifies the cask system design to permit the storage of different specific fuel

control elements as integral components to fuel assemblies. The direct final rule becomes

effective February 3, 2003.

The companion proposed rule to this direct final rule was published in the Federal Register on

November 20, 2002 (67 FR 70029). The comment period closes December 20, 2002.
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

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

November 15 through November 21, 2002:

Number of staff in Grade 14 in 800 and 1300 series, age ranges 30-35, 36-40, 41-45, 46-50,

51-55, 55-60, 60+ (FOIA/PA-2003-0068)

Diablo Canyon Power Plants, Unit 1 and 2, Pacific Gas and Electric, operating licenses

including facility operating licenses DPR-80 and DPR-82; unit 1 operating license (without

attachments) dated 11-2-84 and unit 2 operating license (without attachments) dated 8-26-85

(FOIA/PA-2003-0069)

Investigation of secret German Nazi infiltration of the U.S. Government; FOIA records on self

(FOIA/PA-2003-0070)
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

Arrivals

CROWLEY, Billy CONSULTANT RII

HONCHARIK, John MATERIALS ENGINEER NRR

HONCHARIK, Michelle PROJECT MANAGER NRR

LONGLEY, Barbara SECRETARY RII

Departures

McDONALD, Melinda PARALEGAL SPECIALIST OGC

SCENNA, Richard TEAM LEADER OGC
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE K

Office of Enforcement

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

Charter for Security and Safeguards Enforcement Review Group Issued

On November 13, 2002, the Director of the Office of Enforcement (OE), approved a charter for

the Security and Safeguards Enforcement Review Group (SSERG). The SSERG includes a

group of diverse individuals from multiple offices whose purpose is to (1) evaluate security and

safeguards-related enforcement processes and sanctions, (2) determine if changes are

necessary, and (3) propose recommendations for additional enforcement guidance or

Enforcement Policy revisions. The SSERG plans on submitting a report to the Director, OE in

March of next year.
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

Media Interest

Reporters including those from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, the Sandusky Register, the Toledo

Blade, the Port Clinton News-Herald, and Ohio Public Radio covered the public meeting of the

Davis-Besse Lessons Learned Task Force in Oak Harbor, Ohio. Some county officials, state

agency representatives and Congressional staff also attended.

NRC’s denial of a petition filed by an environmental group urging shutdown of Indian Point

nuclear plant received media attention.

There was media interest in maintenance and repair problems at the Prairie Island and

Monticello nuclear plants in Minnesota.

Other

On November, 22, 2002, the Office of Public Affairs participated in the Office of Homeland

Security Working Group on Radiological Dispersal Devices

Press Releases

Headquarters:

02-133 NRC Considers Amendment Request for Closed Oklahoma Plant; Offers

Opportunity to Request a Hearing

02-134 NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards To Meet December 5-7,

2002 in Rockville, Maryland

02-135 NRC Approves Power Uprate for Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant

Regions:

 I-02-066 NRC Assigns New Resident Inspector At Pilgrim

II-02-050 NRC Draft Report Finds St. Lucie License Renewal Environmentally

Acceptable; Public Input Sought at December Meetings 
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE N

Office of International Programs

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

Visit of Louisa Zondo, South Africa

On November 20-22, 2002, Louisa Zondo, Chief Executive Officer, National Nuclear Regulator

(NNR) of South Africa, and two staff members, visited NRC headquarters for an extensive

series of meetings. In addition to meeting with the Commissioners, Ms. Zondo met with senior

members of the staff to discuss the NRC research program, public participation processes,

performance management, information management, and human resource issues. The

delegation was briefed and toured the Operations Center also. This was the first visit to NRC

by Ms. Zondo.

