INFORMATION REPORT

April 19, 2004 SECY-04-0063

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0063 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING APRIL 9, 2004

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 and 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:

T. Bloomer, OEDO
April 19, 2004 SECY-04-0063

For: The Commissioners

From: William M. Dean, Assistant for Operations,

Office of the EDO

Subject: SECY-04-0063 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING APRIL 9, 2004

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 and 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:

T. Bloomer, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\Week409.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

TBloomer:paa WMDean

04/19/04 04/21/04
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING APRIL 9, 2004

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

highlights of Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: T. Bloomer, OEDO by E-mail: teb@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 OIP 18

NSIR * SECY 19

OGC * Region I 20

ADM 10 Region II 21

CIO 11 Region III 22

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 OEDO *

SBCR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Blackout in the United States (U.S.) and Canada

On April 5, 2004, the U.S./Canada Power System Outage Task Force issued the Final

Report on the August 14, 2003, blackout event, entitled "Blackout in the United States

and Canada: Causes and Recommendations." This report identifies the causes of the

power outage and why the outage was not contained. It also presents comprehensive

technical and policy recommendations to prevent or minimize the likelihood of future

blackouts, and reduce the scope of those that do occur. The team found that the ability

to supply reactive power within the area had been inadequate for several years, and

that the regional reliability council had not previously identified this vulnerability. As a

result of this finding, a fourth causal group was added to the list of causes for the

August 14, 2003, blackout: inadequate system understanding. This was in addition to

the following three previously identified causes for the blackout event: inadequate

situational awareness; inadequate tree trimming; and inadequate reliability coordinator

diagnostic support. 

The Task Force reviewed previous major North American power outages and found that

the causes of the August 14, 2003, blackout were strikingly similar to those of earlier

outages. This finding reinforces the need for effective implementation of the Task Force

recommendations. As a result, the Task Force mandate has been extended by one

year, underscoring the two governments’ commitment to ensuring that the

recommendations are acted upon. This collaboration will also facilitate the necessary

ongoing work by a number of federal, state and provincial government departments and

agencies, and industry reliability organizations, as well as the industry itself on both

sides of the border. The report is available at www.https://reports.energy.gov.

Exelon Steam Dryer Commitments

By letter dated April 2, 2004, Exelon committed to keep both Quad Cities units at their

pre-extended power uprate power levels until released by the Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC), except for a period not to exceed 72 hours, during which time the

units will be allowed to operate at their uprated power levels in order to facilitate data

collection. The data collection at the uprated power levels is expected to begin on April

7, 2004, and is intended to identify the causes of their steam dryer failures. The NRC

staff will continue to closely monitor the licensee’s actions, including discussions with

Exelon on the results of their analysis of this data once it is collected.

Safety Evaluation (SE) for Mixed Oxide Fuel Lead-Test Assemblies

On April 5, 2004, the NRC issued a SE in response to Duke Energy Corporation’s

Proposed Amendments to the Facility Operating License and Technical Specifications

to Allow Insertion of Mixed Oxide Fuel Lead Assemblies, for the Catawba Nuclear

Station allowing the use of 4 mixed oxide fuel test assemblies in one of the two

Catawba units.
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

This SE does not constitute NRC approval of Duke Energy’s request. The NRC’s

review of Duke Energy’s specific request is continuing. Exemptions from certain

regulatory requirements, if appropriate, will be documented in supplements to this SE. 

This SE can be found in the Agencywide Document Access and Management System

(ADAMS), under Accession Number ML040970046.

Significance Determination Process (SDP) for Shutdown Plant Conditions

On April 2, 2004, the Division of Systems Safety and Analysis completed the technical

development of the SDP Phase 2 templates covering shutdown plant conditions. The

Division of Inspection Program Management will draft implementing procedures

containing instructions for regional inspectors and senior reactor analysts to use the

new SDP templates.

