INFORMATION

November 6, 2003 SECY-03-0193

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-03-0193 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING OCTOBER 31, 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:

L. Roche, OEDO
November 6, 2003 SECY-03-0193

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-03-0193 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING OCTOBER 31, 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:

L. Roche, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\Week031.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

LRoche:paa WMDean

11/06/03 11/10/03
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 31, 2003

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: L. Roche, OEDO by E-mail: lar2@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 *

NSIR 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I 20

ADM 10 Region II 21

CIO 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 OEDO *

SB/CR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Circumferential Crack in Thermal Sleeve of High Pressure Injection Nozzle at Crystal River

Plant

During an inspection on October 27, 2003, at its Crystal River (CR-3) Plant, the licensee found

a circumferential crack in the thermal sleeve of one of the four (HPI) nozzles that feeds into the

28-inch cold leg of the reactor coolant system (RCS) between the "A" reactor coolant pump

(RCP) and the reactor vessel. The crack is located about 6-1/2 inches from the end of the

thermal sleeve. The thermal sleeve where the crack was found is at the end of a 2-inch

diameter pipe that is used during normal operations for adding makeup water to the RCS. The

other three nozzles are used only during testing of the HPI system.

The licensee had targeted the CR-3 thermal sleeve area for inspection during the current

refueling outage because axial cracking has been found in the tip of the thermal sleeve at other

plants. Prior to the outage, the CR-3 plant completed an analysis to justify delaying any

required repairs in case they found indications similar to those discovered at other plants. 

However, the crack discovered at CR-3 is circumferential, and further up in the nozzle than had

been anticipated. 

The thermal sleeve where the crack was found had been replaced in 1982 after cracking was

found in the original thermal sleeve. The other three thermal sleeves have also been replaced. 

One was replaced in 1994 and two others were replaced in 1996. 

The repairs, expected to take about 4 days, were initiated on October 28, 2003.

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Activities

Public Meeting

On October 21, 2003, a public meeting was held to discuss the licensee’s modification of the

high pressure injection (HPI) pumps. The pumps are currently being modified by a vendor in an

offsite location. The licensee is planning for installation and in-situ testing of the pumps in

November. The HPI pump modification is a Restart Checklist item and is currently under

review by NRR. 

2.206 Petition

The licensee submitted a letter dated October 20, 2003, conveying its response to the 2.206

petition from Greenpeace regarding the licensee’s commitments in response to the 50.54(f)

design basis letter. The petition acknowledgment letter was issued by the NRC on

October 7, 2003, and the staff is now performing its review of the immediate action request

portion of the petition. 
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

Review of ACR-700 CATHENA Computer Code

During October 20-24, 2003, staff from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and the Office

of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) conducted an evaluation of the CATHENA computer

code as part of the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) ACR-700 preapplication review. 

The review was performed at the AECL main office at Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. 

CATHENA is the applicant’s principal thermal and hydraulic code that will be used for the ACR700 safety analysis. The review increased the NRC staff’s understanding of the CATHENA

code and provided information to enable the staff to run CATHENA for the ACR-700

preapplication. AECL is expected to document the methodology on how the code will be used

for design basis safety analysis and to present additional detail concerning the plant response.

Meeting with Finnish Regulator on Reactor Licensing Issues

On October 23, 2003, NRR staff met with two representatives from the Finnish regulator,

STUK. NRR and STUK representatives discussed NRC's review activities in the following

areas: codes and testing, severe accidents, passive safety systems, and construction

inspection. The NRC staff described their experience with the 10 CFR Part 52 licensing

process and STUK described the process it will use to license the fifth reactor in Finland. The

STUK representatives also discussed some of the preliminary high-level issues that STUK is

reviewing for Framatome ANP's EPR-1600 (a large pressurized water reactor). The issues

involve low power and shutdown accidents, mid-loop operations, severe accident design and

management strategy (certain severe accidents are considered part of design basis accidents

in Finland), long term post accident cooling, and high burnup fuel and core design.

The STUK representatives indicated that by early next year they may be interested in further

exchanges of information with the NRC particularly in the areas of mid-loop operations, test

data that can validate codes, and any publicly available information regarding the impact of air

craft crashes. 

