INFORMATION REPORT

July 19, 2005 SECY-05-0125

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-05-0125 - “WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING JULY 8, 2005”

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

Office of Information Services 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. Huffert, OEDO
July 19, 2005 SECY-05-0125 

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-05-0125 - “WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING JULY 8, 2005”

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

Office of Information Services 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. Huffert, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\week708.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

T. Huffert:jva WMDean

07/19/05 07/19/05
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JULY 8, 2005

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: T. Huffert, OEDO by E-mail: amh1@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 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I 20

ADM 10 Region II 21

OIS 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV *

HR 15 EDO *

SBCR * OCA 22

OE *

*No input this week
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

NSIR/NRR Material Control and Accounting Inspection at V.C. Summer

During the week of June 27, 2005, NRR and Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response

(NSIR) staff conducted its first material control and accounting inspection at the V.C. Summer

Nuclear Power Plant following issuance of Bulletin 2005-01, "Material Control and Accounting at

Reactors and Wet Spent Fuel Storage Facilities," dated February 11, 2005. The purpose of the

inspection was to determine the adequacy of the licensee's program for accountability of all

special nuclear materials (SNM) that have been received, shipped, or stored. Special attention

was given to the visual verification of the presence of several fuel pins which had been removed

from fuel assemblies and not subsequently reused. The location of similar fuel pins was an

issue at Vermont Yankee, Humboldt Bay, and Millstone Unit 1 as noted in the Bulletin. The

staff found the inspection provided useful insights into the storage, documentation, and

verification of various objects containing SNM. The results of the inspection will be documented

in a future inspection report. The staff is planning similar inspections at all nuclear power plants

and facilities that maintain spent fuel storage pools.

Staff Holds Public Scoping Meetings on Environmental Issues Pertaining to the License

Renewal of Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant

On June 30, 2005, the staff conducted two public meetings in Monticello, MN, to solicit

comments from the public on the subject line. Approximately 50 people attended the meetings,

including members of the public, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Nuclear

Management Company (NMC, the applicant), Xcel Energy Inc., local governments, and the

local news media. Public comments and questions were focused on the license renewal

process, alternative energy sources, and radiological effluent releases. 

In addition to the public meetings, the staff and its contractors conducted an environmental site

audit on June 28-29, 2005. The scoping period ends on August 2, 2005. The draft

supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) is scheduled to be published in February

2006 and the final SEIS is scheduled to be published in September 2006.
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

DOE Response to Salt Waste Disposal Request for Information

On July 1, 2005, the Department of Energy (DOE) submitted a partial response to a Request

for Additional Information (RAI) regarding its non-high-level-waste determination for salt waste

disposal at the Savannah River Site. This is the first waste determination submitted to NRC

under the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2005. The RAI was sent to DOE

on May 26, 2005, and contained 68 technical comments on such areas as performance

assessment, removal efficiencies for radionuclides, and geochemistry.

NRC Staff Workshop on Decommissioning in Russia

From June 27 to 29, 2005, staff from the Division of Waste Management and Environmental

Protection provided support to the Office of International Programs by conducting a workshop

on decommissioning to the Federal Environmental, Industrial, and Nuclear Supervision Service

of the Russian Federation. The workshop was held in Moscow, Russia. Key topics covered in

the workshop included: NRC's decommissioning regulatory framework; approaches to

conducting dose assessments and surveys; NRC's process for developing safety evaluation

reports; current approach for clearing material; current decommissioning issues; and, lessons

learned.

International Atomic Energy Agency Visits USEC Inc.’s Lead Cascade Facility

On June 29, 2005, an official of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) participated in a

tour of USEC Inc.’s American Centrifuge Lead Cascade facility (Lead Cascade) in Piketon, OH. 

NRC’s project manager for the Lead Cascade, NRC’s IAEA safeguards technical contact from

the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, an NRC contractor, and officials from the

Department of State and the Department of Energy participated in the tour. Before conducting

the tour, USEC Inc. described the Lead Cascade project, including the anticipated Lead

Cascade deployment schedule.

Meeting Regarding Shipment of Uranium Hexafluoride

On June 29, 2005, Spent Fuel Project Office staff met with Duratek, Inc. and the Department of

Transportation (DOT) to discuss shipment of uranium hexafluoride in the Model No. UX-30

transport package. The discussion centered on certain cylinders that may be packaged within a

secondary vessel for transport or shipped within DOT-specification containers. The shipments

are part of the plan to remove this material, which is currently located at the East Tennessee

Technology Park.

