INFORMATION REPORT

January 10, 2005 SECY-05-0007

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-05-0007 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING DECEMBER 31, 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
January 10, 2005 SECY-05-0007

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-05-0007 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING DECEMBER 31, 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.

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

T. Kim, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\WeekD31.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

TKim:paa WMDean

01/ /05 01/ /05
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 31, 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 17

RES 8 OIP *

NSIR * SECY 19

OGC * Region I *

ADM 10 Region II *

CIO 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV *

HR 15 OEDO *

SBCR * OCA *

OE *

*No input this week
December 31, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 31, 2004

Duane Arnold Energy Center - Announcement Regarding Future Ownership

On December 22, 2004, Interstate Power and Light Company (IP&L), a subsidiary of Alliant

Energy Corporation, announced its intent to sell the company's 70 percent ownership interest in

the 583-megawatt Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC), a nuclear generating facility located

near Palo, Iowa. IP&L plans to enter into a definitive agreement with a prospective owner within

six months and will then seek to obtain all appropriate State and federal regulatory approvals. 

Central Iowa Power Cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative own the remaining 30

percent interest in DAEC. Nuclear Management Company, which assumed operating authority

from the owners in August 2000, will continue to manage DAEC's operations.
December 31, 2004 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 31, 2004

Issuance of Multi-Agency Radiological Laboratory Analytical Protocols Manual

On December 27, 2004, federal agencies that participated in developing the Multi-Agency

Radiological Laboratory Analytical Protocols (MARLAP) manual announced the availability of

the MARLAP manual in the Federal Register (69 FR 77228). The MARLAP manual provides

guidance for planning, implementation, and assessment phases of projects that require

laboratory analysis of radionuclides. Staff members of the Office of Nuclear Material Safety

and Safeguards and the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research represented the NRC in this

multi-agency effort. The other participating agencies included: (1) the Department of Defense;

(2) the Department of Energy; (3) the Department of Homeland Security; (4) the Environmental

Protection Agency; (5) the Department of Commerce (National Institute of Standards and

Technology); (6) the Department of Interior (U.S. Geological Survey); and (7) the Department

of Health and Human Services (Food and Drug Administration). The MARLAP manual offers a

framework for a performance-based approach to achieving data requirements and needs. This

framework should promote national consistency in the generation of radioanalytical data of

known quality appropriate for the intended use. The MARLAP manual supports activities such

as: (1) site characterization; (2) decommissioning; (3) cleanup and compliance demonstration;

(4) emergency response; (5) effluent and environmental monitoring; and (6) radioactive waste

management. The MARLAP manual (NRC document number NUREG-1576) is issued in three

volumes (printed and CD-ROM versions) and is available through the Internet at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1576/.

Notice of Denial of Petition for Rulemaking Signed by the Executive Director for Operations

On December 23, 2004, the NRC’s Executive Director for Operations (EDO) denied a petition

for rulemaking submitted by Sander C. Perle, ICN Worldwide Dosimetry (now Global Dosimetry

Solutions, Inc.), dated March 19, 2003. The petitioner had requested that the NRC amend its

regulations to require that: 

(1) Any dosimeter, without exception, that is used to report dose of record and demonstrate

compliance with the dose limits specified in the Commission's regulations, be processed

and evaluated by a dosimetry processor holding accreditation from the National Voluntary

Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) of the National Institute of Standards and

Technology. The petitioner specifically referenced electronic dosimeters.

(2) The definition of "Individual monitoring devices" in 10 CFR 20.1003 be revised to mean

any device used by licensees to show compliance with 10 CFR 20.1201. 

(3) "Electronic dosimeters and optically stimulated dosimeters'' be added as additional

examples of individual monitoring devices. 

The petition was docketed as PRM-20-25. The petition was published in the Federal Register

(68 FR 23618) on May 5, 2003, for a 75-day comment period. Twelve comment letters were

received. Six commenters recommended that NRC deny the petition, three commenters
December 31, 2004 ENCLOSURE B

supported the petition but with substantial changes, and three comments were received from

the petitioner responding to comments that the NRC received on the petition. 

The NRC denied the petition because there is insufficient evidence that it solves a regulatory

problem or improves health and safety of the public. The proposed revision would apply to

essentially all dosimeters and result in unintended requirements. Accreditation by NVLAP

would be required of processors for essentially all types of dosimetry, beyond the electronic

dosimetry that was referenced in the petition. The suggested amendments would result in an

increase in burden for licensees, without any added health and safety benefit. 
December 31, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 31, 2004

Agreement on the OECD-NEA Studsvik Cladding Integrity Project

On December 16, 2004, the Executive Director for Operations signed the multilateral

international Agreement regarding NRC’s participation in the Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency’s (NEA’s) new Studsvik

Cladding Integrity Project. Sixteen additional organizations in ten countries will participate in

this research program.

