February 7, 2002 SECY-02-0026

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-02-0026 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING FEBRUARY 1, 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:

L. Scholl, OEDO
February 7, 2002 SECY-02-0026

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-02-0026 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING FEBRUARY 1, 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:

L. Scholl, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\WEEK201.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

LScholl:paa JWCraig

02/07/02 02/07/02
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 1, 2002

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: L. Scholl, OEDO by E-mail: lls@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 5 OPA 15

RES 8 IP 16

IRO 9 SECY 17

OGC * Region I 19

ADM 11 Region II 20

CIO 12 Region III *

CFO 13 Region IV 21

HR 14 OEDO *

SB/CR * OCA *

OE *

*No input this week
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

NRC Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2002-02: Lessons Learned Related to Recently

Submitted Decommissioning Plans and License Termination Plans Dated January 16, 2002

This RIS informs addressees of lessons learned from reviews of recently submitted

decommissioning plans (DPs) and license termination plans (LTPs). No specific action or

written response is required.

NRC Information Notice 2002-07: Use of Sodium Hypochlorite for Cleaning Diesel Fuel Oil

Supply Tanks Dated: January 28, 2002

The NRC is issuing this information notice (IN) to alert addressees to the potential problems

related to the use of sodium hypochlorite solutions for cleaning diesel fuel oil supply tanks. Use

of this chemical in higher concentrations can cause the release of significant amounts of

chlorine gas. The NRC anticipates that recipients will review the information for applicability to

their facilities and consider taking appropriate actions. However, suggestions contained in this

IN do not constitute NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written response is

required.

Staff Issues Turkey Point Units 3 and 4, Final Supplement 5 to the Generic Environmental

Impact Statement on License Renewal

The staff issued the Final Supplement 5 to NUREG-1437, ìGeneric Environmental Impact

Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 5, Regarding Turkey Point

Units 3 and 4.î This supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) includes the staffís

final analysis that considers and weighs the environmental effects of the proposed action, the

environmental impacts of alternatives to the proposed action, and mitigative measures available

for reducing or avoiding adverse impacts. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is

expected to issue the Notice of Filing of the Final SEIS in the Federal Register in February

2002. The NRC can then proceed with the renewal action after a 30-day period expires should

no Federal agency refer matters in dispute in the Final SEIS to the Council on Environmental

Quality.

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

In a Memorandum and Order issued January 24, 2002 (LBP-02-04), the Atomic Safety and

Licensing Board issued its ruling on standing and the admissibility of contentions that were filed

by Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) and the Blue Ridge Environmental

Defense League (BREDL), petitioners in the Catawba and McGuire license renewal proceeding. 

The Board ruled that both petitioners have standing and concluded that admissible contentions

have been proffered. The Board reframed two contentions, the first of which pertains to the

impact of anticipated mixed-oxide fuel use on aging and environmental issues. The second

contention questions the completeness of the severe accident mitigation alternatives, which

(1) did not consider information on particular station blackout vulnerabilities for ice condenser

containments (described in NUREG/CR-6427), and (2) did not include an evaluation of a
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

dedicated line from hydroelectric stations adjacent to the nuclear stations to mitigate station

blackout risk. In addition, the Board has certified one question to the Commission, relating to

the risks posed by terrorism to the Catawba and McGuire nuclear stations.

Reactor Oversight Process

The Inspection Program Branch (IIPB) staff conducted a Safety System

Unavailability/Unreliability (UA/UR) Committee Pilot Program meeting with the industry and

public on January 22-24, 2002, in Bethesda, MD. The meeting defined the objectives and

success criteria for a pilot program for the proposed replacement unavailability/unreliability

performance indicators (PIs), the scope of the pilot program (including pilot program

participants), and the threshold of PIs. Open issues from previous UA/UR PI meetings were

also discussed. The Committee has reached agreement on many of the major policy issues

and the proposed pilot program activities. In order to finalize the draft UA/UR guideline

documents and complete other pilot program related activities (including issuance of UA/UR

Regulatory Issue Summary and a Temporary Instruction), the NRC/Industry working group

decided to delay a workshop to June 2002 and start of the pilot by July 2002. 

