WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT

December 24, 2002 SECY-02-0224

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-02-0224 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING DECEMBER 20, 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
December 24, 2002 SECY-02-0224

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-02-0224 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING DECEMBER 20, 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\WEEKD20.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

CGlenn:paa JWCraig

12/24/02 12/27/02
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 20, 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: cjg1@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 6 IP 18

NSIR 8 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 *

*No input this week
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

Millstone Power Station, Unit No. 2

On December 12, 2002, the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone and the Standing for Truth

About Radiation Foundation filed a petition to intervene and request for a hearing for a license

amendment request that Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. (the licensee) submitted to the

NRC on September 26, 2002.

The license amendment would revise the Milestone 2 Technical Specifications (TSs) to modify

requirements regarding containment closure and spent fuel pool area ventilation during

movement of irradiated fuel assemblies in containment and in the spent fuel pool area. 

Specifically, the proposed changes would: (1) allow containment penetrations, including the

equipment door and personnel airlock door, to be maintained open under administrative control;

(2) eliminate the requirements for automatic closure of containment purge during Mode 6 fuel

movement; and (3) delete the TSs associated with storage pool area ventilation. The proposed

TS changes take credit for re-analysis of the Milestone 2 limiting design basis Fuel Handling

Accidents using a selective implementation of the Alternative Source Term methodology in

accordance with 10 CFR 50.67 and Regulatory Guide 1.183.

The NRC staff is presently preparing a response to the petition pursuant to 10 CFR 2.714(c).

North Anna, Unit 2, Reactor Vessel Head (RVH) Replacement

By letter dated December 6, 2002, Virginia Electric and Power Co. (VEPCO) provided additional

information on Relief Request- IWE9 related to leakage testing to be performed on the

containment following repair needed to support the replacement of the RVH. VEPCO had

submitted an alternative to performing a Type A test after the containment has been repaired. 

In addition, by letter dated November 21, 2002, VEPCO submitted the design specifications for

the existing RVH.

The existing head is to be moved out of containment, and the new head moved into

containment during December 2002.

ASME Code Meetings on Design, Inservice Inspection, and Inservice Testing

During the week of December 9-13, fourteen NRC staff from the Division of Engineering

participated in the winter ASME Code meetings. The staff attended a variety of ASME Code

committee meetings covering Code requirements such as flaw evaluation, weld repair

processes, boric acid degradation, ultrasonic examination methods, risk-based examinations,

check valve testing and environmental fatigue. Of particular significance were items involving

check valve testing, boric acid degradation, and proposed changes to reactor vessel head

penetration inspection requirements. 
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

The Nuclear Industry Check Valve Group completed Phase IV of its check valve trending

program at Kalsi Engineering in Houston, TX. The program objective is to evaluate which test

parameters associated with check valve degradation is conducive to trending using

commercially-available, non-intrusive diagnostic examination technologies. The program will

determine check valve degradation of hinge pins, hanger arms, and springs using non-intrusive

techniques.

The Task Group on Boric Acid Corrosion (Section XI) met for the first time to examine current

Code requirements related to the detection and correction of leakage in borated water systems. 

The Task Group developed a charter and a list of specific aspects to consider (e.g., insulation

removal requirements, how to deal with inaccessible areas, frequency of exams, adequacy of

acceptance criteria and corrective actions, and trending and monitoring requirements). These

aspects correspond to the requests for additional information that recently were sent to all

PWRs related to Bulletin 2002-01 and Boric Acid Corrosion Control Programs. The Task

Group’s goal is to identify recommended Code changes by Spring 2004.

The Task Group on Alloy 600 (Section XI) met and discussed recent inspection observations

relevant to potential changes to Code examination requirements for reactor vessel head

penetrations (RVHPs) and welds. Due to inspection results from the Fall 2002 outage, the

industry-sponsored material reliability program and the Task Group are reexamining their

originally proposed inspection plan, and may propose changes to Code examination

requirements for RVHPs and welds that resemble the inspection regimen contained in Bulletin

2002-02.

