INFORMATION REPORT

May 25, 2004 SECY-04-0085

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0085 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING MAY 14, 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. Kim, OEDO
May 25, 2004 SECY-04-0085

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0085 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING MAY 14, 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. Kim, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\Week514.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

TKim:paa WMDean

05/25/04 05/25/04
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MAY 14, 2004

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: T. Kim, OEDO by E-mail: tjk3@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 14

RES 6 OIP *

NSIR 9 SECY 15

OGC * Region I 17

ADM 10 Region II 18

CIO 11 Region III 19

CFO * Region IV 20

HR 13 OEDO *

SBCR * OCA 21

OE *

*No input this week
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Revision of Fire Protection Rule

On May 11, 2004, the Commission approved the issuance of a final rule amending 10 CFR

50.48, Fire Protection, to allow a performance-based approach to meet fire protection

requirements, using the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 805,

"Performance-Based Standard for Fire Protection for Light Water Reactor Electric Generating

Plants," 2001 Edition. The Commission has also approved the publication of the notice of

interim enforcement discretion related to this rulemaking in the Federal Register. In

accordance with the Commission’s direction, the staff is drafting a Regulatory Guide that will

provide guidance to nuclear power plant licensees in the transition to a risk-informed,

performance-based fire protection program in accordance with the revised rule. The rule

implementation program also includes preparation of inspection guidance and staff review

guidance on license amendment requests, as well as staff training in the application of the 

guidance. A detailed schedule has been developed to ensure that this effort is brought to

closure in a timely manner.

Prairie Island - Operator License Reexamination

On April 23, 2004, NRC administered written reexaminations to seven Prairie Island reactor

operator candidates, one for reactor operator and six for senior reactor operator. All candidates

successfully completed the written examinations.

In September 2003, 12 candidates had failed the written examination. The licensee initiated

corrective actions which included a comprehensive and extensive classroom remediation

training program. Upon completion of this program, the seven candidates were allowed to take

the reexamination.

NRC Information Notice (IN) 2004-11: Cracking in Pressurizer Safety and Relief Nozzles and in

Surge Lines

The subject IN was issued on May 06, 2004 to alert addressees of cracking and leakage

indications found on pressurizer safety and relief nozzles and in a surge line nozzle-to-safe end

weld. During an annual inspection in September of 2003, cracking and leakage were

discovered on pressurizer safety and relief nozzles in Tsuruga Power Plant, Unit 2 (Tsuruga 2),

in Japan. Tsuruga 2 is a four-loop pressurized water reactor (PWR) unit (similar to the PWRs

in the U.S). Also, a crack indication was detected in a surge line nozzle-to-safe end dissimilar

metal weld at Three Mile Island, Unit 1, during a refueling outage in October 2003. 

It is expected that the recipients of this notice will review the information for applicability to their

facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems. However, suggestions

contained in this information notice are not NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or

written response is required.
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Meeting with New York Independent System Operator (NYISO)

On May 4, 2004, Division of Engineering staff met with representatives of the NYISO at their

office in Schenectady, New York. The purpose of the meeting was to understand the programs

that have been implemented by NYISO for assuring reliable offsite electric power supply to the

nuclear stations.

The NYISO serves as the reliability coordinator administering a peak load of 12 gigawatts

covering most of New York state. There are eight Transmission Operators (TO) supporting

NYISO, three of which supply offsite power to nuclear power stations. The control room at the

Schenectady office is equipped with a live display system of all network (grid) connections and

related operating parameters for 135 kV and above. The TOs enter into contracts with the

NYISO for maintaining grid reliability within their control zone. The TOs defer operational

decisions affecting their areas of jurisdiction to the NYISO reliability coordinator when the

system cannot be managed within acceptable limits. While grid reliability ensures power supply

system availability, the nuclear stations can rely on this power supply only if the voltages at the

offsite power lines are within acceptable limits. 