Station Blackout (SBO) Rule Scoping for License Renewal 

A follow-up public meeting was held on January 15, 2002, between the Nuclear Energy Institute

(NEI) and NRC staffs to further discuss the issue of whether the structures and components

involved in the recovery from SBO, specifically the equipment needed for restoration of offsite

power, should be included in the scope of license renewal. This follow-up meeting was held to

better understand each other's interpretation of the SBO rule requirements with regard to the

offsite power system. NRC staff and NEI agreed to exchange written positions on this topic.

Completion of the Staffís Evaluation of Phase 2 of the Westinghouse AP1000 Reactor Design

During the week of January 28, 2002, staff from the Reactor Systems Branch and Plant

Systems Branch completed their evaluation for Phase 2 of the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor

design. The draft evaluation is currently in final preparation. The Phase 2 review was intended

to determine whether the scaling analysis provided by Westinghouse for AP1000 using the

AP600 test results was sufficient to proceed with the AP1000 design development and whether

the computer codes to be used for the analysis of accidents and transients were appropriate for

the AP1000 design.

Based on the staffís review, it was determined that with two exceptions, Westinghouse had

properly scaled the AP1000 from the AP600 design and that the computer codes proposed for

use will adequately model post-accident and transient plant response. The staff met with

Westinghouse on January 23, 2002, to discuss these issues. In response to the identified

issues, Westinghouse agreed to further evaluate the effects of liquid entrainment on emergency

core cooling system (ECCS) performance and core cooling during the fourth stage of blowdown

from the automatic depressurization system, and to provide the results of an analysis of main

steamline breaks. These issues will be addressed during the actual AP1000 design review

conducted during Phase 3. The staff will meet with the Advisory Committee on Reactor

Safeguards (ACRS) Subcommittee on Thermal Hydraulics on February 14 and 15, 2002, to

discuss the results of its Phase 2 review. 
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE A

Millstone Unit 3 Nuclear Power Station

Pending before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) was a motion, filed November 1,

2001, by the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone and the Long Island Coalition Against

Millstone, to reopen the record and accept a late-filed environmental contention dealing with the

likelihood and consequences of potential acts of terrorism against the Millstone Unit 3 spent

fuel pool. 

By Memorandum and Order dated January 24, 2001, the ASLB rejected the contention on the

basis of the prohibition against considering contentions of this sort set forth in 10 CFR 50.13. 

The ASLB referred the ruling on this to the Commission for its review and policy guidance.

There is still a motion before the ASLB that is currently in discovery and oral arguments are

scheduled for April 2, 2002. This motion has to do with a contention concerned with whether

the administrative controls necessary to implement the currently approved Unit 3 increased

spent fuel pool capacity amendment would increase the risk of a criticality accident.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

Meeting of West Valley Regulators

On January 29, 2002, NRC staff met with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 2, the

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

Department of Health to continue work on the development of a regulatorsí communication plan

for West Valley site decommissioning. This plan will identify the various roles and clean-up

requirements of Federal and State agencies involved with the West Valley site clean-up. The

agencies completed a revision of the draft plan and discussed steps for finalizing the plan.

In this meeting, NRC staff also provided an overview of the Commissionís policy statement

prescribing decommissioning criteria for the West Valley Demonstration Project. The

Department of Energy (DOE) and the New York State Energy Research and Development

Authority (NYSERDA) participated in this portion of the meeting via conference call. In addition,

NRC staff stated that it planned to schedule a noticed meeting soon with DOE, NYSERDA, and

the various regulators in the vicinity of the West Valley site to discuss the policy statement.

Proposed Amendment to 10 CFR Part 63

On January 25, 2002, a proposed amendment to 10 CFR Part 63, Regulations for disposal of

high-level radioactive wastes in a potential geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, was

published in the Federal Register (67 FR 3628) for a 75-day public comment period. The

proposed rule would specify the probability of occurrence for unlikely features, events, and

processes in quantitative terms. The objective of the proposed rule is to clarify the types of

features, events, and processes that should be excluded from analyses of human intrusion and

ground-water protection standards.

Meeting with the Military AttachÈ of the Embassy of Mexico

On January 25, 2002, staff from the Offices of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Nuclear

Reactor Regulation, and International Programs met with two Mexican Army officers serving as

the Defense AttachÈ and the Assistant Defense AttachÈ at the Embassy of Mexico, and one

U.S. Army Officer serving on the Joint Staff, J-5, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, for

discussions on security at nuclear facilities in the U.S.