The working group on Personnel Qualification (Section XI) has added visual inspection

qualification requirements for VT- 4 examination personnel. VT-4 examinations will be

conducted to detect evidence of leakage from RVHPs or reactor vessel base material wastage

associated with boric acid attack. This work was initiated as a result of Bulletins 2002-01 and

2002-02.

During the meeting of the Materials, Fabrication and Examination Subgroup (Section III), the

representative of the Japan Power Engineering & Inspection Corporation stated that 14 out of

the 29 BWR reactors in Japan have been shut down because stress corrosion cracks were

found in the recirculation lines and in the core shrouds. The affected materials of construction

involved 316L and 316NG materials. Also, some plants have been using hydrogen chemistry

while some have not. U.S. BWRs have experienced cracking and in response, have developed

inspection, evaluation, and repair methodologies through the BWR Vessel Internals Program.

Public Meeting on Implementing Guidance for 10 CFR 50.69

On December 12, 2002, staff from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and Office of the

General Counsel (OGC) conducted a public meeting with stakeholders to discuss the issues

raised in the staff’s draft regulatory guide (DG-1121) concerning the use of NEI 00-04 to

implement 10 CFR 50.69, “Risk-Informed Categorization and Treatment of Structures,

Systems, and Components.”
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

The first topic of discussion was common-cause failures, and how they should be considered in

the categorization process. NEI stated that the industry was developing a white paper on the

subject, and presented some of the rationale behind the paper. Industry plans to develop a

generalized approach that could be used for any application involving ranking of structures,

systems, and components. The staff comments embodied in DG-1121 were also discussed,

with clarifications offered by the staff. 

NEI asked about the purpose of the statement of considerations (SOC) for a rulemaking and

what information should be included in the SOC. Some meeting attendees thought that the

proposed SOC included in SECY-02-0176 contained regulatory guidance and suggested that it

should be removed from the SOC for the final rule. The OGC representative explained the

purpose of the SOC and stated that it must include the technical basis for the proposed rule,

explaining how and why the Commission developed the requirements, and explaining what the

requirements mean. The staff added that the information in the SOC is explanatory material,

not regulatory guidance. The staff also noted, however, that after the proposed rule is

published it would consider comments submitted about the SOC, and would revise the final

SOC, as appropriate, to address stakeholder comments and to reflect the final rule language.

Final Rule on Decommissioning Trust Provisions to be Issued

On December 16, 2002, Decommissioning Trust Provisions Final Rule package was signed. 

The Commission had issued a Staff Requirements Memorandum on November 21, 2002,

approving the final rule subject to editorial changes. The final rule will (1) help safeguard

decommissioning trust funds from investment risks; (2) ensure licensees provide adequate

information to NRC about their trusts; and (3) provide safeguards against improper payments

from these trusts. A proposed rule on this subject was published in the Federal Register (66

FR 29244) on May 30, 2001. A total of 36 comment letters were received from licensees, utility

groups, State agencies and commissions, the National Association of State Regulatory

Commissioners (NARUC), and investment management companies. As part of this action, the

staff is revising Regulatory Guide 1.159, “Assuring the Availability of Funds for

Decommissioning Nuclear Reactors,” which contains guidance to be used by nuclear power

plant licensees in implementing the changes in NRC regulations. The revised regulatory guide

is expected to be issued in January.

Staff Issues Final Supplement 1 to NUREG-0586, Generic Environmental Impact Statement on

Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities - Regarding the Decommissioning of Nuclear Power

Reactors

On Friday, December 13, 2002, the NRC staff delivered copies of Final Supplement 1 to

NUREG-0586 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The notice of the supplement’s

availability will be published in the Federal Register on December 20, 2002. The document is a

supplement to Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Decommissioning of Nuclear

Facilities issued in 1988 (NUREG-0586, referred to as the 1988 Generic Environmental Impact

Statement [GEIS]). The supplement was prepared because of technological advances in

decommissioning operations, experience gained by licensees, and changes made to NRC

regulations since the 1988 GEIS.
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

