INFORMATION REPORT

February 2, 2006 SECY-06-0023

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

JANUARY 27, 2006

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

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards/

Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste S

*No input this week.

/RA/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

L. Rakovan, OEDO
February 2, 2006 SECY-06-0023

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

JANUARY 27, 2006

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

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards/

Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste S

*No input this week.

/RA/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

L. Rakovan, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\week0127.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

LRakovan:paa WMDean

02/02/06 02/02/06
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JANUARY 27, 2006

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: L. Rakovan, OEDO by E-mail: LJR2@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 21

OIS 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 EDO *

SBCR * OCA 24

OE * ACRS/ACNW 25

*No input this week
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

End of Cycle Assessment Meeting Preparations

On January 19, 2006, the staff provided training for the four regional offices on the

development of substantive cross-cutting issues in preparation for the upcoming end-of-cycle

performance assessment meetings. This training included discussions of the NRC Inspection

Manual Chapter (IMC) - 0305, “Operating Reactor Assessment Program,” criteria for a

substantive cross-cutting issue, recent changes to IMC-0305, and questions from the regional

offices.

Risk Management Technical Specifications Meeting

On January 19, 2006, the staff met with Nuclear Energy Institute and industry owner group

representatives to discuss the status of Risk Management Technical Specifications (RMTS)

initiatives. The RMTS initiatives are a significant agency effort to risk-inform the Standard

Technical Specifications. The status of the active RMTS initiatives were discussed and

meetings to resolve open issues were planned for the upcoming months. The RMTS initiatives

include: (1) modifying the plant end states of Actions in Technical Specifications; (2) allowing

licensee use of risk tools to calculate completion times for Actions; (3) allowing licensee

determination of surveillance frequencies; and (4) assessing hazard barrier support system

effects on technical specification systems. Progress is being made on many initiatives and the

meeting brought focus to the areas needing immediate attention and work. The next RMTS

meeting is scheduled for May 25, 2006.

Issues Related to Examination and Qualification of Licensed Power Plant Personnel

On January 23, 2006, the Associate Director for Operating Reactor Oversight and Licensing

and staff met with the Vice President, Training and Accreditation, Institute of Nuclear Power

Operations (INPO), for a public meeting on licensed operator training and qualification. The

purpose of the meeting was to discuss INPO’s and NRC’s initiatives and issues related to the

examination and qualification of licensed nuclear power plant personnel. No new policy issues

were identified during the meeting.
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

Staff Issues Letter on Seismic Design of Yucca Mountain Facilities

On January 25, 2006, staff issued a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) providing

feedback on DOE’s proposed pre-closure seismic design and compliance demonstration

methodology of Yucca Mountain facilities. The seismic design of Yucca Mountain facilities is

one of the priority pre-licensing issues identified by the staff. The letter informs DOE that its

proposed methodology requires additional supporting analyses to demonstrate compliance with

10 CFR Part 63. The letter also provides recommendations for how DOE could demonstrate

compliance with the Part 63 performance objectives. The staff is prepared to discuss its

feedback in detail at a future technical exchange with DOE.

NRC and Center for Nuclear Waste and Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA) Staff Activities

On January 17-19, 2006, staff from NRC and CNWRA attended a course, which was held at

Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA, on the TOUGHREACT and TOUGH2

codes for modeling flow and transport in unsaturated rock. The TOUGH2 code has been used

in DOE’s performance assessment models of the potential Yucca Mountain Repository. After

the workshop, NRC and CNWRA staff visited a drift-shadow experiment site at the Hazel-Atlas

mine in the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch, CA. The drift-shadow

experiment is being conducted as part of DOE’s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste

Management's Science and Technology Program. The objective of the drift-shadow

experiment is to determine the extent to which water might be diverted around drifts, and could

be used to evaluate possible effects in the unsaturated zone below a potential geologic

repository. The experiment site is being characterized and infiltration experiments are planned

for 2006.
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Human Reliability Workshop

From January 16-20, 2006, RES and Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) staff

participated as invited guests in the subject workshop at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The workshop objective was to obtain recommendations on the selection of human reliability

analysis (HRA) methods for use in both a design and more detailed probabilistic risk

assessment of NASA’s Crew Exploration Vehicle, which is intended to replace the Space

Shuttle. This interaction allowed the staff to further pursue NRC/NASA collaboration and to

improve the NRC’s HRA data methods.