Public Information Session on License Renewal Review Process in Two Creeks,

Wisconsin

On March 31, 2004, consistent with the staff’s approach to help ensure openness, the

staff conducted a public meeting in Two Creeks, Wisconsin in the vicinity of the Point

Beach Nuclear Plant. The meeting was conducted following the receipt of the license

renewal application for the Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2. The staff

aggressively advertised the meeting to notify interested stakeholders, and met with

local government-elected officials during the week of March 15, 2004, to discuss the

proposed license renewal and the then-pending March 31 meeting. 

Region III staff supported headquarters staff for this meeting, at which about 60 people

were in attendance. The staff was available to answer a large number of questions

from the public regarding the role of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards,

the license renewal staff’s proposed review of plant aging issues, and the storage and

transportation of radioactive waste from Point Beach to the potential future repository at

Yucca Mountain. Local government representatives, State Public Service Commission

officials and a variety of Wisconsin-based public interest groups, including Nuke-Watch,

the Wisconsin Citizens Utility Board, and the Physicians for Social Responsibility,

attended the meeting. This meeting was subsequently reported in two local Wisconsin

newspapers: the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter (front page) and the Milwaukee

Journal Sentinel.

Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) Proposals

On April 6, 2004, the staff was informed by Atomic Energy of Canada, Limited (AECL)

that the Department of Energy (DOE) proposal from Dominion/AECL/Hitachi/Bechtel for

the preparation of a COL application identifies two submittal dates/timeframes: March

31, 2005, for the ACR-700 design-certification application; and late 2006 for a COL

application to build an ACR-700 on the North Anna site.
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

NRC Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2004-04

On April 5, 2004, NRC issued the subject RIS to inform addressees of the NRC position

on the use of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code Cases N-588,

N-640, and N-641 in developing reactor pressure vessel pressure-temperature limits

using ASME Section XI, Appendix G.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA)

Standard Committee Meeting

On March 30-31, 2004, Division of Inspection Program Management (DIPM) staff

attended the American Society of Mechanical Engineers meetings of the Nuclear

Quality Assurance (NQA) Standard Committee in Denver, Colorado. There has been

renewed interest in the NQA Standard by a number of reactor licensees. In addition to

participating in the working sessions to revise the standard, the staff also specifically

discussed the possible steps needed to make the most recent version of NQA-1 an

acceptable approach for licensees to comply with Title 10 of the Code of Federal

Regulations, Part 50, Appendix B, Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants

and Fuel Reprocessing Plants. 

Public Meeting for the Construction Inspection Program Information Management

System (CIPIMS) Project

On April 1, 2004, the NRR staff and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)

met with representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute to discuss two detailed,

non-proprietary example schedules developed by Westinghouse for the CIPIMS

demonstration project. Both examples were for schedules of pertinent work activities to

meet inspections, tests, analyses, and acceptance criteria (ITAAC) for the advance

boiling water reactor (ABWR) certified design. The first example was for an ITAAC for

the turbine gland seal system. The second example was for an ITAAC for constructing

the nuclear island buildings in a manner such that all deviations with the design

description were reconciled. This meeting was classified as a Category 2 meeting,

which provided an opportunity for members of the public to discuss regulatory issues

with the NRC. 

Operator Licensing Meeting with Industry Focus Group

On April 7, 2004, DIPM staff and the Regional Operator Licensing Branch Chiefs

conducted a public meeting with the industry focus group on operator licensing. The

staff convened the meeting primarily to review its proposed response to public

comments related to Draft Revision 9 of NUREG-1021, “Operator Licensing

Examination Standards for Power Reactors,” before the final document is published. 

