INFORMATION REPORT

March 3, 2004 SECY-04-0036

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0036 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING FEBRUARY 20, 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:

M. Markley, OEDO
March 3, 2004 SECY-04-0036

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0036 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING FEBRUARY 20, 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:

M. Markley, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\Week220.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

MMarkley:paa WMDean

03/02/04 03/03/04
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 20, 2004

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: M. Markley, OEDO by E-mail: MTM@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 *

NSIR * SECY 19

OGC * Region I 20

ADM * Region II 21

CIO 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 OEDO *

SBCR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station - Inspection Exits and Restart Meeting

On February 12, 2004, the NRC’s Restart Readiness Assessment Team and the Management

and Human Performance Team presented the results of their recent inspections at a public exit

meeting near the site. Later in the day, the 0350 Oversight Panel conducted a public restart

meeting with the licensee at the same location. The Region III Administrator, Director of the

Office of the Nuclear Reactor Regulation, and Deputy Executive Director for Reactor Programs

attended these meetings. The restart meeting was also attended by State and local elected

officials, licensee employees, public citizens, and media representatives. Additionally, a

telephone bridge line was established to enable participation in lieu of travel. 

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Chief Nuclear Officer to Retire

On February 13, 2004, TVA Chief Nuclear Officer, Mr. John Scalice, who has led TVA’s nuclear

program for 14 years, announced his plans to retire, effective June 1, 2004. Mr. Karl Singer,

senior vice president of nuclear operations, is expected to assume the position of Chief Nuclear

Officer on June 1, 2004. Mr. Singer has approximately 20 years of nuclear reactor experience. 

He served in the U.S. Navy from 1984 to 1993, then joined TVA at the Browns Ferry Nuclear

Plant in Alabama. 

Vermont Yankee Extended Power Uprate Acceptance Review

On February 18, 2004, the NRC staff verbally informed Entergy that the staff has completed its

acceptance review of the Vermont Yankee Extended Power Uprate license amendment

application dated September 10, 2003, as supplemented on October 1 and October 28, 2003,

and January 31, 2004. The staff has determined that the licensee has provided the necessary

information such that the detailed review can be completed within a 12-month review schedule. 

The expected completion date for NRC review is January 31, 2005. 

Industry Corrective Action Program Owners Group (CAPOG) Meeting

On February 18, 2004, Division of Inspection Program Management (DIPM) staff participated in

a meeting of the CAPOG in Las Vegas, NV. During this meeting, the staff made a presentation

on its analysis of recent corrective action program inspection findings and provided an overview

of recent changes to the inspection program related to trending. Attendees included

representatives from industry, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), and other corrective action

program stakeholders.

Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Meeting

On February 19, 2004, DIPM staff hosted the monthly ROP Working Group meeting to discuss

general mitigating systems performance index (MSPI) related topics, industry's responses to

the staff's draft maintenance rule significance determination process (SDP), and ways to
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

improve the barrier integrity performance indicators (PIs). Discussions also included ways of

creating a top ten ROP issues list and frequently asked questions (FAQs) on ROP PIs. 

Public Information Session on License Renewal Review Process

On February 27, 2004, the staff conducted a public information session in Waterford,

Connecticut, to discuss the NRC process for considering license renewal applications. The

session was conducted following the receipt of the license renewal application for the Millstone

Power Station, Units 2 and 3. The staff placed advertisements in local newspapers and on

local public access radio stations, distributed flyers to local community organizations, and

issued a press release announcing the information session. Approximately 35 people attended

the session. The public questions related mostly to the role of the Advisory Committee on

Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) and on the recently revised 10 CFR Part 2 requirements related to

public hearings. The meeting was well attended by local and state government officials

including a State Representative from the 38th District.

Petition to Intervene in System Energy Resources, Inc. Early Site Permit Proceeding for Grand

Gulf

The NRC received a petition dated February 12, 2004, from four organizations to intervene in

the System Energy Resources, Inc. (SERI) early site permit (ESP) application proceeding for

Grand Gulf. In accordance with 10 CFR Part 52, a hearing is mandatory for an ESP, and a

petition to intervene is the first step in admitting parties as litigants in that hearing. The

organizations cited in the petition, that represent 14 individuals who live within 50 miles of the

proposed Grand Gulf ESP site, are the National Association for the Advancement of Colored

People, Claiborne County, Mississippi Branch; Nuclear Information and Resource Service;

Public Citizen; and Mississippi Chapter of the Sierra Club. The petition asserts nine aspects the

petitioners believe are within the scope of the proceeding for which they request to intervene. 

Meeting of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Plant Support Engineering Cable Users

Group

On February 9-13, 2004, the Division of Engineering staff participated in the subject meeting. 

