INFORMATION REPORT

April 8, 2004 SECY-04-0054

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0054 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING APRIL 2, 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 8, 2004 SECY-04-0054

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0054 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING APRIL 2, 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\Week402.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

TBloomer:paa WMDean

04/07/04 04/08/04
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING APRIL 2, 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 16

NMSS 4 OPA 17

RES 8 OIP *

NSIR 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I 20

ADM 10 Region II 21

CIO 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 OEDO *

SBCR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

Vermont Yankee - Public Meeting on NRC’s Review of Power Uprate Application

On March 31, 2004, a Category 3 public meeting was held in the vicinity of Vermont Yankee

(VY) to present information and answer the public’s questions about the NRC’s review of VY’s

power uprate application. The meeting was held in response to a request from Vermont

Senators Jeffords and Leahy.

The primary topic of discussion was the public’s view that an independent safety assessment of

Vermont Yankee was needed. The Vermont State Public Service Board (PSB) approved the

uprate, but only if certain conditions are met. One of these conditions is that the PSB request

that the NRC conduct its analysis equivalent to an independent engineering assessment. 

Although the staff has not responded formally to the PSB letter, we indicated to the public that

the NRC’s response to the PSB was forthcoming.

Over 500 people attended the 3-hour meeting, including staff of Senators Leahy and Jeffords,

several Vermont state and local officials, an aide to a Massachusetts State Representative, and

representatives from the New England Coalition and other public interest groups. The elected

officials gave prepared statements that supported the PSB’s request for an independent

assessment. A representative of the PSB read a new letter that will be sent to Chairman Diaz

reiterating the PSB’s previous request. In addition to numerous comments and questions

received from the audience, an allegation was made that the NRC, Entergy, and General

Electric (GE) were in collusion regarding GE’s power uprate topical report. The documents

supporting the allegation were provided to Senate staffers at the meeting. It was stated that the

information was provided to the NRC’s Inspector General.

Generic Safety Issue (GSI) -189 Susceptibility of Ice Condenser and Mark III Containments to

Early Failure from Hydrogen Combustion During a Severe Accident

On March 31, 2004 the NRC staff held a public meeting with industry and interested

stakeholders on GSI-189 alternatives and draft design criteria. Members of the Boiling Water

Reactor Owners Group made a presentation on an alternative using the Division 3 High

Pressure Core Spray (HPCS) diesel generator as the power supply for the hydrogen igniters. 

They reviewed generic data that suggest the HPCS generator was highly reliable, however

specific plant Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) data from one plant shows a low availability

time. Currently, the HPCS diesel is available to be cross tied to various loads during a Station

Blackout (SBO) event. Other alternatives were discussed. 

Representatives from Duke Power and the Tennessee Valley Authority discussed their

alternatives, such as their safe shutdown diesel or the SBO diesel for their alternate unit in the

dual unit plants. A discussion of PRA data from the McGuire and Catawba plants showed the

percentages of the fast and slow SBOs which have an impact on the operators time to react to

the event and power the igniter. The NRC staff and industry compared backup power design

criteria and agreed on most issues with action items for both to consider the differences. A high
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

level schedule for rulemaking was provided and Industry indicated they will wait for more formal

criteria before requesting another meeting.

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safety (ACRS) briefing on 50.46 Large Break Loss of Coolant

Accident (LBLOCA) Redefinition Commission Paper 

On April 1, 2004, members of the staff of the Division of Systems Safety and Analysis and the

Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs briefed the Advisory Committee on Reactor

Safeguards Sub-Committee on Regulatory Policies and Practices regarding the LBLOCA

redefinition Commission paper. The briefing focused upon policy and technical issues that the

staff had identified in the paper. The sub-committee was particularly supportive of the staff’s

proposal to maintain best estimate mitigative capability for breaks beyond some new defined

large break size. Members of the sub-committee also emphasized the importance of

maintaining defense-in-depth for LOCAs outside the design basis due to the possibility of

breaks from non-fracture mechanics induced ruptures and other common cause events. The

staff received valuable feedback in other areas as well, which staff will consider in developing

resolution approaches for the technical issues needed for 10 CFR 50.46 rulemaking. 