The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) has conducted audits at NYISO to

confirm the completion of prompt actions as directed to be completed by Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (FERC) to maintain power system reliability. The TO representatives

attending the meeting indicated that they have procedures in place to provide adequate power

supply to the nuclear power stations and to inform the nuclear stations when power supplies are

less than adequate. However, the TOs were not aware of any binding contracts with firm power

(uninterruptible power) commitments to nuclear stations. 
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

NRC Staff Visits Hanford K Basin Spent Nuclear Fuel Project and Columbia Generating Station

On May 5-6, 2004, staff from the Division of High-Level Waste Repository Safety toured the

Department of Energy Hanford K Basin Spent Nuclear Fuel Project and the Energy Northwest

independent spent fuel storage installation at the Columbia Generating Station in Hanford,

Washington. The purpose of this visit was to familiarize staff with the types of spent fuel

handling operations and associated facilities that may be used at the proposed Yucca Mountain

geologic repository in Nevada.

NRC Staff Holds Open House on Yucca Mountain Project

On May 10, 2004, NRC’s On-Site Representatives for Yucca Mountain held an open house in

Pahrump, Nevada. NRC participants included representatives from the Division of High-Level

Waste Repository Safety, Spent Fuel Project Office, Region IV, and Office of the General

Counsel. Representatives from the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses also

participated in the open house. The purpose of the open house was to allow members of the

community to meet the On-Site Representatives, obtain information on their roles, and discuss

issues related to pre- and post-license application activities for the proposed high-level waste

repository at Yucca Mountain. The open house provided an effective forum for the constructive

exchange of information, with about 40 individuals from the public, citizen groups, local media,

and members of the Nye County Nevada Department of Natural Resources and Federal

Facilities, Federal Impacts Advisory Board, and County Commission in attendance. The NRC

On-Site Representatives’ open house enhances opportunities for public interaction and

represents an important extension of the Agency’s public outreach program. 

NRC/DOE Quarterly Management Meeting on Yucca Mountain Project

On May 11, 2004, staff and senior managers from NRC and the Department of Energy (DOE)

met in a public meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss

programmatic issues concerning DOE’s potential license application for constructing a geologic

repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The meeting was well attended by various

stakeholders, including representatives from the State of Nevada, Nye County, Clark County,

Lincoln County, the General Accounting Office, industry, Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force,

and members of the public.

Discussion topics at this meeting included: (1) DOE and NRC program updates; (2) status of

DOE’s budget; (3) key technical issue resolution; and (4) license application status. At the

conclusion of the meeting, participants from DOE and NRC reviewed the status of the previous

meeting’s action items, and identified additional action items.

The next quarterly NRC/DOE meeting is tentatively scheduled for August 2004, in Rockville,

Maryland.
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE B

Presentations to National Conference of State Legislatures’ High-Level Waste Working Group

On May 12, 2004, the Director, Division of High-Level Waste Repository Safety and a senior

staff member from the Spent Fuel Project Office made presentations on the Yucca Mountain

Project at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ High-Level Waste Working Group

meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. The presentations covered NRC’s safety review and licensing

process for the proposed repository, and the transportation of spent nuclear fuel.
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Agreement between the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural

Representative Office in the United States in the Area of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA)

Research

On May 4, 2004, the EDO concurred in the Agreement between the American Institute in

Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the

United States in the Area of PRA Research. The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) 

forwarded this Agreement to AIT on May 10, 2004, for signature.

This Agreement defines the terms and conditions by which the AIT and the TECRO will

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

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

reasonable equity and reciprocity. The NRC will serve as the AIT’s designated representative

for the purposes of this cooperation. The work is intended to enhance the quality of 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 will

enter into effect upon signature and will remain in effect for a period of five years.

Annual Cooperative Severe Accident Research Program (CSARP) Technical Review Meeting

On May 3-4, 2004, NRC sponsored the annual CSARP Technical Review meeting held in

Washington, DC. This international meeting serves as a forum for exchange of technical

information on severe accident research with a focus on addressing safety-related issues. The

meeting was attended by 60 participants from 16 countries. The technical sessions covered

two major themes: progress in phenomenological research and experiments, and progress in

code development, assessment, and applications. Phenomenological research focused on

remaining uncertainties in the areas of melt coolability and melt-structure-coolant interactions. 

Results from this research will help confirm the efficacy of severe accident management

strategies for operating reactors and for design of mitigative design features in new reactors. 