Discussions included the staff’s February 5, 2004, letter to NEI, regarding the potential common

mode failure of medium voltage underground cables due to wetting. The letter encouraged the

industry to develop proposals that would address cable issues by April 30, 2004. Industry

participants objected to the use of the term “common mode” stating that only random failures

due to “water treeing” are possible. Industry participants also objected to the April 30, 2004,

response date, as being unrealistic because of the potential complexity of this issue.
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

Meeting with Russian Federation Gosatomnadzor

On February 10-12, 2004, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards staff participated in

a meeting in Moscow, Russia, to discuss comment resolutions on first drafts of selected

Federal-level regulations and safety guides developed by the Russian Federation

Gosatomnadzor (GAN). Comments on the regulations and safety guides were previously

provided to GAN by NRC, the European Commission, and the Department of Energy (DOE)

and its contractors. The regulations and safety guides are related to the Russian mixed-oxide

(MOX) fuel project and are part of the Russian infrastructure support project funded by DOE. 

DOE requested NRC’s participation at this meeting and funded it through a reimbursable

agreement. This activity is part of NRC continuing support to DOE and GAN, related to the

Russian MOX program. 
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

Third Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT) meeting for the ACR-700 Design

On February 18-20, 2004, the subject meeting was held at NRC Headquarters. Subpanels on

thermal-hydraulics and severe accidents met in parallel sessions over the three days of this

meeting. An independent panel of thermal-hydraulics experts met to develop a PIRT for a

critical break loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) in the ACR-700, a design basis event. The PIRT

will be used to guide code development and determine the need for new experiments. The

findings will be used by the panel to formulate recommendations for modification of NRC’s

severe accident analysis tools.

Meeting with the Representatives of the Department of Energy

On February 19, 2004, RES and NRR staff met with representatives of the Department of

Energy (DOE) to discuss implementation of a Congressional mandate for DOE to transfer

mechanical stress improvement process (MSIP) technology to Lithuania. MSIP is used to

remediate residual stresses in stainless steel piping thereby reducing the likelihood of

intergranular stress corrosion cracking at pipe welds. 
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

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

February 13 through February 19, 2004:

Yucca Mountain, communications between NEI & NRC, from 1998 to

current, to include meetings, transcripts, correspondence, schedules,

agendas

FOIA/PA-2004-0125

SCIE-EGG-103-89, “Draft Technical Evaluation Report on U.S.

Commercial Power Reactor Hydrogen Tank Farms & Their

Compliance with Separation Distance Safety Criteria,” March 1990

FOIA/PA-2004-0126

All files maintained on named individual FOIA/PA-2004-0127

Organization chart or directory or phone book FOIA/PA-2004-0128

NUREG-0800, Standard Review Plan, Table of Contents FOIA/PA-2004-0129

Sen. John Kerry, correspondence to & from NRC, January 1, 1995 to

present

FOIA/PA-2004-0130

Resumes, biographies, etc. for NRC employees who serve or served

in senior level positions & whose appointments were reviewed or new

appointments during President George W. Bush’s administration

FOIA/PA-2004-0131

NSIP-2003-0032, reason for non-selection FOIA/PA-2004-0132
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

Arrivals

Thelma Davis Secretary NRR

Steven Griffin Building Management Specialist ADM

Crystal Y. Johnson Secretary NMSS

Lynn Mrowca Reliability & Risk Analyst NRR

Karen Y. Thompson Criminal Investigator OIG

Departures

Dora Abankwah Office Automation Assistant NRR

Mario Cora Hernandez Project Manager NRR

Matthew P. Langhenry Sr. Program Analyst OCFO
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

Media Interest

The following are issues or items which the Office of Public Affairs received inquiries from the

media and/or noted media coverage: 

President Bush’s nomination of Dr. Gregory Jaczko, aide to Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev), to the

Commission.

The NRC Inspector General’s report that the agency has not done enough to improve its

internal communications in response to the corrosion problems at Davis-Besse.

Charges by a former member of a nuclear waste advisory panel that the Department of Energy

is relying on flawed science in developing its license application for a high-level waste

repository at Yucca Mountain.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

04-023 NRC Schedules Public Presentation and Webcast on March 3, 2004, on

Three Mile Island Accident, 25 Years Later (2/18)

04-024 NRC Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes to Meet

March 1-2, 2004, in Rockville, Maryland. (2/19)

Regions:

I-04-005 NRC Sends Special Inspection Team to Calvert Cliffs Unit 2 (2/17)
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Information Papers