Issuance of Browns Ferry License Renewal Application Review Schedule

On March 31, 2004, the staff issued its schedule for reviewing the Browns Ferry Nuclear

Units 1, 2 and 3, license renewal application (LRA). The 36 months schedule (28 months if no

hearing is involved) is six months longer than the normal LRA review schedule. The applicant

had agreed to a review schedule that exceeds the standard 30 months (22 months without a

hearing) schedule, and has acknowledged the 36 months schedule. The extended schedule

was necessary due to the complexity of the application, the need to conduct additional reviews

to evaluate the extended effects of the Unit 1 shut down, the need to coordinate Unit 1 restart

items, and the need to consider the effects of the extended power uprate evaluations on the

renewal. The Federal Register Notice for acceptability and opportunity for hearing for the

application was published on March 10th. The opportunity for hearing ends on May 9th. 

Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) Proposals

On March 30, 2004, the NRC staff was informed by an Entergy official, that an agreement in

principal had been reached by five companies on the possible pursuit of a combined 

construction and operating license (COL) for advanced nuclear power reactors. The five

companies are Entergy, Exelon, Southern, Constellation Energy, and Electricité de France

(EDF). They intend to make a proposal to the Department of Energy (DOE). The vendors

considered are Westinghouse and General Electric for the AP1000 and the economic and

simplified boiling water reactor (ESBWR), respectively. They are currently reviewing a business

case for each design and plan to develop a COL application for each design. They will select a

site 12 to 14 months after DOE acceptance. They currently project the COL applications will be

submitted in the 2008 timeframe, with regulatory approval of the COL desired late in 2010 or

2011. 
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

NRC Information Notice 2004-06: Loss of Feedwater Isokinetic Sampling Probes at Dresden

Units 2 And 3

On March 26, 2004, the NRC issued the subject information notice to alert addressees to a

recent experience in which feedwater isokinetic sampling probes were broken off and lost in

feedwater spargers. It is expected that recipients will review this information for applicability to

their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate.

Participation at the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) Advisory Group Meeting

On March 23-25, 2004, staff from the Division of Engineering participated in a NERC meeting

held in Nashville, TN. The purpose of the meeting was to review the corrective actions which

had been performed in response to the August 14, 2003, Blackout Event.

The meeting participants reviewed the audit reports and presentations describing the status of

corrective actions taken by First Energy, the Midwest Independent System Operator, and the

Pennsylvania, Jersey, and Maryland (PJM) Interconnection. Further, it was recommended that

the NERC Board approve the corrective actions plan which reflects steps currently completed

and planned to be completed by June 30, 2004.

The staff’s participation in the subject meeting is part of its ongoing activities to gain knowledge

of the industry efforts and planned actions to provide more reliable electrical offsite power to

nuclear power stations.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/NRC Steering Committee Meeting

On March 30, 2004, Emergency Preparedness Project Office (EPPO) staff participated in a

quarterly FEMA/NRC Steering Committee meeting. The Steering Committee serves to

implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between FEMA and the NRC. Topics

discussed included: current and upcoming organizational changes in the FEMA Radiological

Emergency Preparedness (REP) Section and within EPPO; future reactor licensing and FEMA’s

role in the review process; rulemaking; the status of two studies (1) Planning and

Implementation of Public Evacuation Processes and (2) Evacuation Time Estimate (ETE)

NUREG update; proposed work concerning protective action guidelines; Alert and Notification

System (ANS) issues, including the FEMA-REP-10 update; the National Radiological

Emergency Preparedness (NREP) conference; and the progress/status on NRC requests for

assistance.

Federal Radiological Preparedness Coordinating Committee (FRPCC)/International Atomic

Energy Agency (IAEA) Video Conference

On March 30, 2004, EPPO and Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response staff

participated in a video conference held between members of the FRPCC and staff of the

Emergency Preparedness & Response group within the International Atomic Energy Agency

(IAEA). The Department of State hosted the video conference. EPPO management gave a

presentation which focused on the new Project Office organization, and the expected activities

and work associated with the five EPPO Teams: Communications, Inspections, Regulatory
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Improvements, Licensing and Security Interface. This video conference followed a video

conference held on January 21, 2004 between the FRPCC members and the IAEA. 
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

Meeting on the Shallow-Land-Disposal-Area Decommissioning

On March 24-25, 2004, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards staff and

Environmental Protection Agency staff attended a Interagency Partnering Meeting with the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection;

Argonne National Lab; URS (USACE’s consultant); and BWX Technologies (BWXT), the

licensee. The meeting was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During the meeting, URS

reviewed the results of its recent field-sampling analysis and its assessment of previous site

characterization information, prepared by ARCO (the former licensee) in the mid-1990s. 

