INFORMATION REPORT

June 29, 2006 SECY-06-0146

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

JUNE 23, 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
June 29, 2006 SECY-06-0146

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

JUNE 23, 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\week623.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

LRakovan:paa WMDean

06/28/06 06/29/06
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JUNE 23, 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 *

*No input this week
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

Meeting on Leak-Before-Break Related Issues

On June 13, 2006, NRR staff participated in a meeting with the Office of Nuclear Regulatory

Research (RES) at Battelle Columbus Laboratory. The meeting was held with the RES

contractors that will be conducting activities in response to an NRR user need request related to

primary water stress corrosion cracking in leak-before-break piping systems. The purpose of

the meeting was to discuss the coordination, timing, and exchange of work that will occur

between the research organizations involved. The meeting resulted in an improved

understanding of NRR needs and the interfaces necessary to successfully complete the work. 

Arrangements were made for subsequent meetings to continue an active dialogue.

ACRS Sub-Committee Meeting on Thermal-Hydraulic Phenomena

On June 14, 2006, NRR staff presented an update of the GSI-191 activities to the Advisory

Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Sub-Committee on Thermal-Hydraulic Phenomena. 

In particular, the staff briefed the Sub-Committee on activities since the February 2006 SubCommittee meeting and provided the projected path forward to resolve remaining technical

issues. Presentation topics included chemical effects, coatings, downstream effects (including

reactor vessel and fuel), prototypical head loss testing and licensee audits. Based on these

presentations, the Sub-Committee determined that a Sub-Committee brief of GSI-191 activities

to the ACRS Full Committee would be sufficient for the July 2006 Full ACRS meeting.

Observation of Calvert Cliffs Active Strainer Tests

On June 15, 2006, NRR staff observed concentration testing activities associated with the

Calvert Cliff’s proto-typical active strainer and attended a demonstration of fuel assembly

testing at Continuum Dynamics, Inc. (CDI), located in Ewing, NJ. The General Electric (GE)

active strainer concentration test was performed to gather data on the head loss performance

as a function of debris concentration around the active strainer. The fuel filter demonstration

was performed to exhibit the ability of how debris can be filtered from entering the fuel region

with the bed of debris that is formed. Test procedures were reviewed and discussed with GE,

CDI and licensee staff. The scale model test facility was reviewed and compared to NRC

guidelines on the use of scale models to predict performance.

Nuclear Procurement Issues Committee (NUPIC) and Vendor Meetings

From June 13 - 15, 2006, NRR staff participated in the NUPIC general meeting and the 15th

Annual NUPIC Vendor meeting in Portland, OR. The staff made presentations on 10 CFR

Part 21, NRC vendor inspection activities, calibration laboratory accreditation, and the new NRR

Quality Assurance (QA) website. All presentations were well received.
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Public Meeting on Discussion of Radioactive Liquid Discharges from Nuclear Power Plants

On June 21, 2006, NRR staff met with NEI, licensee representatives, and several members of

the public and media to discuss groundwater contamination at nuclear power plants. As an

industry initiative, each site will establish an action plan by July 31, 2006, to detect, monitor,

assess, and report groundwater contamination at their site. Specifics and minimum

requirements for establishing these action plans will be defined by NEI, and forwarded to the

NRC within the next couple of weeks. Industry representatives discussed the short term

actions they expect to have in place by July 31, and the longer term items that will be described

in the action plans, along with milestone dates for their implementation. These action plans will

include establishing site-specific processes and criteria for timely detection and effective

response for inadvertent releases in groundwater at nuclear power plants. The action plans will

also address expanding the scope of the Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program

reporting requirements to include voluntary formal and informal reports.

NRC Staff Holds Public Workshop on DG-1145

During June 13-14, 2006, NRR staff held the fourth in a series of public workshops on the

development of Draft Regulatory Guide 1145, “Combined License (COL) Applications for

Nuclear Power Plants (Light Water Reactor Edition).” Topics discussed at this workshop

included: site characterization; plant procedures; initial test program; inspections, tests,

analyses, and acceptance criteria; conformance with NRC general design criteria; classification

of structures, systems, and components; wind and tornado loadings; water level (flood) design;

missile protection; protection against dynamic effects associated with postulated rupture piping;

transient and accident analyses; and risk evaluation (probabilistic risk assessment). In addition,

the NRC discussed the level of detail needed to be provided in a COL application. The

workshops are scheduled to continue monthly through September.

Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) Review Status Meeting

On June 19, 2006, NRC and GE management met to discuss the status of the ESBWR design

certification review. The meeting discussions focused on the schedule of GE submittals. GE

presented a schedule for completing all outstanding licensing topical reports and proposals to

improve the timeliness of responses to NRC requests for additional information. The staff

informed GE that it intends to meet the published schedule for completing a safety evaluation

report (SER) with open items, and that late or incomplete submittals will result in additional SER

open items.

New Plant Oversight Committee Meeting

On June 20, 2006, the NRC staff met with members of the New Plant Oversight Committee

(NPOC) to discuss strategic planning for new reactor applications and their review. NPOC

members include Senior Executives from utilities and vendors participating in new nuclear plant

activities, and Senior members from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). Topics discussed at

the meeting included integrated scheduling and scheduling tools, Regulatory Information

Summary (RIS) 2006-06, Limited Work Authorization proposals, Standard Review Plan

(NUREG-0800) and COL Regulatory Guide development, and the NRC budgeting process with
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

respect to new reactor licensing activities. NRC and NPOC agreed to establish working groups

which would meet on a regular basis to identify and discuss new reactor licensing issues.

Meeting with the Pressurized Water Reactor Owners Group (PWROG) on Steam Generator

Issues

On June 21, 2006, the NRC staff met with the representatives of PWROG to discuss their

general approach for applying steam generator inspection methodologies in the tubesheet

region at plants with hydraulically expanded tubes. The meeting also included a discussion of

the responses to requests for additional information concerning the approach proposed by

Seabrook and Byron & Braidwood.

American Nuclear Society (ANS) Summer Conference Presentations

From June 5-8, 2006, NRR staff, in conjunction with RES, the National Institute of Standards

and Technology, and Electric Power Research Institute/Science Applications International

Corp., presented papers at the session on Fire Modeling at the ANS Summer Conference in

Reno, Nevada. The NRR papers addressed: (1) NRR use of uncertainty in fire modeling during

the regulatory decision-making process; and (2) a statistical comparison of the core damage

frequency due to fire from historical evidence vs. fire probabilistic safety assessments. 
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

High-Level Waste Staff Tour Idaho National Laboratory (INL)

From June 13-14, 2006, NRC staff toured facilities at INL to gain a first-hand experience of

operations that are expected to be similar to some pre-closure activities at a Yucca Mountain,

NV, high-level waste repository. The tour focused on: (1) handling and storage of spent

nuclear fuel and other high-level radioactive waste; (2) loading, transporting, and monitoring of

shielded storage casks; (3) automated welding; (4) remote equipment being developed and

tested by the Department of Energy; and (5) emergency preparedness for radiological events. 

The tour included: (1) shielded hot-cells at Test Area North; (2) facilities being

decommissioned at Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center; (3) an independent

spent fuel storage installation; (4) an irradiated fuels storage facility; (5) the Weld Development

Laboratory; and (6) the Emergency Operations Center in Idaho Falls, ID.

Staff Participation in International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Consultants Services

Meeting (CSM)

From June 6-9, 2006, the staff participated in an IAEA CSM in Vienna, Austria, to develop a

rationalized approach to package-surface removable contamination. This CSM included

representatives from the U.S., France, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and industry

organizations. The meeting participants adopted, on a consensus basis, the U.S. position that

package-surface contamination limits should be risk-informed; however, some member states

remain opposed to this approach. Also, the consultants recommended further coordination in

identifying approaches to harmonize contamination-related provisions and guidance among the

transport, radiation safety, and waste areas using dose-based approaches.
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

Implementing Agreement Between the NRC and the Federal Institute for Materials Research

and Testing of Germany (BAM)

On June 19, 2006, the Executive Director for Operations signed the subject Agreement which

relates to safety evaluation of the spent nuclear fuel transport and storage cask/containers. 

