WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT

July 17, 2003 SECY-03-0121

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-03-0121 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING JULY 11, 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:

R. Torres, OEDO
July 17, 2003 SECY-03-0121

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-03-0121 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING JULY 11, 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:

R. Torres, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\Week711.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

RTorres:paa WMDean

07/17/03 07/18/03
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JULY 11, 2003

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: R. Torres, OEDO by E-mail: rjt@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 22

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 OEDO *

SB/CR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Final Rule Incorporates Regulatory Guides by Reference Into 10 CFR 50.55a

On July 8, 2003, the Commission published the final rule on Incorporation by Reference of

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel and Operations

and Maintenance Code Cases (68 FR 40469). This final rule incorporates by reference three

regulatory guides which list ASME Code Cases that have been reviewed by the NRC and

approved as alternatives to ASME Code provisions required in 10 CFR 50.55a, Codes and

Standards. This action permits licensees to apply the listed code cases to the construction,

inservice inspection, and inservice testing of nuclear power plants without obtaining prior NRC

approval. The effective date of this final rule is August 7, 2003.

Technical Meeting Held in Vienna, Austria

From June 30 through July 2, 2003, Division of Engineering staff met with other industry and

regulatory representatives from many countries under the auspices of the International Atomic

Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. The purpose of the technical meeting was to: 

(1) review and comment on two IAEA-sponsored reports on the management of aging

degradation mechanisms of boiling water reactor (BWR) vessels and vessel internals important

to safety and, (2) exchange information on the related experiences, lessons learned, and

research results relating to aging degradation mechanisms of BWR vessels and internals. The

presentations were informative and the reports, when finalized, will serve as excellent resource

material. 
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Trousdale County Commissioners Approve Restrictions on Proposed Louisiana Energy

Services Enrichment Plant

On July 3, 2003, Trousdale County Commissioners voted to approve restrictions on the zoning

of the Louisiana Energy Services (LES) uranium enrichment plant proposed for Hartsville,

Tennessee. The restrictions would require no air nor water effluents and a 90-day limit on

depleted uranium tails storage. LES had earlier stated that operation of the plant would be

impractical under these conditions.

Staff Visit to United Kingdom (U.K.) and Japan to Consult on the Alternative Corrosion Models

in the Yucca Mountain Project

From June 25 to July 4, 2003, NRC staff visited Professor R. Newman of the University of

Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, Manchester, U.K.; Dr. T. Shinohara of

National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba City, Japan; and Professor S. Fujimoto of

Osaka University, Osaka, Japan. The staff consulted with them on the alternative corrosion

models to assess the performance of the Alloy 22 waste package lifetime in the disposal of

high-level waste. For the Alloy 22 in the proposed Yucca Mountain repository, the waste

package failure by localized corrosion is considered more risk-significant compared to uniform

corrosion and stress corrosion cracking failure. The consulted groups had originally developed

the criteria for localized corrosion for their industrial partners. There were discussions about the

Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) and NRC’s current efforts to develop appropriate criteria, and

about U.S. approaches to assessing long-term uniform corrosion and stress corrosion cracking. 

The outcomes of the discussion will be incorporated in future NRC/DOE technical exchanges

meetings.

Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards Holds Annual Public Meeting

On July 8, 2003, the Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards (ISCORS) held

its annual public meeting in the NRC Auditorium. ISCORS meets quarterly to discuss and

address a wide variety of radiation protection issues of interest to Federal agencies. ISCORS

members heard presentations by the National Research Council’s Board on Radioactive Waste

Management about its ongoing studies and from the Department of Energy about the new

Office of Legacy Management. ISCORS also received reports from its various subcommittees. 

The Cleanup Subcommitee provided a demonstration of its web-based catalog of information

on parameters and other data used in pathway modeling for cleanup of sites with radioactive

contamination. The Sewage Sludge Subcommitee is nearing completion of its study of

radioactively contaminated sludge and ash at publicly owned treatment works. The Naturally

Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) Subcommittee reported that the Environmental

Protection Agency had recently issued guidance to its regions on the potential for

Technologically Enhanced NORM contamination associated with Mineral and Resource

Extraction Industries. Several members of the public attended and participated extensively in

the public comment portions of the meeting.
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Response Technical Manual Training

On July 8, 2003, the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response conducted training on

the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Response Technical Manual in Region III (RIII). A

second training session will be conducted for RIII staff members in August 2003.