This project will provide experimental data that are needed for improving the understanding of

the dominant cladding failure mechanisms under normal operation and transient conditions in

light water reactor fuels. Four basic phenomena will be addressed: (1) pellet-cladding

mechanical interaction, (2) iodine stress-corrosion cracking, (3) hydrogen embrittlement, and

(4) delayed hydride cracking. The research conducted and the fuel rod specimen test data

obtained under this Agreement will help NRC develop fuel damage limits that are used in

licensing reviews. 

NUREG/CR-6861, Barrier Integrity Research Program - Final Report

In December 2004, the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) published NUREG/CR6861 entitled, “Barrier Integrity Research Program - Final Report.” Argonne National

Laboratory (ANL) conducted a comprehensive review of leakage operating experience by

developing a database of leakage events, an evaluation of the capabilities of the current

leakage monitoring systems, and an identification of new systems that are potentially more

capable than current systems. RES initiated the ANL program as a result of Davis-Besse

lessons-learned task force recommendations. This NUREG/CR will be used by an RES and

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation working group which is deliberating on improvements to

reactor coolant system unidentified leakage requirements.
December 31, 2004 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending December 31, 2004

Contract Award

On December 23, 2004, a competitive small business set-aside procurement No. ADM-05-425

was awarded to OBSI1, Inc. The contractor will provide custodial management services for the

NRC's headquarter offices. The period of performance is one year with 4 one-year options,

with a total firm fixed price of $6,139,563.43.
December 31, 2004 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 31, 2004

Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Requests Received During the Period of

December 24 through December 29, 2004:

Correspondence after 1-1-02 between staff of Giuliani Partners or

Giuliani Capital Advisors

FOIA/PA-2005-0089

Sen. Jon S. Corzine, New Jersey, or staff, all records including

correspondence

FOIA/PA-2005-0090

Allegation RIII-03-A-0073, OI final report, NRC final documents FOIA/PA-2005-0091
December 31, 2004 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 31, 2004

Arrivals

Anissa R. Coates Secretary (OA) NRR

Michael J. Fox Consultant HR

Michael Shih-Hung Li Student Engineer (Co-Op) NMSS

Amanda M. Nerrett Student Clerk NSIR

Jeffrey E. Seifried Student Engineer (Co-Op) NMSS

Meghan Slattery Student Clerk NSIR

Retirements

Phillip R. Bennett Reactor Technology Instructor TTC

Kenneth E. Brockman Director, DNMS R-IV

Aniello L. DellaGreca Senior Reactor Inspector R-I

Earlene P. Easton Staff Accountant OCFO

Sidney E. Feld Sr. Cost Analyst RES

Michael J. Fox Chief, Organization and Labor Relations HR

Bobby Holbrook Sr. Resident Inspector R-II

Stuart Lynn IT Specialist (SYSANALYSIS/APPSW) OCIO

Henry J. McGurren Senior Attorney OGC

Charles D. Petrone Sr. Reactor Systems Engineer NRR

Linda Portner Associate Director/Asst to Chairman for OCA OCA

Carlton L. Rollins Sr. Building Management Specialist ADM

Robert J. Smith, Jr. Financial & ADM Resources Manager HR

Michael L. Springer Director, Office of Administration ADM

Richard H. Wessman Director, Incident Response Directorate NSIR

Everett L. Williamson Director, OI Field Office OI

Departure

Mark A. Miller Health Physicist R-I
December 31, 2004 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 31, 2004

Media Interest

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

A New Jersey official’s request that Hope Creek be required to replace recirculation pump shaft

before re-starting.

The ability of nuclear plants on the West Coast to withstand a tsunami.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

04-166 NRC Renews License for Interim Spent Fuel Storage Installation at G.E. Morris

Facility in Illinois (12/30)

04-167 NRC Restores Documents on LES, USEC and New Reactors to Public

Availability (12/30)

Regions:

I-04-058 NRC to Discuss Results of Special Inspection at Hope Creek Plant (12/28)
December 31, 2004 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 31, 2004

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Proposed Rule: Withdrawal: 10 CFR Part 71, RIN: 3150-AG71, Packaging and

Transportation of Radioactive Material; Withdrawal of Subpart I.