Staff provided an overview of U.S. nuclear facility security regulations and explained how the

staff implements security requirements at nuclear facilities, focusing on the application of

security at nuclear power plants. The existing design basis threat, and how it is applied to

protect against radiological sabotage, was discussed. There was also a short discussion on

security enhancements incorporated since September 11, 2001. All discussions were

unclassified.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards Inspection at the BWX Technologies Highly

Enriched Uranium Downblending Facility

On January 23-25, 2002, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards inspection

was held at the BWX Technologies (BWXT) Highly Enriched Uranium Downblending Facility. 

Staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards was present to facilitate both

the inspection and the discussion of safeguards implementation issues. The operator will

prepare a report and the NRC will submit it to the IAEA.

NAC-UMS Spent Fuel Storage System Amendment Approved for Maine Yankee

On January 23, 2002, the NRC staff issued Amendment No. 2 to Certificate of Compliance

No. 1015 for the NAC International UMS Universal Spent Fuel Storage System. The

amendment is intended primarily for use at Maine Yankee, and includes: (1) changes to

authorized contents to allow Maine Yankee to store various components associated with the

spent fuel assemblies; (2) a Technical Specification change to delete the requirement to place a

transportable storage canister in the transfer cask if the associated vertical concrete caskís

vents cannot be unblocked; and (3) editorial clarifications, administrative changes and

correction of discrepancies in the Technical Specifications.

Meeting with Pacific Gas and Electric to Discuss the Diablo Canyon Independent Spent Fuel

Storage Installation Application

On January 24, 2002, the NRC staff and representatives of Pacific Gas and Electric Company

(PG&E) held a meeting to discuss PG&Eís plans for licensing an independent spent fuel

storage installation at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. This meeting was conducted at the

Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analysis (Center) in San Antonio, Texas, so that technical

staff from the Center could attend. The Center will assist NRC with the site-specific technical

review of the application. PG&E staff discussed what documents were contained in the

application and how the documents incorporated other information previously docketed by

NRC, such as the Holtec HI-STORM 100 Safety Analysis Report (as amended through

December 2001), and past seismic evaluations performed for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. 

The NRC staff currently is performing an acceptance review of the application.

FuelSolutionsTM Spent Fuel Management System Amendment Approved for Big Rock Point

(W74 Canister)

On January 24, 2002, the NRC staff issued Amendment No. 2 to Certificate of Compliance

(CoC) No. 1026 for the FuelSolutionsTM Spent Fuel Management System. This amendment

became effective January 28, 2002. Amendment No. 2 to CoC No. 1026 constitutes approval

of the following changes to the FuelSolutionsTM Spent Fuel Management System: (1) revision

to clarify the description of the other non-fissile material permitted to be in the fuel assembly;

(2) change of temperatures to correspond to the liner thermocouple; and (3) change of

technical specifications for certain required actions. 

Amendment 2 affects the W74 canister only, which will be used by Big Rock Point for storage

of spent fuel as part of its decommissioning.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE B

NAC Multi-Purpose Canister Amendment Approved for Yankee Rowe

On January 23, 2002, the NRC staff issued the formal Certificate of Compliance for

Amendment No. 1 (Yankee Rowe) to the NAC Multi-Purpose Canister. The amendment is

intended primarily for use at Yankee Rowe and includes the following: (1) an alternate fuel

basket design with enlarged fuel tubes in the corner locations of the basket; (2) an increase in

the operational time limits for canister loading, closure, and transfer provided in the Technical

Specifications, that allow for canister heat loads that are lower than the design basis heat load;

(3) revisions to the Technical Specifications for canister surface contamination to maintain

doses to workers as low as reasonably achievable; and (4) minor revisions to some of the

drawings to reflect changes identified during cask and component fabrication.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

International Cooperative Agreement between the USNRC and the Forschungszentrum

Karlsruhe GmbH of the Federal Republic of Germany (FZK) Relating to Cooperation in the

Severe Accident Research Program

On January 24, 2002, the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) forwarded an

international cooperative agreement to Germany that defines the terms and conditions by which

the USNRC and the FZK will establish continued cooperation in the area of severe accident

research on the basis of mutual benefit and reasonable equity and reciprocity. FZK will provide

in-kind technical information in related research. This implementing agreement will become

effective upon signature of both parties, and will remain in effect for 5 years.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE D

