INFORMATION REPORT

March 27, 2006 SECY-06-0067

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

MARCH 17, 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
March 27, 2006 SECY-06-0067

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

MARCH 17, 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\week317.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

LRakovan:paa WMDean

03/27/06 03/27/06
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MARCH 17, 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 *

ADM 10 Region II 21

OIS 11 Region III 22

CFO * Region IV *

HR 15 EDO *

SBCR * OCA 24

OE * ACRS/ACNW 25

*No input this week
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

Technical Meeting with Boiling Water Reactor Vessel and Internals Project (BWRVIP) 

On March 14, 2006, the staff and a representative from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

met with representatives of the BWRVIP in a public meeting at NRC Headquarters to discuss

various issues with respect to the staff’s review of several BWRVIP topical reports. The

technical discussions were productive in addressing various issues related to the staff’s review

of the BWRVIP topical reports. In addition, a session was held whereby the BWRVIP

executives provided an overview of the BWRVIP program to NRR management. 

NRR/BWRVIP Management Meeting

On March 15, 2006, NRR senior management met with members of the BWRVIP Executive

Oversight Committee (EOC) in a public meeting at NRC Headquarters to discuss the status of

the BWRVIP program, the successes and challenges for the staff and the BWRVIP with

respect to BWRVIP topical report reviews, and the forecast of upcoming BWRVIP topical report

submittals for fiscal years 2006 and 2007. In addition, a member of the BWRVIP EOC provided

an update of the Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, tie rod issue. This discussion included a

background of the tie rods, Hatch Unit 1 inspection results, interim root cause assessment,

significance for other tie rod plants, expectation of shroud redundancy, and future actions.

NRC Issues Letter on Proposed Technical Specification Changes Relating to Control Room

Envelope Habitability

On March 10, 2006, the staff issued a letter to industry containing a set of markups to the

Standard Technical Specifications and a draft safety evaluation to illustrate the NRC’s position

on proposed changes to Control Room Envelope (CRE) habitability. NRC safety concerns

include exceeding unfiltered air in-leakage limits, that if they are not remedied within the

Technical Specifications (TS) completion time, would necessitate a plant shutdown. The staff

will meet with Technical Specification Task Force (TSTF) members to provide industry

opportunity for comment in mid-April 2006. The path forward is to review and approve Revision

3 of TSTF-448, which will provide TS changes that all licensees can adopt to address CRE

habitability issues.

Public Meeting on Proposed Rule to Update 10 CFR Part 52

On March 14, 2006, the staff held a public workshop in the Two White Flint North auditorium to

discuss the proposed rule to amend Part 52, which was published on March 13, and to facilitate

stakeholder comments. Over 100 representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute, nuclear

power plant licensees, vendors, law firms representing nuclear power reactor licensees, and

NRC staff attended the workshop. The staff explained the proposed requirements and

answered stakeholder questions. 
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Thermal-Hydraulic Subcommittee

Meeting - ESBWR Stability Method

On March 14, 2006, the staff, its contractors, and General Electric (GE) met with the ACRS

Thermal-Hydraulic Subcommittee regarding the application of the TRACG computer code to

ESBWR stability. During a previous meeting on this topic on January 19, 2006, subcommittee

members raised questions regarding the identification of the dominant phenomena, the

qualification of TRACG for this application, and the nodalization scheme used by GE. The

subcommittee was satisfied with the supplemental presentations provided by the staff, its

contractors, and GE. All of the issues raised by the subcommittee at the previous meeting

have now been resolved. A full committee meeting on this topic has been tentatively scheduled

on April 6, 2006.

Brunswick - Public Meeting on Transitioning to a New Fuel Vendor

On March 10, 2006, a Category 1 public meeting was held at NRC headquarters among the

NRC staff, representatives of Carolina Power & Light Company (the licensee for Brunswick

Steam Electric Plant, Units 1 and 2), and Framatome ANP (the fuel vendor for new fuel at the

plant). The purpose of the meeting was to initiate communications regarding the transition

process and licensing submittals required to accomplish a safe and efficient transition from the

current GE 14 Fuel to Framatome ANP's Atrium-10 fuel. The licensee was told that licensing

submittals and analyses to support the new fuel in a mixed core would need to be made timely

to allow the NRC staff a year's review time. The reviews and approvals would be needed to

support the spring 2008 refueling outage.