The supplement updates the information provided in the 1988 GEIS. It is intended to be used

to evaluate environmental impacts during the decommissioning of nuclear power reactors as

residual radioactivity at the site is reduced to levels that allow for termination of the NRC

license. The supplement addresses only the decommissioning of nuclear power reactors

licensed by the NRC. It updates the sections of the 1988 GEIS relating to pressurized water

reactors, boiling water reactors, and multiple reactor stations. It goes beyond the 1988 GEIS to

explicitly consider high-temperature gas-cooled reactors and fast breeder reactors. The

document can be considered a stand-alone document for power reactor facilities such that

readers should not need to refer back to the 1988 GEIS. The environmental impacts described

in the supplement supercede those described for power reactor facilities in the 1988 GEIS.
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

NRC/DOE Technical Exchange on Electronic Submissions

On December 10, 2002, NRC and the Department of Energy (DOE) held the second technical

exchange concerning the electronic submission of documents associated with a potential

license application and associated proceedings for a Yucca Mountain high-level waste (HLW)

repository. NRC stated that the goals of the technical exchanges are to achieve system

inclusiveness, fidelity, accessibility, and reliability. NRC and DOE discussed technical issues

and potential challenges that could affect the electronic submission of documents. NRC staff

provided presentations on architecture; Electronic Information Exchange process and pilots;

Electronic Hearing Docket for a potential HLW proceeding; electronic courtroom; technical

issues associated with a potential license application submission and other large documents;

status of putting NRC HLW documentary collection on the Licensing Support Network (LSN);

and status of LSN test server. DOE and its contractor Bechtel SAIC provided presentations on

“Sensitive Homeland Security Information Processing Controls” and “DOE's Experience,

Progress, and Solutions in Delivering Large Documents to the Public.” Representatives from

the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, the Office of the Chief Information

Officer, the Office of the Secretary, the Atomic Safety Licensing Board Panel, and the Office of

the General Counsel participated in this meeting.

Staff Participation in the AIT-TECRO Meeting and AIT-TECRO Visit to the Center for Nuclear

Waste Regulatory Analyses and NRC Headquarters

On December 9-11, 2002, staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

(NMSS), the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), and the Office of International

Programs (OIP), including the NRR Office Director, participated in the American Institute in

Taiwan (AIT) - Taipei Economic Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) meeting, in San

Antonio, Texas. The purpose of this annual meeting is to further U.S. - Taiwan bilateral

corporation in nuclear safety. Representatives from the Taiwan Atomic Energy Counsel,

including its Chairman Ouyang, the Taiwan Power Company, the State Department, and the

Department of Energy (DOE) also attended the meeting. A staff member from the NMSS

Division of Waste Management discussed the present status of, and NRC’s pre-licensing

activities at, the proposed high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

Meeting, at the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Safety Analysis for Fuel Cycle Facilities

From December 9-13, 2002, a staff member from the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and

Safeguards participated in a five-day working level meeting at the International Atomic Energy

Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, to determine the content requirements of a technical

document (TECDOC) on the methodology for conducting safety assessments for nuclear fuel

cycle facilities, excluding nuclear reactors and radioactive waste disposal facilities. The

participants of the meeting prepared a table of contents and an annotated outline of the

TECDOC. These will be used by the participants of a consultant’s meeting, which will be held

at IAEA from April 7-11, 2003, to prepare the TECDOC. IAEA anticipates finalizing the

TECDOC in about two years. After the TECDOC is finalized, a fuel cycle facility
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

operator/designer, a country, or IAEA may use it to conduct safety assessments of new and

operating fuel cycle facilities. At the meeting, there were four other participants from the United

Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. The IAEA official responsible for fuel cycle safety conducted

the meeting.

Meeting with U.S. Customs Service

On December 17, 2002, staff from the Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, the

Office of State and Tribal Programs, and the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response

met with the U.S. Customs Service to discuss Customs’ needs for data contained in the

Licensing Tracking System (LTS).

