INFORMATION REPORT

July 7, 2004 SECY-04-0112

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0112 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING JUNE 25, 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 Patricia N. Tressler For/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

T. Kim, OEDO
July 7, 2004 SECY-04-0112

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0112 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING JUNE 25, 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 Patricia N. Tressler For/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

T. Kim, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\Week625.WPD
OEDO AO/OEDO

TKim:paa WMDean

07/06/04 07/07/04

WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JUNE 25, 2004

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 3 OPA 10

RES 4 OIP *

NSIR 6 SECY *

OGC * Region I *

ADM 7 Region II *

CIO 8 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 11

HR 9 OEDO *

SBCR * OCA 12

OE *

*No input this week
June 25, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 25, 2004

Construction Inspection Program Information Management System Public Meeting

On June 25, 2004, the staff met with Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and industry representatives

to discuss issues related to the development of the Construction Inspection Program Information

Management System (CIPIMS). Topics included how to efficiently share construction scheduling

information to support inspection of plants being constructed under 10 CFR Part 52. 

Early Site Permits (ESPs)

On June 21 and 22, 2004, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board held a prehearing conference

for the three early site permit (ESP) applications currently under NRC review, which include

Clinton, Grand Gulf, and North Anna sites. During the conference, the Board heard oral

arguments from petitioners, the applicants, and the NRC staff regarding contentions raised by

the petitioners. At the conclusion of the conference, the Board stated that it expects to issue a

decision in mid July 2004 regarding admissibility of the contentions raised. 

Meeting with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Grid Reliability

On June 21, 2004, representatives from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) met

with FERC staff at FERC Headquarters to discuss grid reliability issues. FERC staff shared their

impressions regarding the ongoing North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) audits. 

The NRC staff discussed the ongoing reviews of the responses to the temporary instruction on

offsite power system operational readiness. Both parties agreed to a more frequent exchange of

information regarding grid reliability issues. 
June 25, 2004 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 25, 2004

NRC Visit to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratories Spent Nuclear Fuel

Project

On June 22-23, 2004, staff from the NRC High-Level Waste program toured the Department of

Energy’s Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratories spent fuel storage and

handling facilities. The purpose of the visit was to familiarize the staff with the types of spent

nuclear fuel handling operations and associated facilities that may be used at the proposed

Yucca Mountain geologic repository. 

Council of State Governments Midwestern Radioactive Material Transportation Committee

On June 15-16, 2004, Spent Fuel Project Office staff participated in a meeting of the Council of

State Governments Midwestern Radioactive Material Transportation Committee in Topeka,

Kansas. The meeting was well-attended by over 40 participants, including State and Federal

government representatives. The meeting focused on radioactive material shipment plans and

experiences with transuranic waste shipments to the waste isolation pilot plant facility in New

Mexico; highway-route controlled-quantity shipments; return of foreign research reactor fuel

shipments; and Department of Energy transportation planning for spent fuel and high-level waste

shipments to the planned repository at Yucca Mountain. NRC staff gave a presentation on the

status of the Package Performance Study; the two National Academies of Science studies on

spent fuel storage and spent fuel transportation; and the recent change to the NRC

transportation regulations in 10 CFR Part 71, which becomes effective in October 2004. The

meetings of the regional Councils of State Governments provide an effective forum for NRC staff

coordination and liaison with transportation counterparts in the States and other Federal

agencies.

Meeting with Spanish Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear

During the week of June 7, 2004, staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and

Safeguards met with the Spanish nuclear regulator, the Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (CSN), at

the CSN's request, to discuss the revised 10 CFR Part 70 requirements, Integrated Safety

Analysis (ISA), and the Risk-Informed Regulatory Implementation Plan. The CSN has required

the Juzbado fuel fabrication facility to perform an ISA as part of its periodic safety review. Global

Nuclear Fuel (GNF) is advising on the conduct of an ISA. The GNF advisor gave a presentation

about GNF's experience in performing an ISA of the Wilmington, North Carolina, fuel fabrication

facility. The meetings were held at the CSN's offices in Madrid and at the Juzbado facility

located near Salamanca. The meeting at Juzbado included a tour of the Juzbado facility,

followed by a discussion with ENUSA licensing staff about the facility and its plans for performing

an ISA. The CSN indicated that it may request additional NRC consultation about Part 70 and

ISA at a future time.
June 25, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 25, 2004

Agreement between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Japan Nuclear Energy

Safety Organization in the Area of Probabilistic Risk Assessment Research

On June 17, 2004, the Executive Director for Operations signed the cooperative agreement

between the NRC and the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES). The Office of

Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) forwarded this Agreement to JNES on June 21, 2004.

