INFORMATION REPORT

February 21, 2002 SECY-02-0031

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-02-0031 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING FEBRUARY 15, 2002

Contents Enclosure

Nuclear Reactor Regulation A

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B

Nuclear Regulatory Research C

Incident Response Operations D

General Counsel E*

Administration F

Chief Information Officer G

Chief Financial Officer H*

Human Resources I

Small Business & Civil Rights J*

Enforcement K*

State and Tribal Programs L*

Public Affairs M

International Programs N*

Office of the Secretary O

Region I P

Region II P

Region III P

Region IV P*

Executive Director for Operations Q*

Congressional Affairs R

*No input this week.

/RA/

John W. Craig

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

S. Morris, OEDO
February 21, 2002 SECY-02-0031

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-02-0031 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING February 15, 2002

Contents Enclosure

Nuclear Reactor Regulation A

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B

Nuclear Regulatory Research C

Incident Response Operations D

General Counsel E*

Administration F

Chief Information Officer G

Chief Financial Officer H*

Human Resources I

Small Business & Civil Rights J*

Enforcement K*

State and Tribal Programs L*

Public Affairs M

International Programs N*

Office of the Secretary O

Region I P

Region II P

Region III P

Region IV P*

Executive Director for Operations Q*

Congressional Affairs R

*No input this week.

/RA/

John W. Craig

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

S. Morris, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\WEEK215.WPD

OEDO JWS for AO/OEDO

SMorris:paa JWCraig

02/21/02 02/23/02
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 15, 2002

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: S. Morris, OEDO by E-mail: sam1@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 *

IRO 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I 20

ADM 10 Region II 21

CIO 11 Region III 22

CFO * Region IV *

HR 15 OEDO *

SB/CR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

Duke Energy Announces Sale of Duke Engineering & Services Unit to Framatome ANP, Inc.

Duke Energy announced the sale of its Duke Engineering & Services (DE&S) unit to further

align the company's businesses, portfolio and resources to focus on wholesale energy. DE&S,

a business unit providing engineering and technical services, will be purchased by Framatome

ANP, Inc. 

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter 2002. Two components of DE&S

are not part of the sale. Leadership of the U.S. Department of Energy Mixed Oxide Fuel (MOX)

project will remain with Duke Energy. Also, Duke Energy will establish Duke Energy Delivery

Services, formed by the power delivery services component of DE&S, which will continue to

supply power delivery solutions to customers.

Meeting to Discuss Industry Activities in Response to TMI Plugged Tube Failure

On January 31, 2002, a public meeting was held between the industry and the NRC staff to

discuss the industry's plan for addressing the generic implications of the plugged steam

generator tube that severed at Three Mile Island Unit 1 (TMI-1). Several members of the

public, including the press and the Union of Concerned Scientists, also attended the meeting. 

Based on a request from the NRC, NEI sent a letter to the NRC dated December 21, 2001,

containing generic evaluations for the once-through and recirculating type steam generators, to

assess the significance and risk associated with the TMI-1 plugged tube failure. To prepare for

the January 31, 2002, meeting, the NRC staff provided questions and comments to NEI on

these evaluations in advance of the meeting.

At the meeting, the industry discussed the TMI-1 and Oconee Unit 3 inspection results, industry

assessment of the issue, industry actions taken to date, and the industry action plan for

addressing the implications of the TMI severed tube experience and schedule for completion. 

The industry plans to provide near-term guidance to licenseeís which use the once-through

steam generator design to assist them with their steam generator tube inspections and repairs. 

Based on operating experience, engineering evaluations, and risk arguments, near-term

guidance is not required for recirculating steam generators. The industry is continuing to study

this issue and plans to develop an action plan in the next five months to address longer term

actions that may be necessary for both once-through steam generators and recirculating steam

generators.

NRR Staff On-site Review of Vessel Head Inspection at DC Cook Unit 2

Two members of the NRR staff visited D.C. Cook Unit 2 during the week of January 28 to

review American Electric Powerís (AEP) inspections of the reactor vessel head penetration

nozzles, as described in their response to Bulletin 2001-01. The staff reviewed videotapes

taken during the visual examination of the reactor vessel head, along with the set-up,

procedures and initial results from under-the-head inspections. AEP is completing its
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

inspections and will provide the staff with a summary of its findings. To date, AEP has not

confirmed any significant service induced degradation.