Publication of Draft NUREG-1824, “Verification and Validation of Selected Fire Models for

Nuclear Power Plant Applications” for Public Comment

On January 20, 2006, staff published for comment the subject seven-volume draft NUREG

which documents verification and validation efforts for five different fire modeling tools. This

research supports the revised 10 CFR 50.48, which allows reactor licensees to voluntarily adopt

National Fire Protection Association Standard 805, “Performance-Based Standard for Fire

Protection for Light Water Reactor Electricity Generating Plants.” The public comment period

runs through the end of March 2006.

Meeting with North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC)

On January 23, 2006, staff participated in the subject meeting in Princeton, New Jersey. The

NERC and the NRC are working under a Memorandum of Agreement to add detailed nuclear

power plant (NPP) electrical parameters to the NERC electrical models used in seasonal

operational assessments, wide-area planning, and technical studies. The meeting resulted in

the development of criteria that will be used to screen NERC grid models for potential impact on

electrical performance of NPPs. 
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE D

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

Preliminary Notification

PNO-III-06-0002, Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant - SECURITY EVENT AT DAVIS-BESSE.
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending January 27, 2006

Design Basis Threat; Reopening of Comment Period (AH60-Part 73)

On January 24, 2006, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (71 FR 3791)

reopening the comment period on a proposed rule that would amend the regulations pertaining

to its design basis threat requirements. The proposed rule would make the security

requirements imposed by the Commission’s April 29, 2003, design basis threat orders to

existing licensees generically applicable. The proposed rule would redefine the level of security

requirements necessary to adequately protect public health and safety and common defense

and security. The proposed rule would revise design basis threat requirements for radiological

sabotage and the theft or diversion of NRC-licensed strategic special nuclear material. The

comment period for this action now expires on February 22, 2006.

Risk-Informed Changes to Loss-of-Coolant Accident Technical Requirements; Extension of

Comment Period (AH29-Part 50)

On January 25, 2006, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (71 FR 4061)

extending the comment period on a proposed rule that would amend the regulations applicable

to nuclear power plant licensees. The proposed rule would permit licensees to voluntarily

implement a risk-informed alternative to the current requirements for analyzing the performance

of emergency core cooling systems during loss-of-coolant accidents. The proposed rule would

also establish procedures and criteria for requesting changes in plant design and procedures

on the basis of the results of the new analyses. The comment period for this action now closes

March 8, 2006.
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

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

January 20, 2006 through January 26, 2006:

OI report 4-2004-033 FOIA/PA-2006-0091

MD 8.7 “Reactor Operating Experience Program,” 2005 FOIA/PA-2006-0092

Current mechanical contract, monthly pricing FOIA/PA-2006-0093

St. Louis Airport Site, all agreements containing indemnification

provisions re: contractual activities including processing of uranium,

disposal of materials from the processing of uranium

FOIA/PA-2006-0094
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

Arrival

MAYNARD, OTTO L. MEMBER ACRS

MOULTON, CHARLES E. FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER NRR

Departures

WASHINGTON, BRITTNEY MARIE STUDENT CLERK ADM

WHITE-PYLE, MARSHANDA L. SECRETARY (OA) NRR
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

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

Progress Energy’s announcement that it plans to apply to NRC for two new reactors at its

Shearon Harris site in North Carolina.

Submittal of license renewal applications for Vermont Yankee and Pilgrim nuclear plants.

NRC’s review of safety issues at Palo Verde.

Tritium contamination of residential water wells near the Braidwood plant.