This Implementing Agreement defines the terms and conditions by which the NRC and BAM will

exchange: (1) data on full scale and scaled model cask drop tests conducted at BAM and other

cask demonstration tests conducted at the NRC; and (2) the results of independent structural

analyses for the drop tests conducted at BAM. The NRC will utilize the data from the BAM drop

tests to benchmark the structural computer code and verify the effects of scale modeling for

transportation casks analysis and testing. This Implementing Agreement shall commence upon

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

Agreement on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Halden

Reactor Project (HRP)

On June 19, 2006, the Executive Director for Operations signed the subject Agreement, which

defines the terms and conditions by which the NRC and OECD will continue to participate in the

OECD HRP program for an additional three-year period, 2006-2008. Currently, participation

includes members from 18 countries. The NRC uses HRP-generated products and information

to develop and extend the applicability of analytical tools, and to provide technical data to

support staff evaluations. The research program at HRP addresses five areas of interest to the

NRC: (1) nuclear fuels; (2) nuclear reactor materials performance; (3) testing, development,

and analysis of digital instrumentation and control systems; (4) human factors research; and 

(5) human reliability analysis. The results and benefits of the planned activities for the next

three-year HRP program are described in SECY-05-0156, “USNRC Participation in the OECD

Halden Reactor Project During 2006-2008,” dated August 29, 2005. This Agreement will

commence upon signature and will remain in effect thru December 2008.
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE D

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-IV-06-007, Team Industrial Services, Inc., RADIOGRAPHER’S RADIATION DOSE

IN EXCESS OF REGULATORY LIMITS.

2. PNO-III-06-016, First Energy Operating Company, UNUSUAL EVENT DECLARED DUE

TO EARTHQUAKE.
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending June 23, 2006

List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: FuelSolutions Revision; Confirmation of Effective

Date (Amendment 4) (AH786 Part 72)

On June 19, 2006, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (71 FR 35147)

confirming the effective date of July 3, 2006, for a direct final rule that amends the

FuelSolutions entry in the list of approved spent fuel storage casks (Amendment 4) (AH86 -

Part 72). This action modifies the cask design to permit longer surveillance intervals for casks

with heat loads lower than the design basis heat load and permit visual inspection of the cask

vent screens or measurement of the cask liner temperature to satisfy periodic monitoring

requirements. 
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

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

June 16 through June 22, 2006:

Limited Payability Cancellation Reports for undeliverable refunds &

credits, 01-01-04 to most current report, items over $5,000

FOIA/PA-2006-0226

Licensed Nuclear Radiation Device Handlers FOIA/PA-2006-0227

Employment and/or hiring of employees and/or former employees of

Constellation Energy, any & all correspondence

FOIA/PA-2006-0228
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

Arrival

CHAPMAN, KAREN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT

MANAGER

NRR

COFFMAN, ELLERY T. GENERAL ENGINEER (NSPDP) NRR

DEVERCELLY, RICHARD W. REACTOR TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTOR HR

DICKSON, ELIJAH STUDENT ENGINEER RES

DURANT, PATRICIA T. INFORMATION SECURITY SPECIALIST

(SSO)

NSIR

EVANS, MARILYN HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST HR

FONT, OSVALDO E. STUDENT ENGINEER RES

FURST, DAVID SECURITY SPECIALIST NSIR

GRIFFITH, PETER CONSULTANT RES

HALE, JERRY EMERGENCY RESPONSE COORDINATOR NSIR

ISAKOVIC, NADJA SECRETARY (OA) HR

LALANGAN, EVELYN B. STUDENT SECURITY SPECIALIST NSIR

LOPAS, SARAH L. GENERAL SCIENTIST NRR

MCCAULEY, DANIELLE L. STUDENT ENGINEER R-III

MCGILL, CLINTON D. PROGRAM ANALYST R-II

MILTON, NICOLE R. SECRETARY (OA) NRR

NORMAN, ROBERT L. INFORMATION SECURITY SPEC (SFGRDS) NSIR

PARIS, RAHUL D. STUDENT ENGINEER NRR

PINKHAM, LAURIE H. SECRETARY (OA) R-I

ROBERSON, ERVIN STUDENT IT SPECIALIST OIS

ROCHE-RIVERA, ROBERT GENERAL ENGINEER (NSPDP) RES

SENTZ, BRIAN L. MANAGEMENT ANALYST (DATA) SBCR

SIMMS, SOPHONIA M. BRANCH CHIEF OIS

WHITAKER, ERIC J. STUDENT CLERK ADM
ISAKOVIC, NADJA SECRETARY (OA) HR

June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE I

WILLIS, JOSEPH SECURITY SPECIALIST NSIR

YOUNG, MATTHEW R. REACTOR INSPECTOR (NSPDP) R-IV

Retirements

BORES, ROBERT J. REGIONAL STATE LIAISON OFFICER R-I
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

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

Issuance of the LES license for the Hobbs, N.M., enrichment facility.