Pre-application Meeting Regarding Plans for New Fresh Fuel Transportation Package Design

On June 28, 2005, Spent Fuel Project Office staff met with representatives from AREVA

(Framatome ANP) to discuss plans for requesting a Certificate of Compliance for a new

transportation package for unirradiated pressurized-water reactor fuel, preliminarily called 
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE B

MarcoPolo. According to AREVA, the MarcoPolo design will replace its current transportation

package designs, some of which will be phased out as a result of the imminent expiration of

grandfathering provisions of 10 CFR Part 71. The applicant plans to request certification of the

package design by NRC and the French regulatory authority.
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

Expert Workshop on the Evaluation of Human Reliability Methods

From June 27 to 29, 2005, staff and NRC consultants met with national and international

experts in the areas of human reliability analysis (HRA), probabilistic risk assessment (PRA)

and human factors to review and evaluate current HRA methods. Meeting participants included

representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the OECD Halden

Reactor Project, and Department of Energy national laboratories. The objective of these

discussions was to evaluate current HRA methods against the guidelines outlined in

NUREG-1792, "Good Practices for Implementing Human Reliability Analysis." This evaluation

is intended to enhance future regulatory risk-informed decision making by identifying the

applicability and limitations of various HRA models. The staff plans to issue a NUREG/CR

report on HRA method evaluation in 2006. This work supports the Probabilistic Risk

Assessment (PRA) Quality Action Plan.

Meeting of the Equipment Performance and Information Exchange Ad Hoc Working Group

On June 29, 2005, the staff participated in a meeting of the Institute Nuclear Power Operations

(INPO) Equipment Performance and Information Exchange (EPIX) Ad Hoc Working Group. 

EPIX is maintained by INPO and provides an industry-wide database of information on

Maintenance Rule components at all U.S. nuclear power plants. EPIX data are used by NRC

staff to estimate probabilistic risk assessment parameters for NRC Standardized Plant Analysis

Risk (SPAR) models, develop the Mitigating Systems Performance Index (MSPI), provide data

on the RES web page, and analyze licensee applications and operating experience. The

meeting was well attended and included representatives from industry, Electric Power Research

Institute and NRC. Discussions focused on topics such as implementation of the MSPI, new

measures of industry-wide equipment performance, the results of a survey of EPIX users, and

INPO initiatives to improve EPIX usage and quality. NRC staff gave a presentation on the use

of EPIX data in SPAR models and industry trends in equipment performance.

Meeting to Discuss NRC and Westinghouse Calculations In Support of 10 CFR 50.46

Rulemaking

On June 28, 2005, staff from RES and NRR attended a meeting in Monroeville, PA to compare

results of thermal hydraulic loss-of-coolant accident and containment analyses that were

performed by NRC staff with similar analyses performed by Westinghouse. These analyses

were performed to support the proposed 10 CFR 50.46 rule change. Earlier this year, NEI and

the Westinghouse Owners Group had suggested that safety benefits could be obtained by

reducing the maximum break size required to be analyzed in accordance with 50.46. As a

result, Westinghouse and NRC agreed to perform a set of small break and "transition" break

calculations for a generic standard Westinghouse 4-loop plant designated as a Standard 412

plant. In addition to the diesel delay sensitivity, calculations were done with and without

containment spray actuation to evaluated water consumption prior to sump recirculation

switchover. All calculations showed relatively similar behavior.
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE C

Meeting Between the NRC and Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Pty. LTD

On June 30, 2005, staff from RES, NRR, the Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and

Safeguards, and the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response conducted a public

meeting with Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Pty. LTD (PBMR Pty.). The meeting objective was

for the staff and PBMR Pty. to begin planning for a potential pre-application review of the

Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) beginning in FY 2006. Meeting discussion topics

included pre-application review planning objectives, PBMR design and safety principles, PBMR

development and testing program, the proposed focus topics for the pre-application review, and

identification of potential new licensing policy issues. PBMR Pty. indicated that it intended to

coordinate the PBMR licensing approach, including event selection, defense-in-depth and

classification of systems, structures and components, with the principles and approach of the

technology-neutral risk-informed and performance-based framework being developed by the

staff. The next planning meeting is expected to take place in September 2005. 

Meeting Between the NRC and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to Discuss NRC/North

American Reliability Council Electrical Analyses Initiative

On July 6, 2005, the staff and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) representatives

met to discuss the NRC/North American Reliability Council (NERC) initiative to conduct

electrical analyses of the grid and nuclear power plants. The NRC’s electrical grid analysis

would benefit from FERC participation. FERC committed to participate after the NRC finalizes

the task plans. In addition to the technical discussions, the staff discussed the NRC/NERC

Memorandum of Agreement and its Appendices that identify the specific areas of work. 

