INFORMATION REPORT

November 13, 2003 SECY-03-0196

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-03-0196 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING NOVEMBER 7, 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:

L. Roche, OEDO
November 13, 2003 SECY-03–0196

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-03-0196 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING NOVEMBER 7, 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:

L. Roche, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\WeekN07.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

LRoche:paa WMDean

11/ /03 11/ /03
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 7, 2003

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: L. Roche, OEDO by E-mail: lar2@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 *

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
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Southern Nuclear Operating Company Notice of Enforcement Discretion (NOED)

On November 4, 2003, NRR granted NOED 03-6-004 to Southern Nuclear Operating Company

at 2:15 p.m. for Vogtle Unit 2. This NOED relates to the 31-day staggered test basis for 

Actuation Logic Tests required by SR 3.3.1.5 and SR 3.3.2.2. 

The licensee could not perform the complete testing because of a broken test switch. NRR,

granted the NOED with Region II concurrence. The NOED allows a 28-day extension of these

tests from November 5, 2003, at 4:36 a.m. to December 3, 2003, at 4:36 a.m. To account for

the missed surveillances, the licensee will implement several compensatory measures and

considers the NOED to have no net increase in risk. 

Quad Cities Unit 1 - Potential Steam Dryer Degradation

On November 3, 2003, the licensee lowered Quad Cities Unit 1 reactor power to its

pre-extended power uprate level due to indications that the steam dryer may be degrading. 

On October 28, an increase in flow through the ’D’ main steam line was identified with a

corresponding decrease of about the same amount in the A, B, and C main steam lines. On

October 31, 2003, the licensee began monitoring a steady increase in moisture carryover. 

Similar changes were identified last spring when steam dryer damage occurred at Quad Cities

Unit 2. Moisture carryover, which normally fluctuates between 0.03 and 0.09 percent, had

increased to 0.153 percent. Subsequent to the reduction in power, moisture carryover was

reduced to 0.062 percent by November 4, 2003. Planning is underway to bring Unit 1 down for

inspection and modification in the next week or so.

Dresden Unit 2 - Feedwater Sparger Damage

During the current refueling outage at Dresden Unit 2 (D2R18), an inspection performed by the

licensee identified damage of the feedwater (FW) sparger. Two of the nozzles were found to

have holes that were apparently caused by a projectile. The licensee found a 3/4-inch

diameter, 11-inch long pipe inside the sparger located about 10 inches downstream from the

damage. This was identified as a piece of a FW isokinetic sample probe. The probe consists

of an extra heavy wall 304SS pipe and is installed through a 1 1/4- inch weldolet. It protrudes

halfway into the 24-inch FW header downstream of the high pressure FW heaters. The

licensee believes that the FW sample probe was the projectile that caused the damage. 

During previous refueling outages at Units 2 and 3 (D2R17 and D3R17), FW isokinetic sample

probes were missing and new probes were installed. General Electric described cases of FW

probes failing due to transgranular stress corrosion cracking in BWR services information letter

(SIL) 257 dated December 30, 1977. The SIL recommended inspection and replacement with

probes of an improved design. Quad Cities Units 1 and 2 replaced the probes in 1996 and

1997, respectively. Both Quad Cities and Dresden have adopted a 5-year inspection and

preventive maintenance plan for the probes.
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

The licensee has repaired the FW sparger and is currently performing a root cause analysis. 

Region III has inspected the repair and is monitoring the licensee’s corrective actions.

Material Reliability Program Meeting

Representatives from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and the Office of Nuclear

Regulatory Research met with industry representatives on October 23, 2003. The purpose of

the meeting was to discuss work being managed by EPRI’s Material Reliability Program (MRP)

Reactor Internals (RI) Issues Task Group (ITG). The goal of the RI-ITG is to establish aging

management programs that will assure reactor vessel internals integrity through plant life,

including 60 plus years of operation. The group serves as an industry focal point for resolution

of issues related to PWR reactor internals material degradation. They also perform research to

identify aging mechanisms and their affects on reactor internals and provide a focal point to

support communication with the agency. Presentations made by Duke Energy, EPRI, and