Monthly Mitigating Systems Performance Index (MSPI) and Reactor Oversight Process (ROP)

Public Meeting

On October 22-23, 2003, the Division of Inspection Program Management staff hosted the

subject meeting. During the October 22 meeting, the participants discussed the MSPI pilot

program and ongoing research activities of the MSPI pilot results, adequacy of Probabilistic

Risk Analysis issues for MSPI, and benchmarking activities between the process for MSPI and

the Significance Determination Process. The staff stated that the most challenging hurdle for

implementing the MSPI was the inspection program burden of performing the temporary

instruction for the initial full implementation, as well as the longer term burden of performing the

Performance Indicator verification as part of the baseline inspection program. The staff

continues to assess the impact of this burden on the ROP.

During the October 23 meeting, the participants discussed proposed inspection manual chapter

and inspection procedure revisions, as well as a revision to the draft steam generator tube

integrity SDP and changes to the fire protection inspection procedures.
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

Outreach to Bridgeport CT, Regional Planning Agency

On October 29, 2003, NRR staff provided an emergency preparedness presentation to the

Greater Bridgeport Regional Planning Agency in response to a request by Congressman Shay

from Connecticut. The Regional Planning Agency is developing their emergency plan to

address 9/11 issues and area coordination concerns. In this regard, they were interested in the

insight that the NRC has regarding emergency planning in the post 9/11 environment. In

particular, their concerns were focused on Indian Point, and to a lesser degree on the Millstone

Station. The staff also addressed concerns about exposure to radioactive materials and 

environmental and health effects. The Chairperson of the Regional Planning Agency

expressed appreciation and stated that Agency members have a better understanding of the

radiological issues they may confront in the future.
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

NRC Yucca Mountain On-site Representatives’ Presentation at Sun City, Las Vegas

On October 23, 2003, NRC’s on-site representatives for the Yucca Mountain project gave an

invited presentation at a neighborhood meeting on the Yucca Mountain program that was held

for residents of the Sun City community in Las Vegas, Nevada. The on-site representatives

presentation covered NRC’s role in pre-license application oversight, license application review,

and license application adjudication for a proposed Yucca Mountain repository. Members of the

staff from the Department of Energy, Bechtel-SAIC, and a nuclear utility also made

presentations. They discussed site characterization, repository design, license application,

transportation, and the importance of a repository to the commercial nuclear utility industry. In

addition, the former governor of Nevada, Robert List, spoke on the potential benefits of a Yucca

Mountain repository to the State of Nevada. About 55 Sun City residents attended the meeting.

DOE Meeting with West Valley Regulators

On October 28, 2003, the Department of Energy (DOE) met with the New York State Energy

Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the New York State Department of

Environmental Conservation, the New York State Department of Health, the Environmental

Protection Agency, and NRC, to discuss DOE’s proposed schedule for completion of the West

Valley Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The meeting was successful in promoting a

constructive dialogue among agencies on the scope and content of the EIS. DOE intends to

issue a revised schedule in the next few weeks, based on agencies’ input at this meeting. 

NYSERDA reiterated its preferred alternative, which is to have unrestricted release of the North

Plateau, and for the NRC-licensed disposal area and State-licensed disposal area in the South

Plateau to remain under license or permit. DOE also provided further clarity on its preferred

alternative, which calls for additional decontamination and removal of structures above-grade

on the North Plateau. In addition, DOE and NYSERDA expressed interest in initiating a

dialogue with NRC on the scope and content of their respective decommissioning plans.

IAEA Technical Meeting - Security Guidance Vienna, Austria

On October 20-24, 2003, staff from the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response and

the Spent Fuel Project Office participated in an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

“Technical Meeting to Address Guidance for Security in the Transport of Radioactive Material”

(TM-25898) at IAEA Headquarters, in Vienna, Austria. Forty-two representatives from 23 other

Member States, and representatives from international modal, safety and standards

organizations, and by IAEA consultants attended this meeting. The purpose of the meeting

was to produce a revised version of the IAEA Technical Document (TECDOC), "Security in the

Transport of Radioactive Material - Interim Guidance for Comment." U.S. participants

presented domestic views on integrating transport security and safety measures. The

Secretariat indicated that a revised version of the TECDOC would be prepared, undergo review

within IAEA, and subsequently be distributed to Member States for comment.
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Meeting with General Nuclear Systems, Inc. on CONSTOR Cask Design

On October 23, 2003, staff from the Spent Fuel Project Office met with General Nuclear

Systems, Inc. (GNSI), so GNSI could present an overview of a new storage and transport cask

design called CONSTOR. CONSTOR can hold 32-PWR or 69-BWR spent fuel assemblies and

is made of concrete and steel. The applicant plans to submit the application for storage in

July 2005 and the application for transport in May 2006 to NRC.