NRR Staff Plans for On-Site Review of Vessel Head Inspection at Davis-Besse

During a refueling outage scheduled to begin in mid-February, NRR staff plans to perform an

on-site review of activities at the Davis-Besse plant to inspect the reactor vessel head

penetration nozzles. The staff will be accompanied by a representative of the Ohio Emergency

Management Agency (OEMA). The staff review will include the licenseeís plans for under-thehead inspections of the nozzles and tentative schedule for repairs. 

Meeting with Industry on Reactor Vessel Internals Program

At a meeting on February 5, 2002, the Materials Reliability Program (MRP) Reactor Vessel

Internals (RVI) Issue Task Group (ITG) and the Babcock and Wilcox Owners Group provided

the staff with a status report on their activities to address aging degradation of RVI components

during the license renewal period. Some of the renewed license recipients are using the results

of these programs to develop the inspection parameters (e.g., limiting components to be

inspected, appropriate inspection methods, etc.) for the renewed license period. The work

described in the meeting will continue through 2007, with periodic status updates to be provided

to the staff. Inspections of the RVI components are expected to begin in the early 2010s.

Framatome Welded Plugs used in Once-Through Steam Generators

As a result of additional analysis of the once-through steam generators used in Babcock and

Wilcox (B&W) plants, it was determined that the number of heatup and cooldown cycles that

certain welded plugs could be exposed to prior to exceeding fatigue limits was much lower than

originally calculated. Specifically, the affected plugs were originally evaluated for 240 heatup

and cooldown cycles; however, the preliminary re-analysis indicates these plugs must be limited

to less than 33 cycles to maintain the fatigue usage factor below specified criteria.

All plants with the affected welded pug design have been notified. Discussions with the

licensee for Davis Besse, one of the affected plants, indicate that the most limiting affected plug

installed in their steam generator tubes has been exposed to approximately 29 cycles indicating

that the plant can operate with these plugs installed for 4 more cycles before corrective action

must be taken. One corrective action would be to replace the affected plugs.

The industry is performing additional analyses to further refine the fatigue life of the affected

plugs. The NRC staff is monitoring the industry activities in this area.

Duke License Renewal Application for McGuire 1&2 and Catawba 1&2

On February 4, 2002, the staff filed its appeal of the January 24, 2002, ruling by the Atomic

Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) that two contentions filed by Nuclear Information and

Resource Service (NIRS) and the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) are

admissible (LBP-02-04) in the license renewal proceeding. The contentions, reframed by the

ASLB, pertain to (1) the impact of anticipated mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel use on aging and

environmental issues, and (2) the completeness of the severe accident mitigation alternatives
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

(SAMA) analysis for station blackout events at ice condenser plants. In its appeal, the staff

indicated that the issue regarding use of MOX fuel in the Catawba and McGuire reactors should

not be admitted because it is not part of either plantís current licensing basis and not a proposal

currently before the Commission. The staff also stated that the SAMA contention should not be

admitted because it lacks basis, corroborating facts, expert opinion and specific information to

support the claim.

Public Meeting with NEI and Industry on the Public and Occupational Radiation Safety

Cornerstones of the Reactor Oversight Program

On February 6, 2002, staff of the Emergency Preparedness and Health Physics Section of the

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation participated in a public meeting with representatives of the

nuclear industry and the Nuclear Energy Institute to discuss issues in the Public and

Occupational Radiation Safety cornerstones of the Reactor Oversight Program (ROP).

Participant discussed the need for additional guidance and clarification to the significance

determination process (SDP) for the radioactive material control program and recent changes

to the ALARA SDP. The industry representatives provided candid feedback on these areas of

the ROP to the staff. These public meetings are held periodically to enable the staff and

stakeholders to share information which is used to ìfine tuneî the ROP as experience is gained

on the program.

Palisades Emergency Siren Replacement Project Briefing

On February 11, 2002, staff from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), FEMA

Headquarters and FEMA Region 5 participated via tele-conference in a briefing by the licensee

for Palisades regarding the proposed emergency siren replacement project. The licensee

stated the reason for the project was the high maintenance cost associated with equipment

aging, reliability and depleted replacement parts inventory.

The Scope of the project replaces the current 84 siren sites with 56 siren sites. The new system

uses ëState of the Artí digital two - way radio technology for improved reliability. Sirens, poles

and activation hardware will be replaced. The new system will include a ëfeedbackí feature for

improved system monitoring. The licensee stated they are working with FEMA to ensure the

transition from the ëoldí to ënewí system is effective with minimal problems. They are finalizing

the Test plan and the Final Design Reports. Current planning indicates the new system will be

operational in October 2002 with the old system removed by Spring 2003. The licensee

indicated a public meeting on February 15, 2002 at the Palisades South Haven Conference

Center. This meeting is one of several to brief the public and the media on the siren

replacement project and the impact to the local population.

