INFORMATION REPORT

September 16, 2005 SECY-05-0165

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING 

SEPTEMBER 9, 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
September 16, 2005 SECY-05-0165

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING 

SEPTEMBER 9, 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\week909..WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

TJKim:paa WMDean

09/15/05 09/16/05
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 9, 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 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I *

ADM 10 Region II 21

OIS 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 EDO *

SBCR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

Audit of the Palisades License Renewal Application

On September 2, 2005, NRR staff conducted a public exit meeting with the licensee for the

Palisades nuclear power plant in South Haven, Michigan, to discuss the results of the subject

audit. As part of its enhanced license renewal application review process, the staff audited the

applicant’s aging management reviews and the associated aging management programs that

are identified in the application submitted on March 31, 2005. Approximately 20 members of

the public attended the meeting. 
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

Submittal of Draft Waste Determination for the Idaho National Laboratory

On September 7, 2005, the Department of Energy (DOE) submitted a waste determination for

high-level waste tank closure at the Idaho National Laboratory. This determination will be

reviewed by NRC as part of its responsibilities under the National Defense Authorization Act of

Fiscal Year 2005 (NDAA), which requires DOE to consult with NRC on waste determinations

made pursuant to the NDAA.

NRC Staff Observation of the Bechtel SAIC Company, LLC Internal Quality Assurance Audit

On August 15-31, 2005, NMSS staff and its contractor observed an internal quality assurance

audit at the Bechtel SAIC Company, LLC, (the Department of Energy’s prime contractor for the

Yucca Mountain repository project). The audit’s objective was to evaluate the technical

adequacy and defensibility of scientific investigations and models related to waste package and

drip shield degradation. Specifically, the scope of the audit included an examination of a

“vertical slice” of the scientific investigations and data inputs for two key technical products

related to corrosion of the waste package and drip shield.
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

Agreement between NRC and Tohoku University (TU)

On September 1, 2005, the NRC’s Executive Director for Operations signed an international

agreement with Tohoku University, in Japan, that defines the terms and conditions for the

cooperative research project on non-destructive examination for primary water stress corrosion

cracking in nickel-base materials and dissimilar metal welds. The insights gained through this

cooperative project will enhance NRC’s understanding of the aging and environmental effects

on materials in nuclear power plants, and improve the quality of standards for in-service

inspections for structural integrity. This Agreement will remain in effect through December

2007.
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE D

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-IV-05-012C, ENTERGY Operations, Inc. - FINAL UPDATE - EXIT OF THE NOTICE

OF UNUSUAL EVENT AT WATERFORD-3.
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending September 9, 2005

Denial of Petition for Rulemaking (PRM-50-76)

On September 6, 2005, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (70 FR 52893)

that denied a petition for rulemaking submitted by Robert H. Leyse (PRM-50-76). The petitioner

requested that the NRC's regulations concerning the specified evaluation models for

emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) and associated guidance documents be amended to

correct technical deficiencies in the correlations and data used for calculation of metal-water

oxidation. The petitioner stated that the correlations and data do not consider the complex

thermal-hydraulic conditions present during a loss-of- coolant accident (LOCA), including the

potential for very high fluid temperature. The petition for rulemaking was denied because none

of the specific technical issues raised by the petitioner have shown safety-significant

deficiencies in the research, calculation methods, or data used to support ECCS performance

evaluations and NRC's technical safety analysis demonstrates that current procedures for

evaluating ECCS performance are based on sound science. 

Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants (AG24 - Part 52, et al.)

On September 6, 2005, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (70 FR 52942)

announcing the availability of draft regulatory text for a contemplated amendment to the

regulations governing early site permits, standard design certifications, and combined licenses. 

The proposed changes are intended to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the licensing

process for future applicants.

Proposed Rule Associated with Disposal of High-level Radioactive Waste in Geologic

Repository (AH68 - Part 63)

On September 8, 2005, the NRC published a proposed rule in the Federal Register (70 FR

53313) that would amend the regulations governing the disposal of high-level radioactive waste

in a proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The proposed rule implements 

the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed revised standards issued on 

August 22, 2005 (70 FR 49014) in response to the July 9, 2004, ruling by the United States

Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. To address the court's decision, EPA is

retaining the standards applicable to the first 10,000 years after disposal and proposes to add

separate requirements for the peak radiation dose after 10,000 years and within the period of

geologic stability. EPA also proposes to revise the approach for calculating doses, based on