Issuance of Environmental Assessment for the Diablo Canyon Independent Spent Fuel

Storage Installation

On October 24, 2003, the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards issued its

Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) related to the

construction and operation of the Diablo Canyon Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

(ISFSI). The staff concluded that there are no significant radiological or non-radiological

impacts associated with the proposed action, and that issuance of a license for the interim

storage of spent nuclear fuel at the Diablo Canyon ISFSI will have no significant impact on the

quality of the human environment. On October 27, 2003, NRC issued a press release to

announce the issuance of the EA. On October 30, 2003, a Notice of Issuance of the EA and

FONSI was published in the Federal Register. The staff expects to complete its safety review

of the ISFSI license application by December 31, 2003.
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Nuclear Safety Research Conference (NSRC) Washington, DC

On October 20-22, 2003, the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) sponsored its

annual Nuclear Safety Research Conference (NSRC) at the Marriott at Metro Center in

Washington, DC. This year’s conference was attended by over 400 persons, with

representation from 21 different countries. 

Technical sessions were held on advanced reactors, decommissioning, behavior of spent fuel

in dry casks, high burnup fuel behavior during reactor accidents, and operating experience

evaluations, as well as three panels on risk-informed regulation and realistic conservatism,

knowledge management, and the present status and future directions of materials degradation. 

Guest speakers and panelists included NRC Chairman Nils J. Diaz, NRC Commissioners

Edward McGaffigan and Jeffrey S. Merrifield along with representatives from organizations,

industries, government, the research community and public interest groups in the United States

and abroad. 

Daily Poster Sessions on a variety of topics, including fire modeling, reactivity initiated accident,

debris impact on PWR sump performance, digital feedwater system reliability assessment,

emerging technology, 10CFR50.61, and the Package Performance Study were held and

provided attendees an opportunity to review additional technical information and discuss this

information with the authors. 

Germany’s PKL Experiments on Boron Dilution Completed

A test series at the Primärkreislauf (PKL) facility in Germany has been completed as part of the

Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) sponsored Senior Experts on

Thermal Hydraulics (SETH) program. The NRC is a participant in the SETH agreement. The

PKL experiments provide a database for boron dilution accidents and other events under

shutdown conditions. The PKL facility is a full-height PWR configuration with all of the relevant

primary and secondary side safety systems. These tests at PKL include small break loss of

coolant accidents as well as mid-loop operational transients where condensation occurs in the

steam generator and a slug of de-borated water is subsequently transferred to the reactor

vessel. Real time continuous monitoring of the boron dilution in the cold leg provides a

complete description of boron dilution for flow entering the reactor vessel. These tests provide

a valuable database for the validation of system codes such as TRACE which is used to

analyze postulated accident conditions in PWRs to support licensing activities.

22nd Code Application and Maintenance Program (CAMP) Meeting Baltimore, MD

On October 23-24, 2003, the 22nd CAMP Meeting was held in Baltimore, MD. A total of 40

participants were present including representatives from 15 member countries, representatives

of the industry, and NRC staff. The first day of the meeting was devoted to presentations

describing the development and assessment status of the NRC’s consolidated thermalhydraulics (TH) code TRACE and its graphical user interface SNAP. The second day’s agenda
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE C

consisted of reports from the member countries and the Technical Program Committee

meeting. Member countries making presentations on their usage of NRC TH codes were

Croatia, Japan, Belgium, Korea and Switzerland. 

Discussion as to the role of the CAMP member countries with respect to the assessment of the

NRC TH codes resulted in an agreement to develop a more coordinated approach where the

NRC would develop an assessment matrix and CAMP member countries would select cases to

analyze. This coordinated assessment approach will significantly expand the range of

assessments available to the NRC and thereby improve the quality of the NRC’s TH codes.

RES Management and Staff Visited the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, CO

RES management participated at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 2003 Licensing Forum in a

panel entitled "Licensing Implications of Technical Issues. RES's specific discussion was on

the "Assessment of debris Accumulation on pressurized water reactor (PWR) Sump

Performance," with the focus on the activities related to that issue.