Presentations of code related activities emphasized the progress made in NRC’s severe

accident code (MELCOR) consolidation and modernization effort. The CSARP meeting this

year was followed by the MELCOR Code Assessment Program (MCAP) Meeting from May 5-6,

2004. The MCAP meeting presented an opportunity to discuss a wide range of MELCOR

applications for reactor safety analysis. 

Meeting of Equipment Performance and Information Exchange (EPIX) Ad hoc Working Group

On May 6, 2004, the staff participated in an EPIX System Ad hoc Working Group meeting at

the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. EPIX is a

database containing statistics on component failures and other engineering information that is

maintained by INPO. EPIX data is used in NRC’s Reliability and Availability Data System,

Integrated Data Collection and Coding System, and Common Cause Failure Database to

estimate PRA parameters for risk-informed applications. INPO is undertaking a number of

initiatives to improve the usefulness, quality and timeliness of EPIX data and will complete an
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

industry survey in June 2004. NRC staff updated the Working Group on current Agency usage

of EPIX data and the agency’s plans in using the data to update failure probabilities and failure

rates in the NRC’s Standardized Plant Analysis Risk (SPAR) models.

ACRS Briefing on RG-1.200 Pilot Program

On May 6, 2004, staff members from RES and NRR briefed the ACRS on current and planned

activities related to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.200, “An Approach for Determining the Technical

Adequacy of Probabilistic Risk Assessment Results for Risk-Informed Activities,” and

associated Standard Review Plan 19.1, that were issued for trial use. Five plants have been

selected to participate in a pilot program. For each pilot, an NRC review team will conduct

onsite reviews to thoroughly exercise various aspects of RG 1.200 and to gain insights on

implementation. The pilots are currently scheduled to be completed by December 2004. 

Based on the lessons learned from the pilots, the staff plans to revise RG 1.200 in April 2005. 

ACRS agreed that the pilots should identify areas of improvements to RG 1.200, provide

insights on the necessary scope and level of detail of licensee submittals and staff review, and

provide insights for development of other PRA standards such as internal fire.

The staff also briefed the ACRS on the draft report “Good Practices for Implementing Human

Reliability Analysis (HRA).” The draft report provides guidance for performing and reviewing

HRAs and supports the implementation of Regulatory Guide 1.200. The final report is

scheduled to be issued in early 2005.

OECD Experts Group Meeting

On May 6-7, 2004, the staff participated in an Experts Group Meeting to discuss and evaluate

proposed research that could provide data on debris generation associated with Generic Safety

Issue (GSI)-191, “Assessment of Debris Accumulation on Pressurized Water Reactor Sump

Performance.” The meeting was held in Paris, France and was sponsored by the Organization

for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency. The specific

research evaluated was the Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (IRSN) proposal

for an OECD sump plugging project. IRSN’s proposal is to conduct experiments to determine

the volume and characteristics of debris generated as a results of a primary line break, as well

as potential chemical reactions inside containment. Based on the proposal’s technical merits,

many of the attendees representing 10 countries expressed interest in the project. The final

decisions to join this OECD project will be made in September.

Briefing for the National Academy of Sciences

On May 11, 2004, the staff attended a National Academy of Science (NAS) meeting to provide

an opportunity for the NAS to interact with the NRC contractors (i.e., Sandia National

Laboratories) responsible for the storage cask and spent fuel pool vulnerability analyses. The

primary meeting objective was to enable the NAS to discuss technical details not covered in

previous higher-level presentations. The staff also supported the sub-group discussion

regarding the spent fuel pool structural analyses. The meeting was held in Washington D.C., 

and was conducted by the NAS Board on Radioactive Waste Management, Panel on Safety

and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage.
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

PTS Peer Review Meeting

On May 10-11, 2004, the staff conducted a public meeting with independent peer reviewers on

the technical basis to support possible revision of the screening criteria in the pressurized

thermal shock rule (10 CFR 50.61). During the meeting, the staff responded to the peer

reviewer comments received during previous meetings on November 17-19, 2003, and on April

26-27, 2004. The peer reviewers were supportive of the approach taken to develop the

technical basis, although resolution of several comments will require additional effort. 
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-I-04-11B, Baxter Healthcare Corporation - AUGMENTED INSPECTION TEAM

ONSITE TO REVIEW BAXTER HEALTHCARE EVENT.