Reactor Oversight Process

The end-of-cycle (EOC) review for the assessment period that ended December 31, 2001, for

Region II plants was completed on February 5, 2002. The Region performed its review in

accordance with the guidance provided in Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 0305, ìOperating

Reactor Assessment Program.î The Inspection Program Branch (IIPB) along with other NRC

staff representatives participated in the EOC reviews of all plants. The EOC review for
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

Region IV plants was held on February 12-13, 2002. An EOC Summary meeting will be

conducted on February 20, 2002, to summarize the results of all regionsí EOC reviews for the

Director of NRR and other members of the Executive Team. The results of the EOC reviews

will be issued via annual assessment letters for all plants on March 4, 2002.

The Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) efficiency focus group developed a list of areas for

possible efficiency gains in the oversight of reactors and criteria for evaluating the suggestions. 

On February 7, 2002, the IIPB staff held a video conference with DRP/DRS regional division

management to review the results of the ROP efficiency focus group suggestions, provide any

necessary clarification, reach agreement on the evaluation criteria, and assign a weighting

factor to each criterion based on its relative importance. The next task for the efficiency focus

group is to systematically determine the extent to which each suggestion meets the evaluation

criteria in order to identify 3-5 suggestions that yield the highest score for possible

implementation.
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

International Safeguards Applications at BWX Technologies Highly Enriched Uranium

Downblending Facility

On the morning of February 7, 2002, BWX Technologies (BWXT) operations staff discovered

that a piece of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) equipment had shorted and was

arcing. BWXT notified Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards staff of the event. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff informed IAEA of the event and confirmed that BWXT had

the right to open the box. BWXT was informed that it had the authority to open the IAEA

equipment if it believed that there was a potential hazard to the plant. Later on February 7,

2002, BWXT took the actions necessary to stop the apparent electrical problem. BWXT kept

NRC appraised of its activities throughout this process, and NRC staff, in turn, provided IAEA

with routine updates of the problem and what was being done to stop further damage to IAEA

equipment. On February 8, 2002, IAEA informed NRC that an IAEA technician would travel to

the BWXT plant, located in Lynchburg, Virginia, during the week of February 18, 2002, to

review the problem and start repairs. The IAEA safeguards are being implemented as part of

an ongoing monitoring program to independently verify the downblending of highly enriched

uranium deemed excess to U.S. national security needs.

Meeting with Department of Energy on Key Technical Issue Resolution

On February 5, 2002, Division of Waste Management staff conducted a technical exchange

with the Department of Energy (DOE) in Las Vegas, Nevada. The purpose of the meeting was

to discuss future key technical issue (KTI) resolution meetings. Both DOE and the Nuclear

Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff proposed several future meetings. The goal of the future

meetings is to reach issue resolution. The NRC and DOE staff stated that their KTI leads are

the main points of contact and are responsible for their agreements. In addition, NRC staff and

DOE agreed that KTI leads should communicate to understand plans and schedule to address

specific agreements. NRC concluded the meeting by stressing three points. First, the issue

resolution process needs to move forward. Second, the staff needs to understand DOEís plans

for addressing all the agreements. Finally, NRC needs DOE to communicate how it plans to

address agreements due to NRC during the current fiscal year, given that DOE is currently

rebaselining its program. The staff expects DOE to provide additional information on its plan for

resolving the KTIs in March 2002.

Lessons-Learned Document for Decommissioning Plans

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff recently issued NRC Regulatory Issue

Summary 2002-02: Lessons Learned Related to Recently Submitted Decommissioning Plans

and License Termination Plans. The staff developed this issue summary to provide licensees

with information that may help them develop more complete submittals. The staff believes that

more complete initial submittals will result in more effective and efficient use of both licenseesí

and NRCís resources.
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

Meeting with Big Rock Point on Decommissioning

On February 11, 2002, staff from the Offices of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards and

Nuclear Reactor Regulation met with representatives of Big Rock Point (BRP) to discuss

decommissioning plans. BRP is remediating the site to green field, and plans to release the

site for unrestricted use, except for about 3 acres which will be used for an Independent Spent

Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). The plant shut down in 1997, and current work is being done

under the Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report. Transfer of fuel to the ISFSI is

scheduled to start about June 2002 and is expected to take approximately 6 months. BRP

plans to submit a License Termination Plan in early 2003.