Low Dose Radiation Research Workshop Washington, DC

During October 27-29, 2003, the RES staff participated in the DOE-sponsored “Low Dose

Radiation Research” workshop in Washington, DC. The purpose of the workshop was to

facilitate discussion and scientific collaboration amongst the investigators funded by the DOE

Low Dose Radiation Research program. DOE is funding basic research studies to determine

the biological responses induced by radiation exposures at doses of 10 cGy and below. These

studies are focused on DNA damage and repair, cell originated vs. radiation-induced effects,

adaptive responses to radiation exposure, bystander effects, genomic instability and genetic

susceptibility to radiation exposure. The major advance in the last year has been the

establishment of four microbeam facilities in the US. The facilities can irradiate individual cells

with soft x-rays, alpha particles, or electrons so investigators can examine local and regional

responses to low dose radiation exposures. The major challenge for the DOE program is

standardizing experimental methodologies between investigators. The signal-to-noise ratio is

very small for most of the biological endpoints under investigation. This is resulting in problems

with experimental reproducibility and in some cases contradictory results between different

laboratories. Several laboratories are reporting success in reproducibly assessing biological

responses to radiation exposures as low as 0.5 cGy. Although these exposures still are well

above many of the environmental exposures of regulatory interest, these exposures are orders

of magnitude below those studied just five years ago. Data from this research program will be

used to develop biologically-based risk models as well as provide a technical basis for future

DOE decisions on site cleanup and decommissioning.
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Meetings Between NRC Staff, Industry Representatives and Other Stakeholders Regarding

Security Force Work Control Orders

The NRC staff conducted two open meetings with industry personnel and other stakeholders, to

discuss proposed Orders and Compensatory Measures (CMs) for security force work-hour

controls at the Honeywell facility and the gaseous diffusion plants on October 30, 2003, and

October 31, 2003, respectively. The meetings were well attended, productive, and beneficial

for both the NRC staff and stakeholders. The exchange between NRC staff and stakeholders

yielded a variety of constructive comments and proposals to the subject Orders and CMs that

will be evaluated by the staff. Based on the number and types of changes that are eventually 

adopted, the staff will make recommendations as to whether a second meeting would be

appropriate.
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy, Inc.; Denial of Petition for Rulemaking (PRM-9-2)

On October 28, 2003, the Federal Register Notice (68 FR 61374) published a document that

denies a petition for rulemaking submitted by the Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy, Inc.

(PRM-9-2). The petitioner requested that the NRC amend its regulations implementing the

Freedom of Information Act to provide for public access to licensee-held documents, subject to

limited exceptions, and to include appeal procedures. The NRC is denying the petition because

the additional recordkeeping and reporting requirements proposed by the petitioner are not

necessary to protect public health and safety or to ensure effective public participation in NRC

adjudicatory hearings on licensee actions. 

List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: Standardized NUHOMS® -24P, -52B, and 61BT, 

Revision; Withdrawal of Direct Final Rule (AH26 - Part 72)

On October 30, 2003, the Federal Register Notice (68 FR 61735) published a withdrawal of a

direct final rule that would have revised the Standardized NUHOMS -24P, -52B, and 61BT cask. 

Contract Award

On October 22, 2003, Delivery Order No. DR-02-04-012, entitled, “General License Tracking

System” was competitively awarded to Force 3 under the General Services Administration’s

Federal Supply Schedule. This delivery order requires the contractor to provide efficient and

accurate collection, analysis, entry, and dissemination of general license information. The

period of performance is twenty-four months with a one-year option. The total estimated cost of

this order is $2,330,665, inclusive of the option. The streamlining initiatives included setting a

deadline for proposer’s questions and using electronic transmittal and coordination of the

statement of work.
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Integrated Personnel Security System (IPSS) Accepted Into Production

The NRC Data Center now monitors and operates IPSS. NRC’s Security Branch and guard

force access this 3-tier web application through a web browser. IPSS is a new system that

consolidates functions of the old Personnel Security (PERSEC) modules, the Drug Testing

system, the Temporary Badge System, the Classified Visits system and the Badging system. 