USACE plans call for issuance of a Record of Decision by June 2006, and initiation of remedial

action by October 2008. The current license for the Shallow-Land-Disposal-Area site, held by

BWXT, authorizes the licensee and USACE to jointly request that the license be put into

abeyance 6 months before issuance of the Record of Decision.

Panel Sessions on Public Information and Outreach at the 14th Pacific Basin

Nuclear Conference

On March 22-25, 2004, Division of High-Level Waste Repository Safety staff participated in the

14th Annual Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, on a panel of invited

speakers devoted to issues of Public Information and Outreach. Staff made a presentation on

one of six “Case Studies of Effective Communications.” This session, along with two other

invited sessions, “Theory and Methods of Nuclear Communications,” and “How to Communicate

with the Public,” highlighted the importance of effective stakeholder communications at this biannual conference, sponsored by the American Nuclear Society. Staff also chaired a fourth

session of contributed papers, “Public Acceptance and Communication.” Opening plenary

speakers at the conference included former NRC Commissioners; Pacific Nuclear Council

President and President elect; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/

Nuclear Energy Agency Director General; Tennessee Valley Authority Chairman; and American

Nuclear Society Vice President. It was announced that the 15th Pacific Basin Nuclear

Conference will take place in Sydney, Australia, in October 2006.
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

Workshop on the Role of the Operator in Advanced Reactor Systems

On March 15, 2004, RES and the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) staff participated

in a workshop in Granbury, Texas, near the Comanche Peak site. The workshop was

conducted to identify and preliminarily prioritize research issues related to the role of operators

in advanced reactor systems. These research issues had been developed in a research

project, “Development of Insights Report on the Role of Human Performance in Advanced

Reactors.” Five external subject matter experts (three with US industry experience and two

from other countries) participated in the workshop. The attendees concluded that (1) the

research was comprehensive and identified most major issues, (2) the human performance

issues should be regrouped to better reflect a preliminary judgment of their priority, and

(3) while the BNL preliminary prioritization was appropriate, there was a consensus among the

experts that the development of methods, models and tools for human performance evaluation

is crucial to the success of NRC’s review of advanced reactor design processes. Additionally,

participants recommended that a formal, prioritization workshop with a larger group of subject

matter experts be conducted as soon as possible.

Issuance of Research Information Letter (RIL) No. 0401 on Postulated Reactivity-Initiated

Accidents

On March 31, 2004, the staff issued the subject RIL, which describes an assessment of

postulated reactivity-initiated accidents for operating reactors in the U.S. This report provides

the confirmatory assessment that was called for in the Updated Program Plan for High-Burnup

Light-Water Reactor Fuel of August 21, 2003, and it summarizes ten years of research on this

subject. Tables of test reactor data are presented, and an analysis is described that utilized

calculations from NRC’s FRAPTRAN fuel rod code to estimate the experimental bias in some of

the data. Cladding failure threshold curves are given for pressurized water reactor (PWR) and

boiling water reactor (BWR) hot reactor conditions and for BWR cold conditions (these

accidents will not occur in cold PWRs). The results show that cladding failure might occur at

energy levels well below those currently assumed in Regulatory Guide 1.77 (Assumptions used

for Evaluating a Control Rod Ejection Accident for PWRs). However, neutronic analyses have

been performed for a range of light water reactor conditions with NRC’s Purdue Advanced

Reactor Core Simulator 3-dimensional neutron kinetics code, developed by Purdue University,

and these analyses demonstrate that sufficient energy cannot be inserted in the fuel rods to

reach the new cladding failure thresholds. Without cladding failure, coolable geometry is

ensured and steam explosions cannot occur, thus indicating compliance with General Design

Criterion 28 (Reactivity Limits). This conclusion applies to Zircaloy-2, Zircaloy-4, Zirlo, and M5

cladding alloys as well as to UO2 and mixed oxide fuel, all of which were included in the

database.

Westinghouse Owners Group Common-Cause Failure Workshop

On March 16-17, 2004, RES staff participated in a common-cause failure (CCF) data workshop

sponsored by the Westinghouse Owners’ Group (WOG). About 15 users of the Agency’s CCF
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Database were present. The purposes of the workshop were to: discuss the review of the

2002 CCF events, better understand how CCF events were selected, understand the basics of

CCF analysis, and share experiences in using the CCF Database.