2. PNO-III-04-006, The Timken Company - MELTED CESIUM-137 SOURCE AT STEEL

MANUFACTURING PLANT.
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Changes to Adjudicatory Process; Correction

On May 11, 2004 (69 FR 25997), the NRC published a correction to a previously published

document (69 FR 2182) dated January 14, 2004, which amended the NRC’s regulations

concerning its rules of practice for adjudications. This action is necessary to correct

unintentional errors in the final rule, including the title of the Appendix, the omission of an entry

in the table, and the formatting of the table. 
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Office of the Chief Information Office (OCIO) Successfully Implements Active Directory at

Headquarters

The Microsoft Active Directory implementation at NRC Headquarters has been completed. 

Active Directory is an upgrade to Windows NT Domain services and provides authentication

when accessing agency Microsoft file servers and resources. Three domain controllers are in

place and replicating one another. The primary domain controller for NRCDOMAIN was

successfully migrated to Windows 2000. A basic design structure was implemented on the

Active Directory domain in preparation for regional installs. OCIO is coordinating with regional

offices to implement Active Directory at regional offices, which is scheduled to be completed by

June 11, 2004. 

Combined Daily Announcements Email Launched

On May 10, 2004, the single Daily Email for NRC Announcements was launched. NRC staff

are sent either the Regional or Headquarters Edition each evening, consisting of the NRC

Announcements posted on the NRC@Work Home Page that day. This replaces individual

emails sent for each announcement. The launch comes after a test in April that showed

overwhelming support for the change. Feedback from the test also resulted in several changes

to the Daily Email and the creation of a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section.

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

May 7 through May 13, 2004:

Hematite, MO, uranium fuels processing/fabrication facility, all

documents

FOIA/PA-2004-0234

Awards received by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, non-SES

individuals at GG-14 or above for the rating periods 2001, 2002, &

2003 

FOIA/PA-2004-0235

Allegation NRR-97-A-0054, all documents FOIA/PA-2004-0236

Terrorists, all records regarding Usama Bin-Laden and Al Qaeda prior

to the 9/11/01 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

FOIA/PA-2004-0237

Carbide Linde Ceramics Plant, Tonawanda, NY, all records from

1942 to present

FOIA/PA-2004-0238

Operation Technology, Inc. facility, inspection report no.

99901350/2003/201, dated 03/07/03; notice of non-conformance

FOIA/PA-2004-0239

Palo Verde plant, all documentation regarding telephone calls

between named individuals and Florida Power & Light regarding

whistle blowing activities between 1990-1993

FOIA/PA-2004-0240
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE G

Index of released records; frequently requested records;

organizational listing; and administrative staff manuals

FOIA/PA-2004-0241

Organizational charts and telephone directory FOIA/PA-2004-0242

Reportability of shutdown cooling isolation rule, staff decisions or

positions; and any documented results regarding the retraction of

Power Reactor Event Number 37839 at Susquehanna, Unit 2

FOIA/PA-2004-0243

Contract, NRC-04-04-062 awarded to Information Systems

Laboratories

FOIA/PA-2004-0244

NUREG/BR-0230, Response Coordination Manual, RCM-96 FOIA/PA-2004-0245

Ward Center for Nuclear Studies, decommissioning cost estimate,

and the decommissioning plan (Parts 1 & 2)

FOIA/PA-2004-0246
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Arrivals

Almas Azeem Chief, Program Analysis Team I OCFO

Cynthia Barr Storage and Transportation Engineer NMSS

Andrew Blanco Student Engineer (Summer) OIG

Gregory Cameron Student Engineer (Co-Op) R-II

Samantha Crane Student Engineer (Summer) RES

Victoria Ford Student Law Clerk (Summer) R-I

Susan Hanna Student Clerk (Summer) NRR

Austin Hansley Student Engineer (Summer) R-IV

Marjorie McLaughlin Health Physicist R-I

Maria I. Montoya Student Engineer (Summer) R-IV

Dina Moreno Student Engineer R-IV

Nitin Patel Electrical Engineer NRR

Georgette Price Sr. Program Analyst OCIO

Edward Robinson Student Engineer (Summer) NMSS

Michael Shaw Student Engineer (Summer) R-IV

Abdul Sheikh Structural Engineer RES

Matthew Ryan Young Student Engineer (Summer) NRR

Departures

Joseph Bodensteiner Sr. Criminal Investigator OIG

Kevin Hogan Student Engineer (Coop) RES

Michael J. Jordan Consultant R-III

Bruce L. Jorgensen Consultant R-III
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Media Interest

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

The Commission’s directive to the staff to purchase a rail cask for full-scale testing of the safety

of spent fuel transport.