NRC provided Customs sample printouts from LTS and a list of the LTS data fields. Customs

will review this information and future discussions are planned to narrow down the information

needed. Future discussion would also include how best to provide Customs with updates in the

most cost-effective manner. 
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

Interagency Steering Committee Meeting on Research and Development of Multimedia

Environmental Models

The Interagency Steering Committee on research and development of multimedia

environmental models (ISCMEM) met in Washington, DC on December 9 to review progress of

the working groups, their proposed activities and resource considerations. The four working

groups (WG) are: WG1 on Software Design and Implementation, WG2 on Uncertainty Analysis

and Parameter Estimation, WG3 on Distributive Watershed, and WG4 on Reactive Solute

Transport. The Federal Agencies participating in the ISCMEM meeting were NRC, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Geological Survey, and

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Significant outcomes were: ISCMEM approval of a prospectus

on an International Workshop on Uncertainty to be conducted by the Uncertainty and

Parameter Estimation WG; and support for the upcoming Workshop on Linking Geographical

Information System (GIS) Databases to Environmental Modeling Systems. The work of this

committee will enhance NRC’s research program and provide support to NRC’s licensing

program in the waste arena.

Completion of NRC Staff Member Assignment at United Kingdom’s Nuclear Installations

Inspectorate

A NRC staff member from the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research has returned to NRC

Headquarters after successfully completing a short-term assignment at Nuclear Installations

Inspectorate (NII) at Bootle. The objective of this assignment included training in regulatory

safety issues, particularly those related to use of graphite as the moderator and structural

material, for advanced gas-cooled reactors in order to enable infrastructure development at

NRC related to regulatory activities of future high temperature gas-cooled graphite reactors in

the United States. 
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

Federal Response Plan Exercise Meeting

The Division of Incident Response Operations (DIRO) participated with representatives of the

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of the Treasury, Department of

Agriculture, and American Red Cross in a FEMA-chaired Federal Response Plan Exercise

Working Group (FRPXWG) meeting at FEMA Headquarters on December 13, 2002. The

meeting addressed FEMA’s initiative to restart the FRPXWG as a viable federal interagency

exercise coordinating entity - to be a subgroup of both the Catastrophic Disaster Response

Group and the National Interagency Coordinating Committee. FEMA intends that the

FRPXWG, under the lead of FEMA’s Assessment and Exercise Division, serve a coordinating

and advisory role relative to national-level exercise strategy and activities. The meeting

involved discussion of various interagency exercise program issues to be addressed by the

FRPXWG. DIRO will represent the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and participate in the

FRPXWG. 

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-III-02-043, Iowa Methodist Medical Center - BRACHYTHERAPY

MISADMINISTRATION - HDR

2. PNO-II-02-043, MACTEC Engineering & Consulting - STOLEN GAUGE

3. PNO-IV-02-077, Union Electric Company - AUTOMATIC REACTOR TRIP WHILE

REDUCING POWER DUE TO A CONDENSATE PUMP FAILURE

4. PNO-II-02-044, SWVA, Inc. - DAMAGED SOURCE HOLDER ON STEEL LEVEL GAUGE

5. PNO-IV-02-078, STP Nuclear Operating Company - SHUTDOWN AS A RESULT OF

HIGH MAIN TURBINE VIBRATION
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending December 20, 2002

Minor Errors in Regulatory Text; Correction (Parts 1, 19, 20, 21, 32, 34, 39, 51, 53, and 81)

A final rule that corrects a number of minor errors in the NRC’s regulations was published in the

Federal Register on December 19, 2002 (67 FR 77651). The final rule corrects omissions,

typographical errors, and erroneous citations and references in 10 CFR Chapter I. The final

rule became effective December 19, 2002.

Acquisition for Project Managers

On December 11th and 17th 2002, the Acquisition Workshop, “Organizational Conflict of

Interest,” was presented to a total of 42 participants. On December 12, 2002, the Acquisition

Workshop, “Source Evaluation Procedures” was presented to 10 participants. 

