INFORMATION REPORT

April 26, 2005 SECY-05-0071

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-05-0071 - “WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING APRIL 15, 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. Kim, OEDO
April 26, 2005 SECY-05-0071

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-05-0071 - “WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING APRIL 15, 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. Kim, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\week415.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

TKim:paa WMDean

04/25/05 04/26/05
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING APRIL 15, 2005

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 20

ADM 10 Region II 21

OIS 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 12 EDO *

SBCR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

Issuance of Draft Generic Letter on Grid Reliability

On April 12, 2005, NRR issued a draft generic letter entitled, "Grid Reliability and the Impact on

Plant Risk and the Operability of Offsite Power," for public comment in the Federal Register (70

FR 19125). The public comment period ends June 13, 2005. The proposed generic letter

requests information from addressees in four areas: (1) use of transmission system operator

protocols to monitor grid conditions to determine operability of offsite power systems; (2) use of

transmission system operator protocols to monitor grid conditions for consideration in

maintenance risk assessments; (3) offsite power restoration procedures; and (4) losses of

offsite power caused by grid failures at a frequency of 20 years. The purpose of the proposed

generic letter is to determine continued compliance with NRC regulations pertaining to

availability/operability of offsite power for nuclear power plants. 

Oconee - Meeting to Discuss Instrumentation & Control System Replacement

On April 6, 2005, NRR staff met with representatives from Duke Energy to discuss the

licensee’s February 14, 2005, license amendment request to replace the existing analog reactor

protection system (RPS) and engineered safety feature (ESF) instrumentation and control (I&C)

systems to digital systems at Oconee, Units 1, 2 and 3. This is the first full replacement of RPS

and ESF I&C systems that requires a major application specific software and hardware review

by the staff. The digital platform being used for the replacement is the Framatome’s Teleperm

XS (TXS), which has previously been reviewed and approved by the staff. However, this is the

first time this platform is being used in a safety-related digital upgrade. While Duke Energy has

requested completion of staff review by March 2006, the staff has proposed a completion date

of December 2006 due to staffing constraints.

NRC Information Notice (IN) 2005-08, “Monitoring Vibration to Detect Circumferential Cracking

of Reactor Coolant Pump and Reactor Recirculation Pump Shafts”

On April 5, 2005, NRC issued the subject IN to alert addressees to the importance of timely

detection of circumferential cracking of reactor coolant pump and reactor recirculation pump

shafts to minimize the likelihood of consequential shaft failures. No specific action or written

response is required for INs, however, it is expected that recipients will review the information

for applicability to their facility and consider actions, as appropriate. 

Information Notice (IN) 2005-09: “Indications in Thermally Treated Alloy 600 Steam Generator

Tubes and Tube-to-Tubesheet Welds”

On April 7, 2005, NRC issued the subject IN to inform addressees about recent operating

experience with degradation in steam generator tubes and tube-to-tubesheet welds. No

specific action or written response is required for INs, however, it is expected that recipients will

review the information for applicability to their facility and consider actions, as appropriate. 
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE A

Nuclear Procurement Issues Committee (NUPIC) Audit at Enertech, a Division of CurtissWright Flow Control Corporation 

On April 3-8, 2005, the Division of Inspection Program Management staff observed the

performance of a NUPIC joint utility audit conducted at Enertech in Brea, California. Enertech

is a supplier of numerous mechanical and electrical assemblies and replacement parts. The

purpose of the observation was to assess the NUPIC audit process used for approving

suppliers of safety-related and commercial grade components to the nuclear industry.

Grand Gulf Early Site Permit Application - Issuance of Draft Safety Evaluation Report

On April 7, 2005, NRR staff issued a draft safety evaluation report (SER) for the Grand Gulf

(System Energy Resources, Inc) early site permit application. The report documents the staff's

safety review and describes approximately 23 open items for which additional information is

needed prior to the staff finalizing the SER. The document will be withheld from public release

for 14 days to provide the applicant an opportunity to review it for proprietary information. The

staff issued a press release concurrent with transmittal of the document to the applicant.

Public Meeting Regarding Generic Safety Issue (GSI) 191, Pressurized-Water Reactor (PWR)

Sump Performance

On April 13-14, 2005, staff members from NRR and the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

held a public meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute and other industry representatives at the

NRC headquarters, to discuss resolution activities associated with GSI-191, “Assessment of

Debris Accumulation on PWR Sump Performance.” Discussions included: (1) recent results of

research on chemical and downstream effects; (2) the status of 90-day responses to Generic

Letter 2004-02, “Potential Impact Of Debris Blockage On Emergency Recirculation During

Design Basis Accidents At Pressurized-Water Reactors;” (3) the status of the review of Bulletin