Environmental Stewardship - Promising Solutions to Uncertainty

During February 5-7, 2002, a representative of the Division of Waste Management attended the

Environmental Stewardship conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference was

hosted by the Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane University and was sponsored

by the Department of Energy (DOE). It covered a variety of topics, including the status of

DOEís long-term stewardship (LTS) program, treatment of risk in decision-making, monitoring

techniques, ecological risk assessment, and institutional controls. Gerald Boyd, DOE, noted

that the Environmental Management program in DOE, including LTS, had recently received a

top-to-bottom review, and that it was currently in a state of flux. He noted a new thrust for the

Office of Science and Technology to support site closure and to explore alternatives and step

improvements to current high-risk and high-cost baselines. Technical discussions included

methods of evaluating radiation doses to aquatic and terrestrial biota, and selection of sitespecific transport parameters. Other presentations focused on social science and risk

communication. Several presentations stressed the importance of providing a transparent

decision-making record for future generations.

Meeting with Holtec, International

On February 13, 2002, a meeting was held between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff

and representatives of Holtec, International (Holtec), to discuss Holtecís plans to amend

Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1014 for the HI-STORM 100 dry cask storage system. 

Holtec plans to submit an amendment to CoC No. 1014 in early March 2002. The amendment

will include increasing the approved heat load that can be stored in the cask; modifying

technical specifications to control radiological dose and contamination levels; exceptions to

ASME Code; changes to the neutron absorber materials; and other minor modifications to the

cask design. A portion of the meeting was set aside to discuss proprietary technical information

regarding the amendment, and was not open to the public.

International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Meeting Regarding ìInternational Catalogue of

Sealed Radioactive Sources and Devices, Including Transport Containersî

During February 4-8, 2002, a Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety staff person

served as chairman in a technical meeting at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

entitled, ìDeveloping, Updating and Maintaining of the International Catalogue of Sealed

Radioactive Sources and Devices, Including Transport Containers.î
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

Development of the Catalogue was prompted by direction from the Action Plan on Safety of

Radiation Sources and Security of Radioactive Materials, approved by the Agencyís Board of

Governors and endorsed by the General Conference in 1999, which directed that IAEA

ì...develop a repository of information on the characteristics of sources and of devices

containing sources, including transport containers, and to disseminate the information, with

consideration of the advisability of dissemination through the Internet.î The repository of

information would provide information on the characteristics and appearance of sources, the

devices in which they are used, and their transport containers. A primary purpose of such a

repository would be to facilitate the identification of sources and devices that have been lost

from control. An initial meeting was held in February 2000, in Vienna, to develop the structure

of this Catalogue. Since the February 2000 meeting, IAEA continued development of the

Catalogue. The goals of the February 2002 meeting were to analyze the status of the

Catalogue, and to establish recommendations regarding improvement to the structure, data

collection and input, and dissemination policy.
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

Agreement Signed with Framatome ANP, Inc., for Cooperative Research on M5 Alloy Fuel Rod

Cladding

RES has signed a memorandum of understanding with Framatome ANP, Inc., on a cooperative

nuclear fuel research program involving M5 cladding alloy. Initially, this work will study the

effects of high-temperature oxidation on the mechanical properties of unirradiated M5 alloy

cladding tubes in an ongoing research program at Argonne National Laboratory. The main

emphasis in the work at Argonne is on materials behavior related to conditions of a loss-ofcoolant accident and conditions during dry storage. Plans are being discussed to extend this

work to irradiated M5 and other cladding alloys on high-burnup fuel rods. This research is part

of an overall program to confirm fuel damage criteria used in safety analyses and to provide a

data base of properties that can be used by both NRC and the industry in their independent

analytical methods.

Public Meeting on PRA Quality and Standards and Risk-Informed Changes to 10 CFR 50.46

On February 5, 2002, a public meeting was held at NRC headquarters with interested

stakeholders to provide and solicit feedback on (1) the staffís current positions on endorsement

of PRA standards and other guidance documents and the update to Regulatory Guide (RG)

1.174, and (2) the staffís efforts on risk-informing the ECCS reliability requirements of 10 CFR

50.46, specifically General Design Criterion (GDC) 35. Industry requested, and the staff

agreed, that there be additional public meetings as work progressed on the new RG.