Other discussion topics included recent requalification training and examination issues,

simulator testing, and the results of the March 2004 generic fundamentals examination.
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Presentation Regarding Proposed Bulletin on Pressurizer Inspections to the Advisory

Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)

On April 2, 2004, NRR staff met with the ACRS Subcommittees on Metallurgy and

Materials and on Plant Operations to discuss the proposed bulletin developed by the

staff addressing the inspection of Alloy 82/182/600 pressurizer penetrations and steam

space piping connections. The proposed bulletin has been developed to address staff

concerns over the adequacy of existing licensee inspection programs with regard to the

timely identification of reactor coolant pressure boundary leakage due to circumferential

primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) of Alloy 82/182/600 materials

exposed to the pressurizer environment. The staff’s presentation to the ACRS focused

on the operational experience to date with PWSCC at the subject locations, the staff’s

assessment of what would constitute an adequate degradation management program,

and the general information that the staff would be requesting from licensees in

response to the proposed bulletin. The ACRS members present expressed their

support for the staff’s proposed bulletin.
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Staff Observes Quality Assurance Compliance Audit of National Spent Nuclear Fuel

Program (NSNFP)

On March 29 to April 1, 2004, NRC staff from the Division of High Level Waste

Repository Safety observed a Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental

Management quality assurance program compliance audit of NSNFP. The NSNFP is

located at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory in Idaho Falls,

Idaho. NSNFP provides the Yucca Mountain Project with support activities in areas

such as criticality analyses, engineering support, and material development. The NRC

audit observation team agreed with the DOE audit team’s conclusions, findings, and

process improvement recommendations within the limited scope of the compliancebased audit. The observers determined that the DOE audit team members were

qualified and independent of the areas being audited. Further, the NRC team

concluded that the DOE audit team was effective in the performance of its audit of

NSNFP.

Receipt of Applications for Transportation Package

On March 31, 2004, Global Nuclear Fuel submitted an application to the Spent Fuel

Project Office (SFPO) for a new 10 CFR Part 71 Certificate of Compliance for the

RAJ-II shipping package (Docket 71-9309).

On April 1, 2004, Westinghouse submitted an application to SFPO for a new 10 CFR

Part 71 Certificate of Compliance for the Traveller shipping package (Docket 71-9297).

PacTec submitted an application to the SFPO for a new 10 CFR Part 71 Certificate of

Compliance for the TRUPACT-III shipping package (Docket 71-9310) to support waste

shipments to waste isolation pilot plant. 

Louisiana Energy Services Uranium Enrichment Plant Petitions to Intervene

As of April 6, 2004, the staff has received three petitions to intervene in the hearing

related to the Louisiana Energy Services (LES) application for a uranium enrichment

plant proposed to be located in Eunice, New Mexico. Petitions have been submitted by: 

(1) the New Mexico Environment Department; (2) the New Mexico Attorney General;

and (3) Nuclear Information and Resource Service and Public Citizen (combined

petition). Contentions are in the areas of disposition of depleted uranium tailings;

decommissioning costs; financial qualifications and viability of LES; adequacy of the

radiation protection program; liquid and airborne emissions; ground-water

contamination; water usage; proliferation of weapons technology; and environmental

impacts from gas pipeline and gas well accidents, transportation, and cumulative

impacts from nearby facilities.
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE B
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Agreement between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Lithuanian

Energy Institute (LEI) in the Area of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) Research

On April 2, 2004, the Executive Director for Operations signed an international

agreement between the NRC and the LEI. The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

(RES) forwarded this Agreement to LEI on April 6, 2004, for countersignature.

This Agreement defines the terms and conditions by which the NRC and the LEI will

continue cooperation in the area of PRA research and in our international cooperative

probabilistic risk assessment (COOPRA) program on the basis of mutual benefit and

reasonable equity and reciprocity. The research conducted and in-kind information

exchanged under this Agreement will contribute to the NRC’s goal of leveraging agency

resources, while enhancing the quality of our PRA methods and insights on risk

assessment techniques through the expansion of the international user community and

through their subsequent applications and feedback. This Agreement becomes

effective when signed by Mr. Jurgis Vilemas, the Director of LEI, and will remain in

effect for a period of five years.

