April 24, 2003 SECY-03-0065

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-03-0065 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING APRIL 18, 2003

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 & 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:

C. Glenn, OEDO
April 24, 2003 SECY-03-0065

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-03-0065 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING APRIL 18, 2003

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 & 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:

C. Glenn, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\WEEK418.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

CJGlenn WMDean

04/24/03 04/28/03
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING APRIL 18, 2003

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: C. Glenn, OEDO by E-mail: CJG1@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 IP 18

NSIR 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I 20

ADM 10 Region II 21

CIO 11 Region III 22

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 OEDO *

SB/CR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

Control Room Habitability

On April 10, 2003, Division of Systems Safety and Analysis (DSSA) staff presented the

proposed final generic letter and four regulatory guides on control room habitability to the

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS). The ACRS indicated support for the

staff’s plan to issue the documents in mid-May 2003. Industry representatives made a parallel

presentation that indicated reasonable alignment with the staff’s approach. The industry

representatives requested the staff to participate in a workshop in mid-June in order to assist

the industry in its development of an acceptable approach to reply to the proposed generic

letter. The staff will support the workshop. The ACRS requested a subsequent briefing in

about a year on the status of the industry responses to the generic letter and the improvements

to licensee control room habitability and designs.

Fire Protection Significance Determination Process (SDP) Improvement Initiative

On March 14, 2003, DSSA staff sponsored a public meeting to discuss the draft fire protection

SDP methodology. The meeting was attended by NRC staff from various offices, an NRC

contractor from Sandia National Laboratory, and representatives from the Nuclear Energy

Institute and industry.

DSSA staff, with support from the Sandia contractor, presented an overview of the Phase 1 and

Phase 2 process of the draft SDP methodology. There was overall agreement on the basic

process and equation to determine the significance of fire protection inspection findings. The

need to obtain the final input to the draft fire protection SDP tool, including some significant

items to enhance the guidance and its basis documentation, were also discussed. The

schedule for obtaining the final input from some of the focus task groups responsible for

providing the significant items was discussed to determine a reasonable time for issuing the

final fire protection SDP. The new date for issuance of the final fire protection SDP is

anticipated to be spring 2004.

Duke License Renewal Application for McGuire 1&2 and Catawba 1&2

On April 11, 2003, Nuclear Information and Resource Service and the Blue Ridge

Environmental Defense League, petitioners in the Catawba and McGuire license renewal

proceeding, filed a request to the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) to reinstate a

contention pertaining to the anticipated use of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel in McGuire and Catawba

reactors. The original contention was proffered in September 2001 and alleged that Duke

Energy Corporation (the applicant) failed to address the potential impact of MOX fuel use on

aging and environmental issues in its application for license renewal. The ASLB admitted the

contention to a hearing. 
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

On April 12, 2002, the Commission issued an order to reverse the Board’s ruling on the bases

that (1) the MOX contention was founded on projected changes to a license and not ripe for

consideration; and (2) MOX fuel use was a separate issue and not related to the license

renewal proceeding. On February 27, 2003, Duke Energy Corporation submitted an

amendment request to allow insertion of MOX fuel lead assemblies into a McGuire or Catawba

reactor unit for irradiation. The petitioners requested reinstatement of the MOX contention on

the basis that it is now ripe for consideration.

Regulatory Information Exchange Bilateral Meeting of the NRC with DGSNR

On April 15, 2003, the staff participated in a bilateral meeting with the Directorate General for

Nuclear Safety and Radiation (DGSNR). The DGSNR Director General, members of his staff, 

and NRC senior management and staff attended. NRC staff presented an update on the

“Impact on Reactor Safety of Market Deregulation in the United States.” The DGSNR provided

an excellent update on the economic and reactor safety situation in France in the broader

context of changes occurring throughout Europe and how these changes were impacting their

regulatory policies and programs.

Public Meeting on Radioactive Effluent Criteria in Appendix I to 10 CFR 50

On April 11, 2003, staff from the Division of Inspection Program Management participated in a

category three public meeting with representatives of the nuclear industry and Nuclear Energy

Institute to discuss the dose methodology used in Appendix I to 10 CFR 50.