Classified Electronic Document Repository System (CEDRS) and Secure LAN Project Meeting

Held

The OCIO’s computer security staff met with staff from the Space and Naval Warfare

(SPAWAR) Systems Center, Charleston, South Carolina to discuss security technical support

for the NRC classified electronic document repository system (CEDRS) and secure LAN

project. The NRC has an interagency agreement in place with SPAWAR to provide NRC with

support for operations and maintenance of classified IT systems in the Sensitive

Compartmentalized Information Facility (SCIF). SPAWAR and their support contractor will

assist NRC with security planning efforts, to include requirements gathering, security plan

development, business case development, and analysis of alternative approaches for the

project.

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

October 24 through October 30, 2003:

Personnel records re: Vacancy Announcement #RES/DET 2003-0011

on named individual

FOIA/PA-2004-0028

OIG investigation on named individual, report of findings, 10/17/02 FOIA/PA-2004-0029

Alaska Dept. of Transportation & Public Facilities, transcript of named

individual

FOIA/PA-2004-0030

I.M.P.A.C. listing FOIA/PA-2004-0031

NUREG/CR-2980, "Presence of Pathogenic Micro-Organisms in

Power Plant Cooling Waters," dated 1981

FOIA/PA-2004-0032

SECY-90-253, SRM to SECY-90-253, and October 18, 1990 letter to

Governor Thompson, IL, approving agreement state amended

agreement

FOIA/PA-2004-0033

Threats to NRC employees via telephone for FY 2003, reported to

Security or OIG

FOIA/PA-2004-0034

RFP #RSADM03161, Broadcasting NRC Commission Meetings on

the Internet, award information

FOIA/PA-2004-0035
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE G

RFP No. NRR-03-038, individual panel member comments,

evaluation, reports

FOIA/PA-2004-0036

NUREG/CR-2907, “Radioactive Materials Released from Nuclear

Power Plants

FOIA/PA-2004-0037

Radionuclide emissions, letter from Chairman Meserve to Dr. Dade

Moeller, dated 8-15-2001

FOIA/PA-2004-0038
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Arrivals

BALIAN, Harry OPERATIONS ENGINEER R-I

FINEGAN, Philip REACTOR TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTOR HR

FLEISCHER, Leon SR. ACCOUNTANT OCFO

HOTT, Christopher REACTOR INSPECTOR R-I

GARCHOW, Steve OPERATIONS ENGINEER R-IV

LICATA, Lee PROJECT MANAGER NRR

SNELL, Michele NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN RI

Retirements

BELANGER, James SR. PHYSICAL SECURITY INSPECTOR RIII

FARBER, Martin REACTOR ENGINEER RIII

GONZALEZ, Doris NUCLEAR MATERIALS PROGRAM ASSISTANT RIII

Departures

ARILDSEN, Jesse SR. PROGRAM MANAGER NSIR

DESMOND, William SR. LEVEL ADVISOR ON SECURITY NSIR
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Media Interest

Scientific concerns about the stability of tunnels and storage casks at the proposed Yucca

Mountain high level waste repository.

CBS’ “60 Minutes” program aired a segment on Yucca Mountain and the controversy over

transportation routes to carry high-level waste to the repository once it opens. The piece

generated wide coverage in regional media outlets.

NRR Director Jim Dyer was interviewed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer regarding the Inspector

General’s report on NRC oversight of the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant.

Local opposition to license renewal for the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in New Jersey.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

03-136 NRC Finds No Significant Environmental Impact from Proposed Nuclear

Fuel Storage Facility at Diablo Canyon (10/27)

03-137 NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Hold November

Meeting in Rockville, Maryland (10/29)

03-138 NRC Invites Public to Submit Nominations for the Advisory Committee on

Nuclear Waste (10/30)

03-139 NRC Issues Draft Policy Statement on Environmental Justice for Public

Comment (10/31)

Regions:

I-03-063 NRC Judge Grants Hearing in Case of Bucks County Irradiator (10/29)

I-03-064 NRC, PSEG to Discuss Licensing Exams for Hope Creek Nuclear Plant

Operators (10/30)

III-03-066 NRC Has Added a Third Resident Inspector at Davis-Besse Nuclear Power

Station (10/29)
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-03-0151 8/27/03 Denial of Petition for Rulemaking Submitted by Ohio

Citizens For Responsible Energy, Inc. (Docket No.