Alternate Source Term (AST) Reviews

On March 7, 2006, the staff issued Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2006-04, “Experience with

Implementation of Alternative Source Terms,” to provide holders of operating licenses for power

reactors information on recent experiences with implementation of AST in design basis accident

radiological analyses. Currently, more than 10 license amendment requests for full-scope

implementation of AST are under staff review. Many of these submittals lack the necessary

information for the staff to make its safety determination and have required multiple requests for

additional information. The RIS discusses the more frequent and significant issues

encountered by the staff in its review of submittals and provides information for licensees to

consider when developing submittals. The staff expects that, by considering information

contained in the RIS, the quality of submittals for implementation of AST will improve, which will

result in improved efficiency of staff review.
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

Louisiana Energy Services Mandatory Hearing and Meeting with New Mexico State Agencies

On March 6, 2006, staff from the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), and NMSS participated

in the mandatory hearing in Hobbs, NM, for the proposed Louisiana Energy Services (LES)

uranium enrichment plant. Staff responded to Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB)

questions in the areas of: (a) regulatory guidance used in the licensing review;

(b) decommissioning financial assurance; (c) nuclear criticality safety; (d) fire protection;

(e) need for the facility; and (f) the environmental impacts of a uranium hexafluoride cylinder

rupture. The ASLB also held limited appearance sessions on March 5 and 6, 2006. About 75

people made appearances, most of whom were in favor of the plant.

On March 9, 2006, staff from OGC and NMSS, Region IV, and the Office of Nuclear Security

and Incident Response met with staff from the New Mexico Environment Department and the

New Mexico Department of Public Safety, to discuss the status of the LES licensing, and plans

to protect the shipment of classified components. The New Mexico State agencies committted

to provide assistance, as needed, in the development of transportation security plans for the

LES facility.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Meetings

On March 6-10, 2006, at the request of the IAEA, NMSS staff participated in a consultant

meeting at the IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, to revise a 1997 IAEA Provisional Safety

Standard for volcanic hazards and the siting of nuclear facilities. This provisional guide

required additional review and update for consideration as an IAEA Safety Standard. Staff

helped to draft significant revisions to the provisional guide, so that it now better represents

current knowledge on the assessment of potential volcanic hazards in an integrated regulatory

framework.

On March 6-10, 2006, NMSS staff also participated, at IAEA’s request, in a meeting at IAEA

headquarters to review the IAEA draft Safety Guide for geological disposal of radioactive waste. 

NMSS staff provided input, from a regulatory perspective, based on staff experience with highlevel waste regulations and performance assessment. 

Meeting with Caterpillar Technology Center on Amorphous Metal Coatings

On March 9, 2006, NMSS staff visited Caterpillar’s technology center in Peoria, IL, and its

production facility in Joliet, IL, to discuss its research and development activities on corrosionresistant amorphous metal coatings. The Department of Energy is investigating the possible

use of these amorphous metal coatings for a revised engineered barrier system design at the

potential Yucca Mountain repository.
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE B

Public Meeting on Nuclear Criticality Safety and Materials Issues

On March 14, 2006, NMSS staff met with Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and industry

representatives to discuss selected technical and licensing issues related to dry storage and

transportation of spent fuel. The issues discussed were: (a) criticality safety during cask

loading in spent fuel pools; (b) burnup credit; (c) burnup measurement; (d) criticality monitoring

requirements; and (e) Interim Staff Guidance (ISG)-1 “Damaged Fuels,” and ISG-11 “Cladding

Considerations for the Transportation and Storage of Spent Fuel.” NEI and industry

acknowledged NRC’s rulemaking effort on 10 CFR 50.68 to address criticality safety

requirements during cask loading. NEI requested a future meeting to discuss, in more detail,

burnup credit, burnup measurement, and moderator exclusion.

Public Meeting on ISG-21 and -22

On March 14, 2006, NMSS staff met with NEI, industry, and other stakeholders on the technical

bases for ISG-21 "Use of Computational Modeling Software,” and ISG-22 “Potential Fuel Rod

Splitting Due to Exposure to an Oxidizing Atmosphere during Storage and Transportation.” 

Draft versions of both ISGs had been issued previously for public comment. Comments have

been received and incorporated, and the final ISGs are scheduled for release soon. 

Public Meeting on Amendment for Model No. NAC-LWT

On March 15, 2006, NMSS staff met with NAC International to discuss an amendment for the

Model No. NAC-LWT package for transport of research reactor spent fuel. NAC International

plans to submit an amendment request in April 2006, to change the authorized contents for this

package.
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

Letter of Agreement Between the NRC and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Relating to the International

Fire Incident Records Exchange (FIRE) Project

On March 10, 2006, the EDO signed the subject Letter of Agreement relating to the

International Fire Incident Records Exchange (FIRE) Project. The letter defines the terms and

conditions by which the NRC and OECD/NEA will continue to cooperate in the exchange of

international fire incident records data. Continued participation in OECD-FIRE will ensure NRC

maintains access to proprietary foreign data that would not otherwise be available. These data

augment the NRC’s fire incident records exchange database with foreign experience and

enable the staff to compare domestic fire incident experience with that of other countries and

glean insights for use in quantitative risk studies. This Agreement became effective upon

signature and will remain in effect through December 31, 2008.