Australian Visit

On November 20-21, Allan Murray, Manager, Regulatory Policy and Coordination, and David

Tredinnick, Legal and Policy Officer, Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety

Agency (ARPANSA), accompanied by Matthew Quint, Science Office, Embassy of Australia,

met with staff from OIP, NRR, NSIR and OGC to discuss the draft text of a possible

Memorandum of Understanding between NRC and ARPANSA for the Exchange of Technical

Information and Cooperation in the Regulation of Nuclear Safety. Other areas of discussion

explored potential future collaborative projects between NRC and ARPANSA.
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-02-0194 10/30/02 Options for Addressing Part 35 Training and

Experience Issues Associated with

Recognition of Specialty Boards by NRC

2. COMEXM-01-0001 12/26/01 D.C. Cook Potential Red Finding, and the

Implementation of the Significance

Determination Process Within the Reactor

Oversight Program

SRM on COMEXM-01-

0001

02/05/02 (same)

Commission Voting

Record on COMEXM01-0001

02/05/02 (same)

3. SECY-02-0084 05/15/02 Final Rule on Decommissioning Trust

Provisions

Commission Voting

Record on 02-0084

11/21/02 (same)

Information Papers

1. SECY-02-0201 11/14/02 SECY-02-0201 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending November 8, 2002

Memoranda

1. M021121A 11/21/02 Affirmation Session: I. SECY-02-0084-Final

Rule on Decommissioning Trust Provisions;

II. SECY-02-0185-Dominion Nuclear

Connecticut, Inc. (Millstone Nuclear Power

Station, Unit No. 3; Facility Operating

License NPF-49); III. SECY-02-0190-Pacific

Gas & Electric Co. (Diablo Canyon Power

Plant Independent Spent Fuel Storage

Installation); Petition to Suspend Proceeding

Pending Comprehensive Review of

Adequacy of Design and Operation

Measures to Protect Against Terrorist Attack

and Other Acts of Malice or Insanity
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE O

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Subcommittee Meeting on Safety Research

Program - Notice of Meeting.

2. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Subcommittee Meeting on Planning and

Procedures - Notice of Meeting.

3. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Subcommittee on Future Plant Designs -

Notice of Meeting Cancellation.

4. 498th Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Meeting - December 5-7, 2002
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

Millstone Site Visit and Safety System Design Inspection Exit Meeting

On November 21-22, 2002, the Region I Director, Division of Reactor Safety, met with licensee

management and staff, toured Millstone Station, and attended the exit meeting of the Safety

System Design Inspection.

Meeting of Haddam Neck Community Decommissioning Advisory Committee

On November 19, 2002, the Haddam Neck Community Decommissioning Advisory Committee

(CDAC) met in Middletown, CT. Region I representatives provided a quarterly update of recent

and planned decommissioning activities at Haddam Neck. Licensee representatives detailed

accomplishments over the last three months, and identified focus areas for the next several

months: reactor pressure vessel removal; completion of the independent spent fuel storage

installation (ISFSI) and transfer of fuel; removal of several water storage tanks; and

decontamination, including the reactor cavity. Approximately 30 people attended the meeting.

Three Mile Island

On November 21, 2002, the Region I State Liaison Officer attended a working level meeting

between representatives of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and FEMA,

Region III, to discuss a deficiency FEMA identified during the 2001Three Mile Island graded

exercise.

Exit Meeting for Rhode Island Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program

On November 22, 2002, the Region I Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, attended

the exit for the Rhode Island Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP). 

This IMPEP is being monitored by the General Accounting Office (GAO) as part of an audit.

Senior Management Organization Changes at Oyster Creek

On November 19, 2002, AmerGen LLC announced the following changes to the Oyster Creek

senior management team: 1) Ron Degregorio, the current Vice President of Oyster Creek, is

being promoted to a position in Exelon’s Kennett Square office as the Vice President,

Operations Support; 2) Ron Harkness, the current plant manager, is being promoted to the VP

position; and, 3) Mike Massaro, the Director of Work Management, is being promoted to the

Plant Manager position. These organizational changes will be effective within the next two

weeks.
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

Special Strategic Plan Senior Leadership Group Meeting

On November 19, 2002, the Regional Administrator participated in the Special Strategic Plan

Senior Leadership Group meeting in Headquarters. The Group continued to review the

Agency’s Strategic Plan and discuss potential areas for revision.