Westinghouse, shared some details of program results-to-date. The NRC was encouraged by

the progress that the RI-ITG has made and requested that they continue to share their research

results and the resulting inspection and evaluation recommendations with the staff in a timely

manner. All participants agreed that it was important to continue regular meetings of the RIITG with the agency. Industry representatives indicated that it might be possible to formally

submit the research results and inspection and evaluation guidance for NRC staff review and

comment. NEI offered to discuss this further with the staff. The staff emphasized that many

licensees are relying on this program to satisfy commitments they made as part of the license

renewal process and these are included in their licensing basis.

Inspection at Pickering Nuclear Station (Canada)

A representative from the Division of Engineering has been selected to participate in the

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) inspection at Pickering Nuclear Station the week

of November 17. The CNSC Compliance & Licensing Division has planned this inspection

similar to a NRC augmented inspection team inspection. This inspection is being conducted to

follow-up on electrical power engineering issues at the Pickering plant and plant trip

complications during the Northeastern grid collapse on August 14, 2003.
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Third Amendment Received for Blended Low-Enriched Uranium Project

On October 24, 2003, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards staff received an

amendment request from Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) for the Oxide Conversion Building and

the Effluent Processing Building in the Blended Low-Enriched Uranium (BLEU) Complex. This

is the third and final amendment request for the BLEU Project at NFS. In addition to its

amendment request, NFS submitted: (1) changes to its emergency plan; (2) changes to its

fundamental nuclear material control plan; and (3) changes to its physical security plan. All the

submittals are considered part of the amendment request. An acceptance review is being

conducted. If the application is accepted, a notice of receipt and opportunity to request a

hearing will be published in the Federal Register.

Commissioner Merrifield’s tour of Uranium Enrichment Gas Centrifuge Manufacturing and Test

Facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee

On November 4, 2003, four NRC officials, including Commissioner Merrifield, toured the U.S.

Enrichment Corporation’s (USEC’s) and Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) uranium enrichment

gas centrifuge manufacturing and test facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Before the tours,

USEC briefly described its centrifuge deployment program and the technology to the NRC

officials. DOE-Oak Ridge officials were also present. After the briefing, the NRC officials

toured USEC’s centrifuge parts manufacturing facility and centrifuge test facility. They also

toured DOE’s gas centrifuge enrichment cascade, which operated for about 2 years before

being shut down in 1985.

Public Meeting on Proposed Louisiana Energy Services Enrichment Plant

On November 4, 2003, staff from the Divisions of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards and Waste

Management, Region II, and the Offices of the General Counsel, Congressional Affairs, and

Public Affairs, held a public meeting in Eunice, New Mexico, to discuss NRC’s licensing

process, the environmental impact statement preparation process, and the inspection program

applicable to the Louisiana Energy Services proposed gas centrifuge enrichment plant project. 

About 250 people attended the meeting. After the staff presentations, staff answered questions

from the public. Members of the public and local elected officials indicated strong support for

the project. Suggestions were made to video-conference technical meetings with the applicant,

make project documents available at local libraries or schools, and prepare some documents in

Spanish.

NRC Staff Observe DOE Audit of Yucca Mountain Project Reports

On October 21-31, 2003, Division of Waste Management and Center for Nuclear Waste

Regulatory Analyses staff observed the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Quality

Assurance audit of analysis model reports in Las Vegas, Nevada. DOE will use analysis model

reports to support a license application to construct a repository at Yucca Mountain. The DOE

audit team reviewed the effectiveness and implementation of applicable analysis model report
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

procedures, processes, and products. It also evaluated the critical process steps involved with

the development, control, use, and documentation of scientific analyses and models used to

develop the reports. The DOE auditors identified 17 conditions adverse to quality and six less

severe conditions in the areas of documentation and traceability, procedure adequacy, data and

software usage, and model validation. The results of this audit will be discussed with DOE

management during the NRC and DOE quality assurance quarterly meeting on November 12,

2003, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Department of Transportation Public Meeting Regarding Proposed Changes to the International

Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA’s) Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material

(TS-R-1)

On November 5, 2003, Spent Fuel Project Office staff participated in a Department of

Transportation (DOT) public meeting held at DOT Headquarters to solicit public comment on

the U.S. positions produced by DOT and NRC on the 63 proposed changes for the 2005 Edition

of the subject regulations. About 20 persons attended, representing industry organizations,

Federal agencies, an environmental group, and the media. There were no significant

objections to any of the U.S. positions. Most comments were from the industry representatives

requesting clarification on the positions. The U.S. delegation will carry forward applicable 

comments to the IAEA Review Panel meeting on the 2005 Edition of TS-R-1, to be held in

Bonn, Germany, November 10-14, 2003.

International Atomic Energy Agency Joint Convention in Vienna, Austria

At the International Atomic Energy Agency Joint Convention in Vienna (November 3-14, 2003),

the U.S. was assigned to Working Group One, which included the U.S., Slovakia, Belgium,

Slovenia, Latvia, Greece, and Ireland. The U.S. was the first Contracting Party to make a

presentation. Ms. Janet Gorn, Senior Foreign Affairs Officer, Office of Nuclear Energy, State

Department, presented opening remarks for the U.S. National Report Country Group

presentation.

The Deputy Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, NRC, presented a

2-hour overview of the U.S. National Report. The overview summarized spent fuel and

radioactive waste policies, practices, and scope, inventories and lists, the legal and regulatory

program, and selected safety topics. The presentation also focused on the 167 written

comments received on the U.S. National Report from 17 Contracting Parties. A 2-hour peer

review discussion followed the overview presentation, using a question and answer format. 

Representatives from many of the 17 countries who had submitted written questions on the

National Report participated in the peer review discussion. These Contracting Parties were

unanimous in their compliments to the U.S. on the high quality of the National Report and

presentation, and that the U.S. had provided a comprehensive and adequate response to the

questions raised. This reaffirmed the U.S. position that we are in full compliance with the terms

of the Joint Convention.

Some of the peer review questions focused on clarification of the roles of the regulatory

agencies in the U.S., including the independence of the Department of Energy as a

self-regulatory authority for the majority of its facilities. The Netherlands expressed a desire to

see the foreign research reactor spent fuel acceptance program extended beyond 2009. 
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Aspects of emergency planning at spent fuel and radioactive waste facilities were also

discussed. In finalizing the Peer Review Country Group Report on the U.S. program, the

Working Group One Parties noted that the U.S. involvement of stakeholders in the development

of disposal facilities was a good practice. The Working Group Parties also concluded that

future U.S. country reports would benefit from the inclusion of additional information, such as

statistics and examples of compliance with safety standards and the effectiveness of U.S.

regulatory programs.
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Blackout Working Group Meeting with Industry on Grid Reliability

On October 31, 2003, RES and NRR staff met with industry representatives from the Nuclear

Energy Institute (NEI), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and the Institute for

Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), to discuss the NRC’s Joint Task Force activities on the

August 14, 2003, Northeast power outage and internal NRC staff activities related to grid

reliability. The attendees discussed the initiatives by both industry and NRC that would help

everyone to better understand grid reliability. INPO discussed the need for an earlier

completion of activities to address loss of the grid. EPRI discussed its work related to nuclear

plant safety and grid reliability. Meeting members agreed that there is a need for NRC and

industry to expand their understanding of grid performance and reliability. The attendees also

discussed the follow-on plans to collaborate and share grid information. Additional meetings

will be held following the release of the joint U.S. and Canadian Task Force Report on the

blackout event.

Meeting on ACR-700 Phenomena Identification and Ranking Technique (PIRT)

On October 30 and 31, 2003, RES conducted PIRT meetings on the Advanced CANDU

Reactor design, ACR-700. The PIRT process is used to identify key phenomena and

processes that are important to understanding plant behavior under normal and accident

conditions. The strength of the PIRT process is in the importance ranking of these phenomena

and in the identification of data and models to support their predictions. The staff will use PIRT

information to identify gaps in tools and data to help prioritize their development. The PIRT

meetings were the first in a series of expert panel working meetings for applying the process to

the ACR-700 review. This initial meeting included introductory technical presentations by the

vendor, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), and technical experts from the NRC,

national laboratories, contractors, consultants, and universities. The next PIRT meeting is

scheduled for December 11-12, 2003.