With respect to risk-informed changes to 10 CFR 50.46/GDC 35, the staff described its

intention to propose revising GDC 35 to provide an alternative to demonstrate that ECCS safety

function can be reliably accomplished using a more general reliability requirement, as opposed

to the prescriptive requirements currently contained in GDC 35 (i.e., the assumptions of a

coincident loss of offsite power and single additional failure). Two approaches to this proposal

are being considered: a plant-specific approach and a generic approach. In late March, the

NRC intends to hold a public meeting, in which it will discuss the technical basis for the plantspecific approach as well as provide the status of the generic approach. 
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE D

Incident Response Operations

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-III-02-004, Battelle Memorial Institute, LOSS OF CONTROL OF CONTAMINATED

DUCT.

2. PNO-IV-02-009, Brigham Young University, MISSING TRITIUM EXIT SIGNS.
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending February 15, 2002

List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: Standardized Advanced NUHOMS-24PTI, Addition

(Part 72)

A proposed rule that would add an entry for the Standardized Advanced NUHOMS-24PTI cask

system to the list of approved spent fuel storage casks was published in the Federal Register

on February 11, 2002 (67 FR 6203). The proposed rule would allow holders of power reactor

operating licenses to store spent fuel in the Standardized Advanced NUHOMS-24PTI storage

system under a general license. The comment period for this action closes April 29, 2002.

Criteria for the Treatment of Individual Requirements in a Regulatory Analysis; Meeting

(Part 50)

A document that announces a public meeting to discuss criteria for the treatment of individual

requirements in a regulatory analysis was published in the Federal Register on February 13,

2002 (67 FR 6663). The meeting is intended to obtain public input on preliminary proposed

guidance that could be incorporated into the Commissionís Regulatory Analysis Guidelines. 

The meeting will be held on March 21, 2002.

Fitness-for-Duty Programs (Part 26)

A document announcing the availability of draft wording of a possible amendment to NRCís

regulations governing the NRCís fitness-for-duty program was published in the Federal Register

on February 15, 2002 (67 FR 7093). The NRC is seeking public comment on the draft rule

outline and on individual sections of the draft regulatory text. 
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

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

February 8, 2002 through February 14, 2002:

Commonwealth Edison Company, alleged discrimination against named individual. 

(FOIA/PA-2002-0124)

Pompton Lakes Works, Pompton Lakes, Passaic County, NY, use, storage and/or transfer of

uranium and/or depleted uranium. (FOIA/PA-2002-0125)

Smoke detectors, exempt distribution license applications. (FOIA/PA-2002-0126)

Daily plant status reports, 01/01/2002 through 02/08/2002. (FOIA/PA-2002-0127)

Site assessment, NY-Avenue of the Americas, 1156 Ave. of the Americas, NY, NY County, NY. 

(FOIA/PA-2002-0128)

Site assessment, NY-Second Ave. and East 69th Street, 235 East 69th Street, NY, NY County,

NY. (FOIA/PA-2002-0129)

Site assessment, NY-Maiden Lane, 160 Front Street, NY, NY County, NY. 

(FOIA/PA-2002-0130)

Site assessment, NY-East 40th Street and Madison Ave., 290 Madison Ave., NY, NY County,

NY. (FOIA/PA-2002-0131)

Site assessment, East 95th Street and Park Ave., 71 East 97th St., NY, NY County, NY. 

(FOIA/PA-2002-0132)

Site assessment, NY-Cherry and Jackson, 621 Water Street, NY, NY County, NY. 

(FOIA/PA-2002-0133)

Site assessment, NY-W. 45th and 8th, 690 8th Avenue, NY, NY County, NY. 

(FOIA/PA-2002-0134)

Moab Mill Reclamation Trust, records related to NRCís directive to Wm. B. Abington regarding

transfer of Atlas Corporation records in his possession. (FOIA/PA-2002-0135)

Site assessment, NY-Schoolhouse road, NYSTA-New York State Thruway, Chestnut Ridge,

Rockland County, NY. (FOIA/PA-2002-0136)

Materials Licensing Tracking System database. (FOIA/PA-2002-0137)
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

Arrivals

DRAKE, James REACTOR ENGINEER RIV

STAPLES, Necota NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN RII 

WAIG, Gerald NUCLEAR SYSTEMS ENGINEER IRO

Departures

SHOARS, Esther SECRETARY RII
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

Media Interest

There was media interest in orders NRC is preparing directing all operating nuclear power

plants to improve security.

A videotape being circulated among Nevada lawmakers showing a small missile punching a

hole in a nuclear waste cask - in marked contrast to industry claims of their invulnerability -

attracted media interest. 