Feedback regarding the database was very positive. Participants stated that the database has

been useful and appreciated the face-to-face discussions on event coding and demonstration of

the software. Suggestions by licensees for enhancing the database were provided and these

suggestions will be formalized in a WOG letter to the NRC. The WOG stated that it would like

to continue to participate in the quality assurance reviews of the CCF events.

Stabilizing the Probability Risk Assessment (PRA) Quality Expectations and Requirements

On March 24, 2004, NRR and RES staff held a second public meeting to present a draft of the

staff’s action plan for the phased approach introduced in the Staff Requirement Memorandum,

COMNJD-03-0002 “Stabilizing the PRA Quality Expectations and Requirements,” and to solicit

feedback from stakeholders. This meeting was attended by licensees, nuclear vendors,

Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and consultants. A

draft version of the action plan was discussed and the major feedback included concerns on the

staff position of assigning a low priority to staff reviews for applications where the licensee’s

PRA scope is not supported by currently available standards; it was expressed that the staff

position will serve as a disincentive to licensees to be pro-active in developing broader scope

PRAs, and concerns were expressed with the needed industry resources to achieve Phase 3. 

Several attendees expressed the desire to have more time to review the draft plan to provide

comments before it is finalized.

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safety (ACRS) meeting on Stabilizing the PRA Quality

Expectations and Requirements

On March 25, 2004, NRR and RES staff met with the ACRS Subcommittee on PRA to solicit

comments on the staff’s draft action plan for the phased approach introduced in the SRM

COMNJD-03-0002 “Stabilizing the PRA Quality Expectations and Requirements.” The

feedback from the ACRS was, in general, favorable. Some concerns were raised which

included: the staff’s plan if the standards developing organizations do not develop a needed

standard and that the plan does not clearly indicated that technical issues that are essential to

accomplishing Phase 3 are recognized as essential such that their schedule is tied to the

Phase 3 schedule. The staff will brief the ACRS, full-committee, in April 2004 and again when

the action plan is finalized.
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

Health Physics Society’s Symposium on the Three Mile Island Accident

On March 29, 2004, the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR) presented

the opening presentation at the Susquehanna Valley Chapter of the Health Physics Society’s

25th Anniversary Symposium on the Three Mile Island Accident. The location of the symposium

was the Three Mile Island training facility. About 75 symposium participants presented utility,

State, local, and Federal perspectives of the accident.

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-III-04-004, D.C. Cook Unit 1 - SHUTDOWN OF D.C. COOK UNIT 1 FOR

GREATER THAN 72 HOURS.
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending April 2, 2004

List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: NAC-UMS, Amendment 3, Revision; Confirmation

of Effective Date (AH25 - Part 72)

On March 31, 2004, a document confirming the March 31, 2004, effective date of a direct final

rule revising the NAC International NAC-UMS (Amendment 3) cask system listing of approved

spent fuel storage casks was published in the Federal Register (69 FR 16769). 

Acquisition Training for Project Managers

On March 29, 2004, the Division of Contracts conducted the Overview Refresher course for 30

participants. This half-day workshop satisfies the requirement that Project Managers receive

refresher training every three years to maintain their Project Manager certification. Presenters

included staff from the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), the Office of Small Business and

Civil Rights (SBCR), and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Also, on March 29, OGC

conducted the Organizational Conflict of Interest (COI) Workshop for 17 participants; and on

March 30, the Division of Contracts conducted the Closing Out the Contract Workshop for 16

participants. These two workshops are two of the twelve workshops offered under the

Acquisition Certification and Training Program. The COI is one of five core mandatory

workshops required for certification. 

Best Workplaces for Commuters Program

On March 24, 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of

Transportation recognized NRC as one of the Best Workplaces for Commuters for providing

our employees with outstanding commuter benefits which meet the National Standard of

Excellence and help reduce traffic and air pollution in the community. NRC joins a nationwide

effort of more than 1800 employers representing more than 800,000 employees to reduce

traffic congestion, air pollution, and fuel consumption through the provision of commuter

benefits. The Best Workplaces for Commuters program began in 2000 to address the impacts

of growing traffic congestion and traffic-related pollution across the country. The program was

highlighted as an effective tool to address environmental, energy, traffic congestion, and safety

concerns. 
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

New Contract Awarded for Electronic Information Exchange

On March 26, 2004, the General Services Administration (GSA) and Northrop-Grumman

Information Technology (NGIT) agreed to a new contract for the upgrade and maintenance of

NRC’s Electronic Information Exchange (EIE) system. The original EIE system was designed

to provide proof of concept and pilot services for the electronic submission of digitally signed

documents to the NRC. The new contract will provide for the re-engineering of the EIE system

to better align with the Agency’s Enterprise architecture and new requirements of the electron

rule (E-Rule) and High Level Waste and result in a more robust and efficient process.