Framework for Risk Analysis in Multimedia Environmental Systems (FRAMES) Software

Demonstration

RES sponsored a technical briefing on the FRAMES-2.0 software platform being developed by

PNNL for selecting environmental software models for dose assessment (for detailed

information, go to: http://mepas.pnl.gov/FRAMESV1/index.html ). Development of FRAMES is

being supported by the NRC, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy

(DOE), and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as part of the interagency cooperative activities

under the Memorandum of Understanding on research in multimedia environmental modeling. 

NMSS and RES staff, along with the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analysis (CNWRA),

the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and DOE attended the

demonstration held at NRC. The demonstration illustrated the use of FRAMES to incorporate

various contaminant source, pathway, and dose assessment models. 
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE C

Activities Related to Cyber Security

On November 3, 2003, RES staff met with representatives from Oak Ridge National Laboratory

(ORNL) to discuss plans for assessing the Westinghouse Common Q system. This is the

second system to be evaluated in the RES Safety System Isolation Study regarding cyber

security vulnerabilities. 

On November 4, 2003, RES staff visited Bell Laboratories (Bell Labs) to discuss digital system

security assessment techniques and tools for safety-critical digital systems. Bell Labs has an

extensive research facility for Internet systems, including research and development of security

systems. The exchange included discussion of both design review criteria and inspection

techniques (e.g., audits, inspections, reviews, and penetration testing).

On November 6, 2003, RES staff participated in a North American Electric Reliability Council

(NERC) task force meeting on process control system security. The NERC Process Control

Systems Security Task Force is working toward improving critical electricity sector systems. 

Through interactions with the NERC task force, RES staff gained additional insight on the

"front-line" issues related to security and reliability of systems.

NUREG/CR Reports on Electromagnetic Compatibility

RES staff published NUREG/CR-5609, “Electromagnetic Compatibility Testing for Conducted

Susceptibility Along Interconnecting Signal Lines” and NUREG/CR-6782, “Comparison of U.S.

Military and International Electromagnetic Compatibility Guidance.” NUREG/CR-5609 provides

recommendations for addressing the effects of conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI)

and radio-frequency interference (RFI) along signal lines in safety related instrumentation and

control systems, particularly those in nuclear power plants. NUREG/CR-6782 compares the

standards for addressing EMI and RFI effects that are included in Regulatory Guide 1.180, the

U.S. military applications, and those issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission

(IEC). These reports are part of the technical basis for Regulatory Guide 1.180, “Guidelines for

Evaluating EMI/RFI in Safety Related Instrumentation and Control Systems.”

Reactor Operating Experience Results and Databases Web Page

RES has launched a new web site, Reactor Operating Experience Results and Databases, on

the NRC Intranet. The site contains web pages documenting the updated industry trends for

initiating events, system performance, component performance, common-cause failures, and

fire events. The site is maintained for the NRC by the Idaho Engineering and Environmental

Laboratory (INEEL). 

This web-based system replaces the previous paper-based systems of NUREG-series reports

(NUREG/CR-5500 series, NUREG/CR-5750, and NUREG/CR-5497) to provide greater

stakeholder access to the information. The web pages provide industry trends updated through

FY 2002. The data collection classification, analysis, and quality assurance used in the

previously issued and peer-reviewed studies were used in the update of the trends, but the

analysis methods have been standardized for all the studies. 
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE C

Meeting of Equipment Performance and Information Exchange (EPIX) Ad hoc Working Group,

INPO Headquarters in Atlanta, GA

On November 5, 2003, RES staff participated in a meeting of the EPIX Ad hoc Working Group

at INPO headquarters in Atlanta. The meeting reported on the status of EPIX-related activities

such as Consolidated Data Entry (CDE), the Mitigating System Performance Index (MSPI), and

a survey of EPIX usage. 