Contract Award

On December 13, 2002, Contract No. NRC-33-03-320 entitled "Serial Subscription Services"

was awarded to EBSCO Subscription Services. The period of performance is December 13,

2002 through December 13, 2003 with four one-year options. The total estimated cost for the

base year plus four one-year options total $1,070,727.05.
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

Federal Section 508 Coordinators Conference

The Office of the Chief Information Officer attended the annual Federal Section 508

Coordinators Conference hosted by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Section 508

of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provides accessibility to information technology for Federal

employees and members of the public. Presentations by agencies, industry, and advocacy

groups provided updates on the state of the program. Specific highlights reported included:

- Department of Justice is required to perform its biennial compliance report during

FY2003. Each agency will be asked to provide records of compliance activity on specific

programs from among electronic and information projects that are tracked by OMB. 

- Acceptance of vendor-provided compliance statements is generally good, but

inconsistent use of terms by vendors clouds the issue. The general consensus is that

vendor statements alone are not sufficient to establish compliance.

- It is probable that the January 2003 sunset of the micro-purchase exemption from

Section 508 will be extended for perhaps one to two years. Unless extended, purchases

under $2,500 will be subject to Section 508 requirements.

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

December 13 through December 20, 2002:

OIG reports on self; personnel folder (FOIA/PA-2003-0090)

Summary of meeting between NRC, Duke Energy, & Babcock & Wilcox Canada regarding

design and fabrication of replacement generators, dated March 7, 2001 (FOIA/PA-2003-0091)

Robeco International documents (FOIA/PA-2003-0092)

U. S. nuclear facilities, mailing addresses (FOIA/PA-2003-0093)

Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant, all records from 11-29-01 to date, EA-02-031; and review of

specified actions, re: identified in EA-02-031 (FOIA/PA-2003-0094)

Monetary penalties assessed under the Atomic Energy Act for calendar years 2001 and 2002

(FOIA/PA-2003-0095)

Contract NRC-10-03-153 for security services, awarded to Wackenhut (FOIA/PA-2003-0096)

OI 1-2001-015 (FOIA/PA-2003-0097)

Statements of Work, 33-01-189 and 33-98-180 (FOIA/PA-2003-0098)
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE G

Interagency agreement with U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School, copy of original

agreement, modifications, task orders, delivery orders, billings and payments (FOIA/PA-2003-

0099)

Manufacture, storage, disposal or spills, Louisiana specific site, of hazardous materials or waste

that resulted in contamination or health-related risks (FOIA/PA-2003-0100)
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

Arrivals

ANDERSON, Angel STUDENT ENGINEER RIII

BAKHSH, Sarah STUDENT ENGINEER RIII

MARTIN, David OFFICE ASSISTANT RIII

NEUNER, Burton STUDENT ENGINEER RIII

PAIGE, Jason STUDENT CLERK NRR
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

Media Interest

There was media interest in an NRC decision that it need not consider the possible

environmental impacts of a terrorist attack on Utah’s proposed Private Fuel Storage nuclear

waste facility.

The adequacy of Indian Point’s emergency response plan continues to draw public and media

interest.

Press Releases

Regions:

 III-02-066 NRC Staff Proposes $60,000 Fine Against Nuclear Management Co. For

Failing to Provide Complete and Accurate Information

III-02-067 NRC Oversight Panel to Meet with FirstEnergy in Lisle, IL, to Discuss the

Systems Health Assurance Plan at Davis-Besse
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE N

Office of International Programs

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

Japanese Visitor

On December 17, Mr. Hirotoshi Komoda, a contractor for Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission

(NSC), visited NRC and met with staff from the EDO’s Office to learn about NRC’s public

outreach programs, including the use of the web. The NSC is working towards a more

transparent and informative regulatory process for Japan.
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Information Papers

