INFORMATION REPORT

October 22, 2004 SECY-04-0193

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0193 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING OCTOBER 15, 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:

M. Mitchell, OEDO
October 22, 2004 SECY-04-0193

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0193 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING OCTOBER 15, 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:

M. Mitchell, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\WeekO15.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

MMitchell:paa WMDean

10/22/04 10/22/04
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 15, 2004

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: M. Mitchell, OEDO by E-mail: mam4@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 20

ADM 10 Region II *

CIO 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 OEDO 24

SBCR * OCA *

OE *

*No input this week
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

Hope Creek Generating Station - Steam Leak

On October 10, 2004, in response to a steam leak in the turbine building, operators manually

scrammed the Hope Creek Generating Station. After the scram, reactor pressure was

manually lowered to minimize the effect of the steam leak. During this process, operators

experienced difficulties in reactor level control, resulting in emergency core cooling system

actuation due to low level. Currently the plant is stable in cold shutdown. Information regarding

this event is also documented in Preliminary Notification Report PNO-I-04-013, which is on the

NRC’s public web site in the Electronic Reading Room. 

NRC Region I evaluated the event in accordance with Management Directive (MD) 8.3 to

determine the appropriate agency response. The MD 8.3 evaluation resulted in the chartering

of a special inspection team due to an initial conditional core damage probability estimate of

5E-6. Support staff from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation are participating in this

inspection. 

Additionally, on October 12, 2004, the licensee reported that they failed to appropriately declare

an unusual event in response to this event. Evaluation of this issue is included in the Special

Inspection Team charter.

Operating Experience

On October 8, 2004, Division of Inspection Program Management (DIPM) staff sent a draft

regulatory issue summary (RIS) to the Federal Register to be published for public comment. 

This RIS describes the agency’s expectations with respect to licensees establishing and

maintaining a Safety Conscious Work Environment: that is, an environment in which

employees are encouraged to raise safety concerns both to their own management and to the

NRC without fear of retaliation. These expectations are described in the 1996 NRC Policy

Statement, “Freedom of Employees in the Nuclear Industry to Raise Safety Concerns Without

Fear of Retaliation.” 

Reactor Oversight Process Public Meeting

On October 13, 2004, DIPM staff conducted a public meeting on the Reactor Oversight Process

(ROP) at One White Flint North. Major topics discussed during the meeting included updates

on: Significance Determination Process (SDP) timeliness activities; the draft Maintenance Rule

SDP; security-related ROP initiatives; the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) analysis of the Safety

Systems Functional Failure Performance Indicator (PI); the staff/industry Task Force on the

Scrams with Loss of Normal Heat Removal and Barrier Integrity PIs; Nuclear Management and

Resources Council (NUMARC) 93-01 Maintenance Rule Unavailability Monitoring in Shutdown

Changes; and new and open PI frequently asked questions (FAQs). Meeting participants

included industry, NEI, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) and Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation (NRR) representatives. Regional staff participated via teleconference.
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Mitigating System Performance Indicator Public Meeting

On October 14, 2004, DIPM staff hosted the monthly public meeting on the Mitigating Systems

Performance Index (MSPI). Major topics discussed during the meeting included: updates of

the MSPI Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) task force charter issues; draft documents for

MSPI implementation (NEI 99-02, Section 2.2 “General Guidance,” Appendix F, “Technical

Guidance” and Appendix G, “MSPI Basis Documentation”); and the timeline of future MSPI

implementation milestones. Meeting participants included industry, NEI, INPO, Office of

Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), and NRR representatives. Regional staff participated via

teleconference.

MSPI Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) Quality Task Group Holds Second Public Meeting

On October 13, 2004, the MSPI PRA Quality Task Group held its second public meeting. 