Incident Response Operations

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

IRO Interactions with the Operations Center for the Office of Homeland Security

On January 28, 2002, Incident Response Operations Management visited the recently

established 24-hour Coordination Center for the Office of Homeland Security (OHS). The

primary purpose was to confirm the protocol and logistics for transmitting security related

information between the NRC and OHS Centers. The Director of the OHS Coordination Center

described the mission and capabilities of the OHS Center, and was interested in visiting the

NRC Operations Center to gain a better understanding of NRCís capabilities. Additionally, the

Director of IRO offered to routinely provide any pertinent information that would support the

OHS mission and extended an invitation to observe the conduct of an exercise. 

Federal Radiological Preparedness Coordinating Committee Meeting

On January 30, 2002, staff from Incident Response Operations (IRO), and the Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation (NRR) attended the bimonthly Federal Radiological Preparedness

Coordinating Committee (FRPCC). At the meeting, the FRPCC members agreed to a request

from IRO staff to adopt the One-Voice White Paper prepared by the staff. In addition, the

members agreed that the next steps on the one-voice effort would be a tabletop exercise

tentatively scheduled for May 2002. Other activities at the meeting were: 1) routine updates

from subcommittees, including a status report on potassium-iodide; 2) a status report by the

transportation subcommittee on its letter to FRPCC members requesting funding to update the

good/some/none instrument table for transportation accidents; 3) an update by the Protection

Actions Guidelines (PAG) subcommittee on its schedule for completing the PAGs by December

2002. The PAG subcommittee noted that an interim draft of the water PAG would be provided

to FRPCC agencies within the next week, and the Environmental Protection Agency was

anticipating discussions with other agencies on the interim draft after the Olympics. Following

the FRPCC meeting, IRO and NRR staff attended an executive session to discuss operational

matters of the committee.

Meeting with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tabletop Scenarios

Staff from Incident Response Operations (IRO) participated in a meeting with representatives

from the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the organization in DOJ that deals with local and

state governments. OJP indicated that it would like to work with the staff to develop a tabletop

exercise that would help OJP work with local governments on their readiness for nuclear

events. The OJP staff is especially interested in those local governments that are not routinely

involved in nuclear emergency planning. IRO staff committed to help OJP by developing one or

two scenarios and it was agreed that OJP and IRO would meet February 27, 2002, to discuss

some initial thoughts on potential scenarios.

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-I-02-001, Earth Engineering, Inc., STOLEN AND RECOVERED PORTABLE

GAUGE.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE D

2. PNO-II-02-003, Nuclear Fuel Services (Erwin), UNPLANNED MEDICAL TREATMENT AT

A MEDICAL FACILITY OF A CONTAMINATED OPERATOR.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending February 1, 2002

Acquisition Training

On January 28-31, 2002, a Division of Contracts and Property Management (DCPM)

representative attended the conference, ìElectronic Procurement - Acquisition for the Digital

Workforce.î This comprehensive conference, sponsored by the Council for Electronic

Government, was attended by procurement, finance, and information technology

representatives of federal agencies and state and local governments, as well as private

contractors. The conference programs focused on integrating procurement/financial operating

systems to improve regulatory compliance and overall procurement/finance operations. The

conference also presented case studies by civilian and defense organizations on what system

integration efforts have worked, what system integration remains, and what future system

integration efforts are being planned.

Robert H. Leyse; Supplement to a Petition for Rulemaking (PRM-50-73A)

A document announcing the receipt of a supplement to a petition for rulemaking submitted by

Robert H. Leyse (PRM-50-73A) was published in the Federal Register on January 29, 2002 (67

FR 4214). In this supplement to his earlier petition (PRM-50-73), the petitioner requests that

the NRC amend its regulations on the acceptance criteria for emergency core cooling systems

to address the impact of severe crud deposits on the capability to cool fuel bundles during the

normal operation of a light-water reactor. The comment period on this action closes April 15,

2002.