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

March 26 through April 1, 2004:

Contract NRC3303341, basic contract FOIA/PA-2004-0179

Wackenhut Corporation. (or Wackenhut Services Inc.)

correspondence between NRC from 1-1-2000 to 3-25-2004

FOIA/PA-2004-0180

Office of Inspector General (OIG) 02-A-14, Review of Security at

NRC’s Headquarters, 8-15-2002

FOIA/PA-2004-0181

Vermont Yankee’s Power Uprate Project, conversations between

named Entergy and named NRC staff on 1-8-2003, all documentation

FOIA/PA-2004-0182

Office of Investigation (OI) Report 4-2002-001, Inspection Report

030-07710/01-001, EA-03-126, transcript of Pre-Enforcement

Conference of November 18-19, 2003, all records

FOIA/PA-2004-0183

Vermont Yankee’s Power Uprate, discussions between General

Electric named individuals and NRC on 1-22-2003

FOIA/PA-2004-0184

SECY-99-006, December 17, 1998 comments from Atomic Safety

and Licensing Board Panel (ASLBP) to general counsel & January

19, 199 comments from ASLBP to the Commission re: hearing

process & Atomic Energy Act

FOIA/PA-2004-0185

Eighty-first meeting of the Working Group/Cabinet Committee to

combat terrorism, April 1975 (Referral by Department of State)

FOIA/PA-2004-0186
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

Arrivals

Tracey Denning Senior Information Management Analyst OCIO

Susan Dickerson Team Leader RES

Emmanuel Omotosho Student IT Specialist (Co-Op) NSIR

Darani Reddick Legal Intern OGC

Ronald Rolph Health Physicist R-I

Selim Sancaktar Reliability and Risk Analyst RES

Retirements

Anthony J. Dipalo Senior Project Manager NMSS

Teresa Darden Senior Health Physicist R-I

Gerald R. Klingler Senior Reactor Operations Engineer NRR

James Liberman Special Counsel OGC

Louis L. Wheeler Senior Project Manager NRR

Departures

Randall Brown Agency Safety and Health Manager HR

Brian Gonsoulin Criminal Investigator OI
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE L

Office of State and Tribal Programs

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

Public Meeting on the National Materials Program (NMP) Pilot Project

On March 31, 2004, NRC staff conducted a meeting to inform stakeholders of the status and

progress of the NMP pilot projects and receive feedback on a range of issues involving the

NMP. Organizations represented at the meeting included the Health Physics Society, American

College of Radiology, Sierra Club, licensees, associations, Organization of Agreement States,

Inc.(OAS), and the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc.(CRCPD). Areas of

discussion and feedback included the future structure and framework of the NMP, role and

responsibilities of NRC, Agreements States, OAS, and CRCPD, and challenges that must be

overcome to make the program a success. The discussion and feedback will be used by the

staff in the overall assessment report on the pilot projects for the Commission. 
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

Media Interest

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

The announcements by two consortia of power companies that they intend to test the NRC’s

streamlined licensing process for new nuclear power plants.

The Chairman’s announcement of sweeping changes in the agency’s top management

positions.

Controversy over a proposed power uprate for the Vermont Yankee plant.

Other Public Affairs Items

OPA provided support at annual performance assessment meetings for the Vermont Yankee,

Vogtle and Browns Ferry nuclear power plants.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

04-038 NRC Makes New Management Assignments to Expand its Focus on

Safety, Security and Preparedness (3/31)

Regions:

I-04-016 NRC to Discuss Annual Performance Assessment of R.E. Ginna Nuclear

Power Plant (3/30)

I-04-017 NRC to Discuss Annual Performance Assessment of Limerick Nuclear

Power Plant (4/2)

II-04-021 NRC to Hold Open Regulatory Conference to Discuss Surry Nuclear Plant

Operations (3/31)

III-04-017 NRC to Meet with Nuclear Management Company to Discuss Performance

of Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant (3/29)