This Agreement defines the terms and conditions by which the NRC and the JNES will continue

cooperation in the area of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) research and in our international

cooperative probabilistic risk assessment (COOPRA) program. The research conducted and inkind information exchanged under this Agreement will contribute to the NRC’s goal of leveraging

agency resources, while enhancing the quality of our PRA methods and insights on risk

assessment techniques through the expansion of the international user community and through

their subsequent applications and feedback. This Agreement will enter into effect upon signature

and will remain in effect for a period of five years.

Agreement between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Babcock & Wilcox Canada

Limited in the Area of Steam Generator Tube Integrity Research

On June 17, 2004, the Executive Director for Operations signed the cooperative agreement

between the NRC and the Babcock & Wilcox Canada Limited. RES staff forwarded this

Agreement to Babcock & Wilcox Canada Limited on June 21, 2004.

This Agreement defines the terms and conditions by which the NRC and Babcock & Wilcox

Canada Limited will cooperate in the area of steam generator tube integrity research. The

research conducted and in-kind information exchanged under this Agreement will contribute to

NRC’s goal of leveraging agency resources and enhancing the quality of our models for

predicting steam generator tube integrity and degradation through the expansion of the data

base from which the models are developed and by comparisons of the independent models

developed by the participants. The information exchanged under this Agreement is also being

used to update a probabilistic code that can be used for evaluating licensees’ operational

assessments. These assessments are meant to predict steam generator tube behavior at the

end of a fuel cycle based on inspection results at the beginning of the cycle. In addition to

exchanging technical information and research data, B&W Canada will provide a cash

contribution each year for the duration of this Agreement. These funds will help support our

proactive research on developing predictions of cracking in steam generator tube materials

including materials in replacement generators. This Agreement will enter into effect upon

signature, and will remain in effect until December 31, 2006.

Quality Assurance Review of Low Power and Shutdown Risk Analysis Models

On June 15-17, 2004, staff from Region IV, RES and NRR conducted an onsite Quality

Assurance review of the Agency’s Standardized Plant Analysis Risk (SPAR) Low Power and

Shutdown(LP/SD) models for River Bend and Grand Gulf against the licensee’s LP/SD
June 25, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) models. Differences between the SPAR model and the

licensee’s PRA model were discussed with the licensee PRA and operations staff in an effort to

understand the reasons for the differences and to determine where revisions to the SPAR

models are necessary. Model updates resulting from this QA review will lead to more accurate

and plant-specific SPAR models. This onsite QA review is part of the SPAR Model Development

process. A portion of the meeting was also used to benchmark NRR’s Significance

Determination Process LP/SD Notebook against the licensee’s LP/SD model.

Meeting of Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) to Discuss Safety Issues and

Research on Use of Digital Systems in Nuclear Power Plants

On June 22, 2004, the Director for International Research and Development and a RES staff

member participated in a review of safety issues and the current ongoing research associated

with the increasing use of digital systems in nuclear power plants, at the annual meeting of the

Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) of the Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France. This review included a discussion of

current digital system safety issues that have been identified by OECD member nations and

potential CSNI activities that may support current and future research initiatives to resolve these

issues. 
June 25, 2004 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 25, 2004

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-II-04-004A, Global Nuclear Fuels - Americas, LLC - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ON THE TRANSPORTATION ACCIDENT INVOLVING SHIPMENT OF NUCLEAR FUEL

ASSEMBLIES

2. PNO-IV-04-014, Department of Energy - LEAK OF ANHYDROUS HYDROFLUORIC ACID

GAS CYLINDER NEAR NRC LICENSED FACILITY.

3. PNO-IV-04-013, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) - FIRE IN PROTECTED AREA

GENERATED MEDIA INTEREST.
June 25, 2004 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending June 25, 2004

Contract Awards

On June 16, 2004, a competitive delivery order was awarded under the General Services

Administration’s federal supply schedule to Aquas, Incorporated. This order requires the

contractor to perform a requirements analysis of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's overall

time and labor systems process. The period of performance is 71⁄2 months at an estimated cost

of $185,855.71.

On June 23, 2004, a competitive Blanket Purchase Agreement was awarded under the General

Service Administration’s federal supply schedule to Haworth, Inc. This agreement requires the

contractor to provide modular furniture including associated installation and design services. The

period of performance is one year with two one-year option periods at a total estimated cost of

$2,750,465.00.
June 25, 2004 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 25, 2004

NRC Assessing the Geospatial One Stop-Presidential Priority Initiative

Hank Garie from the Interior Department, who is also the Executive Director of the Geospatial

One-Stop Presidential Priority Initiative, briefed NRC Offices (NRR, NMSS, RES, NSIR) on the 

Geospatial One Stop program in support of OCIO's efforts to determine the value of the program

to NRC's Geospatial initiatives. A goal of the Geospatial initiative is to make it easier for

government officials at all levels to share, coordinate the collection of and gain access to

geospatial data to improve decision making and delivery of government services. The program

notes that although a wealth of geospatial information exists, it is often difficult to locate, access,

share, and integrate in a timely and efficient manner.