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-IV-03-033, TXU Energy - PLANT SHUTDOWN FOR GREATER THAN 72 HOURS.

2. PNO-II-03-011, Radiological Assistance, Consulting & Engineering - CONTAMINATION

EVENT.

3. PNO-IV-03-032, H&G Inspection - OCCUPATIONAL DOSE IN EXCESS OF LIMIT.

4. PNO-IV-03-034, Monsanto Chemical Plant - FAILURE OF FIXED GAUGING DEVICE

RESULTING IN RADIATION EXPOSURES TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC (LICENSEE

WORKERS).
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Final Rule Issued Regarding Facility Security Clearances and Safeguarding of National Security

Information and Restricted Data - (Part 95)

A final rule amending the regulations applicable to facility security clearances and the

safeguarding of National Security Information and Restricted Data was published in the Federal

Register on July 11, 2003. The final rule reflects organizational changes resulting from the

creation of the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, corrects a minor error, and

changes the example of the derivative classification stamp. The final rule became effective

July 11, 2003.

Contract Awards

A firm fixed-price type contract no. NRC-10-03-173 was awarded on a competitive basis to

Techniarts Engineering, Inc. of Silver Spring, MD on July 3, 2003 for the upgrade of the public

address systems at NRC headquarters. The contract calls for completion of the upgrade within

45 days of award and includes options for 4 years of follow-on maintenance and system

enhancements, if needed. The total value of the contract including all options is $94,400. The

contract was awarded using streamlining techniques of only two members on the Source

Evaluation Panel and simplified evaluation criterion (past performance).

A cost-plus-fixed-fee task ordering contract no. NRC-03-03-038 was awarded on a competitive

basis to Information Systems Laboratories Inc. on July 9, 2003 for work involving technical

assistance in support of the Nuclear Reactor Regulation’s (NRR) programs and activities

pertaining to systems safety and analysis. The period of performance is three years with two

one-year option periods. The total estimated cost of the contract, inclusive of option years, is

$3,541,565.00. Simplified techniques used included a deadline for proposer questions,

simplified evaluation criteria (experience and past performance), and award without

discussions.
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

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

July 4 through July 10, 2003:

IA 98-001, OI report 1-96-015, interviews by Niagara Mohawk Power

Corporation dated 5-20-96 & 6-21-96, enforcement conference 2-13-

98, with named individual, all records

FOIA/PA-2003-0344

Rep. Richard M. Burr, NC, publicly available records of

communications 11-1994 to present

FOIA/PA-2003-0345

Daniel Hynes, publicly available records of communications, 11-1998

to present, Comptroller of the State of IL; 1994-1998, Hogan, Marren

& McCahill

FOIA/PA-2003-0346

Marson Blair Hull, Hull Trading Co., Matlock Capital, and Sixteen To

One Inc., 1977 to present, all records

FOIA/PA-2003-0347

OI report 3-1999-016S, exhibit 5, Employee Concerns Program

Investigation Report, 2-16-99

FOIA/PA-2003-0348

Materials Licensing Tracking System, all active and retired facilities FOIA/PA-2003-0350

Peach Bottom & Three Mile Island, all fitness-for-duty tests

performed, 1990 - 2003

FOIA/PA-2003-0351
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Arrivals

COHEN, Ronald REACTOR ENGINEER RIV

COZENS, Kurt PROJECT MANAGER NRR

COYLE, James SENIOR PROGRAM ANALYST OCFO

DREISBACH, Jason Scott NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN NRR

EDWARDS, Robert M. SUMMER FACULTY RES

JOSE, Benny REACTOR ENGINEER RIII

KLEIN, Alexander SR. FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER (PRA) NRR

PETERSON, Gordon CHIEF, COST ANALYSIS TEAM OCFO

PRIBLE, Amy STUDENT MANAGEMENT ANALYST (SUMMER) ADM

RIVERA, Rodolfo CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR OIG

STUTZKE, Martin SR. RELIABILITY & RISK ANALYST NRR

Departures

GREEN, Fredrick NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN NSIR

HESS, Marc CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR OIG

KIM, Lance* NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN RES

OPRENDEK, Marie CLERK RI

TORRES-CORDOVES, 

Jeannette

CLERK RES

* Effective 6/30/03
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Media Interest

Senior management appointments at NRC headquarters and Region III.