III-04-018 New Location for NRC Region III Office Beginning April 5 (3/30)

III-04-019 NRC to Meet with Exelon Generation Company to Discuss Performance of

Clinton Nuclear Plant (4/1)
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SRM on SECY-04-0044 4/1/04 Proposed Pilot Program for the Use of

Alternative Dispute Resolution in the

Enforcement Program

Commission Voting

Record on SECY-04-0044

4/1/04 (same)

Information Papers

1. SECY-04-0049 3/26/04 SECY-04-0049 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending March 19, 2004

2. SECY-04-0045 3/17/04 Final Criteria for the Treatment of Individual

Requirements in a Regulatory Analysis

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Congresswoman Sue W. Kelly, dated March 22, 2004, responds to request for

information regarding the findings in an NRC special inspection report issued on December

22, 2003.

2. Letter to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, dated March 22, 2004, responds to request for

information regarding the findings in an NRC special inspection report issued on December

22, 2003.

3. Letter to Senator Jeff Bingaman, dated March 17, 2004, responds to concerns about

NRC’s package certification requirements.
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

Mississippi Periodic Management Meeting

On March 30, 2004, the Regional State Agreements Officer (RSAO) met with management

from the Mississippi Division of Radiological Health to discuss the status of the State’s

radioactive materials program. In addition, the RSAO and program management met with the

Director for the Office of Health Protection to discuss the NRC’s Agreement States program

and the Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP). Since the Division’s

realignment to the Office of Health Protection six months ago, management support for the

program has improved. One vacancy in the radioactive materials section was filled in

December 2003 and permission has been granted to fill the other vacancy. The Division

anticipates that this position will be filled in the next few months. No performance issues were

identified during the meeting. The next IMPEP review for the Mississippi program is scheduled

for FY2005.
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Annual Assessment Meetings

During the week of March 29 - April 2, 2004, the Regional Office held the NRC ROP Annual

Assessment Meetings for the H. B. Robinson, Surry and Vogtle nuclear plants. The meetings

were held at or near the nuclear plants and were open to the public. 

Honeywell International, Inc.

On March 28, 2004, the Honeywell uranium conversion facility in Metropolis, Illinois, began ore

preparation operations. The NRC had informed Honeywell on March 26, 2004, that the NRC

had no objection to the restart of ore preparation operations based on the improvements made

at the facility and the NRC’s inspection results.
April 2, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

TXU Energy, Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station

Wes Taylor, the President of Production, TXU Energy, announced his retirement effective

March 31, 2004. He will remain with the company in a consulting role through the end of this

year. No replacement has been named.

Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, Wolf Creek Generating Station

Wolf Creek Generating Station announced a significant organizational realignment involving

two additional Vice President positions at the site. Britt McKinney, formerly Site Vice President,

has been appointed Vice President Oversight. Donna Jacobs, formerly Plant Manager, has

been appointed Vice President Operations and Plant Manager. Mark Larson, formerly

Controller-Treasurer, has been appointed Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer.

Entergy Operations, Inc., Arkansas Nuclear One

On April 1, 2004, the NRC Region IV Regional Administrator traveled to Arkansas Nuclear One

to present NRC license certificates to recently licensed reactor operators and senior reactor

operators. 

Predecisional Enforcement Conference Roetech, LLC

The Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, and selected Region IV and headquarters

staff members conducted a closed Predecisional Enforcement Conference on April 1, 2004, in

Sheridan, Wyoming. The conference was held with Roetech, LLC., President and Owner to

discuss one apparent violation of NRC requirements and to determine whether enforcement

action is warranted. 
April 2, 2004 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 2, 2004

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 52

OCA

Contact

DATE &

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Long 04/07/04

SD-342

2:00 Senators Stabenow/Thomas,

Federal Bureau of Prisons,GSA, and others

S.346-Establishing a Govenment-widePolicy Requiring Competitive Bidding inProcurements from Federal PrisonIndustries

Senators FFinancial MInternationGovernme

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

System Outage Task Force 

Senators DEnergy an

Keeling late April

2154 RHOB

TBA GAO GAO Report on the Lack of Continuity of

Operations Planning by FederalAgencies

Reps. DavGovernme

Portner TBA TBA NRC Commissioners and IG NRC Oversight Senators V

Clean Air, SafetyEnvironme

Note: Congress is in its Spring recess, reconvening on April 19.