The goal of this meeting was for the NRC to gather input from industry for inclusion in a

Commission paper outlining possible solutions to resolve the inconsistencies of dose

methodologies used in 10 CFR 20 and in Appendix I. This was the first meeting in several

years to discuss the potential revision of Appendix I and one or more subsequent meetings are

anticipated.
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

Louisiana Energy Services Delays License Submittal Decision

Louisiana Energy Services (LES) staff reported that it is delaying a decision to submit a license

application for a gas centrifuge enrichment plan in Hartsville, Tennessee, to consider other

options. LES staff indicated that it would make its decision by the end of June 2003.

Staff Participates in Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards Quarterly Meeting

On April 15, 2003, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards and Office of Nuclear

Regulatory Research staff participated in the quarterly meeting of the Interagency Steering

Committee on Radiation Standards (ISCORS), held at Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Headquarters. Six ISCORS subcomittees covering mixed waste, Federal Guidance, Cleanup,

Recycle, Risk Harmonization, and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) reported

on their most recent activities. EPA is currently revising its “Federal Guidance for the General

Public,” and NRC staff and other agencies will be advocating that it specify numerical limits for

radiation exposures to the public. The Sewage Sludge Subcommittee is nearing completion of

its work on radioactive materials found in Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW), and has

documented its results in three reports. One of the reports will be undergoing peer review

soon. The Subcommittee has concluded that the most significant radiation exposures from

sewage sludge produced in POTWs are from NORM, not Atomic Energy Act materials.

Attendance at the University of California Berkeley Colloquium

On April 7, 2003, a staff member from the Division of Waste Management participated in the

University of California, Berkeley, Department of Nuclear Engineering Colloquium. Attendees

included staff and students from various engineering and non-engineering departments, and

the Electric Power Research Institute. During the Colloquium, the staff member presented a

discussion on: (1) NRC’s requirements and guidance for the review of any Department of

Energy proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, including a brief overview of

the applicable statues, 10 CFR Part 63, and the Yucca Mountain Review Plan; (2) the roles and

responsibilities of NRC and other agencies; and (3) the key technical issues for the Yucca

Mountain project.

Staff Participates in West Valley Meetings

On April 9-10, 2003, NRC staff attended the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) scoping meetings

for the West Valley Decommissioning Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), for which NRC is

a cooperating agency. The EIS scoping meetings were lightly attended by the public and many

of the comments focused on the rescoping of the EIS, possible in-place closure, incidental

waste, and NRC’s National Environmental Policy Act responsibilities. Staff also participated in

a meeting of the West Valley regulators (NRC, Environmental Protection Agency, and New

York State Department of Environmental Conservation). The discussion with the regulators

focused on possible changes to the Regulators’ Communication Plan, as well as the EIS
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

schedule proposed by DOE, which the regulators viewed as too aggressive to allow meaningful

interaction with the cooperating agencies.

Federal Rail Administration Training Course

During April 14-16, 2003, a staff member from the Spent Fuel Project Office (SFPO)

participated in a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) training course on Packaging and

Transporting Radioactive Material in San Antonio, Texas. In anticipation of increased rail

shipments of radioactive material in the future, FRA has decided to conduct several training

courses for its rail inspectors. Students attending this course included inspectors from FRA and

State agencies. For many attendees, this course was their first exposure to radioactive material

packaging and transportation, and rail inspection issues for such material. Three additional

courses are scheduled through August 2003. SFPO staff provided a presentation on the role of

NRC in rail transport, and how NRC and the Department of Transportation co-regulate

radioactive material transport.
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

Industry Workshop on Mitigating Systems Performance Index (MSPI) Pilot Program

At an April 7, 2003, industry workshop in San Antonio, TX, a staff member from the Division of

Risk Analysis & Applications presented an overview on the status of the MSPI Pilot Program. 

