INFORMATION REPORT

February 16, 2006 SECY-06-0039

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

FEBRUARY 3, 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 16, 2006 SECY-06-0039

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

FEBRUARY 3, 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\week203.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

LRakovan:paa WMDean

02/16/06 02/17/06
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 3, 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 * 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 *

*No input this week
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 3, 2006

Steam Generator Tube Integrity Technical Specifications Generic Letter

On January 20, 2006, the staff issued Generic Letter 2006-01, “Steam Generator Tube Integrity

and Associated Technical Specifications.” This generic letter requests that addressees either

submit a description of their program for ensuring steam generator tube integrity for the interval

between inspections or adopt alternative technical specification requirements for ensuring

steam generator tube integrity. Alternative technical specification requirements that address

the staff’s concerns with the existing technical specifications were developed by the industry

and found acceptable by the staff. A response to this generic letter is not needed for the

following reactor units since they have revised their technical specifications to be conceptually

similar to the technical specifications discussed in this generic letter: Arkansas Nuclear One

Unit 1, Callaway, Catawba Units 1 and 2, Farley Units 1 and 2, Salem Unit 1, and South Texas

Project Units 1 and 2.

Grid Reliability Generic Letter

On February 1, the staff issued Generic Letter (GL) 2006-02, “Grid Reliability and the Impact on

Plant Risk and the Operability of Offsite Power.” The purpose of this generic letter is to

determine if compliance is being maintained with NRC regulatory requirements governing

electric power sources and associated personnel training for the operating nuclear plants. GL

2006-02 is also requesting information from licensees in four areas: (1) use of protocols

between the nuclear power plant and the transmission system operator (TSO), independent

system operator, or reliability coordinator/authority and the use of transmission load flow

analysis tools (analysis tools) by TSOs to assist power plants in monitoring grid conditions to

determine the operability of offsite power systems under plant technical specifications; (2) use

of power plant/TSO protocols and analysis tools by TSOs to assist power plants in monitoring

grid conditions for consideration in maintenance risk assessments; (3) offsite power restoration

procedures in accordance with Section 2 of NRC Regulatory Guide 1.155, “Station Blackout;”

and (4) losses of offsite power caused by grid failures at a frequency equal to or greater than

once in 20 site-years in accordance with Regulatory Guide 1.155, “Station Blackout.”

Duane Arnold Energy Center - Issuance of Conforming Amendment for Transfer of License for

On January 27, 2006, the NRC issued the conforming amendment for Duane Arnold Energy

Center (DAEC). The conforming amendment was issued subsequent to the NRC Order dated

December 23, 2005, which approved the transfer of the operating license from Nuclear

Management Company, LLC, to FPL Energy Duane Arnold, and approved the transfer of

Interstate Power and Light Company's 70-percent ownership interest in DAEC to FPL Energy

Duane Arnold.

Limerick - Alternative Source Term Public Meeting

On January 30, 2006, the staff met with representatives from Exelon Nuclear and Washington

Group International to discuss Exelon’s application to apply an alternative source term (AST) at
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Limerick Generating Station. Specifically, Exelon presented the revised analysis performed as

a result of the staff’s August 2005 request for additional information and discussed the

application’s conformance to Regulatory Guide 1.183 on alternative source term. Technical

issues discussed included the steam line deposition model used in the loss-of-coolant accident

analysis, control room doses from nearby piping, and various release pathways. Review of the

Limerick AST application is still underway, and the meeting brought focus to the areas needing

further review and clarification. Both Exelon and NRC staff identified action items at the end of

the meeting, and a teleconference is planned to discuss these items in the coming weeks.
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 3, 2006

Meeting with Savannah River Site (SRS) Citizens' Advisory Board

On January 24, 2006, NMSS staff gave a presentation to the SRS Citizens' Advisory Board on

the findings and conclusions of NRC's recently completed Technical Evaluation Report

evaluating the treatment and on-site disposal of salt waste from the SRS high-level waste

tanks. This was the first review completed as part of NRC's new responsibilities under the

National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2005. The Board requested the briefing as part of its

role to advise the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on its environmental management

activities at SRS.

Meeting with DOE Regarding Incidental Waste Review

On January 25, 2006, NMSS staff met with DOE staff to discuss technical issues related to the

draft waste determination for closure of Tanks 18 and 19 at SRS, which NRC is currently

reviewing. Topics covered included modeling parameters, sensitivity analyses, and intruder

assumptions. This was an open meeting held near SRS, and observers included the State of

South Carolina, the Sierra Club, and the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League.

Staff Meets with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on Amorphous

Metal Coatings

On January 27, 2006, NMSS staff visited DARPA in Arlington, VA, to discuss the joint

DARPA/DOE program on High-Performance Corrosion-Resistant Materials (HPCRM). The

HPCRM program is cosponsored by the DARPA Defense Science Office and DOE Office of

Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. The program has developed new corrosion-resistant,

iron-based amorphous metals that may be applied as coatings to the engineered barriers for

corrosion mitigation.