1. SECY-02-0218 12/16/02 SECY-02-0218

Memoranda

1. M021218A 12/18/02 Staff Requirements - Affirmation Session: I.

SECY-02-0117 - Duke Cogema Stone &

Webster (Savannah River Mixed Oxide Fuel

Fabrication Facility), CLI-02-04, 55 NRC

158 (2002) (Granting Applicant’s Petition for

Review of Board’s Admission of Terrorism

Contention in LBP-01-35, 54 NRC 403

(2002)); II. SECY-02-0118 - Private Fuel

Storage, L.L.C. (Independent Spent Fuel

Storage Installation), CLI-02-03, 55 NRC

155 (2002) (Accepting Referred Ruling

Denying Admission of Utah’s Terrorism

Contention in LBP-01-37, 54 NRC 476

(2001)); III. SECY-02-0119 - Duke Energy

Corp. (McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 & 2;

Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 & 2), CLI02-06, 55 NRC 164 (2002) (Accepting

Certification of Terrorism-related Issue in

LBP-02-04, 55 NRC 49 (2002)); IV. SECY02-0120 - Dominion Nuclear Connecticut,

Inc. (Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit

No. 3), CLI-02-05, 55 NRC 131 (2002)

(Accepting Referred Ruling Denying

Admission of the Intervenors’ Terrorism

Contention in LBP-02-05, 55 NRC 161

(2002)); V. SECY-02-0157 - Duke Energy

Corporation (McGuire Nuclear Station, Units

1 & 2, Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 &

2); VI. SECY-02-0207 - Private Fuel Storage

(Independent Spent Fuel Storage

Installation) Docket No. 72-22-ISFSI; Utah’s

“Suggestion of Lack of Jurisdiction” and

Petition for Rulemaking under the Nuclear

Waste Policy Act
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE O

2. M021217 12/19/02 Staff Requirements - Briefing on Policy

Options and Recommendations for Revising

the NRC’s Process for Handling

Discrimination Issues (SECY-02-0166)

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Representative Nita M. Lowey, dated December 11, 2002, concerns a report by the

Project on Government Oversight on the training and qualification of security personnel at

nuclear facilities. 

2. Letter to Representative Fred Upon, dated December 10, 2002, concerns training for local

government officials in Michigan to prepare them to respond to terrorist incidents at the

nuclear power plants in that state. 

3. Letter to Dr. Jill Lipoti, Department of Environmental Protection, State of New Jersey, dated

December 10, 2002, concerns the Memorandum of Understanding between EPA and the

NRC. 

4. Letter to Senator George V. Voinovich, dated December 6, 2002, concerns possible

legislative assistance that would help the NRC in its recruiting program as well as certain

other matters. 

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Material Control and Accounting Amendments - Final Rule.

2. Decommissioning Trust Provisions - Final Rule.

3. Advisory Committee on Medical Uses of Isotopes: Call for Nominations.

4. Notice of Renewal of the Charter for the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards.

5. Notice of renewal of the Charter of the Licensing Support Network Advisory Review Panel.

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

Reliability and Probabilistic Risk Assessment and on Plant Operations - Notice of Meeting.

7. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on

Reliability and Probabilistic Risk Assessment, January 22, 2003 - Notice of Meeting.

8. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on

Reliability and Probabilistic Risk Assessment, January 23-24, 2003 - Notice of Meeting.

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

Program - Notice of Meeting.
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

New Director of Operations and Maintenance at Millstone

Effective January 2003, Mr. Steve Sarver will become Director of Operations and Maintenance

at Millstone. Mr. Sarver has been the Director of Licensing and Operations at Dominion’s

Innsbrook Technical Center since 1997. His previous assignments included management

positions in Operations, Radiological Protection and Outage Planning. 

Region I Senior Management Site Visit to Hope Creek and Salem 1 & 2

On December 17-18, 2002, the Deputy Regional Administrator, the Director of the Division of

Reactor Projects, and members of the staff, toured Hope Creek and Salem Generating

Stations, and met with resident inspectors and selected Public Service Electric and Gas

managers. The tour was part of the Region’s program of site visits in accordance with NRC

Inspection Manual Chapter 0102.

Permagrain Products, Inc.