CDE is the new system developed by INPO for industry to enter raw data to meet reporting

requirements for the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP), Monthly Operating Reports (MOR), and

for the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO). CDE will go into full production on

November 17, 2003. It will provide the MOR data for submittal to NRC on December 15, 2003,

and the ROP data for submittal to NRC on January 15, 2004.

If the MSPI is approved for use with the ROP, INPO will develop database software products for

implementing and producing each utility’s MSPIs. 

NRC staff gave the Group a presentation on Agency usage of EPIX data including: input into

the Agency’s Reliability and Availability Data system; updates of system and component

reliability and trends; updates of common cause failure parameters; updates of fire event

frequencies and trends; and input into the MSPI pilot program.

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Study Steering Committee Meeting in

Washington, DC

On November 6, 2003, RES staff attended an IARC study steering committee meeting. The

purpose of the meeting was to review the status of the epidemiological review of commercial

nuclear power reactor workers from the U.S. Dr. Geoffrey Howe, Columbia University,

described the methodology being used to assess the health of 54,000 workers at 52 U.S.

commercial nuclear power reactors. The U.S. data was supplied from the NRC ’s Radiation

Exposure Information Reporting System (REIRS). This study is part of an overall combined

mortality study of approximately 500,000 nuclear workers in fifteen countries, known as the

International Collaborative study of Cancer Risk Among Radiation Workers in the Nuclear

Industry. The U.S. data, which consists of cancer and non-cancer mortality data, will be

submitted to the journal, Radiation Research, for review and publication within the next few

months. The comprehensive IARC study is scheduled for completion by mid-2004 and the final

IARC report should be published by late-2004. The results from this study should improve the

ability of regulatory agencies to estimate health risks associated with occupational exposure to

ionizing radiation. 
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-I-03-031, Triad Engineering, Inc. - TROXLER MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGE

DAMAGED ON CONSTRUCTION SITE.

2. PNO-IV-03-045, University of Texas at Austin - LOST AMERICIUM-241 SOURCE.

3. PNO-IV-03-046, Raven Inspection & Testing, Inc. - STOLEN INDUSTRIAL

RADIOGRAPHY CAMERA.

4. PNO-IV-03-044, Pacific Gas and Electric Company - EARTHQUAKE DETECTED AT

DIABLO CANYON.

5. PNO-I-03-029, Florida Medical Center - MISSING BRACHYTHERAPY DEVICE.

6. PNO-I-03-032, The Cooper Health System - MEDICAL EVENT INVOLVING A HIGH

DOSE RATE REMOTE AFTERLOADER.
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Policy Statement on the Treatment of Environmental Justice Matters in NRC Environmental

Justice Matters in NRC Regulatory and Licensing Actions

On November 5, 2003, the Federal Register Notice (68 FR 62642) published the draft policy

statement on the treatment of environmental justice matters in NRC regulatory and licensing

actions. It reaffirms that the Commission is committed to full compliance with the requirements

of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in all of its regulatory and licensing actions.

Assessment of Access Authorization Fees (Parts 11 and 25)

On November 5, 2003 (68 FR 62509) published a final rule amending the regulations to change

the way the agency accesses authorization fees. The NRC is replacing its set fee schedules for

special nuclear material access authorization and national security information or restricted data

access authorization with a formula for calculating fees based on current Office of Personnel

Management billing rates for personnel background investigations.
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

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

November 1 through November 6, 2003:

OIG investigation on named individual, on or about April 2003 FOIA/PA-2004-0039

Ukraine’s Khmelnitsky 2 and Rovno 4 Nuclear Power Project

(Referral by Dept. of State)