PRM-9-2)

SRM on 03-0151 9/16/03 (same)

Commission Voting

Record on 03-0151

9/16/03 (same)

2. COMSECY-03-0051 10/15/03 Draft Press Release and Federal Register Notice to

Solicit Qualified Candidates for Appointment to the

Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste

SRM on COMSECY-03-

0051

10/29/03 (same)

Voting Record on

COMSECY-03-0051

10/29/03 (same)

3. SECY-02-0196 11/1/02 Recommendations Stemming From the Systematic

Assessment of Exemptions from Licensing in 10

CFR Parts 30 and 40; and a Rulemaking Plan for

Risk-Informing 10 CFR Parts 30, 31, and 32

4. SECY-03-0141 8/15/03 Final Rule to Revise 10 CFR Part 71 to be

Compatible with IAEA Transportation Safety

Standards [TS-R-1] and Make Other NRC-Initiated

Changes

Information Papers

1. SECY-03-0179 10/24/03 SECY-03-0179 Weekly Information Report - Week

Ending October 17, 2003

Memoranda

1. M031023B 10/30/03 Meeting with ACNW

2. M031015B 10/31/03 Briefing on License Renewal Program, Power

Uprate Activities, and High Priority Activities

3. M031002 10/31/03 Meeting with Advisory Committee on Reactor

Safeguards (ACRS)
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE O

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Congressman Markey, Congressman Dingell, and David Walker (GAO), dated

October 23, 2003, express the Commission’s concerns regarding GAO’s report

“Oversight of Security at Commercial Nuclear Power Plants Needs to be Strengthened”

(GAO-03-752).

2. Letter to David Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientist, dated October 20, 2003,

responds to votes of no confidence in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

3. Letter to Congressman Tierney, dated October 20, 2003, provides responses to letters

received from the C-10 Research and Education Foundation.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards - Revised Meeting Notice 

2. Draft Policy Statement on the Treatment of Environmental Justice Matters in NRC

Regulatory and Licensing Actions.

3. CFC Logistics, Inc.- Notice of Hearing.
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Meeting to Discuss Safety Light Corporation

On October 29, 2003, staff and management of the Division of Nuclear Materials Safety,

Region I met with representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to discuss the

Safety Light Corporation facility in Bloomsburg, PA. Representatives from the Pennsylvania

Department of Environmental Protection were also in attendance. The purpose of the meeting

was to provide an historical overview to the EPA representatives concerning licensed activities

conducted at the Bloomsburg facility.
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Virginia Electric and Power Company - North Anna Nuclear Plant Visit

On October 30, 2003, the Regional Administrator, accompanied by Dr. Travers, Executive

Director for Operations and William F. Kane, Deputy Executive Director for Homeland

Protection and Preparedness, visited the North Anna Nuclear Plant in Mineral, VA. The

purpose of the visit was to tour the facility and to meet with licensee management and the

resident inspectors.

Gas Centrifuge Diffusion Training in Oak Ridge, Tennessee

On October 29, 2003, the Deputy Regional Administrator and other staff members from the

Division of Fuel Facility Inspection attended the Gas Centrifuge Training in Oak Ridge, TN.

Senior Resident Inspector Counterpart Meeting

On October 28-29, 2003, the Division of Reactor Projects hosted the Senior Resident Inspector

Counterpart meeting. Discussion topics included Managing Resources in an “N” Environment,

Human Capital Management, Communicating for Effectiveness, Reactor Oversight Process 

Issues and Problem Identification and Resolution Program Changes.
October 31, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (Diablo Canyon Power Plant) Special Inspection Exit Meeting

On October 28, 2003, Region IV conducted a special inspection exit meeting with

representatives of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. During this Category 1 meeting, the

special inspection team leader discussed the results of the special inspection that was

conducted to review the circumstances associated with multiple failures of the Diablo Canyon

Power Plant safety-related battery chargers. The public was given the opportunity to ask

questions of the NRC staff before the meeting was concluded. 

Regional Administrator Visit to Cooper Nuclear Station

On October 30, 2003, the Regional Administrator toured Cooper Nuclear Station and met with

licensee management. Topics discussed included the licensee's plans and programs to

improve performance. 
October 31, 2003 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 31, 2003

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 37

OCA

Contact

DATE

&

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Combs TBA

2123 RHOBTentative

TBA NRC, DOE, Bechtel, NEI,

NARUC

Review of the Progress of DOE’sYucca Mountain Project

Reps. BaEnergy aEnergy a