The workshop was attended by about thirty participants in the MSPI Shadow Plant Program. 

These plants are not formal participants in the Pilot Program, but are actively following

developments, collecting plant performance data, and exercising the methods. The purpose of

the MSPI is to monitor the performance of six systems based on their ability to perform risksignificant functions. The index, which approximates the change in core damage frequency, is

comprised of two elements - system unavailability and system reliability. Plant-specific PRA

models will be used to calculate the contribution of component failures and maintenance

unavailability to the index. 

The presentation discussed the status of the staff’s independent verification and issues

associated with the implementation of the Nuclear Energy Institute Guidance. Other topics of

discussion included: on-going research efforts to address a number of technical issues related

to the treatment of common-cause failures; the use of industry performance data and the

effects of Bayesian updating; and, the benefits of enhanced SPAR models. 

Information Exchange with European Representatives on Safety Performance Indicators

On April 10 and 11, 2003, staff from the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) and the

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) met with representatives from the Swiss Nuclear

Regulatory Authority (HSK) and the German Research Institute (GRS) to exchange information

on the implementation and development of safety performance indicators.

NRC staff presented a summary of the efforts to develop an integrated initiating event

performance indicator, and the development of thresholds for this indicator. Staff members

also discussed the development of the Mitigating Systems Performance Index described above. 

The status of European efforts to develop performance indicators were also discussed.

Agreement Between the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) and the United States Nuclear

Regulatory Commission (USNRC)

On April 14, 2003, the Executive Director for Operations signed the international agreement

between the USNRC and the PSI of Switzerland to investigate aerosol and droplet retention

behavior. The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research forwarded this agreement on April 16,

2003 to PSI for counter-signature.

This Agreement defines the terms and conditions by which the USNRC and PSI will establish

cooperation to investigate aerosol and droplet retention behavior in the secondary side of a

pressurized steam generator containing ruptured tubes during design basis and severe

accidents. The objective of the PSI ARTIST Project is to generate a database for 1) developing

and assessing the NRC MELCOR severe accident code, (2) estimating source term from the
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE C

steam generator under realistic accident conditions; and, 3) aiding in the assessment of

relevant accident management measures. Using a well validated MELCOR code will enable

NRC to perform a more realistic analysis of steam generator tube rupture scenarios under

severe accident conditions, which represent a bypass accidents that are risk-dominant in

pressurized water reactors. This Agreement will remain in effect for 5 years.

Future Cooperation Between NRC and the European Commission on High Temperature

Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) Related Research 

On April 10 and 11, 2003, the RES staff met with Dr. Dominique Hittner of Framatome ANP. 

The objective of this meeting was to identify the topics for future cooperation between the NRC

and the European Commission (E.C.) on research related to the HTGRs. Research areas of

mutual interest discussed at this meeting included: HTGR fuel performance and qualification;

nuclear analyses; high temperature materials performance, including nuclear-grade graphite

behavior; licensing framework development; and, severe accident analyses. Dr. Hittner, who

presently chairs the Steering Committee on E.C.’s High Temperature Reactor Technology

Network (HTR-TN), presented a brief overview of the current and planned research efforts

under the HTR-TN research programs. Also discussed at this meeting was the draft

Implementing Agreement to formalize the future HTGR-related cooperation with E.C., under the

NRC-European Atomic Energy Community Agreement. A follow-up meeting is planned this

summer to further discuss the HTGR-related cooperative research.
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

Workshop for Kazakhstan Representatives 

On April 15-16, 2003, the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR) and the

Office of International Programs held a workshop for representatives from Kazakhstan on the

Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan (FRERP). The FRERP is the Federal plan for

responding to peacetime radiological emergencies, and is signed by 17 Federal departments

and agencies. The objective of the workshop was to describe the roles and responsibilities of

select Federal departments and agencies in the FRERP. In addition to NSIR staff,

presentations were given by the Department of Energy, the Federal Emergency Management

Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The

information presented during the workshop will be used by the Kazakhs to revise their

equivalent to the FRERP. 