FOIA/PA-2004-0040

Procurement Forecast, FY2004, for classification codes 70, 74, 75,

76, and 99

FOIA/PA-2004-0041

Indian Point, NRC security tests, communications between NRC,

Entergy, Congress or other third parties

FOIA/PA-2004-0042

Quehanna Nuclear Reactor facility, Curtiss-Wright Corp., byproduct

material license 37-2416-2, and facility license R-36, all records

FOIA/PA-2004-0043

Consolidated Safety Analysis Report for the T-3 Spent Fuel Shipping

Cask, Rev. O

FOIA/PA-2004-0044

Radioactive sources, all reports of lost, stolen or abandoned,

Brookhaven National Labs, Upton, NY, for 9/12/01 to present

FOIA/PA-2004-0045

SECY-85-349 and attachments FOIA/PA-2004-0046

AuSteel steel mill, Lemont Township, IL, melting of Cesium-137

source, potential radioactive risk, reports

FOIA/PA-2004-0047
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Arrivals

BARILLAS, Martha REACTOR SYSTEMS ENGINEER NRR

CERNE, Antone CONSULTANT R-I

CHITTY, Mark OPERATIONS EXAMINER R-II

FINEGAN, Philip* REACTOR TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTOR HR

NICHOLSON, Jacqueline SECRETARY (OA) HR/SPAC

Departures

BARNES, Ian CONSULTANT R-IV

BASILE, Margaret CONSULTANT OCIO

ECHOLES, Richard NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN R-III

EDWARDS, Robert CONSULTANT HR

FUDGE, Marie SECRETARY (OA) R-I

KAY, Irving CONSULTANT OCIO

LEVENSON, Milton MEMBER ACRS/ACNW

LITTLE, Irene CONSULTANT SBCR

SERPAN, Jr., Charles CONSULTANT OIP

SCHROCK, Virgil CONSULTANT ACRS/ACNW

STEINDLER, Martin CONSULTANT ACRS/SCNW

WAGNER, Louis CONSULTANT NMSS

*Reassigned from Region I
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Media Interest

OPA and NRR met with representatives of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of

Japan on October 31 to discuss the regulatory role of the NRC and how we communicate with

the public.

OPA Region III conducted an in-depth interview with PBS’ “The NewsHour” for a segment to air

later in November on nuclear power and the early site permit process.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

03-140 NRC Announces The Availability Of License Renewal Application For D.C.

Cook Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 & 2 (11/4)

03-141 NRC Denies Rulemaking Petition By Ohio Citizens Group (11/4)

03-142 NRC Issues Direct Final Rule Modifying Requirements For Nuclear Power

Plant Decommissioning Trust Funds (11/4)

03-143 NRC Renews License For Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant For An

Additional 20 Years (11/4)

03-144 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Hold November Meeting in

Las Vegas (11/6)

Regions:

l-03-065 Note To Editors: NRC/PSEG Meeting On Hope Creek Is Rescheduled

(11/4) 

I-03-066 NRC Appoints New Senior Resident Inspector at the Peach Bottom Atomic

Power Station (11/7)

III-03-067 NRC Davis-Besse Oversight Panel to Meet Nov. 12 in Oak Harbor, Ohio

(11/7)
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-03-0180 10/28/03 Proposed Rule to Amend 10 CFR Part 2,

Subpart J, in Regard to the Licensing

Support Network

SRM on 03-0180 11/5/03 (same)

Commission Voting

Record on 03-0180

11/5/03 (same)

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Congressman Markey, Congressman Dingell, and David Walker (GAO), dated

October 23, 2003, expresses the Commission’s concerns regarding GAO’s report

“Oversight of Security at Commercial Nuclear Power Plants Needs to be Strengthened”

(GAO-03-752).

2. Letter to David Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientist, dated October 20, 2003,

responds to votes of no confidence in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

3. Letter to Congressman Tierney, dated October 20, 2003, provides responses to letters

received from the C-10 Research and Education Foundation.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards - Revised Meeting Notice 

2. Draft Policy Statement on the Treatment of Environmental Justice Matters in NRC

Regulatory and Licensing Actions.

3. CFC Logistics, Inc.- Notice of Hearing.
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Region I Regional Administrator Meeting with Atlanta Staff

On November 6, 2003, the Region I Regional Administrator met with the Region I materials

staff who are based in the Region II office in Atlanta, GA. As a result of the consolidation of the

materials programs in Region I and II, effective on October 1, 2003, the materials staff in

Atlanta are now part of the Region I Division of Nuclear Materials Safety. The Regional

Administrator met with the members of the staff individually and as a group and discussed the

issues associated with the consolidation.