Other Public Affairs Items:

The “For the Record” page was added to the agency Web site to feature NRC responses to

inaccurate, misleading or false information in print, on television and radio, and in large write-in

campaigns.

OPA coordinated the participation of an NRR staffer, who will discuss the license renewal

process, at an upcoming energy workshop in Minnesota.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

04-056 NRC Approves Testing of Full-Scale Rail Cask for Transportation of Spent

Fuel (5/12)

04-057 NRC Establishes Web Page on Current Technical Issues at Vermont Yankee

(5/12)

04-058 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to meet May 25-27 in Rockville,

Maryland (5/14)

Regions:

I-04-028 NRC to Discuss Annual Performance Assessment of Three Mile Island 1

Nuclear Power Plant (5/10)

I-04-029 NRC to Discuss Annual Performance Assessment of Nine Mile Point 1 and 2

Nuclear Power Plants (5/11)

I-04-030 NRC Seeks Public Input on Environmental Impact Statement on Proposed

Millstone Nuclear Plant License Renewal (5/11)

II-04-039 NRC Staff Cites Honeywell Illinois Plant for Violating NRC Regulations (5/11) 

III-04-033 NRC to Meet with Nuclear Management Company to Discuss Performance of

Monticello Nuclear Plant (5/13)
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-04-0069 4/27/04 Final Rule to Amend 10 CFR Part 2, Subpart J, in

Regard to the Licensing Support Network

2. SRM on SECY-04-0035 5/11/04 Results of the License Termination Rule Analysis

of the Use of Intentional Mixing of Contaminated

Soil

Commission Voting

Record on 04-0035

5/11/04 (same)

3. Revised SRM on SECY04-00295/11/04 Options for Full-Scale Spent Nuclear Fuel

Transportation Cask Testing Under the Package

Performance Study

4. Commission Voting

Record on 04-0050

5/11/04 Affirmation Session: 1) SECY-04-0050 - Final

Rule: Revision of 10 CFR 50.48 to Allow

Performance-based Approaches Using National

Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 805,

"Performance-based Standard for Fire Protection

for Light Water Reactor Electric Generating

Plants," 2001 Edition

5. SECY-04-0071 4/29/04 Proposed Program to Improve the Effectiveness

of the NRC Inspections of Design Issues

6. SECY-04-0046 3/18/04 Fiscal Year 2003 Report to Congress on

Abnormal Occurrences

SRM on SECY-04-0046 4/8/04 (same)

Commission Voting

Record on 04-0046

4/8/04 (same)

7. SRM on SECY-04-0055 5/13/04 Plan for Evaluating Scientific Information and

Radiation Protection Recommendations

Voting Record on 04-0055 5/13/04 (same)

Information Papers

1. SECY-04-0068 4/23/04 Update of the Risk-Informed Regulation

Implementation Plan

2. SECY-04-0077 5/10/04 SECY-04-0077 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending April 30, 2004
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE O

3. SECY-04-0073 4/28/04 Survey to Measure Openness

Memoranda

1. M040511A 5/11/04 Affirmation Session: 1) SECY-04-0050 - Final

Rule: Revision of 10 CFR 50.48 to Allow

Performance-based Approaches Using National

Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 805,

"Performance-based Standard for Fire Protection

for Light Water Reactor Electric Generating

Plants," 2001 Edition

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Western Governors, dated May 5, 2004, responding to request for the Commission

to reconsider decision to remove the packaging requirement for double containment for the

shipment of certain forms of plutonium.