1. SECY-04-0022 2/13/04 SECY-04-0022 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending February 6, 2004

Memoranda

1. M040218A 2/18/04 Staff Requirements-Affirmation Session: I.

SECY-04-0017-Maine Yankee Atomic

Power Co. (Maine Yankee Atomic Power

Station); State of Maine’s Petition for

Review of LBP-03-26; II. SECY-04-0021-

Duke Energy Corp. (Catawba Nuclear

Station, Units 1 and 2); NRC Staff’s Petition

for Interlocutory Review of the Licensing

Board’s January 29, 2004 Memorandum

and Order (Ruling on BREDL Motion for

Need to Know Determination and Extension

of Deadline for Filing Security-Related

Contentions)

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Patrick Henry Wood, III, FERC, dated February 18, 2004, expresses thanks for

meeting to discuss security and related issues such as electrical grid stability.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Meeting Notice (3/3-6/04).
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

Indian Point Exercise Coordination

On February 18-19, 2004, staff from NRC Region I and the NRC Offices of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation, Nuclear Security and Incident Response, Public Affairs, and Nuclear Regulatory

Research participated in several on-site activities associated with development and coordination

of the June 8, 2004 Indian Point emergency preparedness exercise. The NRC staff

participated in a tabletop exercise involving representatives from the Indian Point site, State of

New York, and four counties in the Indian Point emergency planning zone (EPZ). In addition,

the NRC staff reviewed the current exercise plan with representatives from the Federal

Emergency Management Agency Region II office. These meetings were held to ensure

adequate participation by evaluated responders and to discuss planned outreach activities in

support of the exercise.

Oyster Creek

On February 19, 2004, AmerGen Energy Company announced plans to seek extension of

Oyster Creek Generating Station operating license by 20 years. The current license expires

April 9, 2009. AmerGen plans to submit a license renewal application to the NRC in mid-2005.
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

Florida Power and Light Company - St. Lucie Emergency Exercise

On February 18, 2004, Region II participated in the St. Lucie Emergency Exercise with a Site

Team. The Deputy Regional Administrator functioned as the Site Team Leader/Director of Site

Operations. Representatives from the Office of Inspector General, Audits and Investigations

staff accompanied the Site Team. 

On February 19, 2004, the Deputy Regional Administrator visited the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant in

Jensen Beach, Florida. The purpose of the visit was to tour the facility and meet with licensee

management and the resident inspectors.
February 20, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

Predecisional Enforcement Conference High Mountain Inspection Services, Incorporated

On February 18, 2004, the Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, and Region IV staff

conducted a closed Predecisional Enforcement Conference in Casper, Wyoming, with High

Mountain Inspection Services, Inc. The purpose was to discuss four apparent violations of

NRC requirements involving the security of byproducts material, training of licensee staff,

labeling of devices containing byproduct material, and record keeping. 
February 20, 2004 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 20, 2004

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 46

OCA

Contact

DATE

&

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Gerke 02/24/04

SD-366

10:00 DOE, NERC, Midwest Independent

Transmission Service Operator

S. 2095, Energy Policy Act/ Electricity Reliability Senators Do

Energy and N

Gerke 02/24/04

2247 RHOB

 3:00 TBA Dental and Vision Benefits for Federal Employees,

H.R. 3751

Reps. Davis/Civil Service Government 

Gerke 02/25/04

2247 RHOB

10:00 OMB, SBA, Public Citizen Improving Regulatory Accounting Reps. Ose/T

Energy Polic Regulatory Government 

Gerke 02/26/04

2154 RHOB

10:00 TBA Replacement of Government Telecommunications

System

Reps. Davis/Government 

Gerke 03/03/04

2154 RHOB

 2:00 GAO, OMB, Treasury GAO Audit of Government Financial Statements Reps. Platts/

Gov’t EfficienGovernment 

Keeling 03/04/04

SD-366

 2:30 Dr. Travers; TVA COO; NEI Future of Nuclear Power/Browns Ferry Restart Senators Ale

EnergyEnergy and N

Madden 03/05/04

Las Vegas

 9:00 TBA Transportation of Nuclear Waste Reps. Quinn/

RailroadsTransportatio
February 20, 2004 

Gerke 03/10/04

TBA

 2:00 OMB, GAO, NRC and others Agencies’ Computer Security Efforts Reps. Putnam

Technology, Relations anGovernment 

Portner 03/11/04

2362B RHOB

10:00 DOE FY05 Budget Reps. Hobso

Energy and WAppropriation

Gerke 03/11/04

TBA

TBA DOE Final Report by U.S. - Canada Power System

Outage Task Force 

Senators DoEnergy and N

Portner 03/17/04

2362B RHOB

10:00 DOE FY05 Nuclear Energy Budget Reps. Hobso

Energy and WAppropriation

Combs 03/24/04

2362B RHOB

10:00 DOE FY05 Nuclear Waste Budget Reps. Hobso

Energy and WAppropriation