Region I - Limerick Unit 1 Control Rods Declared Inoperable Due to Channel Bow

During channel bow testing this week at Limerick Unit 1, two control rods were declared

inoperable because they failed the GE-recommended interim surveillance test criteria. The

control rods passed the Tech Spec scram time requirement, but failed the continuous insert

stall test, which was indicative of excessive friction between the control rod and the fuel

channel. These rods were considered susceptible for channel shadow corrosion effects and

are believed to be the first in the industry declared inoperable based on the GE test criteria.
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Region I and II Visit with Puerto Rico Secretary of Health

On November 4, 2003, the Region II Regional Administrator and the Region I Director of

Nuclear Materials Safety and a Branch Chief met with Dr. Johnny Rullan, Secretary of Health of

the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss with Dr. Rullan

the consolidation of the Region I and II materials program in King of Prussia and to affirm the

continuing importance of close work between the NRC and the Department of Health in the

safe use of nuclear materials in Puerto Rico. 

Executive Director of Operations and Deputy Executive Director for Reactor Programs Visits

Region II

On November 7, 2003, the Executive Director of Operations and Deputy Executive Director for

Reactor Programs were in the Region II office to meet with Region II Management.

Tennessee Valley Authority - Watts Bar Emergency Exercise

On November 4-7, 2003, the State Liaison Officer participated as a member of the Regional

Assistance Committee in the full scale Watts Bar exercise, involving officials of the State of

Tennessee and the applicable local governments.

Georgia Institute of Technology American Nuclear Society Meeting

On November 5, 2003, representatives from the Georgia Institute of Technology Student

Chapter of the American Nuclear Society were in the Region II Office to meet with Region II

staff on NRC activities and employment opportunities.
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region III

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Predecisional Enforcement Conference with Westinghouse Electric Co.

On November 4, 2003, members of the Region III staff conducted a predecisional enforcement

conference with Westinghouse Electric Co. The purpose was to discuss an apparent violation

of NRC requirements associated with the inadvertent shipment of fuel pellets among zirconium

tubing sent from the former Hematite, Missouri, fuel fabrication facility to a metal recycling

facility in Ontario, Canada. The meeting was closed to public observation because it involved

safeguards information.
November 7, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

Periodic Meeting with the State of Kansas

The Director, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, the Region IV State Agreements Officer, and

a representative from the Office of State and Tribal Programs conducted a periodic meeting in

Topeka, Kansas on November 4, 2003, with State of Kansas representatives. The purpose of

the meeting was to review the State’s regulatory program for nuclear materials. The last

Kansas Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP) review was performed

in April 2002. At that time, NRC decided to monitor the performance of the program. 

Public Meeting with Nebraska Public Power District

On November 4, 2003, the Director, Division of Reactor Projects led a public meeting with

Nebraska Public Power District officials in Brownville, Nebraska, to discuss the results of recent

inspection activities at Cooper Nuclear Station. This was an exit meeting for the quarterly

inspection of the licensee’s improvement program and the baseline inspection of the problem

identification and resolution program. The meeting was well attended by the public, plant

employees, and the media. 

South Texas Project Public Meeting

On November 5, Region IV staff held a public meeting in the regional office with representatives

of the South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company. Topics discussed in the meeting,

which was held at the licensee’s request, included plant challenges and the site's Strategic

Performance Improvement Plan.
November 7, 2003 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 7, 2003

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 38

OCA

Contact

DATE

&

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Combs 12/06/03

Kentucky

 9:00 TBA Cleanup at DOE’s Paducah Site Senators 

EnergyEnergy a

Combs TBA

2123 RHOBTentative

TBA NRC, DOE, Bechtel, NEI,

NARUC

Review of the Progress of DOE’s

Yucca Mountain Project

Reps. BaEnergy aEnergy a