2003-01, “Potential Impact Of Debris Blockage On Emergency Sump Recirculation At

Pressurized-Water Reactors;” (4) observations made during the Crystal River 3 pilot audit; (5)

preliminary observations from the Electric Power Research Institute’s original equipment

manufacturer coating testing program to test on qualified coatings; and (6) a Westinghouse

Owners Group program to evaluate downstream effects. Following the public meeting, the staff

held closed meetings (due to the proprietary nature of the information discussed) with five

vendors supplying engineering services to licensees and discussed technical details of

proposed solutions.
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

Staff Meeting with Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority

On April 13, 2005, at the request of the Office of International Programs, staff from the Division

of Waste Management and Environmental Protection met with staff from Advanced Systems

Technology and Management, Inc. (ADSTM). ADSTM is an American company contracted by

the Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA) to develop a regulatory licensing plan for

the decommissioning of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. To implement this plan, ANRA

staff must: (1) become knowledgeable about the regulatory and technical issues associated

with a typical pressurized-water-reactor decommissioning; (2) develop new regulations

specifically addressing decommissioning; and (3) define a licensing process to regulate the

various phases of a decommissioning project. These phases include pre-shutdown planning

activities, actual decontamination and dismantlement activities, and final site remediation and

license termination. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss practical licensing issues and

lessons-learned from the decommissioning of the Maine Yankee and Trojan facilities.

NRC High-Level Waste Staff Attends International Atomic Energy Agency Meeting

On April 4-8, 2005, a staff member from the Division of High-Level Waste Repository Safety

attended the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Consultants’ Meeting on the Design

and Operation of Geological Waste Disposal Facilities in Vienna, Austria. The Consultants’

Meeting was held to provide assistance to the IAEA in drafting a Safety Guide for geological

disposal of radioactive waste (entitled: “Design and Operation of Facilities for Geological

Disposal of Radioactive Waste” - DS-334). The Safety Guide is intended to support the

corresponding Safety Requirements document for geological disposal (DS-154), by providing

guidance to policy makers, regulators, and operators concerned with the development and

regulatory control of geological disposal facilities.
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) Steering Committee Public Meeting

On April 7, 2005, the PRA Steering Committee met with the representatives from the Nuclear

Energy Institute (NEI), licensees, and members of the public to discuss issues related to current

risk-informed initiatives. Topics discussed at the meeting included the proposed 10 CFR 50.46

rulemaking, long-term direction of risk-informed applications, configuration risk management,

review of topical reports involving generic changes, and Mitigating System Performance Index

(MSPI) implementation. The meeting was well attended by external stakeholders and

participants provided useful insights on the discussion topics. The PRA Steering Committee

consists of the office directors from the Offices of Nuclear Regulatory Research, Nuclear

Reactor Regulation, Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Nuclear Security and Incident

Response, and Enforcement; one Regional Administrator; and a representative from the Office

of the General Counsel. 

International Workshop on “International Standard Problem 48 - Analysis of 1:4 Scale

Prestressed Concrete Containment Vessel Model Under Severe Accident Conditions"

From April 4-8, 2005, a RES senior technical advisor participated in the 3rd meeting of the

International Standard Problem 48 (ISP-48) and an international workshop sponsored by the

Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) on “International Standard Problem 48

- Analysis of 1:4 Scale Prestressed Concrete Containment Vessel Model Under Severe

Accident Conditions" in Lyon, France. The objective of the meeting and the workshop was to

present results obtained by the participants in the ISP-48 and to assess the current practices

and the state of the art for determining the containment structural response under severe

accident conditions. Eleven teams from ten OECD member countries participated in the

workshop.
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending April 15, 2005

Contract Award

On April 12, 2005, a competitive Delivery Order No. DR-02-05-003 was awarded to Computer

Sciences Corporation under the General Service Administration's Federal Supply Schedule. 

The contractor is to provide the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards support

services for the Regulatory Product Development Center, including technical editing, meeting

facility setup, and limited meeting facilitation. The total estimated cost is $695,209.60, inclusive

of an optional task for additional support in the amount of $121,438.00. The period of

performance, including the optional task, is one-year.
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

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

April 8 through April 14, 2005:

Lethal Weapons Training Program, understanding or agreement

between NRC & Pennsylvania State Police

FOIA/PA-2005-0195

“Guidance on the Regulatory Requirements for Criticality Analysis of

Fuel Storage at Light-Water Reactor Power Plants,” memo from L.