The group has determined that the MSPI falls into the category of a phase 2 application in the

context of the Commission’s phased approach to PRA quality, since it is based on the internal

events at power PRA for which a Standard exists and has been endorsed in Regulatory

Guide 1.200. The objective of the task group is to provide guidance on the level of detail and

the characteristics of the base PRA needed to support the MSPI implementation. The majority

of the discussion at this meeting was focused on identifying those PRA modeling issues that:

(a) could be addressed differently by different licensees, and (b) can have a significant impact

on the Birnbaum importance for the components of the MSPI systems. The task group intends

to provide guidance on what is a reasonable approach to dealing with these issues. 
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

Meeting with Humboldt Bay Licensee

On September 29, 2004, Region IV, Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, and

Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection staffs met with the licensee for

the Humboldt Bay plant to discuss the licensee's investigation of a missing irradiated fuel rod. 

The meeting was open to the public and held near the site. Approximately 30 members of the

public or media attended. The licensee presented a history of the issue, the current status of

the search, and their plans for a document investigation. The licensee is still optimistic that

documents may be located that provide information on the disposition of the segmented fuel

rod, or that some of the approximately 40 fuel rod fragments located so far may be identified as

the missing segmented fuel rod. NRC staff urged the licensee to complete its material control

and accountability review as soon as possible. 

Department of Energy Risk-Based End States Next-Steps Workshop

On October 6-7, 2004, NRC staff participated in a Department of Energy (DOE) workshop

conducted in cooperation with the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices'

Federal Facilities Task Force. The workshop was attended by approximately 100

representatives of DOE sites; the Environmental Protection Agency; State and local

governments; Tribal governments; the National Academies Board on Radioactive Waste

Management; citizen advisory boards; and public interest groups. The purpose of the workshop

was to discuss with stakeholders the process and criteria to evaluate potential end-state

alternatives that DOE will identify in its Risk-Based End-States Vision documents for the

cleanup of its sites. Many of the issues that DOE and its stakeholders identified during the

workshop are similar to the decommissioning issues that NRC is addressing under the License

Termination Rule Analysis, such as sustainable institutional controls and realistic scenarios.

Meeting with Packaging Technology, Inc.

On October 7, 2004, the Spent Fuel Project Office staff held a pre-application meeting with

representatives from Packaging Technology, Inc. (PacTec) to discuss a packaging design for

transporting unirradiated fuel from the Fast Flux Test Facility in Richland, Washington, to the

Savannah River site. Because the shipment is between two DOE facilities, DOE has the

authority to issue an approval for the package design. As a result, the staff discussed the

potential need for an interagency agreement between DOE and NRC to support the NRC

review.
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

Third International Conference on Fatigue of Reactor Components

On October 4-6, 2004, Office of Regulatory Research (RES) staff participated and discussed

thermal fatigue analyses and environmental degradation of structural materials for light water

reactor applications at the 3rd International Conference on Fatigue of Reactor Components. 

The U.S. industry plans to meet with NRC staff early in 2005 to present their position on thermal

fatigue and a corresponding aging management plan.

International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Meeting on Reactor Core Internals Behavior and

Technology for Repair and Replacement in Nuclear Power Plants

On October 7-8, 2004, a staff member from RES participated in the International Atomic Energy

Agency (IAEA) Technical Meeting on Reactor Core Internals Behavior and Technology for

Repair and Replacement in Nuclear Power Plants. The agenda included presentations on

radiation-induced degradation of internal components, in-service inspection, assessment of

aging, and aging management programs for power reactors. The information discussed at this

meeting is relevant to two Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) user need requests on

environmentally-assisted cracking of BWR vessel internal components and environmentallyassisted degradation of pressurized water reactor (PWR) internals, components, and piping. 

International Workshop on Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) for Non-Reactor Applications

On October 4-5, 2004, staff from RES and the Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and

Safeguards (NMSS) participated in an international workshop on Probabilistic Safety Analysis

(PSA) for Non-Reactor Applications at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development’s (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) headquarters. The workshop allowed

different countries to exchange information on the use of PSA for non-reactor nuclear facilities

and included over 50 participants from 15 countries. The workshop presentations covered a

range of topics of interest to the staff. The information gained from this conference will support

ongoing NMSS and RES efforts to risk-inform regulatory processes in the materials and waste

arenas. 