On December 17, 2002, PermaGrain Products, Inc. declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the US

Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The licensee’s facility is used to

polymerize plastic-impregnated wood products. In expectation of this event, Region I issued a

Demand for Information to the licensee and, on December 18, led a site visit with

representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), the

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency’s Region III office. PADEP moved to provide security at the PermaGrain site

indefinitely through its contractor, Scientech. On December 19, Region I held initial discussions

with the trustee appointed to handle the PermaGrain bankruptcy, and provided background to

the case. 
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

Special Strategic Plan Senior Leadership Group Session

On December 16, 2002, the Regional Administrator participated in the Special Strategic Plan

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

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

On December 17, 2002, the Regional Administrator attended the Commission Meeting on

Briefing on Policy Options for Revising the NRC’s Process for Handling Discrimination.

Dominion/Virginia Electric Power Company - North Anna Site Visit

On December 19, 2002, the Regional Administrator was at the North Anna Nuclear Plant near

Mineral, Virginia, to discuss current topics with licensee management and the resident

inspectors and tour the facility. A part of the tour was to observe activities related to placing the

new reactor vessel head into the containment structure and security.

Tennessee Valley Authority - Watts Bar Plant Meeting

On December 18, 2002, representatives from Tennessee Valley Authority were in the Region II

Office to attend a management meeting, Public Meeting Category 1. The purpose of the

meeting was to discuss Watts Bar plant performance and planned major projects.

State of Kentucky Meeting

On December 19, 2002, the Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety and the Regional

State Agreements Officer met with the new State of Kentucky Manager of the Radiation Health

and Toxic Agents Branch. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss program implementation

and current topics related to the materials licensing and inspection program in the Agreement

State.

Florida Power Corporation - Crystal River Nuclear Plant

On December 18, 2002, the members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

(IBEW) ratified an agreement or contract with the licensee for certain type workers at the

Crystal River nuclear plant. This ratification removes the basis for a strike that was noticed by

IBEW on November 27, 2002.

Steel of West Virginia, Inc. - Damage to a Gauge

On December 16, 2002, the licensee had an incident where molten steel damaged the

radioactive source holder in a level gauge. The gauge is manufactured by Kay-Ray/Sensal,

and contains approximately 500 millicuries of cesium-137. The gauge was used to measure

the density and/or level of steel in a form for the molten steel in a steel foundry near Huntington,
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

West Virginia. The licensee halted the processes, performed a radiation survey of the area

where the gauge was located and removed the gauge into a shielded storage box.

The Regional Office dispatched two inspectors to the site, accompanied by an inspector from

the State of West Virginia. The lead shielding in the gauge was melted and flowed out of the

radiation source shutter; there was no indication of damage to or contamination from the

radioactive source. Radiation levels around the gauge were higher than normal due to the loss

of shielding. The licensee is continuing to assess the potential radiation exposure to workers at

the foundry. The Regional Office issued a preliminary notification on December 17 (PNO-II-02-

044).
December 20, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 20, 2002

New General Manager - Plant Operations at Arkansas Nuclear One

Mr. Cliff Eubanks, current maintenance manager at Arkansas Nuclear One, has been named

general manager - plant operations. Mr. Eubanks succeeds Mr. Bob Bement who was recently

named as the training director of Entergy Nuclear South. No successor has yet been named

for the maintenance manager position.

Public Meeting With Nebraska Public Power District

On December 18, 2002, Region IV conducted a meeting with Nebraska Public Power

District (NPPD) in Arlington, Texas. Topics discussed during the meeting included the

Nebraska Public Power District’s Strategic Improvement Plan Revision 2, and commitments that

NPPD made following submission of the plan. 

Region IV Regional Administrator Onsite at Diablo Canyon

On December 19, 2002, the Region IV Regional Administrator was onsite at Diablo Canyon and

met with licensee management personnel including the Vice President and General Manager,

Vice President Operations and Station Manager, Vice President Nuclear Services, and the

Security Manager. While at Diablo Canyon the Regional Administrator conducted a plant tour

with the senior resident inspector and presented operator license certificates.