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-III -03-006, Ojos, Inc. - MULTIPLE MEDICAL EVENTS AT OJOS, INC.

2. PNO-III-03-018, Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant - TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVOLVING

URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE CYLINDERS.

3. PNO-III-03-020, Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station - ALERT DECLARED DUE TO

SAFETY RELIEF VALVE FAILING TO CLOSE.

4. PNO-II-003A, Gallet and Associates, Inc. - STOLEN PORTABLE GAUGE

RECOVERED.

5. PNO-III-03-020A, Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station - ALERT DECLARED DUE TO

RELIEF VALVE FAILING TO CLOSE (UPDATE).

6. PNO-II-03-005A, R & L Carriers, Inc. - UPDATE ON TRANSPORTATION INCIDENT

INVOLVING RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL.
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending April 18, 2003

Availability of Official Records (Part 2)

A final rule that amends the regulations pertaining to the availability of official records was

published in the Federal Register on April 18, 2003 (68 FR 18836). The final rule requires

those who submit documents claimed to contain proprietary or other confidential information to

mark the portions of the document containing that type of information to reduce the possibility

of inadvertent release, codifies NRC’s current practices delineating the circumstances under

which the NRC will not return confidential documents that have been submitted to it, and

codifies NRC’s practice of making copies of copyrighted material sufficient to perform its

mission. The final rule becomes effective June 16, 2003.

Regulatory Analysis Guidelines: Proposed Criteria for the Treatment of Individual Requirements

in a Regulatory Analysis

A document requesting public comment on the NRC’s proposed criteria for the treatment of

individual requirements in a regulatory analysis was published in the Federal Register on April

18, 2003 (68 FR 19162). The criteria are intended to address the concern that aggregating or

“bundling” different requirements in a single analysis could potentially mask the inclusion of an

inappropriate individual requirement. The comment period for this action closes July 2, 2003.
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

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

April 11 through April 18, 2003:

Radiation exposure information and reports under NRC 27 FOIA/PA-2003-0245

Calvert Cliffs ENS call to NRC, 4-7-03, transcript of declaration of an

unusual event at CCNPP, Unit 2, Ctmt Pressurizer Doghouse

FOIA/PA-2003-0246

Rep. Richard Gephardt, information requested by and provided to,

from 1-1-77 to 3-11-03, all records

FOIA/PA-2003-0247

Sen. Joe Lieberman, information requested by and provided to, from

1-1-89 to 3-11-03, all records

FOIA/PA-2003-0248

Sen. John Edwards, information requested by and provided to, from

1-1-99 to 3-11-03, all records

FOIA/PA-2003-0249

List of active and inactive licensed operators at B&W reactors

(Oconee, Crystal River III, ANO Unit 1, TMI, and Davis Besse)

FOIA/PA-2003-0250

Sen. John Kerry, information requested by and provided to, from 1-1-

85 to 3-11-03

FOIA/PA-2003-0251

Incident, Union Lake, Michigan, from 11-16-1994 to 06-1995 FOIA/PA-2003-0252

Contract RS-ADM-03-165, Operation & Maintenance of NRC

Buildings, copy of option period award amendment

FOIA/PA-2003-0253

Contract RS-ADM-03-165 FOIA/PA-2003-0254

Davis Besse, 12-30-02 OIG Event Inquiry for Case 02-03S, all

documents relative to the OIG issuing event inquiry report

FOIA/PA-2003-0255

OTI facility, Inspection Report No. 99901350/2003/201, dated 3-7-03;

Notice of Non-Conformance, all records

FOIA/PA-2003-0256

License 47-16310-02, letters dated -116-85, 6-21-90, 8-3-90, 10-23-

90, 7-6-95 and 7-28-95

FOIA/PA-2003-0257
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

Arrivals

EGLI, Richard * REACTOR TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTOR HR