Decommissioning Criteria for the West Valley Demonstration Project (M-32) at the West Valley

Site; Final Policy Statement

A document issuing a final Commission policy statement concerning decommissioning criteria

for the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) at the West Valley site was published in the

Federal Register on February 1, 2002 (67 FR 5003). The Commission is prescribing the

license termination rule (10 CFR Part 20, Subpart E) as the decommissioning criteria for the

WVDP. The policy statement became effective on February 1, 2002. 
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

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

January 25, 2002 through January 31, 2002:

American Electric Power (AEP) and Crane Nuclear Services, records related to 7/24/01

predecisional enforcement conference held in Region III. (FOIA/PA-2002-0111)

OI investigative file no. 3-2000-025. (FOIA/PA-2002-0112)

Radiation exposure records on named individual. (FOIA/PA-2002-0113)

NRC comments to House-Senate Conferees regarding language in Energy & Water 2002

Appropriations regarding 10 CFR Part 35, use limitations for diagnostic nuclear medicine. 

(FOIA/PA-2002-0114)

Moab Uranium Mill, Moab, UT, all records related to transfer and expenditure of funds under

Surety Instrument Performance Bond No. 5652, issued by Acostar Insurance Co. 

(FOIA/PA-2002-0115)
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE H

Chief Financial Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

Commission Paper on FY 2002 Fee Rule

On January 31, 2002, the CFO issued a SECY paper to the Commission for their approval on

the FY 2002 proposed fee rule and partial response to the Chairmanís August 9, 2001, tasking

memorandum.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

Arrivals

SURI, Renu PROGRAM ANALYST OCFO
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

Media Interest

A tip from an al Qaeda operative suggesting terrorists might be planning to attack an American

nuclear plant using a hijacked commercial airliner, prompted the government to issue an

advisory last week, but was later deemed ìnon-credible,î according to media reports.

There was continuing media interest discussions by state and local officials about the adequacy

of emergency evacuation plans for the area surrounding New Yorkís Indian Point nuclear plant.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

02-010 NRC to Revise Meeting Policy to Enhance Public Participation

02-011 NRC Issues Final Policy Statement on Decommissioning Criteria for West

Valley

02-012 NRC Announces Opportunity for Hearing for License Renewal Application

for St. Lucie Units 1 and 2

Regions:

 II-02-001 NRC Staff to Meet with Progress Energy/CP&L to Discuss Fire Protection

Issues at Harris Nuclear Plant

 II-02-002 NRC Staff to Meet with Puerto Rico Hospital to Discuss Apparent Violations

of Radioactive Material Regulations

IV-02-003 NRC Dispatches Inspection Team to Callaway
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE N

Office of International Programs

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

US/Canada/Mexico Trilateral Initiative

In response to COMJSM-01-0001, arrangements have been finalized for the inaugural meeting

on the US/Canada/Mexico Trilateral Initiative at Headquarters on February 5, 2002 (9:00-4:30 in

O4B6). Eight representatives are expected from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

(CNSC) and two from the Mexican Comision Nacional de Seguridad Nuclear y Salvaguardias

(CNSNS). Topics to be covered include notification of lost or stolen sources near borders,

institutional controls for large volumes of long-lived radioactive materials, the Joint Convention

on Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management, and security of facilities and transboundary shipments.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. COMSECY-01-0037 12/20/01 CSN Request for NRR Support on

Implementation of Risk-Informed Inspection

Activities

SRM on 01-0037 1/29/02 (same)

Commissioner

comments on 01-0037

1/29/02 (same)

2. COMNJD-02-0001 01/08/02 Assessment of Impact of NRCís Activities

on Licenseesí Operations

SRM on COMNJD-02-

0001

01/30/02 (same)

Commissioner

comments on 02-0001

01/30/02 (same)

Information Papers

1. SECY-02-0015 01/25/02 SECY-02-0015 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending January 18, 2002

2. SECY-02-0011 1/15/02 Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

Briefing

3. SECY-02-0008 1/14/02 Status Report on Developing a

Memorandum of Understanding with the

U.S. Department of Energy for a Decision

Process Regarding Potential Site Transfers

Under Section 151(b) of the Nuclear Waste

Policy Act
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE O

Memoranda

1. M020130A 1/30/02 Staff Requirements-Affirmation Session: I.

SECY-02-0006-Dominion Nuclear

Connecticut Inc. (Millstone Nuclear Power

Station, Units 2 and 3) Petition for

Reconsideration of CLI-01-24; II. SECY-02-

0014-Duke Cogema Stone & Webster

(Savannah River Mixed Oxide Fuel

Fabrication Facility); Georgians Against

Nuclear Energyís Motion for

Reconsideration of CLI-01-28

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Mary Lampert, Massachusetts citizens for Safe Energy, Duxbury Nuclear

Advisory Committee, dated January 22, 2002, concerns the security of nuclear power

plants in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. 