New problems with Davis-Besse’s sump pumps raise concerns of further delays in restarting

the troubled reactor.

House of Representatives approval for increased funds for the Yucca Mountain Project.

Increased security measures at nuclear power plants, with special focus on planned force-onforce exercise at Indian Point.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

03-087 NRC Appoints Six People to Senior Headquarters and Regional

Management Positions (7/7)

03-088 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste Elects Chairman and Vice

Chairman (7/8)

03-089 NRC Approves Power Uprate for Kewaunee (7/9)

03-090 NRC Approves License Amendment for Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (7/9)

03-091 NRC to Hold Public Meeting July 17 on Reactor Vessel Leakage at South

Texas Nuclear Power Plant (7/10)

Regions:

II-03-035 Brady Named NRC Senior Resident Inspector at McGuire Nuclear Plant

(7/10)

IV-03-030 NRC Staff Issues Order Prohibiting Involvement in NRC-Licensed Activities

to Former Radiation Safety Officer in Idaho (7/7)

IV-03-031 NRC Public Meeting on July 15 on Updating Generic Environmental Impact

Statement for License Renewal (7/8)
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE N

Office of International Programs

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Meeting with Electricite de France (EdF)

On July 9, 2003, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) management and staff met

with Michel Francony, Vice President for Operations, Bernard Roche, Head, Nuclear Affairs,

and other EdF staff to brief them on the NRC approach to risk informed regulation for nuclear

power plants.
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-03-0068 5/1/03 Interagency Jurisdictional Working Group

Evaluating the Regulation of Low-Level

Source Material or Materials Containing

Less than 0.05 Percent by Weight

Concentration Uranium and/or Thorium

Information Papers

1. SECY-03-0111 7/3/03 SECY-03-0111 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending June 27, 2003

2. SECY-03-0104 6/23/03 Organizational Effectiveness Assessment

for the Office of Nuclear Security and

Incident Response

3. SECY-03-0105 6/24/03 Early Site Permit (ESP) Application

Readiness

4. SECY-03-0116 7/10/03 SECY-03-0116 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending July 4, 2003

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Robert H. Leyse: Denial of Petition for Rulemaking.

2. Private Fuel Storage, L.L.C. - Notice of Appointment of Adjudicatory Employee.

3. Amersham Corporation (now known as AEA Technology QSA, Inc.); Denial of Petition for

Rulemaking.

4. Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes - Notice of Meeting.

5. ASLBP Designation of Presiding Officer - Fansteel, Inc.
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Indian Point - Organization Change

Effective July 2, 2003, Paul Rubin, previously Manager of Site Operations at Indian Point, has

been appointed the Manager of Work Control and Outage Planning at the site, replacing

Rodney Cavalieri, who is retiring. Until a new Manager of Site Operations is identified, Tony

Williams and Eugene O’Donnell (Indian Point Unit 2 and Unit 3 Operations Managers,

respectively) will report directly to Chris Schwarz, General Manager Plant Operations.

Cultural Diversity Day Activities

Region I celebrated Cultural Diversity Day on July 9, 2003. Uncle Sam’s Singers, an

interagency chorus from the Philadelphia area, opened the activities, followed by remarks by

the Regional Administrator outlining the reasons for the celebration. With the theme, “Diversity

in Sports,” speakers included Rebecca Dengler, a leading Ladies Professional Golf Association

teaching professional; a Region I staff member with a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do,

accompanied by demonstrations of the martial arts by several students; and Bill “Ready” Cash,

a catcher for the National Negro Baseball League from 1939 - 1955. The formal presentations

were followed by a “barbeque on the green” prepared by Region I staff. The event was very

well attended and received by Region I staff. The Director, Office of Small Business and Civil

Rights attended the ceremonies, and met with Region I managers on July 8 to review Regional

successes and challenges related to maintaining a diverse workforce.
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Statewide Radiological Emergency Preparedness Conference and Workshop

On July 8-9, 2003, the State Liaison Officer participated in the Statewide Radiological

Emergency Preparedness Conference and Workshop conducted in Marathon, Florida.