South Carolina Electric and Gas Company - Visit to the V. C. Summer Nuclear Plant

On November 22, 2002, the Regional Administrator visited the V. C. Summer Plant in

Jenkinsville, SC, to tour the facility, to meet with resident inspectors and licensee management. 

The Regional Administrator also presented operator license certificates and spoke to recently

licensed operators at the V. C. Summer operators certification presentation ceremony.

Carolina Power and Light Company - Chairman Meserve Visit to the Harris Nuclear Plant

On November 19, 2002, the Deputy Regional Administrator accompanied the Chairman and his

Chief of Staff on a visit to the Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant to tour the facility and to meet with

licensee staff and managers and NRC resident inspectors. The visit also included a town

meeting type question and answer session with licensee employees. The tour included

discussions with members of the security organization and observations of the security

equipment and processes in place at the site.

Carolina Power and Light Company - FEMA/RAC Observation and Evaluation of the

Brunswick/North Carolina Full Scale Exercise

On November 18-22, 2002, the Regional State Liaison Officer participated as a member of the

Regional Assistance Committee in the full scale nuclear exercise, involving officials of the State

of North Carolina and the applicable local governments. The participation also included

exercising interactions during an ingestion pathway scenario.

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Decommissioning Meeting

On November 19, 2002, representatives from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Environmental Research Center, Research Triangle Park, NC, attended a meeting open to the

public (Category 1) in the Region II office. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the

schedule for decommissioning of the current facility and the schedule for NRC actions.

State of Mississippi Periodic Meeting

On November 19, 2002, the Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, and the Agreement

States Officer conducted a periodic meeting with the State of Mississippi in Jackson, MS. The

purpose of the meeting was to discuss the State’s implementation of the materials licensing and

inspection programs.
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Virginia Electric and Power Company - Visit to the Surry Nuclear Plant

On November 19, 2002, the Director, Division of Reactor Projects, visited the Surry Nuclear

Plant to meet with the resident inspectors and to tour the plant in Surry, Virginia.

Testing Technology, Inc. - Predecisional Enforcement Conferences 

On November 20, 2002, Region II held an announced closed Predecisional Enforcement

Conferences with Testing Technology, Inc. and two individuals in the Region II office. The

discussion included the licensee’s perspective on the apparent violations and the licensee’s

corrective actions for the root causes.

Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. Management Meeting

On November 21, 2002, representatives from Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., in Tennessee, were

in the Region II office to attend an announced closed management meeting. The purpose of

this meeting was to discuss the licensee’s changes and upgrades to their material control and

accountability program.
November 22, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 22, 2002

Public Meeting with Nebraska Public Power District

On November 18, 2002, Region IV conducted a meeting with Nebraska Public Power District in

Arlington, Texas. Topics discussed during the meeting included the development status of

Nebraska Public Power District’s Strategic Improvement Plan (TIP) Revision 2, the types of

commitments that NPPD plans to make with the submission of TIP Revision 2, and the types of

commitments that the NRC will include in a confirmatory action letter. 

ANO Management Change

Craig Anderson, the ANO Site Vice President, announced that Bob Bement, General Manager

at ANO, has been selected as the Entergy-South Training Director. Mr. Bement will move to

the Jackson office and be responsible for oversight of the training facilities at all EOI-South

sites. James Hoffpauir will replace Mr. Bement as the Acting General Manager - ANO until a

permanent replacement is selected. 

Regional Administrator Visits Waterford-3

On November 18, 2002, the Regional Administrator visited Waterford 3. During the visit, he

received a security briefing and toured the plant with the senior resident inspector. The tour

included a review of plant security, safety systems which have experienced void formations,

and the leading edge flow monitoring system. Following the tour the Regional Administrator

met with the site Vice President, Station Manager, and Security Manager.