International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations, for the periods

before and after 10,000 years. The comment period for this action closes November 7, 2005.
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act Requests Received During the Period of

September 1 through September 8, 2005:

Specific NUREG reports in electronic format. FOIA/PA-2005-0346

Release of potentially radioactive materials into sanitary sewer

system located in Frederick, Maryland

FOIA/PA-2005-0347
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

Arrival

CARPENTIER, MARCIA LAW CLERK ASLBP

HELM, WENDY L. SECRETARY (OA) R-IV

SMITH-MAIDEN, MICHELLE L. SECRETARY (OA) CSU

Departure

CAMPBELL, TISON AMEDEN STUDENT LAW CLERK (SUMMER) OGC
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

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

The Commission’s decision to authorize a license for the proposed Private Fuel Storage

Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation in Utah.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the restart of the Waterford nuclear plant in Louisiana.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

05-123 NRC, States to Coordinate Increased Controls Over Radioactive Materials (9/6)

05-124 NRC Proposes to Change Regulations on Yucca Mountain to be Consistent with

EPA Changes (9/7)

05-125 NRC Receives Award for Excellence in Performance and Accountability

Reporting (9/9)

05-126 NRC Denies Utah’s Final Appeals, Authorizes Staff to Issue License for PFS

Facility (9/9)

05-127 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Hold Meeting in Las Vegas,

Nev., Sept. 20-22 (9/9)

Regions:

I-05-045 New Senior Resident Inspector Named at Indian Point 2 (9/9)

I-05-046 NRC to Discuss Apparent Violations at Lancaster, Pa., Hospital (9/9)

III-05-038 NRC Staff Proposes $3,250 Fine Against Columbia, Mo., Hospital for

Inadvertent Loss of Medical Radiation Sources (9/8)

IV-05-032 Waterford Nuclear Plant Terminates Unusual Event (9/8)

IV-05-033 NRC Authorizes Restart of Waterford Nuclear Plant (9/9)
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-05-0113 6/29/05 Denial of a Petition for Rulemaking to

Revise Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50 and

Associated Guidance Documents (PRM-50-

76)

SRM on 05-0113 8/5/05 (same)

Commission Voting

Record on 05-0113

8/5/05 (same)

2. SECY-05-0151 8/23/05 Proposed Rule: 10 CFR Parts 30, 31, 32,

and 150 - Exemptions from Licensing,

General Licenses, and Distribution of

Byproduct Material: Licensing and Reporting

Requirements (RIN 3150-AH41)

Information Papers

1. SECY-05-0153 8/23/05 Agencywide Documents Access and

Management System: Semi-Annual

Progress Report for January-June 2005

Memoranda

1. M050909 9/9/05 Affirmation Session: (1) SECY-05-0157 -

PFS (ISFSI) Review of Utah Contention K

(Aircraft Crash Hazards) Rulings

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW), notice of 163rd meeting (9/20-21/05).

2. ACNW, meeting on Planning and Procedures, notice of meeting (9/20-22/05).

3. Joseph Scarpelli, Mayor of Brick Township, New Jersey; Receipt of Petition for

Rulemaking.
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

Browns Ferry - Management Meeting with Tennessee Valley Authority

On September 7, 2005, Region II management met with representatives from the Tennessee

Valley Authority in the Regional Office to discuss the Browns Ferry nuclear plant’s operating

performance for Units 2 and 3.

Shearon Harris - Management Meeting with Carolina Power and Light Company

On September 8, 2005, Region II management met with representatives from the Carolina

Power and Light Company in the Regional Office to discuss the Shearon Harris nuclear plant’s

operating performance.
September 9, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV (RIV)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

Palo Verde - Selection of New Vice President

Arizona Public Service Company announced the selection of Mr. Cliff Eubanks as its Vice

President of Nuclear Production at the Palo Verde nuclear generating station (PVNGS). This

position was recently created as part of organizational realignment of PVNGS. Formerly, 

Mr. Eubanks held the position of General Manager - Plant Operations, at Arkansas Nuclear

One nuclear power plant.
September 9, 2005 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 9, 2005

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 30

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Keeling 09/22/05

SD-406

2:30 Ed McGaffigan, Jr. Confirmation hearing for Ed

McGaffigan, Jr. to be NRCCommissioner 

Senators Environm

Madden TBA TBA Conference FY 2006 Energy and Water

Development Appropriations

House/SeCommitte