Tennessee Valley Authority - Sequoyah Plant Performance Meeting

On July 9, 2003, representatives from Tennessee Valley Authority were in the Regional Office

to attend a management meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss Sequoyah plant

performance, initiatives in response to recent performance concerns, and planned major

projects. 
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region III

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Predecisional enforcement conference

On July 16, 2003, the Region III staff met with Nuclear Management Co. for a predecisional

enforcement conference to discuss apparent violations involving the licensee’s Fitness-For-Duty

program at the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Station. The conference was closed to public 

observation because it involves the findings of an NRC Office of Investigations report that has

not been publicly disclosed.

NRC Davis-Besse Oversight Panel Public Meetings

On July 9, 2003, the NRC Davis-Besse Oversight Panel held two meetings at the Oak Harbor

High School in Oak Harbor, Ohio. The first meeting was between the panel and FirstEnergy

Nuclear Operating Co. officials to discuss the status of activities at the Davis-Besse plant in

response to the reactor vessel head degradation. The second meeting was an evening public

session to review NRC activities involving Davis-Besse and to respond to questions and

concerns from the public.
July 11, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

Grand Gulf Management Change

On July 8, 2003, Entergy Operations, Inc. announced that Mr. Jeff Forbes will be the Site Vice

President at the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station effective August 4, 2003. He was formerly a Vice

President with Nuclear Management Corporation (NMC). Mr. Forbes replaces 

Mr. George Williams who will return to his position as Regional Vice President of Operations

Support at Entergy Operations, Inc. Headquarters in Jackson, MS.

NRC, Region IV, and Entergy Operations, Inc., Personnel Conducted a Regulatory Conference

to Discuss Risk Related to 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix R, Non-compliance at Arkansas Nuclear

One

On July 10, 2003, NRC and Entergy Operations, Inc., personnel participated in a regulatory

conference held in the Region IV office. The conference was held to better understand the

licensee’s position on the risk associated with crediting manual actions in lieu of complying with

Appendix R. Key risk analysis assumptions and fire modeling assumptions were presented by

NRC and the licensee. 
July 11, 2003 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 11, 2003

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 22

OCA

Contact

DATE

&

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Portner 07/15/03

2359 RHOB

10:00 Markup FY04 Energy and Water Development Reps. Youn

Appropriatio

Portner Wk of 7/14/03

SD-124

TBA Markup FY04 Energy and Water Development Senators D

Energy and Appropriatio

Gerke 07/15/03

2154 RHOB

10:00 TBA Federal Information Systems Integration and

Consolidation

Reps. PutnTech Policy GovernmeGovernmen

Gerke 07/16/03

2154 RHOB

10:00 TBA Exploring Ideas for Improving Federal

Reorganization, Management and Spending

Reps. DavisGovernmen

Gerke 07/16/03

2154 RHOB

 2:00 GAO GAO Human Capital Reform: Leading by

Example

Reps. DavisCivil ServicGovernmen

Combs 07/17/03

2123 RHOB

 9:30 DOE DOE Radioactive Waste Cleanup Reps. Gree

Oversight aEnergy and 

Gerke 07/17/03

2154 RHOB

10:00 TBA Problems with TSP Website Reps. Davis

Governmen
July 11, 2003 

Gerke 07/24/03

TBA

TBA TBA Past, Present, and Future of the Competitive

Sourcing Initiative

Senators VGov’t Mgmn

Governmen

Combs TBA TBA Chairman Diaz, DOE Bechtel,

NEI

Yucca Mountain Reps. Barto

Energy and Energy and 

Keeling TBA

SD-342

TBA Joe D. Whitley Confirmation to be General Counsel,

Department of Homeland Security

Senators CGovernmen