International Atomic Energy Agency Meeting on Deployment of On-Line Monitoring Systems in

Nuclear Power Plants

From June 27-28, 2005, the staff participated in a technical meeting to discuss deployment of

on-line monitoring (OLM) technologies at nuclear power plants. The meeting was hosted by the

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and provided a forum for presentations and

discussions of experience with the development, validation, and implementation of OLM

techniques for instrument calibration verification, equipment condition monitoring, and

diagnostics of equipment and process anomalies. This meeting was attended by

representatives from 21 countries and provided insights into how this technology is being

implemented at nuclear power plants around the world. The information provided at this

meeting will be used to develop an IAEA TECDOC entitled “On-line Monitoring of Sensor

Performance in Nuclear Power Plants,” which provides implementation guidance for the use of

on-line monitoring techniques to extend the calibration intervals of instrument channels in

nuclear power plants. Also, the information obtained at this meeting will be helpful to NRC in

completing on-going research in this area and formulating review criteria for licensing OLM

systems in the United States.
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE D

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-I-05-020, Entergy Nuclear Northeast - SHUTDOWN EXPECTED TO BE GREATER

THAN 72 HOURS TO REPAIR A SMALL CRACK IN THE TORUS PORTION OF

PRIMARY CONTAINMENT.

2. PNO-III-05-011, Indiana Department of Transportation - STOLEN MOISTURE/DENSITY

GAUGE.
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending July 8, 2005

Export and Import of Radioactive Material: Security Policies (AH44 - Part 110)

On July 1, 2005, a final rule was published in the Federal Register that amends the regulations

pertaining to the export and import of radioactive materials (70 FR 37985). The final rule

provides for enhanced tracking of certain exports and imports of radioactive sealed sources and

bulk material for certain radionuclides. The final rule also includes new specific export and

import license requirements for a small number of radioactive materials in amounts exceeding

clearly defined limits. The final rule implements recent changes to the security policies of the

Executive Branch and the Commission. The final rule becomes effective December 28, 2005.
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

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

July 1 through July 7, 2005:

OI report 2-2004-054, interview transcript for named individual FOIA/PA-2005-0285

Westinghouse AP600 design certification, filings or notices, sale,

transfer or change of controls; Combustion Engineering design

certification for CE System 80+, sale, transfer or change of control

FOIA/PA-2005-0286

Union Carbide, Uravan, CO, transfer of property; contracts,

correspondence on the operation & maintenance of the Manhattan

Project Mill, & care & maintenance of Uravan, CO

FOIA/PA-2005-0287

305 College Road East, Princeton, Middlesex Co., New Jersey

08540, Material License Tracking System information

FOIA/PA-2005-0288
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

Arrivals

BELTZ, TERRY A. PROJECT MANAGER NRR

BERNAL, SARA GENERAL ENGINEER (NSPDP) NRR

CHANG, HELEN TECHNICAL WRITER EDITOR OIS

CRANE, SAMANTHA MATERIALS ENGINEER (NSPDP) RES

HAYDEN, GWENDOLYN B. IT SPECIALIST OIS

MCDERMOTT, JEFFREY L. SENIOR CONTRACT SPECIALIST ADM

NG, SAIWAH GENERAL ENGINEER (NSPDP) NRR

PHALEN, MARTIN J. HEALTH PHYSICIST R-III

PHUONG, LUC IT SPECIALIST (SYSANALYSIS) NRR

SEIFER, CALAI L. STUDENT CLERK R-II

SHAFFNER, JAMES PROJECT MANAGER NESS

SMITH, STACY REACTOR ENGINEER (NSPDP) R-I

WATKINS, CHARLES B. IT SPECIALIST (INFOSEC) OIS

Departures

DAM, WILLIAM L. PROJECT MANAGER NRR

PHILLIPS, RICHARD P. SPECIAL ASSISTANT OCFO
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

Commissioner Jackzo Visit to BWX Technologies, Inc.

On July 8, 2005, Commissioner Jackzo visited the BWX Technologies for a site tour and met

with licensee management in Lynchburg, VA.

The Office of Public Affairs received significant media inquiries on the following:

- NRC actions following the mass transit bombings in London.

- NRC special inspection of cracking at the FitzPatrick nuclear plant.