Meeting of the Nuclear Energy Agency's (NEA) Working Group on Risk Assessment (WGRISK)

On October 6-8, 2004, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) staff participated in the

Fifth Annual Meeting of the NEA’s Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installation Working

Group on Risk Assessment. The meeting covered a range of topics of interest to the staff,

including the development and use of PSAs by NEA member countries and PSA activities by

other international organizations, such as the IAEA and the International Cooperative PRA

Research Program (COOPRA). The meeting included over 30 participants from 16 countries. 

Information gained from this meeting supports staff efforts to risk-inform regulatory processes

by allowing the staff to share information on PRA activities and coordinate international

cooperative activities to avoid duplication and efficiently use NRC resources.
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-I-04-013, PSEG Nuclear LLC - UNPLANNED SHUTDOWN OF GREATER THAN

72 HOURS - STEAM LEAK DUE TO A RUPTURE OF THE HOPE CREEK “A”

MOISTURE SEPARATOR (MS) DRAIN LINE TO THE CONDENSER.

2. PNO-II-2004-010, McGuire - SHUTDOWN OF MCGUIRE UNIT 1 FOR GREATER THAN

72 HOURS.
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending October 15, 2004

NRC Recognized as a Best Workplace for Commuters

On October 14, 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of

Transportation presented the NRC with an award for being one of the Best Workplaces for

Commuters. This award is for providing employees outstanding commuter benefits which help

reduce traffic and air pollution in the community. The ceremony was held in Silver Spring,

Maryland, and recognized multiple employers in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Those

receiving an award included various private business, as well as several local and Federal

Government agencies. The awards were presented by officials from EPA and Mr. Doug

Duncan, Montgomery County Executive. 
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

2004 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code

(BPVC) Available to NRC Staff in the Technical Library

The complete set of all twelve sections of the 2004 edition of the ASME Boiler and Vessel

Code, published every three years by the ASME, is now available for use in the Technical

Library. An update service subscription ensures NRC will receive all addenda, supplements,

code cases, interpretations, and errata published during the next three year period.

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

October 8 through October 14, 2004:

Material License Tracking System database FOIA/PA-2005-0011

Certification Program as referenced in SECY-04-0148 FOIA/PA-2005-0012

RMI Environmental Services facility, Ashtabula, Ohio, records re:

handling of radioactively contaminated pipe

FOIA/PA-2005-0013

Office of Investigations Report 3-2002-035 FOIA/PA-2005-0014

Pennsylvania nuclear power stations (Three Mile Island, Peach

Bottom, Limerick, Susquehanna & Beaver Valley) complaints by

citizens, whistleblowers, public officials

FOIA/PA-2005-0015

Oyster Creek overpower event, NRR’s response to the region dated

6-5-95

FOIA/PA-2005-0016

Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant, request to transport spent

nuclear fuel or non-nuclear fuel to U S Ecology, Grand View, Idaho,

all documentation

FOIA/PA-2005-0017

Peach Bottom I, all contracts, records re: construction, early to mid1960'sFOIA/PA-2005-0018

Georgia Nuclear Aircraft Lab, license, inspection reports and

inventory, waste material, all records

FOIA/PA-2005-0019
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

Arrivals

Juan Ayala General Engineer NRR

Joseph K. Burns Reactor Systems Engineer NRR

Tze-Jer Chuang Structural Engineer NMSS

Craig Erlanger Security Specialist NSIR

Farrah Gaskins Health Physicist (NSPDP)* R-I

David Graves Physical Scientist (NSPDP)* NSIR

Christin E. Hitiris Office Automation Assistant NMSS

Alonzo Richardson Security Specialist NSIR

Mark Shaffer Branch Chief R-IV

Annette Stang Secretary (OA) NSIR

*Nuclear Safety Professional Development Program
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

Media Interest

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

The steam leak at Hope Creek nuclear power plant in New Jersey on Oct. 10, and the safety

conscious work environment issue at Salem/Hope Creek.