There was interest in requests from the states of Florida and Connecticut for potassium iodide

pills from NRC.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

02-016 NRC Proposes Adding Nuhoms-24pt1 Storage Cask Design to Approved List

02-017 NRC Sends Report to Congress on Regulations for Diagnostic Nuclear

Medicine

02-018 NRC Will Order All Nuclear Power Plants and Key Facilities To Enhance

Security

02-019 NRC Issues the U.S. National Report for Convention on Nuclear Safety

02-020 NRC Office of Enforcement Issues Annual Report

Regions:

I-02-005 NRC to Discuss Apparent Violations with Washington, D.C., Hospital
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Information Papers

1. SECY-02-0028 2/13/02 SECY-02-0028 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending February 8, 2002

2. SECY-02-0019 1/30/02 Annual Report on Court Litigation (Calendar

Year 2001)

Memoranda

1. M020129 2/8/02 Staff Requirements - Briefing on Status of

Nuclear Reactor Safety

2. M020115 2/12/02 Staff Requirements - Briefing on Status of

Nuclear Materials Safety

3. M020130B 2/13/02 Staff Requirements - Briefing on Status of

OCIO Programs, Performance, and Plans

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Congress dated February 11, 2002, provides the ìReport to Congress Regarding

the Revised 10 CFR Part 35.î

2. Letter to Senator George V. Voinovich dated February 11, 2002, provides the ìReport to

Congress Regarding the Revised 10 CFR Part 35.î

3. Letter to Alan H. Maurer, M.D., Gary L. Dillehay, M.D., and Jeffry A. Siegel, Ph.D., Society

of Nuclear Medicine, dated February 11, 2002, provides response to issues with the revised

part 35 and its implementation. 

4. Letter to Senator Craig Thomas dated February 5, 2002, acknowledges receipt of January

11, 2002 letter and advises that comments jointly submitted with Senator Enzi and

Congresswoman Cubin, concerning the Petition for Rulemaking to exempt uranium recovery

licensees from fees assess by the NRC under 10 CFR parts 170 and 171 will be taken into

consideration. 

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. ACRS Subcommittee on Planning and Procedures; Notice of Meeting.

2. ACRS Subcommittee on Thermal-Hydraulic Phenomena; Notice of Meeting.
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE O

3. Applications for Licenses to Import/Export Class A Radioactive Mixed Waste.

4. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, Notice of Meeting.
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

Indian Point 2

The integrated resident inspection report for Indian Point 2 (IP2) issued the week of

February 11, 2002, documented a very small primary-to-secondary leak. This minor leakage, at

less than 0.04 gallons per day, is believed to be the result of a flaw in the tube-end to tubesheet weld(s). The licensee, as part of its root cause review, reviewed repair records that were

completed during initial fabrication of the steam generators. They do not believe the postulated

flaw represents a structural integrity concern. This issue was discussed with external

stakeholders by both Entergy and the NRC. It is receiving significant media coverage. Entergy

is continuing to evaluate the sampling and analysis data. The NRC is continuing its monitoring

of the steam generatorís very low leakage, and licensee actions. 
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

Region II Licensing Counterpartsí Meeting

On February 14, 2002, the Regional Administrator, accompanied by the Director, Division of

Reactor Safety and Director, Division of Reactor Projects, participated in a meeting with all the

regulatory affairs and licensing managers from the nuclear power licensees in Region II. 

Subjects discussed included challenges facing the industry and the NRC, security, significance

determination process and regulatory conferences. 

Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. - Management Meeting

On February 12, 2002, Region II and NMSS held a management meeting with representatives

from Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. in the Region II Office. The purpose of the meeting was to

discuss licensee actions to address improvements in their security program.

Telephone conference with Chief Nuclear Officers

On February 14, 2002, the Regional Administrator held a telephone conference with the Chief

Nuclear Officers and/or their designees to discuss the potential issuance of Orders regarding

security issues and the initiative to review certain information by the Immigration and

Naturalization Service (INS). The discussion of the Orders conveyed the information in the

NRC press release.
February 15, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region III

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

Byron Operator License Presentation

On February 16, 2002, the Regional Administrator presented three reactor operator licenses

and four senior reactor operator licenses for the Byron Nuclear Power Station at a ceremony in

Rockford, Illinois. Examinations were given to the seven applicants in October and November

2001, and the seven passed all portions of the examinations.
February 15, 2002 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 15, 2002

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 41

OCA

Contact

DATE

&

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Combs Early March TBA NRC and others Yucca Mountain Reps. Ba

Energy anEnergy an

The House is in recess until February 26.The Senate is in recess until February 25.