2. Letter to Congress (Sen. Jeffords, Sen. Leahy, Rep. Sanders), dated May 4, 2004, concerns

request by Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, to amend the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power

Station license to increase the power level.

3. Letter to Congressman Charles Bass, dated May 4, 2004, responds to constituent concerns

regarding Vermont Yankee.

4. Letter to Congressman John Olver, dated May 4, 2004, concerns request by Entergy

Nuclear Vermont Yankee, to amend the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station license to

increase the power level.

5. Letter to Senator John Sununu, dated May 4, 2004, concerns request by Entergy Nuclear

Vermont Yankee, to amend the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station license to increase

the power level.

6. Letter to Senator Jeff Bingaman, dated April 30, 2004, responds to letter about NRC’s

revised package certification requirements.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, notice of 150th meeting (05/25-27/04). 

2. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Subcommittee Meeting on Planning and

Procedures (06/01/04). 

3. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on

Materials and Metallurgy (06/01/04). 

4. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, 513th meeting (06/02-04/04).
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Tennessee IMPEP Management Review Board

On May 13, 2004, the Management Review Board (MRB) met to discuss the Integrated

Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP) review of the Tennessee Agreement State

Program conducted February 23 through 26, 2004. The MRB agreed with the review team’s

recommendations that the State’s performance in all performance indicators was satisfactory;

that the program was adequate to protect public health and safety; and that the program was

compatible with NRC’s regulations. MRB noted that the State’s performance has improved

significantly from the IMPEP reviews conducted in 2000 and 2001. The next IMPEP review of

the Tennessee Agreement State Program will be conducted in FY 2008.
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Regional Administrator Attends Nuclear Energy Assembly

On May 13-14, 2004, the Regional Administrator accompanied the NRC Chairman to the

Nuclear Energy Assembly in New Orleans.

Senior Management Site Visit to Oconee

On May 12, 2004, the Deputy Regional Administrator, accompanied by the Director, NRR,

toured the Oconee Nuclear Plant in Seneca, South Carolina, and met with licensee

management and the resident inspectors.

Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Annual Assessment Meeting

On May 12, 2004, the Regional staff conducted a ROP Annual Assessment Meeting for the

Catawba Nuclear Power Station. The meeting was held near the facility and was open to the

public. 
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region III

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

D.C. Cook - Public Meeting

On May 12, 2004, the Region III staff met with the licensee in a public meeting near the site to

present the results of the NRC’s review of two White performance indicators that was

conducted in accordance with Inspection Procedure 95002 and to discuss D.C. Cook plant

performance.

Davis-Besse 0350 Panel Meeting

On May 13, 2004, the Davis-Besse 0350 Panel held a public meeting with the licensee to

discuss the recent plant performance with Davis-Besse representatives at the Ottawa County

courthouse, near the facility. 
May 14, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

Public Meeting with Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD)

On May 12, 2004, Region IV staff members conducted a public exit meeting with NPPD (the

licensee) representatives in Brownville, Nebraska. The purpose of the meeting was to present

the findings from the recently completed inspection at the Cooper Nuclear Station regarding

licensee actions associated with the confirmatory action letter (CAL 4-03-001) issued on

January 30, 2003.
May 14, 2004 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending May 14, 2004

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 58

OCA

Contact

DATE &

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Long 05/18

2154 RHOB

3:30 Markup H.R. 1601, providing for reform relating

to federal employment and for otherpurposes

Reps. DavCivil ServiGovernme

Keeling 05/19

2141 RHOB(TENTATIVE)

10:00 Markup H.R. 2934, increase criminal penalties to

terrorist murders, including crimesinvolving nuclear sabotage

Reps. SenJudiciary

Long 05/19

2247 RHOB

2:00 Markup H.R. 3826, requiring the review of

government programs at least onceevery five years for purposes ofevaluating their performance

Reps. PlatGovernmeManagemGovernme

Long 05/19

2154 RHOB

2:00 OMB Federal Enterprise Architecture

Program Oversight

Reps. PutTechnologIntergoverCensus

Portner and others

05/20SD-406

9:30 NRC Commissioners, NEI,

Exelon, UCS, and Dr. BarkleyJones, U. of Illinois(see attached witness list)

NRC Oversight Senators V

Clean Air, SafetyEnvironme