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

June 18 through June 24, 2004:

Applications for employment including Vacancy Announcement NSIR2004-0014 & CSU-2004-0002, all records relating to the processing,

December 2003 to present

FOIA/PA-2004-0272

Davis Besse reactor lid, 1996, inspections showing boric acid buildup,

1998 & 2000, all videotapes

FOIA/PA-2004-0273

Memo for W. Dircks from H. Denton, “Control Room Habitability,” June

29, 1984, as referenced in NUREG-0933

FOIA/PA-2004-0274
June 25, 2004 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 25, 2004

Arrivals

Sharon Bailey Secretary (OA) NSIR

Emily R. Banks Secretary (OA) NRR

James Beardsley Security Specialist NSIR

Cheryl Buracker Security Specialist ADM

James Canady Program Manager NSIR

Ronald Cureton Reactor Engineer (NSPDP) R-I

Douglas Dodge Security Specialist NSIR

John Giessner Reactor Engineer R-III

Stephen Hammann Health Physicist R-I

Martha Kamprath Secretary (OA) R-III

Jeffrey Kulp Reactor Inspector R-I

Frank Laughlin EP Specialist NSIR

Michele N. Laur Reliability & Risk Analyst NRR

Pamela Mack Criminal Investigator OIG

Christina Merritt Office Automation Assistant NRR

Kevin J. Morrissey Nuclear Process Engr. (Crit) NMSS

James Peyton Student Administrative (Summer) OCIO

Timothy Pruett IT Specialist OCIO

Nicole Sieller Reactor Engineer (NSPDP) R-I

Brian P. Smith General Engineer (NSPDP) NRR

John Thorp Reliability and Risk Analyst RES

Departures

Kristin Riesbeck International Relations Specialist OIP
June 25, 2004 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 25, 2004

Media Interest

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

Videotapes of the Davis-Besse reactor vessel head showing boric acid deposits on top.

A proposed NRC fine for an Ohio construction firm because of a radiation overexposure to a

worker.

Other OPA Items:

OPA arranged interviews for the Deputy Executive Director for Management Services on WTOP

radio’s “Meet the Chief Human Capital Officer” program and for Fortune Small Business

magazine regarding the NRC’s health care services contractor.

OPA staff assisted at public meetings regarding the Perry and Point Beach power plants, as well

as a proposed uranium enrichment plant in Ohio.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

04-077 NRC Receives Awards for Excellence in Performance and Accountability

Reporting (6/23)

04-078 NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to Hold Prehearing Conference June

30 on Proposed Millstone License Renewal (6/25)

Regions:

I-04-034 NRC Proposes $7,500 Fine Against Connecticut Company (6/24)

III-04-039 NRC Proposes $19,200 Fine Against U.S. Inspection Services for a Radiation

Overexposure to Worker (6/21)

IV-04-025 NRC Staff to Meet with Pacific Gas & Electric to Discuss Diablo Canyon

Issues (6/22)

IV-04-026 NRC to Discuss Performance of Waterford 3 Nuclear Plant July 22 (6/23)

IV-04-027 NRC to Discuss Performance of Grand Gulf on July 22 (6/24)

IV-04-028 NRC to Discuss Performance of Comanche Peak July 15 (6/24)

IV-04-029 NRC to Discuss Performance of Columbia Generating Station July 22 (6/24)
June 25, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 25, 2004

Outreach Workshop

On June 23, 2004, Region IV conducted an outreach workshop with local, State and utility

emergency response personnel participating in the South Texas Project emergency exercise

scheduled for August 10-11, 2004. Regional staff were joined by representatives of Federal

Emergency Management Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Energy

in the workshop. Approximately 100 people participated. 
June 25, 2004 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 25, 2004

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 64

OCA

Contact

DATE &

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Keeling 07/13/04

SD-366

10:00 TBA Role of Nuclear Power in National

Energy Policy

Senators DEnergy & N

Portner TBA

SD-192

TBA Markup FY2005 Energy and Water Development

Appropriations

Senators DEnergy anAppropriat

Combs TBA

2154 RHOB

TBA TBA Federal Information Technology R&D Reps. Burt

Human RiGovernme

Note: Congress is in the Fourth of July recess until Tuesday, July, 6, 2004.