HALL, Ivan PHYSICAL SECURITY INSPECTOR RII

KIM, James PROJECT MANAGER NRR

KIM, Youngman STUDENT ENGINEER (CO-OP) RI

MCDONALD, Sharon SECRETARY (OA) NSIR

SCHADE, Don CHIEF,PROGRAM ANALYSIS TEAM II OCFO

THARP, Douglas REACTOR ENGINEER RIII

THOMAS, Jamie FINANCIAL ANALYST OCFO

WARREN, Michael SENIOR SECURITY SPECIALIST NSIR

WHITED, Aaron PROJECT MANAGER (Financial) NMSS

Retirements

SOCOLIK, Marcia TEAM LEADER OCIO

Departures

BARR, Rebecca PURCHASING AGENT RI

CORTINOVIS, Charles LAW CLERK OGC

LINN, Cindy STUDENT ENGINEER (CO-OP) NMSS

*Will EOD 04/21/03, but will attend orientation on 04/28/03.
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

Media Interest

The NRC’s annual Regulatory Information Conference received extensive coverage, especially

the Chairman’s inaugural speech and the issues of security and reactor safety (Davis-Besse).

The Chairman was interviewed at the RIC by Inside NRC.

The Quad Cities alert and the Oyster Creek guard incident received wide play. Last week’s call

by the American Academy of Pediatrics for potassium iodide distribution to school children near

nuclear plants continued to reverberate in the media. Opposition to mixed-oxide (MOX) testing

and Louisiana Energy Services’ problems in securing land in Tennessee figured prominently in

regional coverage. 

End-of-cycle meetings and annual performance assessments of plants were well covered by

local media.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

03-047 NRC Seeks Public Comment on Additional Guidance for Early Site

Permit Applications

Regions:

I-03-032 NRC to Meet with FirstEnergy to Discuss Annual Assessment of

Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant Performance

III-03-034 Special Inspection Team to Review Valve Failure at Quad Cities

Plant
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Information Papers

1. SECY-03-0048 3/28/03 Renewal of Full-Power Operating Licenses

for North Anna Power Station, Units 1 and

2, and Surry Power Station, Units 1 and 2

2. SECY-03-0049 3/31/03 Status of the Accident Sequence Precursor

(ASP) and the Development of

Standardized Plant Analysis Risk (SPAR)

Models

3. SECY-03-0056 4/17/03 SECY-03-0056 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending April 11, 2003

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Senator Corzine, dated April 11, 2003, concerns security at the Oyster Creek

Nuclear Power Plant.

2. Letter to Mohamed El-Baradei, IAEA, et. al., dated April 11, 2003, provides an update of

enhanced security at NRC-licensed facilities since 9/11/01.

3. Letter to Congressman Gibbons, dated April 11, 2003, concerns comments regarding

NUREG-1768, NRC Package Performance Study Test Protocols.

4. Letter to Senator Durbin, dated April 11, 2003, concerns comments regarding NUREG1768, NRC Package Performance Study Test Protocols.

Federal Register Notices

1. Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurrences - FY 2002 - Dissemination of Information.

2. Releasing Part of a Power Reactor Site or Facility for Unrestricted Use Before the NRC

Approves the License Termination Plan - Final Rule.

3. Regulatory Analysis Guidelines: Proposed Criteria for the Treatment of Individual

Requirements in a Regulatory Analysis - Request for Comment.

4. 502nd Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards.

5. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Subcommittee Meeting on Planning and

Procedures.
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE O

6. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Meeting of Subcommittee on Reliability and

Probabilistic Risk Assessment.

7. Application to Amend License to Export Nuclear Facilities or Materials -Transnuclear, Inc.
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

NRC Staff Meeting with Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation

On April 16, 2003, Region I held a meeting with Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation to discuss

options for restricted release of the Newfield, New Jersey site. The facility at this site, which is

on the NRC’s Site Decommissioning Management Plan list, manufactured a variety of specialty

products using an ore which contained licensable concentrations of uranium and thorium. 

Topics of the meeting included a phased approach to resolving deficiencies regarding a sitespecific Environmental Report, institutional controls, financial assurance, dose modeling, and

involvement of affected parties in development of a revised decommissioning plan. The State

of New Jersey and a member of the public participated in the meeting by telephone.