Other OPA Items:

Press Releases

Headquarters:

05-099 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet July 19-21 in Rockville,

MD (7/7)

Regions:

I-05-039 NRC Begins Special Inspection at James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant (7/7)

II-05-031 NRC Staff to Meet with TVA Officials in Atlanta to Discuss Browns Ferry

Unit 1 Restart (7/7)

IV-05-027 NRC to Meet with Nebraska Public Power District to Discuss March 14 Fire at

Cooper Nuclear Station (7/6)
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE N

Office of International Programs (OIP)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

Delegation from the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan Visits NRC

Mr. Naohisa Oki, Chief Representative of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan

(FEPC) Washington Office and Mr. Toshiaki Hayashi, also of FEPC, met with Commissioner

Lyons for a courtesy visit on July 6, 2005. The purpose of the visit was for Mr. Oki to introduce

Mr. Hayashi as the newly appointed FEPC Chief Representative of the Washington office.
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Information Papers

1. SECY-05-0114 6/30/05 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

June 17, 2005

2. SECY-05-0116 7/5/05 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

June 24, 2005

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Senator Bill Nelson, dated June 27, 2005, responds to concerns about a

rulemaking regarding the disposal of low-activity radioactive waste and the current

Connecticut Yankee application.

2. Letter to Congressman Jim Saxton, dated June 29, 2005, responds to concerns

regarding the safety of the spent fuel pool at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating

Station.

3. Letter to Congress, dated June 30, 2005, provides the May 2005 monthly report on the

status of NRC's licensing activities and regulatory duties. 

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, notice of 161st meeting (7/19-21/05). 

2. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Subcommittee Meeting on ThermalHydraulic Phenomena, notice of meeting (7/19-20/05). 
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region I (RI)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

Millstone Special Inspection Team Final Inspection Report Issued on July 5, 2005

Region I issued the Millstone Unit 3 Special Inspection Team report on July 5, 2005, concerning

the April 17 reactor trip and Alert declaration. The team concluded that the overall response of

Dominion Nuclear Connecticut (DNC) to the inadvertent safety injection actuation and reactor

trip was adequate in that the plant was taken to a safe shutdown condition. Nonetheless,

several issues related to equipment reliability and human performance were identified. The

team also noted that existing DNC processes for post-trip event review did not provide clear

guidance on the scope and breadth of review necessary to assess complex plant events. The

final report contained five green non-cited violations and one green finding.

Special Inspection Initiated for FitzPatrick Torus and Shutdown Cooling Issues

On July 7, 2005, a Special Inspection was initiated to inspect and assess the circumstances

associated with through-wall defects in the FitzPatrick torus shell and a shutdown cooling line. 

The inspection team will complete a portion of its onsite review prior to plant restart, examining

the licensee's repair efforts and initial corrective actions. On June 27, FitzPatrick staff identified

a 4.6" crack in the torus shell and their initial evaluation of the through-wall defect concluded

that the primary containment remained operable. On June 30, a plant shutdown was initiated

after further engineering evaluations concluded operability of the primary containment could not

be assured under all scenarios. On July 4, with the plant in cold shutdown, the FitzPatrick staff

identified through-wall leakage on the shutdown cooling suction line and declared the shutdown

cooling subsystems required by Technical Specifications (TS) to be inoperable based on the

presence of the through-wall defect. Notwithstanding the TS inoperability, the shutdown cooling

subsystems remain functional.
July 8, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

URENCO Gas Centrifuge in Almelo, The Netherlands

From July 5-8, 2005, Region II staff visited the Netherlands, met with the Dutch regulators, and

toured the URENCO gas centrifuge facility in Almelo, The Netherlands. The purpose of the visit

was to discuss inspection-related issues concerning the URENCO gas centrifuge facility and

observe both an operating facility and a facility under construction to gain insights into the

safety issues important to the operation and construction of a gas centrifuge facility. 
July 8, 2005 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 8, 2005

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 26

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Keeling July 12

2118RHOB

 9:30 HHS, DHS, Novo Nordisk

Inc., Center for Health andHomeland Security, UM,Hollis-EdenPharmaceuticals Inc.,Aethlon Medical Inc.,PharmAthene Inc., andEMD Pharmaceuticals

Project BioShield: LinkingBioterrorism Threats andCountermeasure Procurement

Reps. KinEmergen and TechHomeland 

Combs July 12

2318RHOB

10:00 Marvin Fertel, NEI

Richard Lester, MITDean, School of Public Policy, University of MarylandDonald Jones, RCF Economic and Financial Consulting

Economic Aspects of Nuclear FuelReprocessing

Reps. BigEnergyScience

Shane July 13

2154RHOB

 2:00 Newt Gingrich, GAO, and

Government AccountabilityProject, GMU

From Bureaucrats to Plutocrats: CanEntrepreneurialism Work in theFederal Government

Reps. PoFederal W OrganizaGovernm