Basic Human Factors Review Guidance Documents Published

A coordinated set of basic human factors review guidance documents has been

published and posted on the NRC web. The fundamental document is NUREG-0800,

Standard Review Plan (SRP), Chapter 18, "Human Factors Engineering" (Rev. 1). The

associated documents are NUREG-0711, “Human Factors Engineering Program

Review Model”, Rev. 2; NUREG-0700, “Human-System Interface Design Review

Guidelines”, Rev. 2; and, NUREG-1764, “Guidance for the Review of Changes to

Operator Actions: Final Report”. Taken together, the SRP and associated NUREGs

provide a framework for reviewing plant modifications and license amendments

involving operator actions, and for addressing human-system interfaces for both current

and advanced designs. NUREG-0800,-0700 and -0711 were revised to support

reviews of advanced reactors and digital updates to existing control rooms. NUREG1764 is a new document and includes a risk screening process to determine the

appropriate level of human factors review for changes to operator actions. The

document also includes human factors review guidelines, which were extracted from

NUREG-0711 to address both risk-informed and non-risk-informed submittals. In

March 2003, NRC received public comments on these documents. In December 2003,

these documents were reviewed by ACRS and CRGR. These comments were

considered and incorporated as appropriate.

Expert Elicitation Workshop on the Criteria for Allowing Operator Manual Actions in Fire

Situations

On April 1-2, 2004, RES sponsored an expert elicitation workshop with the objective of

determining time margin (or margins) as part of the currently proposed acceptance
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

criteria for allowing operator manual actions in fire situations (SECY 03-100). This

activity supports the rulemaking related to post-fire operator manual actions. The

workshop was conducted as a follow-up of a previous internal stakeholder meeting

during which the concept of “feasibility + time margin” was identified as a surrogate to a

reliability criterion. The criterion would help ensure that an action will be performed

reliably. The workshop participants included NRC and contractors with backgrounds in

the areas of plant operations, inspections, human factors, fire PRA and Human

Reliability Analysis (HRA). There will be a follow-on workshop in May 2004 to further

refine time margin estimates and generate representative time margins for the various

types of fire manual actions to be implemented by licensees.

Seminar on Safety Assessment on Digital Systems

On April 1, 2004, RES held a seminar for the NRC staff on a technique developed at

the University of Virginia, Center for Safety-Critical Systems (CSCS), for conducting

safety assessment for digital systems. This technique is based upon applying a fault

injection methodology to evaluate integrated hardware-software systems. The

theoretical foundation of the safety assessment process was established after years of

research and extensive peer review. The next phase of research under a cooperative

agreement with CSCS will involve applying this technique to conduct safety

assessments of other nuclear safety systems and how its results can be used in

performing plant PRAs. 
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Contract Award

On April 2, 2004, a competitive fixed-price delivery order No. DR-33-04-317, was

awarded to Number Six Software, Inc., under the General Services Administration’s

Federal Supply Schedule. The vendor is to support the Office of the Chief Information

Officer (OCIO) in the development, enhancement and maintenance efforts associated

with its Rational Enterprise Suite software. This software will assist NRC in

implementing a project management methodology for new information technology

application systems from cradle to grave. The delivery order is estimated at

$1,914,234.60 for a five-year period of performance, inclusive of four one-year option

periods.

On April 6, 2004, a competitive fixed price delivery order No. DR-33-04-318, was

awarded to Management Concepts, Inc. under the General Services Administration’s

Federal Supply Schedule. The vendor shall provide information technology Project

Management training for the Office of the Chief Information Officer employees. The

delivery order is estimated at $354,732.69 for a four year period of performance,

inclusive of three one-year option periods.
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

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

April 2 through April 8, 2004:

Office of Investigations (OI) case files, 3-2001-009, 3-1999-025,

3-1998-007, 3-1987-017, 3-2002-031, including attachments

FOIA/PA-2004-

0187

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, Environmental Monitoring

Reports, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 & 2003, in hard copy

FOIA/PA-2004-

0188

Mailing list in electronic format FOIA/PA-2004-

0189

Inspection reports on 35000 Schoolcraft Road, Livonia,

Michigan, all reports

FOIA/PA-2004-

0190

Allegation R1-2002-A-0113, OI Case No. 1-2002-0113 re:

Salem/Hope Creek, all records

FOIA/PA-2004-

0191

University of Chicago nuclear reactor built in May 1999, all

records

FOIA/PA-2004-

0192

Constant Pressure Generic Power Uprate, all boiling water

reactors, 2003 & 2004, notes of meetings & phone calls

between NRC & General Electric

FOIA/PA-2004-

0193

Permits, licenses issued to Pacific EcoSolutions LLC or Allied

Technology Group, Washington State and notices of violations,

consent decrees

FOIA/PA-2004-

0194

Mailing list; list of contracting officers and small business

specialists

FOIA/PA-2004-

0195

History of all changes made to personnel records in Federal

Payroll/Personnel System (FPPS) and information from

PeopleSoft system on named individual

FOIA/PA-2004-

0196

Small business contract holders for NRC FOIA/PA-2004-

0197

Vermont Yankee, notes of meetings & calls, 2003-2004 FOIA/PA-2004-

0198
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Arrivals

Anthony Dipalo Consultant NSIR

Departures

Mark R. Shaffer Branch Chief R-IV
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Media Interest

Office of Public Affairs (OPA) responded to significant media inquiries on the following:

Commissioner Edward McGaffigan was interviewed by Moxie Firecracker Productions

for a documentary, to be aired this summer on HBO, on the Indian Point nuclear plant

in New York state.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

04-039 NRC Announces Review Schedule for Browns Ferry License

Renewal Application (4/6)

04-040 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet April 20-22 in

Rockville, Md. (4/9)

Regions:

I-04-018 NRC to Discuss Annual Performance Assessment of Seabrook

Nuclear Power Plant (4/5)

I-04-019 NRC to Discuss Annual Performance Assessment of Peach Bottom

Nuclear Power Plant (4/7)

I-04-020 NRC to Discuss Annual Performance Assessment of Oyster Creek

Nuclear Power Plant (4/8)

II-04-022 NRC to Meet with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Nuclear Officials

to Discuss Safety Performance at Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant

(4/5)

II-04-023 NRC to Meet with Progress Energy Officials to Discuss Safety

Performance at Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant (4/5)

II-04-024 NRC to Meet with Honeywell Officials in Illinois on April 21 to Discuss

Improvement Efforts Since December Event (4/7)

II-04-025 NRC Staff Proposes $88,000 Civil Penalty Against Progress Energy

for Terminating CP&L Employee Engaged in Protected Activity (4/7)

II-04-026 NRC Staff Proposes $60,000 Civil Penalty Against Duke Energy for

Violation of NRC Requirements at Oconee Nuclear Power Plant (4/9)

II-04-027 NRC to Meet with Duke Energy Officials to Discuss Safety

Performance at Oconee Nuclear Power Plant (4/9)
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE M

II-04-028 NRC to Meet with Duke Energy Officials to Discuss Safety

Performance at McGuire Nuclear Power Plant (4/9)

III-04-020 NRC Davis-Besse Oversight Panel to Meet April 8 in Oak Harbor,

Ohio (4/6)
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE N

Office of International Programs

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

General Directorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (DGSNR) Visit

On April 13, 2004, the staff met with a delegation from DGSNR, the French nuclear

regulator. Subjects discussed included materials licensing and inspection processes,

status of decommissioning projects, International Commission on Radiological

Protection (ICRP) activities, International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) scale for

radiological incidents, pathogens in cooling tower basins, and the DGSNR reactor

inspection program. 

On April 8-9, 2004, the team visited the decommissioning sites at Big Rock Point and

Dow Chemical at Bay City, Michigan. 
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Information Papers

1. SECY-04-0051 4/5/04 SECY-04-0051 Weekly Information

Report - Week Ending March 26, 2004

2. SECY-04-0054 4/8/04 SECY-04-0054 Weekly Information

Report - Week Ending April 2, 2004

Memoranda

1. M040324B 4/8/04 Staff Requirements - Briefing on Office

of Reactor Regulation (NRR) Programs,

Performance, and Plans

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Don Arbuckle, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), dated April 2,

2004, provides NRC’s FY 2004 Regulatory Plan.