Meeting of Yankee Rowe Citizen’s Advisory Board (CAB)

On April 16, 2003, a Region I Inspector made a presentation at the regularly scheduled 

Yankee Rowe Citizen’s Advisory Board. The plant, located near Rowe, Massachusetts, ceased

operations in 1991 and is being decommissioned. Meeting topics included a decommissioning

update, future building demolition activities, and a presentation by NRC. The Region I inspector

provided an overview of NRC activities for the previous and current inspection periods as well

as planned future inspection activities. Approximately 25 citizens attended the meeting.
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

2003 Regulatory Information Conference

On April 16-18, 2003, the Regional Administrator and other Region II managers and staff

participated in the NRC, 2003 Regulatory Information Conference (RIC) in Washington, D.C. 

The Regional Administrator, the Site Vice President for the North Anna nuclear power station,

Virginia Electric and Power Company, and the Associate Director for Project Licensing and

Technical Analysis, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation held a special forum with

representatives of Region II licensees to discuss current challenges facing industry and the

NRC.

Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Annual Assessment Meetings

During the week of April 14 -18, 2003, the Regional Office conducted the ROP Annual

Assessment Meetings for the Brunswick, Catawba and Watts Bar nuclear power plants. With

the conduct of these three public meetings, annual assessments have been completed for all

Region II nuclear power plants.

Steel of West Virginia, Inc (SWVA) Pre-decisional Enforcement Conference

The Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety and other regional staff conducted a

pre-decisional enforcement conference with SWVA on April 16, 2003. The purpose was to

discuss apparent violations related to the melting of shielding for and unauthorized removal of a

gauge, containing 500 millicuries of Cesium-137, during steel processing on December 16,

2002. The licensee outlined corrective actions to the apparent violations and the cause of the

event.

BWX Technologies

On April 15, 2003, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards Monitoring

Program equipment at the licensee’s facility in Lynchburg, Virginia, alarmed. The equipment,

which is used by the IAEA to monitor the quantities of high enriched uranium (HEU)

downblended to low enriched uranium, was indicating a potential problem with data collection. 

The licensee identified the condition and halted HEU downblending until an IAEA inspector

repaired the equipment and corrected the cause of the alarm on April 16, 2003.
April 18, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 18, 2003

Two Predecisional Enforcement Conferences (PEC) with Nondestructive & Visual 

Inspection, Inc., (NVI) and Global X-Ray and Testing Corporation (Global)

Region IV staff, supported by a representative from the Office of General Counsel, conducted

PECs with NVI and Global representatives on April 16, 2003, to discuss an apparent willful

violation for failure to secure an industrial radiography camera issue with each licensee. 

Reactor Oversight Process (ROP Annual Assessment Meetings

Between April 11-17, 2003, the regional office conducted the NRC’s annual assessment of

performance at the Columbia Generating Station, Diablo Canyon, and Grand Gulf nuclear

power plants. The meetings were generally lightly attended, though the Diablo Canyon meeting

received some media attention and was attended by members of local pubic interest groups.

South Texas Project Unit 1 Reactor Vessel Bottom Head Leakage

A conference call was held on April 17, 2003, involving the Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation (NRR), the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), Region IV, and South

Texas Project representatives. The purpose of the call was to discuss the identification of small

quantities of white powder at two of the 58 reactor vessel lower head penetrations for bottom

mounted instrumentation on Unit 1. The licensee representatives presented the results of their

reviews and analysis to date. This included the determination that the source of deposits on the

bottom head was from reactor coolant. The licensee had not determined what non-destructive

examination (NDE) methodology would be utilized to determine the location and extent of the

source of the leakage. The root cause had not been determined, nor had a repair method been

selected. The licensee's Vice President of Generation agreed to provide the NRC with a letter

detailing a commitment to complete a thorough root cause analysis, to determine the extent of

condition, to determine what repairs would be necessary, to perform the repairs, and to meet

with the NRC prior to restarting the unit.