Staff Makes Presentation at the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB)

Meeting on Implementation of a High-Level Waste Dose Standard after 10,000 Years

On February 1, 2006, staff from NRC and the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses

attended the NWTRB meeting in Las Vegas, NV. At the request of the NWTRB, staff made a

presentation on NRC’s implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s)

proposed Yucca Mountain Standard for the period of time after 10,000 years.

Staff Attends Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)/Nuclear

Energy Agency (NEA) Meetings on Stakeholder Confidence and Long-Term Safety Criteria

From January 16 to 20, 2006, staff attended two successive OECD/NEA meetings in Paris,

France. On January 16-17, 2006, staff attended the meeting of the OECD/NEA Forum on

Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) core group. NRC staff has represented the U.S. on the FSC

core group since FSC’s inception. The core group agreed on an agenda and discussed plans

for the 2006 annual FSC meeting scheduled for June.
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE B

On January 18-20, 2006, staff from both NRC and EPA represented the U.S. in a meeting of

the ad hoc task group on long-term safety criteria. The Regulator’s Forum of the NEA’s

Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) set up this task group to review and

compare the long-term protection criteria for long-lived radioactive waste in various countries. 

Representatives from nine countries participated: Belgium; Canada; Germany; Japan; Spain;

Sweden; Switzerland; the United Kingdom; and the U.S. The purpose of the meeting was to

review long-term safety criteria issues to be presented to the RWMC in March. Issues

discussed included: (1) fairness to future generations demands of current regulators;

(2) challenges in communicating criteria for long-term safety; and (3) whether ethical and

regulatory duties lessen over very long time frames.
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 3, 2006

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Workshop on the Pebble

Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) Neutronic/Thermal-Hydraulic Transient Benchmark

On January 26-27, 2006, staff participated in the subject workshop in Paris, France. 

Information gained from the workshop will support ongoing high temperature gas-cooled reactor

knowledge management activities, and the development of the regulatory infrastructure needed

for PBMR pre-application reviews and interaction with DOE on the Next Generation Nuclear

Plant.
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending February 3, 2006

AP1000 Design Certification (AH56-Part 52)

On January 27, 2006, the NRC published a final rule in the Federal Register (71 FR 4464) that

certifies the AP1000 standard plant design. The final rule allows applicants or licensees who

intend to construct and operate an AP1000 design to do so by referencing the AP1000 design

certification rule. The final rule becomes effective February 27, 2006.

Clarification of NRC Civil Penalty Authority Over Contractors and Subcontractors Who

Discriminate Against Employees for Engaging in Protected Activities (AH59 - Part 30, et al)

On January 31, 2006, the NRC published a proposed rule (71 FR 5015) that would amend its

employee protection regulations. The proposed rule would clarify the Commission’s authority to

impose a civil penalty on a non-licensee contractor or subcontractor of a licensee or applicant

who violates NRC regulations by discriminating against an employee for engaging in a

protected activity. The comment period for this action expires April 17, 2006.
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 3, 2006

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

January 27, 2006 through February 2, 2006:

NRC’s understanding of the term “diverse means of providing the

safe shutdown capability” used in Appendix 9.5E of the Updated

Safety Analysis Report for Wolf Creek

FOIA/PA-2006-0095

OI report of recorded meeting of June 2005 re: Hershey Medical

Center investigation, correspondence

FOIA/PA-2006-0096
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 3, 2006

Arrival

BARTLEMAN, JOHN P. REACTOR ENGINEER / RESIDENT

INSPECTOR

R-III

CHEN, CHUAN PROJECT MANAGER NMSS

CHUNG, DONALD HEALTH PHYSICIST NRR

DECKER, DAVID L. SR CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICER CA

FERNANDES, RICARDO A. PROGRAM MANAGER NSIR

GALLAGHER, BRONWYN IT SPECIALIST (INFOSEC) IS

JONES, FREDERICK K. SYSTEMS ACCOUNTANT CFO

Retirements

HOLDEN, ROSE M. SECRETARY (OA) OGC

JONES, JOAN T. SECRETARY (OA) ADM

LEVIN, ROSELYN H. SECRETARY (OA) R-I

WALLACE, ANNE M. PROPERTY AND SUPPLY ASSISTANT R-I

Departures

OUTLAW, WILLIAM N. ACTING DIR/DIR OF COMMUNICATIONS CA

SHEA, STEVEN R. SENIOR AUDITOR OIG

THOMPSON, MARK R. IT SPECIALIST (INET) IS

WILSON, RACHEL D. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR OIG
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 3, 2006

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

License renewal applications from Vermont Yankee and Pilgrim.

The status of new reactor licensing in the context of the President’s State of the Union speech.

The NRC’s AP1000 design certification rule.