5th International MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System Users Group (IMUG) Meeting

On March 10, 2006, staff participated in the subject meeting at NRC Headquarters. The IMUG

is comprised of users of the NRC's off-site consequence code. Discussions focused on

enhancements to the code and future plans.

Meeting with Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) (Pty) Ltd.

On March 15 and 16, 2006, staff from RES, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, the

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, and the Office of Nuclear Security and

Incident Response participated in the subject meeting to discuss plant operations, design

approach, and response to events for the PBMR. These discussions are in support of future

white papers that PBMR (Pty), Ltd. plans to submit to the NRC in May 2006 as part of the predesign certification application review. 
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE D

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-III-06-005A, LaSalle Unit 1 - INDICATION FAILURE FOR THREE CONTROL

RODS FOLLOWING REACTOR TRIP (UPDATE).

2. PNO-III-05-016D, Braidwood 1 and 2 - TRITIUM CONTAMINATION ISSUES (4TH

UPDATE).

3. PNO-IV-06-001, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station - FOLLOWUP FOR TRITIUM

CONTAMINATION FOUND IN WATER ONSITE.
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending March 17, 2006

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

On March 13, 2006, the NRC published a proposed rule in the Federal Register (71 FR 12782)

that would revise its regulations governing the licensing and approval processes for nuclear

power plants contained in 10 CFR Part 52. The proposed revision is intended to enhance the

NRC’s regulatory effectiveness in implementing its licensing and approval process on the basis

of lessons learned during design certification and early site permit reviews and on interactions

with stakeholders concerning these processes. The proposed rule would also clarify the

applicability of various regulatory requirements to each of the regulatory processes in Part 52. 

The comment period for this action closes May 30, 2006.

Construction Project

On March 15, 2006, the NRC and General Services Administration declared the Perimeter

Security Project to be essentially complete. This project is the culmination of several physical

protection projects implemented to protect the NRC campus, i.e., vehicle bollards, tensile

fencing, boulders and new guard booths. 
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

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

March 10 through March 16, 2006:

Palisades Plant, Task Interface Agreement relating to ISFSI, April

2005, FOIA/PA-2005-0259

FOIA/PA-2006-0136

OI Case 1-2003-045, correspondence from NRC to named individual,

certified copy of official record

FOIA/PA-2006-0137

OI Report 3-2004-012, Exhibit 3, Transcript of interview with named

investigator, April 13, 2004

FOIA/PA-2006-0138

Diablo Canyon plant, December 2003 Monthly Operating Report FOIA/PA-2006-0139

Indian Point 2 Spent Fuel Pool, all correspondence between NRC &

Entergy Northeast LLC, from 1-6-06 through 3-14-06

FOIA/PA-2006-0140

OI report on Progress Energy’s Crystal River plant access incident in

2005; security inspection, Shearon Harris nuclear plant

FOIA/PA-2006-0141

St. Elizabeth Hospital, Youngstown, OH, radiation of new born

thyroids, 1946-47, all records

FOIA/PA-2006-0142

Records of Thomas M. Roberts - Referral by Ronald Reagan Library FOIA/PA-2006-0143
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

Arrival

BARTLINSKI, ANITA B. HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST HR

CLARK, JUDY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR OIG

GROVER, RAVI REACTOR ENGINEER NRR

LEE, ERIKA SECRETARY (OA) NRR

ORENDI, MONICA L. HEALTH PHYSICIST (NSPDP) STP

SANDERS, CARLEEN GENERAL ENGINEER (NSPDP) NRR

SHARMA, BHAWANA CONSULTANT ADM

STANBACK, TASHA SECRETARY (OA) NRR

WILLIAMS, MICHELLE L. HUMAN RESOURCES ASSISTANT HR

Departures

TAYLOR, JAMES R. SENIOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR OIG
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

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

The tritium leaks at several nuclear power plants.

NRC’s special inspection of Indian Point’s spent fuel pool.

The Design Basis Threat for nuclear plants.

The NRC’s multimedia hearing rooms for the expected Yucca Mountain adjudication.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

06-034 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet in Rockville, Maryland,

March 22-24 (3/14)

06-035 NRC Completes Minnesota Agreement to Regulate Use of Certain Radioactive

Materials (3/17)

Regions:

I-06-013 NRC to Discuss Violations Involving Marcus Hook, Pa., Company (3/13)

III-06-009 NRC to Discuss 2005 Performance Assessment and Review Safety Culture

Survey for Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant (3/15)

III-06-010 NRC to Discuss 2005 Performance Assessment for Fermi Nuclear Power Plant

(3/16)

III-06-011 NRC to Discuss 2005 Performance Assessment for Kewaunee Nuclear Power

Plant (3/16)
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-06-0035 02/13/06 Process for Releasing Non-Impacted Areas

of the Western New York Service Center

Before the Completion of Site

Decommissioning

SRM on SECY-06-0035 03/14/06 (same)

Voting Record on

SECY-06-0035

03/14/06 (same)

2. COMGBJ-06-0002 03/8/06 Vermont Yankee’s Extended Power Uprate

License Amendment

3. COMGBJ-06-0001 03/02/06 Establishing a Policy for the Review of New

Power Reactor Combined Operating

Licenses

Information Papers

SECY-06-0042 02/28/06 Annual Report on Commission Adjudication

Commission Correspondence

Letter to Congresswoman Sue W. Kelly, dated March 10, 2006, responds to request that an

Independent Safety Assessment be conducted at the Indian Point site.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS), request for resumes.

