NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA

No. 04-092 August 6, 2004

NRC ANNOUNCES TEAM, SCHEDULE FOR

ENGINEERING INSPECTION AT VERMONT YANKEE

Starting August 9, a team of eight inspectors from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

including three contractors, will spend three weeks at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in

Vernon, Vt., performing an engineering design inspection.

The inspection, part of an NRC effort to enhance the Reactor Oversight Process, will also

provide information relevant to reviewing Entergy Nuclear’s application to increase the plant’s power

output by 20 percent. The team will devote more than 700 inspection hours towards identifying any

latent issues in the plant’s design, focusing on those components and systems important to safety,

including some impacted by the proposed power uprate. The NRC expects to hold a public meeting in

September to discuss the inspection results.

None of the NRC employees on the team has been involved in Vermont Yankee oversight in at

least the past two years, and none of the private contractors has been employed by Entergy Nuclear in

at least the past two years. The NRC is closely coordinating the inspection with the State of Vermont. 

Vermont state’s Nuclear Engineer, Bill Sherman, will observe the inspection.

“Based on the team’s qualifications and demonstrated ability to identify issues on previous

inspections, I’m confident this team will perform a rigorous inspection at Vermont Yankee,” said Jim

Dyer, Director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) at NRC headquarters.

The team leader is the NRC’s Jeffery Jacobson, a Program Manager in NRR’s Inspection

Program Branch. He has led inspection teams numerous times during his 19 years with the agency,

including several that raised significant safety issues. He is currently the overall project lead for the

NRC's pilot engineering design inspection program. Jacobson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in

Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a Master of Science degree in Technical Management

from John Hopkins University.

The other team members are:

Fred Bower, currently a Senior Reactor Inspector in the Division of Reactor Safety for the

NRC’s Region I Office, has been with the agency for 14 years, including stints as Resident Inspector at

the Calvert Cliffs and Salem nuclear power plants. Bower earned a Bachelor of Science degree in
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Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a Masters degree in Engineering Management from

Old Dominion University.

Steven Dennis is a Senior Operations Engineer in Region I’s Division of Reactor Safety, and

has held a variety of positions in Region I and NRR during his eight years at the NRC. Prior to joining

the agency, he worked 12 years at the Hope Creek nuclear power plant, including as an NRC-licensed

Reactor Operator and Senior Reactor Operator. Dennis earned a Bachelor of Science degree in

Applied Science and Technology from Thomas Edison State College, and served for seven years in the

U. S. Navy’s nuclear propulsion program.

Gregory Bowman is a Reactor Inspector in Region I’s Division of Reactor Safety, and joined

the NRC in October of 2002. Prior to that, he worked for five years with Bechtel-Bettis in Goose

Creek, S.C., training students for the Navy’s nuclear propulsion program. Bowman earned a Bachelor

of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia. 

Michelle Snell is also a Reactor Inspector in Region I’s Division of Reactor Projects, and joined

the NRC in November 2003. Prior to that she worked as a nuclear core manager/designer for Exelon

Nuclear, and completed internships in nuclear engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology,

Stockholm, Sweden, and the NRC. Snell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering

from North Carolina State University.

George Skinner is a independent electrical engineer with 26 years of experience in the nuclear

power industry, including 13 years of consulting and technical assessments on electrical and instrument

and control systems. Skinner earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the

University of Missouri, and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Pennsylvania. 

Stanley Spiegelman is a mechanical engineer with 37 years of experience in the nuclear power

industry. He is currently president of The Churchill Associates in Pittsburgh, where he has worked

since 1997 providing a variety of engineering consulting services to clients, and he holds five U.S.

patents. Spiegelman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel

University, and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Pennsylvania.

Craig Baron is a mechanical engineer with 24 years of experience in the nuclear power industry. 

For the past six years he has provided engineering consulting services to various clients. Prior to that

he spent 18 years working on several engineering service and support assignments at various nuclear

power facilities for the Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation. Baron earned a Bachelor of

Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island, and a Masters of

Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado at Denver. He is a

registered Professional Engineer in the states of Colorado, Nebraska, and Washington.

The NRC will not approve the Vermont Yankee uprate, or any proposed changes to a reactor’s

license, unless the agency can conclude the changes can be implemented safely. Additional information

on Vermont Yankee is available on the NRC web site at this address: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/plant-specific-items/vermont-yankee-issues.html .

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