NRC’s revised schedule for reviewing the Vermont Yankee uprate request.

The status of the Yucca Mountain Project without the 10,000-year standard in place.

The tritium leak at the Dresden nuclear plant.

The sleeping control room supervisor at Pilgrim nuclear plant.

Other OPA Items:

OPA staff assisted at a public meeting in Eunice, N.M., on a proposed uranium enrichment

plant.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

04-130 NRC Approves Third License Amendment for Nuclear Fuel Services’ Blended

Low-Enriched Uranium Project (10/12)

04-131 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet October 19-21 in Rockville,

Maryland (10/14)

04-132 NRC to Hold Public Meeting on Proposed Rule on Requirements for Export or

Import of Radioactive Materials (10/14)

04-133 NRC Extends Review Schedule for Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant

Uprate Request (10/15)

Regions:

I-04-045 Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to Hear Oral Arguments on Petitions

Seeking Hearings on Proposed Vermont Yankee Power Uprate (10/12)

I-04-046 NRC Begins Special Inspection at Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plant (10/14)

I-04-047 NRC, Dominion Nuclear to Discuss Inspections on Millstone License Renewal

on October 20th (10/15)

IV-04-042 NRC Proposes $3,000 Fine Against Integrated Production Services, Inc. (10/14)
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-04-0176 9/29/04 Exemption Requests to Reduce Liability

Insurance Coverage for Decommissioning

Reactors After Transfer of all Spent Fuel

From a Spent Fuel Pool to Dry Cask

Storage

Information Papers

1. SECY-04-0183 10/12/04 SECY-04-0183 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending October 1, 2004

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Notice of Receipt of Application for License; Notice of Availability of Applicant's

Environmental Report; Notice of Consideration of Issuance of License; and Notice of

Hearing and Commission Order (CLI-04-30) - In the Matter of USEC, Inc. (American

Centrifuge Plant) - Docket No. 70-7004.

2. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, Meeting on Planning and Procedures, notice of

10/20/04 meeting.

3. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, notice of 154th meeting on October 19-21, 2004.

4. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, Procedures for Meetings.

5. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Meeting of the Subcommittee on Fire

Protection (10/27/04). 

6. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on

Regulatory Policies and Practices, notice of meeting (10/28-29/04).
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

Special Inspection At Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plant Commences

On October 14, 2004, NRC began a special inspection at the Hope Creek nuclear power plant

to evaluate the circumstances surrounding the October 10 rupture of an 8-inch low pressure

steam line that led to a manual shutdown of the plant (see Enclosure A). The team inspection

will include an assessment of whether the steam line failure could have been prevented and an

independent evaluation of equipment and human-performance issues that complicated the

shutdown. In addition, the inspection will assess the adequacy of the licensees root-cause

evaluation of the event and its plans for corrective actions. The special inspection team will

document its findings and conclusions in a report to be issued within 45 days of the inspection's

conclusion.
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

Management Changes at Columbia Generating Station

On October 14, 2004, Energy Northwest announced that the Vice President, Nuclear

Generation would be retiring effective November 5, 2004. The Plant General Manager will

serve in the capacity as the Vice President, Nuclear Generation and as the Plant General

Manager through January 2005. In February 2005 the Vice President, Technical Services will

assume the role as the Vice President, Nuclear Generation and the Plant General Manager will

assume the duties of the Vice President, Technical Services. A new Plant General Manager

has not been named. 
October 15, 2004 ENCLOSURE Q

Office of the Executive Director for Operations

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 15, 2004

Fall 2004 Senior Management Meeting

On October 14-15, 2004, the Executive Director for Operations conducted the subject meeting

with the agency’s senior management team. The meeting served as a forum to discuss a

broad range of significant managerial and non-technical issues facing the agency. The meeting

also included a presentation by Chairman Diaz on the topic of “Ensuring Excellence in Agency

Management.”