Other Public Affairs Items:

OPA participated in a National Public Radio “Marketplace” feature on the resurgence of nuclear

power.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

06-009 NRC Proposes to Amend Regulations on Fines for Violating Employee

Protection Requirements (1/30)

06-010 NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Meet Feb. 9-11 in

Rockville, Maryland (1/30)

06-011 NRC Announces Availability of License Renewal Applications for Vermont

Yankee and Pilgrim (1/31)

06-012 NRC Publishes Certification Rule for Westinghouse’s AP1000 Advanced

Reactor Design (1/31)

06-013 NRC Staff Issues Generic Letter on Electric Grid Reliability Impact on Plant Risk

(2/2)

06-014 Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Schedules Hearing on Proposed Uranium

Enrichment Plant in New Mexico (2/3)

06-015 Note to Editors: NRC 2007 Budget Briefing (2/3)

Regions:

I-06-004 NRC Cites Nuclear Medicine Firm for Violation of Requirements (1/30)

II-06-001 NRC Schedules Meeting with Duke Energy to Discuss Inspection Finding at

Oconee Nuclear Power Plant (2/2)

III-06-004 NRC Issues Draft Environmental Report for Monticello License Renewal,

Announces March 22 Public Meeting (2/2)
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 3, 2006

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-06-0010 01/12/06 Withdraw Proposed Rulemaking - Fire

Protection Program Post-Fire Operator

Manual Actions (RIN 3150-AH54)

2. SRM-SECY-05-0203 01/30/06 Revised Proposed Rule to Update 10 CFR

Part 52, “Licenses, Certifications, and

Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants”

Voting Record -

SECY-05-0203

01/30/06 (same)

Information Papers

1. SECY-06-0009 01/10/06 Submission of the Annual Freedom of

Information Act Report

2. SECY-06-0017 01/30/06 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

January 20, 2006

Memoranda

1. M060131A 01/31/06 Staff Requirements - Affirmation Session: I.

SECY-05-0230 - FirstEnergy Nuclear

Operating Co. (Beaver Valley Power

Station, Unit Nos. 1&2; Davis Besse Power

Station, Unit No. 1; Perry Nuclear Power

Plant, Unit No. 1), Docket Nos. 50-334-LT,

50-346-LT, 50-412-LT, & 50-440-LT; II.

SECY-06-0002 - Private Fuel Storage

(Independent Spent Fuel Storage

Installation) Docket No. 72-22-ISFSI; III.

SECY-06-0005 - Motion to Reopen the

Millstone License Renewal Proceedings

Filed by Connecticut Coalition Against

Millstone

2. M060112 02/01/06 Staff Requirements - Discussion of Security

Issues

Slides 02/02/06 Briefing Slides - Discussion of Security

Issues
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

3. M060202A 02/02/06 Staff Requirements - Affirmation Session: I.

SECY-05-0231 - U.S. Department of Energy

(High-level Waste Repository: PreApplication Matters); NRC Staff and DOE

Appeals of LBP-05-27; II. SECY-06-0011 -

Nuclear Management Company, LLC

(Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant)

4. M060110 02/02/06 SRM-Briefing on International Research and

Bilateral Agreements

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Congress, dated January 26 2006, provides an invitation to the 18th Annual

Regulatory Information Conference on March 7, 8, and 9, 2006.

2. Letter to Congressman Edward J. Markey, dated January 25, 200, provides supplemental

information concerning the temporary suspension of public access to the NRC’s

Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS).

Federal Register Notices Issued

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Subcommittee Meeting on ThermalHydraulic Phenomena, notice of meeting (2/14-16/06).
February 3, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV (RIV)

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 3, 2006

Columbia Public Meeting at the Region IV Office

On February 3, 2006, a public meeting was held at the Region IV office between the NRC and

Energy Northwest to discuss plant performance issues at Columbia Generating Station. Issues

discussed included: 1) lessons learned from the licensee's review of the handling of service

water pump shaft coupling failures at the facility during the period June through December

2005; 2) planned corrective actions from the review; and 3) long-term plans to ensure service

water pump reliability and other equipment reliability at the facility. 
February 3, 2006 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending February 3, 2006

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 4

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Decker 02/09/06

SD-366

10:00 DOE Fiscal Year 2007 Budget: DOE Senator D

Energy a

Decker 02/09/06

SD-366

2:30 Energy Information

Administration

Energy Outlook and Trends Senator D

Energy a

Combs Week of

February 13TentativeSD-406

TBA DOE, EPA, NRC, NEI,

NWTB, NAS, State of NV

Status of Yucca Mountain licenseapplication and radiation standards

Senator IEnvironm

Shane March 9

SD-406

TBA NRC NRC Oversight Senator V

Clean Air

 and NuEnvironm

Combs March 14

Tentative

TBA DOE Status of Yucca Mountain license

application

Senator DEnergy a