Legal filings in several ongoing NRC licensing actions regarding the 9th Circuit’s ruling on

terrorism in environmental reviews.

The announcement of a planned COL application for two ABWRs at South Texas Project.

Other Public Affairs Items:

OPA assisted Chairman Diaz in an interview with Inside NRC.

OPA assisted Commissioner Merrifield in an interview with the National Geographic cable

channel. 

Press Releases

Headquarters:

06-082 NRC Creates New Office of National Materials Program, Reorganizes Office of

Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards (6/19)

06-083 NRC'S Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waster Re-elects Chairman and Vice

Chairman (6/20)

06-084 NRC Issues License to Louisiana Energy Services For Gas Centrifuge Uranium

Enrichment Plant in New Mexico (6/23)

Regions:

I-06-038 Licensing Board to Hear Oral Arguments and Receive Public Comment in

Pilgrim License Renewal Proceeding (6/23)
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Information Paper

SECY-06-0133 06/08/06 Multinational Design Approval Program

Stage 1

Memoranda

M060623A 06/23/06 Affirmation Session: I. Nuclear Management

Company, LLC (Palisades Nuclear Plant,

License Renewal Application) Appeal by

Petitioners of LBP-06-10 (Ruling on

Standing, Contentions, and Other Pending

Matters)

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein, dated June 16, 2006, responds to letter regarding the

transport of radiological materials across the Nation’s borders.

2. Letter to Congress, dated June 15, 2006, provides the status of NRC’s rulemaking efforts

to implement 656 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) on “Secure Transfer of

Nuclear Materials.”

Federal Register Notice Issued

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, notice of 534th meeting (7/12/06 - 7/14/06).
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

Brunswick Management Meeting

On June 22, 2006, representatives from Carolina Power and Light Company were in the

Regional Office to attend a management meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss

management changes and activities at the Brunswick Nuclear Plant.
June 23, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region III (RIII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

Seismic Event at Perry

On June 20, 2006, FirstEnergy Operating Company declared an Unusual Event at the Perry

Nuclear Power Station due to an earthquake, magnitude 3.4 on the Richter Scale, centered in

Lake Erie approximately three miles northwest of the Perry station. The temblor was felt at the

facility and seismic instrumentation recorded the event. The facility continued to operate

normally with no indications of any adverse effects on the facility. Walk downs by site and NRC

personnel did not identify any damage. 

Kewaunee Public Meeting

On June 22, 2006, representatives of Region III management met with members of Dominion

Generation Co. in a public forum to discuss improvement progress and near term action plans

at Kewaunee. The licensee stated that a key program focus would be on the corrective action

program and on management effectiveness. The licensee acknowledged that some of their

efforts in the past were not effective and that many of the current improvement initiatives had

only recently been implemented.

Point Beach Local Public Official Outreach

On June 22, 2006, the resident and senior resident inspectors from Point Beach met with local

officials in Green Bay, WI, at a licensee sponsored "Media Day" held at the new Emergency

Operating Facility and Joint Public Information Center facility. During the meeting, the residents

had an opportunity to explain to local officials the role of the NRC during plant events, the role

of the resident inspectors and how the NRC conducts baseline inspection activities. Several of

the local officials commented that the presentation was helpful and informative.
June 23, 2006 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending June 23, 2006

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 24

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Shane 06/19/06

2123 RHOB

4:00 NRC, GAO, NIRS GAO Report on the Reactor

Oversight Process

Reps. WhOversight Energy a

Shane 06/22/06

SD-628

9:30 NRC, Southern Company,

UCS, Friedman, Billings,Ramsey

GAO Report on Reactor OversightProcess and other topics

Senators Clean Air

Nuclear SEnvironm