2. Letter to Paul Leventhal and Alan Kuperman, dated April 2, 2004, responds to

request to schedule the second shipment of 15 kg of highly enriched uranium.

3. Letter to Congress, dated March 30, 2004, provides NRC’s monthly report on the

status of licensing and regulatory duties and the status of Davis-Besse.

4. Letter to Mike Rounds, Governor of South Dakota dated March 24, 2004, concerns

the State Liaison Officer.

5. Letter to Bradley Campbell, State of New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA), dated March 18, 2004, concerns AmerGen’s request for an exemption.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safety (ACRS) Subcommittee Meeting on Fire

Protection - Notice of Meeting.

2. ACRS Subcommittee Meeting on Reactor Fuels - Notice of Meeting.

3. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste - Revised - Notice of Meeting.
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Hope Creek - Inoperable Safety Related Busses

During a NRC review of the electrical distribution system calculations at Hope Creek,

the inspector identified deficiencies associated with operating and surveillance

procedures. Specifically, the voltage limits specified in plant procedures for the 4160

volt safety buses were not consistent with, and did not bound, the assumed operating

voltages in the design basis calculations. The licensee declared both offsite electrical

power sources and the four 1E distribution buses inoperable. The plant was in cold

shutdown at the time of discovery and the licensee placed the restart on hold pending

resolution of the issue.
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Annual Assessment Meetings

During the week of April 5-9, 2004, the Regional Office held the NRC ROP Annual

Assessment Meetings for the North Anna, Hatch, Surry and Watts Bar nuclear plants. 

The meetings were held at or near the nuclear plants and were open to the public. 
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region III

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Annual Assessment Meetings

During the period of April 5-8, 2004, the regional office held the NRC ROP Annual

Assessment meeting for the Duane Arnold Energy Center, D.C. Cook Nuclear Power

Station, and Clinton Nuclear Power Plant. The meetings were held at or near the

nuclear plants and were open to the public. 

NRC Davis-Besse Oversight Panel Meetings in Oak Harbor, Ohio

On April 8, 2004, the NRC Oversight Panel, established under Manual Chapter 0350 to

coordinate the agency’s activities in response to the reactor vessel head damage at the

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, met with FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company

officials in Oak Harbor, Ohio, to discuss the status of the utility’s startup activities at the

plant. A second meeting was held in the evening between the Oversight Panel and

interested members of the public.

Region III Completes Move to New Office Building

On April 2-5, 2004, the Region III staff completed a move to a new office building. The

new address is 2443 Warrenville Road, Suite 210, Lisle, Illinois 60532-4352. The new

location is approximately two miles west of the previous office. Telephone numbers for

regional staff members remain the same.
April 9, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Annual Assessment Meetings

During the period of April 6-7, 2004, the Regional Office held the NRC ROP Annual

Assessment Meetings for the Wolf Creek Generating Station, Cooper Nuclear Station,

and Callaway Station. The meetings were held at or near the nuclear plants and were

open to the public. 

Fire Protection Finding at Arkansas Nuclear One Station

On April 8, 2004, the Regional Office issued a finding of low to moderate importance to

safety (white) to Entergy, the licensee for the Arkansas Nuclear One Station for fire

protection issues. The finding involved the use of manual actions instead of ensuring

that redundant trains of equipment and cables necessary for achieving hot shutdown

were free of fire damage in the event of a fire. The issues were first identified during a

fire protection inspection at the station in 2001. The licensee has been taking

measures to compensate for the fire protection issues, and now must consider what

further actions need to be taken to address the finding.
April 9, 2004 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 9, 2004

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 53

OCA

Contact

DATE &

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Keeling 04/22/04

2154 RHOB

TBA General Accounting Office

(GAO)

GAO Report on the Lack of Continuity ofOperations Planning by FederalAgencies

Reps. DavGovernme

Portner TBA TBA NRC Commissioners and

Inspector General

NRC Oversight Senators V

Clean Air, SafetyEnvironme

Note: Congress is in its Spring recess, with the Senate reconvening on April 19 and the House returning on April 20.