2. Letter to Robert Grant, Numanco, L.L.C, dated January 18, 2002, concerns Notice of

Violation. 

3. Letter to Senator Richard J. Durbin dated January 18, 2002, concerns the reinstatement

of ìno-fly zonesî over the Nationsís nuclear facilities. 

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Decommissioning Criteria for the West Valley Demonstration Project (M-32) at the West

Valley Site; Final Policy Statement.

2. Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Plant License Renewal; Notice of Meeting.

3. Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes; Meeting Notice.

4. Tennessee Valley Authority; Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2; Watts Bar Nuclear

Plant, Unit 1; Docket Nos. 50-327-OLA, 50-328-OLA, & 50-390-OLA; Establishment of

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.

5. Duke Energy Corporation (McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, Catawba Nuclear

Station, Units 1 and 2); Docket Nos. 50-369-LR, 50-370-LR, 50-413-LR, and 50-414-LR;

Notice of Hearing.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

Superbolt Site Visit and Management Meeting

On January 31, 2002, members of the Region I Decommissioning and Laboratory Branch

visited the Superbolt, Inc. site in Carnegie, PA. Superbolt is the site of a former AEC licensed

facility (Superior Steel Co.) which was authorized to use unlimited quantities of uranium for

commercial atomic power plant research studies in the 1950's and 1960's. During its review of

terminated licenses, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) identified this site as one

containing residual contamination that required further evaluation. During the site visit the NRC

representatives met with Superbolt management representatives to discuss the status of

remediation and evaluate the possibility of releasing selected buildings for unrestricted use. 

Surveys of portions of Building 23 were performed and low levels of unidentified radioactive

material was identified. This building had not previously been surveyed. Soil samples were

obtained and sent to the NRCís sample analysis contractor, ORISE, for evaluation. A

representative of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) attended

the meeting. 
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

Carolina Power and Light Company - Brunswick Nuclear Plant

On January 30, 2002, the Acting Deputy Regional Administrator made a presentation to the

Annual Nuclear Assurance Group meeting for the four Progress Energy sites at the Carolina

Power and Light Companyís Brunswick Nuclear Plant in Wilmington, N.C. He discussed the

reactor oversight process and insights from problem identification and resolution inspections.

Supervising Human Resources Training Course

On January 28-February 1, 2002, the Supervising Human Resources Training Course was held

in the Region II office. The training was presented by Resolution Dynamics, Inc. and senior

managers in Region II. The course was attended by senior resident inspectors and team

leaders.

State of Florida Periodic Meeting

On January 28, 2002, the Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, the Agreement State

Officer, and representatives of the Office of State and Tribal Programs participated in a periodic

meeting with the State of Florida to review the status of Agreement State Programs.

Carolina Power and Light Company - Harris Nuclear Plant

On January 31, 2002, the Region held two conferences with the licensee. One was a

regulatory conference to discuss the risk significance of an apparent violation for a degraded

fire wall between two safety system trains, which resulted in the wall not being able to perform

its intended function. This conference was lead by the Director of the Division of Reactor

Safety in Region II. The second was an enforcement conference to discuss an apparent

violation for determining that the degraded fire wall was acceptable by analysis without NRC

approval. This conference was lead by the Acting Regional Administrator.
February 1, 2002 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 1, 2002

Nebraska Public Power District

The NRC staff, representing Region IV and the Offices of Enforcement and Nuclear Reactor

Regulation, held a regulatory conference with representatives of Nebraska Public Power District

on February 1, 2002. The purpose of the regulatory conference was to discuss the risk

significance of a potential White finding, the associated apparent violation involving a

compromise of the 2000 licensed operator requalification biennial examinations and corrective

action deficiencies addressed in NRC Inspection Report 50-298/01-12. The regulatory

conference was open to public observation. Members of the public and the news media

attended either in person, by telephone, or by video conference. 

Regional Administrator Visits South Texas Project

The Regional Administrator visited the South Texas Project (STP) facility on February 1, 2002. 

Activities included a plant tour and general discussions with senior managers of STP Nuclear

Operating Company.