2. ACRS, Subcommittee Meeting on Planning and Procedures, notice of meeting (4/5/06).
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

Augmented Inspection Team (AIT) Exit Meeting at the Turkey Point Nuclear Plant

On March 14, 2006, the Regional Administrator, accompanied by the Deputy Executive Director

for Reactor and Preparedness Programs, attended the AIT Exit Meeting at the Turkey Point

Nuclear Plant. The AIT was conducted to verify that the licensee's compensatory and

corrective actions were appropriate to ensure the proper level of security in light of recent items

identified at the plant.
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region III (RIII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

Perry Public Meeting

On March 14, 2006, Region III staff met with representatives of FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating

Company (FENOC) to discuss the results of NRC’s annual assessment and the results of the

Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL) followup inspections. There were two green findings (findings

of very low safety significance) as a result of the supplemental inspection action item review

resulting from human performance errors that occurred during NRC-observed testing activities. 

Approximately 70 individuals attended the meeting including plant employees, representatives

of the State of Ohio Emergency Management Agency, the Pennsylvania Emergency

Management Agency, and members of the public. 

Quad-Cities Public Meeting Results

On March 16, 2006, Region III and the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation staff met with

representatives of Exelon Generation Company to discuss inspection plans, modifications and

startup test plans for the electromatic relief valves at Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant during

the March Unit 2 outage. The company presented the results of their root cause evaluation,

extent of condition evaluation, and planned corrective actions to reduce or eliminate the main

steam line vibrations. This meeting was attended by representatives from other utilities,

contractors and the State of Illinois Emergency Management Agency. 
March 17, 2006 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 10

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Combs TBD TBA DOE Status of Yucca Mountain license

application

Senators Energy a

Keeling 03/14/06

2154 RHOB

2:00 TBD Overclassification of Federal

Documents

Reps. ShNational S and InteGovernm

Decker 03/14/06

S-116Capitol

2:15 Markup Implementing legislation on the

Treaty to implement the obligationsof the U.S. under the protocoladditional to the agreement betweenthe U.S. and IAEA for the applicationof safeguards in the U.S.

Senators Foreign R

Combs 03/15/06

2362BRHOB

10:00 DOE - Paul Golin, Acting

Director, OCRWM

Department of Energy - NuclearWaste Disposal

Reps. HoEnergy aAppropria

Combs 03/15/06

SD-366

11:30 Nomination Vote Mr. Dennis Spurgeon to be Assistant

Secretary of Energy for NuclearEnergy

Senators Energy a

Combs 03/15/06

2123 RHOB

3:00 Clay Sell, DOE Status of Yucca Mountain Reps. Ha

Energy aEnergy a
CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 10

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

March 17, 2006 

Shane 03/16/06

2154 RHOB

10:00 TBD, NRC is not testifying FISMA Reps. Da

Governm

Combs 03/23/06

Las Vegas,NVPostponedMay be heldin April/May

TBD NRC, GAO, DOE/OCRWM,

DOE/IG, Bechtel

Yucca Mountain Project: PersistentManagement and Quality Assurance

Reps. PoFederal WOrganizaGovernm

Combs 03/28/06 

TBD

TBD NRC, GAO, DOE/NNSA,

DHS/Customs and BorderProtection

GAO findings with regard tocounterfeiting an NRC license andgeneral availability of exemptquantity radioactive sources

Senators PermaneInvestigatHomeland  Affairs

Decker 03/30/06

SD-138

10:00 DOE Yucca Mountain/EM/Office of

Safeguards and Security

Senators Energy aAppropria

Keeling 04/04/06

2247 RHOB

2:00 NRC, GAO, NEI, Exelon,

Connecticut AttorneyGeneral, POGO

NRC efforts to define the DBT andset protective standards for theNuclear Power Industry

Reps. ShNational Sand InternGovernm
March 17, 2006 ENCLOSURE S

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)/

Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 17, 2006

As a result of its 530th meeting (March 9-11, 2006), the ACRS issued letters and reports

on the following subjects. 

Date Subject

March 15, 2006 Review and Evaluation of the NRC Safety Research Program