Other Public Affairs Items:

OPA Region IV assisted the Regional Administrator in his appearance before the Arizona

Corporation Commission in Phoenix regarding Palo Verde.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

06-008 NRC’s 18th Annual Regulatory Information Conference to Be March 7-9 in

Rockville, Md. (1/24)

Regions:

IV-06-001 Performance Issues at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (1/26)
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-06-0007 01/09/06 Staff Plan to Make a Risk-Informed and

Performance-Based Revision to 10 CFR

Part 50

2. Cmr. McGaffigan vote

on COMSECY-05-0054

01/27/06 Policy Revision: Handling, Marking, and

Protecting Sensitive Unclassified NonSafeguards Information (SUNSI)

3. Cmr. Jaczko vote on

COMSECY-05-0054

01/27/06 Policy Revision: Handling, Marking, and

Protecting Sensitive Unclassified NonSafeguards Information (SUNSI)

Information Papers

SECY-06-0015 01/23/06 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

January 13, 2006

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Congress, dated January 13, 2006, provides the November monthly report on

the status of NRC’s licensing and other regulatory activities.

2. Letter to Daniel Metcalfe, Department of Justice, dated January 13, 2006, responds to

request for agencies to designate a Chief FOIA Officer.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Final Rule: 10 CFR Part 52, RIN 3150-AH56, AP1000 Design Certification. 

2. Request to Amend a License for the Export of Radioactive Waste.

3. Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes: Meeting Notice (2/13/06).

4. Proposed Rule: 10 CFR Parts 30, 40, 50, 60, 61, 63, 70, 71, 72, and 76, RIN 3150-AH59, 

Clarification of NRC Civil Penalty Authority over Contractors and Subcontractors Who

Discriminate Against Employees for Engaging in Protected Activities.

5. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Revised Meeting Notice.

6. ASLB Notice of Hearing re: Louisiana Energy Services, L.P.
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region I (RI)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

Meeting Between Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

(PADEP) and NRC

On January 25, 2006, staff from Region I and the Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and

Safeguards met with PADEP representatives to discuss the path forward for decommissioning

the Quehanna Site located in Karthaus, PA. The meeting included a recap of the

decommissioning project to date and discussions of planned building demolition activities,

including radiological release criteria, and planned amendments to the Decommissioning Plan. 

Additionally, since the Quehanna Site is located within a State forest, representatives of the

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry made a

presentation on planned future uses of the site by the Bureau.
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

Chairman Diaz Visits Brunswick Nuclear Plant

On January 24, 2006, Chairman Diaz and staff, accompanied by the Director, Division of

Reactor Projects, visited the Brunswick Nuclear Plant for a site tour.

Commissioner Lyons Visits Framatome-ANP Richland Fuel Facility

On January 24, 2006, Commissioner Lyons and staff visited the Framatome-ANP Richland Fuel

Facility for a site tour and a meeting with licensee management.
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV (RIV)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

Commissioner Lyons visit to Columbia Generating Station

On January 25, 2006, Commissioner Lyons visited Columbia Generating Station. His visit 

included an extensive tour of the facility and meetings with the Resident Inspectors and senior

licensee management.

Arizona Corporation Commission

On January 26, 2006, the Regional Administrator attended an Arizona Corporation Commission

(ACC) meeting and answered questions regarding the safety performance of Palo Verde

Nuclear Generating Station. ACC has jurisdiction over the quality of service and rates charged

by public service utilities, such as Arizona Public Service Company. The meeting was

informative and effective in addressing ACC’s questions regarding recent technical issues and

forced outages at Palo Verde. The Regional Administrator also addressed general questions

regarding nuclear plant security and NRC oversight activities.
January 27, 2006 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 3

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Combs Week of

02/13/06TentativeSD-406

TBA DOE, EPA, NRC, NEI,

NWTB, NAS, State of NV

Status of Yucca Mountain licenseapplication and radiation standards

Senator IEnvironm

Combs 02/07/06

Tentative

TBA DOE Status of Yucca Mountain license

application

Senator DEnergy a

Shane mid-March

SD-406

TBA NRC NRC Oversight Senator V

Clean Air

 and NuEnvironm
January 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE S

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)/

Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW)

Items of Interest

Week Ending January 27, 2006

As a result of its 167th meeting (January 10-12, 2006), the ACNW issued letters and

reports on the following subjects. 

Date Subject

January 23, 2006 Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 63 Proposed Rule