Kopp to T. Collins, date unknown

FOIA/PA-2005-0196

Land acquisitions consummated by or on behalf of NRC from 1-1-04

to present, name of former property owner, property address & parcel

numbers, purchase price, over $1M

FOIA/PA-2005-0197

OIG investigation of Wackenhut’s contract with Nuclear Energy

Institute to provide adversary forces for force-on-force tests or

approval of contract, all records

FOIA/PA-2005-0198

Cooling spent fuel pool, technical & radiological analysis that support

the 3-14-05 statement by the Chairman to the NY Times, re: using

fire hose to cool

FOIA/PA-2005-0199

Knowledge Management - 30th Anniversary of Browns Ferry fire,

handouts & presentation material from 3-22-05 training session in

Region II

FOIA/PA-2005-0200

MLTS database, active & retired facilities, current records FOIA/PA-2005-0201

Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, Hematite, MO, all documents re:

decision of U.S. DOE to exclude from Formerly Utilized Site Remedial

Action Program

FOIA/PA-2005-0202

Haddam Neck Nuclear plant, all filings, correspondence between

Connecticut Yankee and NRC from 9-1-04 through 4-12-05

FOIA/PA-2005-0203

LaSalle Nuclear Generating Station, correspondence from NRC

Chairman to named individual, 1987-88, re: conclusion of security

investigation; index of named individuals files, 1985-1992

FOIA/PA-2005-0204
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

Arrivals

David J. Crockett IT Specialist R-IV

Frank J. Ehrhardt Operations Engineer R-II

Jeffrey T. Mitman Reliability and Risk Engineer RES

William M. Murphy Administrative Judge ASLBP

Sarah A. Ruddell Secretary (OA) NMSS

Steven Rutledge Reactor Technology Instructor OHR

Joseph A. Schoengold Student Accountant (Co-Op) NSIR

Maria Schofer Sr. Budget Analyst OCFO

John P. Tornow Physical Security Inspector R-II

Ashley Tull Health Physicist (NSPDP) NMSS

Departures

Michael Ross Criminal Investigator OIG

Christopher Wachter Law Clerk ASLBP
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

Media Interest

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

The Government Accountability Office report on licensee tracking of spent fuel.

The “Yellow” inspection finding and civil penalty against Palo Verde related to gas entrapment

in portions of the emergency core cooling system and failure to obtain NRC approval before

changing procedures.

Other Public Affairs Items:

Regional OPA staff assisted at several end-of-cycle meetings for the annual assessments of

nuclear plant performance.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

05-065 NRC Advisory Committee on Medical Uses of Isotopes to Meet April 20-21

(4/11)

05-066 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet April 18-19 in

Rockville, MD (4/12)

05-067 NRC Approves Extended Power Uprate for Waterford Nuclear Power Plant

(4/15)

Regions:

I-05-020 NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for R.E. Ginna Nuclear

Power Plant (4/14)

II-05-018 NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance at McGuire Nuclear Power Plant (4/14)

II-05-019 NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance at Harris Nuclear Power Plant (4/14)

II-05-020 NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance at Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant

(4/15)

III-05-013 NRC Staff to Hold Public Meeting April 19 in Clinton, Ill. for Comments on

Proposed Nuclear Plant Early Site Permit (4/12)

III-05-014 NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for Byron Nuclear Power

Plant (4/13)
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE M

III-05-015 NRC Schedules Meetings to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for

Point Beach Plant, License Renewal Inspection Results (4/13)

III-05-016 NRC Staff Schedules Public Meeting for April 20 to Discuss License

Renewal Process for Monticello Nuclear Plant (4/14)

III-05-017 NRC to Discuss Preliminary Results of Special Inspection at South Bend

Hospital (4/15)

III-05-018 NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for Clinton Nuclear Power

Plant (4/15)

III-05-019 NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for D.C. Cook Nuclear

Power Plant (4/15)

IV-05-012 NRC Issues “Yellow” Finding at Palo Verde Nuclear Plant; Proposes

$50,000 Fine (4/11)
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Document

SECY-05-0052 3/29/05 Proposed Rulemaking for “Risk-Informed

Changes to Loss-of-Coolant Accident

Technical Requirements”

Information Paper

SECY-05-0058 4/12/05 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

April 1, 2005

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, revised notice of 159th meeting (4/18-19/05).

2. Proposed rule: 10 CFR Part 52, RIN 3150-AH56, AP1000 Design Certification. 

3. Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes: Updated Notice of Meeting (04/20-

21/05).

4. Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, In the Matter of U.S. Department of Energy (High

Level Waste Repository: Pre-Application Matters), Docket No. PAPO-00, ASLBP No. 04-

829-01-PAPO, April 13, 2005, Order (Scheduling Case Management Conference).

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

Procedures, notice of meeting (5/4/05). 

6. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Subcommittee Meeting on Fire Protection,

notice of meeting (5/4/05). 

7. Final rule: 10 CFR Part 2, RIN: 3150-AH71, Model Milestones for NRC Adjudicatory

Proceedings.

8. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, notice of 522nd meeting (5/5-6/05). 
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region I (RI)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

Whittaker Decommissioning Site Inspection

On April 12, 2005, Region I staff conducted an inspection of decommissioning activities at the

Whittaker Decommissioning Project Site in Transfer, PA. The Region I staff met with the

representatives of the site decommissioning contractor, toured the site, observed on-going work

activities, reviewed records and assessed the security and control of material on site. A 

representative from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Environmental

Protection was also present at the site. The tour covered the active work area and also

included the entire perimeter of the site. At the conclusion of the inspection, the NRC met with

the representatives of the site decommissioning contractor to discuss the results of the

inspection.

Periodic Management Meetings with New York State Agreement Programs

On April 12-13, 2005, the Regional State Agreements Officer (RSAO) and the Agreement State

Project Officer (ASPO) from the Office of State and Tribal Programs met with each of the State

of New York’s three State Radiation Program Directors and their management to discuss the

status of their Agreement State programs. The three State-level Agreement State programs

are part of the Departments of Health, Labor and Environmental Conservation. Important

topics of discussion during the meeting were status of each program’s progress in adopting

overdue NRC amendments required for compatibility and timely reporting of Agreement State

events to the NRC Operations Center. The RSAO and the ASPO will be meeting the fourth

New York Agreement State program (New York City Bureau of Radiological Health) on April 19,

2005.
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. - Licensee Performance Review

On April 14, 2005, the Regional Administrator and the Director, Division of Fuel Facility

Inspection held the Licensee Performance Review meeting at the Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.,

in Tennessee.

Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC. -Licensee Performance Review

On April 11-12, the Deputy Regional Administrator and the Acting Deputy Director, Division of

Fuel Facility Inspection held the License Performance Review meeting at the Westinghouse

Electric Company’s Columbia facility in South Carolina. The NRC’s Deputy Executive Director

for Materials, Research and State Programs also attended.

Commissioner Jaczko Visits Fuel Facilities

On April 13, 2005, Commissioner Jaczko, accompanied by the Director, Office of Nuclear

Material Safety and Safeguards, and the Director, Division of Fuel Facility Inspection of Region

II, visited the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Facility in Kentucky and the Honeywell International

facility in Illinois for a site tour and meeting with licensee management.
April 15, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV (RIV)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

Palo Verde Nuclear Power Station

On April 8, 2005, the NRC issued a “Yellow “ inspection finding to Arizona Public Service

Company (APSC) for the failure to ensure that design requirements associated with maintaining

the containment sump suction piping filled with water at the Palo Verde nuclear power plant. In

addition, a Severity Level III violation with a proposed $50,000 civil penalty was issued for the

failure to perform a written safety evaluation and receive prior NRC approval before making a

change to the facility, which resulted in the containment sump suction piping being drained

following local leak rate testing. 

River Bend Nuclear Power Station

On April 12, 2005, a public meeting was conducted at the Region IV offices with management

representatives from River Bend Station to discuss equipment reliability, refueling outage

performance, human performance, and performance improvement initiatives.
April 15, 2005 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending April 15, 2005

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 15

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Keeling April 19

210CHOB

9:00 Center for Security &

International Studies, BelferCenter for Science andInternational Affairs, andHomeland SecurityAssociates

Hearing on Coordination of NuclearDetection Efforts

Reps. LinPreventioAttackHomeland 

All April 20

SD-406

9:30 Commissioner Jaczko

Commissioner Lyons

Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNominations

Senators Environm

Keeling April 20

SD-124

10:30 Secretary of Homeland

Security

Hearing on FY 2006 HomelandSecurity Appropriations

Senators Homeland Appropria

Keeling April 20

210CHOB

3:00 DHS Hearing on Coordination of Nuclear

Detection Efforts

Reps. LinPreventioAttackHomeland 

Shane April 21

SD-562

10:00 TBA Hearing on Employing Federal

Workforce Flexibilities - ProgressReport

Senators Oversight Managemand the DHomeland Affairs
CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 15

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

April 15, 2005 

Shane April 21

2154RHOB

10:00 TBA Hearing on Federal Management of

Information Technology Investments

Reps. DaGovernm

Keeling April 26

SD-366

10:00 Chairman Diaz, DOE

Deputy Secy - Clay Sell,Jim Asselstine - LehmanBrothers, Mike Wallace -Constellation Energy

DOE’s NP 2010 Program Senators 

Energy a

Combs TBA

SD-366

TBA DOE, NRC Status of Yucca Mountain Senators 

Energy a

Combs April 13

2247RHOBPostponed

10:00 TBA Yucca Mountain Project: Digging for

the Truth

Reps PorFederal WOrganizaGovernm

Keeling TBA

2359RHOB

TBA TBD FY 2006 Homeland Security Budget,

Office of State and LocalGovernment Coordination andPreparedness

Reps RogHomeland Appropria