INFORMATION REPORT

October 17, 2006 SECY-06-0211

For: The Commissioners

From: Michael R. Johnson, Assistant for Operations, Office of the EDO

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

OCTOBER 6, 2006

Contents Enclosure

Nuclear Reactor Regulation A

New Reactors B*

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards C

Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs D*

Nuclear Regulatory Research E

Nuclear Security and Incident Response F*

Administration G

Office of Information Services H

Chief Financial Officer I*

Human Resources J

Small Business and Civil Rights K*

Enforcement 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/

Michael R. Johnson 

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

R. Taylor, OEDO
October 17, 2006 SECY-06-0211

For: The Commissioners

From: Michael R. Johnson, Assistant for Operations, Office of the EDO

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

OCTOBER 6, 2006

Contents Enclosure

Nuclear Reactor Regulation A

New Reactors B*

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards C

Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs D*

Nuclear Regulatory Research E

Nuclear Security and Incident Response F*

Administration G

Office of Information Services H

Chief Financial Officer I*

Human Resources J

Small Business and Civil Rights K*

Enforcement 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/

Michael R. Johnson

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

R. Taylor, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

EDO R/F

AO R/F Document Name: C:\WIR\week1006.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

RTaylor:paa MRJohnson

10/18/06 10/18/06
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 6, 2006

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: R. Taylor, OEDO by E-mail: rxt2@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 OE *

NRO * OPA 17

NMSS 4 OIP *

FSME * SECY 19

RES 6 Region I *

NSIR * Region II 21

ADM 11 Region III *

OIS 12 Region IV *

CFO * EDO *

HR 16 OCA *

SBCR * ACRS/ACNW *

*No input this week
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 6, 2006

Meeting with the Materials Reliability Program (MRP) Regarding Inspection and Evaluation

(I&E) Guidelines for Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) Internals

On September 27, 2006, staff met with representatives of the industry's MRP to discuss the

industry's progress in developing I&E guidelines for PWR internals. The I&E guidelines being

developed by the MRP will be used by licensees with renewed licenses to implement a

required aging management program. The discussions at this meeting focused on: (1) the

ability to determine radiation exposure at PWR internals locations with sufficient accuracy to

support the I&E guidelines; (2) the industry's integration of nondestructive examination

technology development/qualification with the plan for I&E guideline development; (3) the

industry's initial results from its internals screening and categorization process; (4) NRC

comments on initial MRP technical reports which will support the development of the I&E

guidelines; and, (5) the industry's overall plan for completing this work and the schedule for

future NRC/MRP meetings on this topic. The next NRC/industry meeting is currently planned

for February 2007.

Discussions with Exelon Nuclear Generating Company Regarding Pre-emptive Weld Overlays

at Byron

During the period of September 27-29, 2006, NRC staff and management discussed

challenges with Exelon Nuclear Generation Company (Exelon) representatives regarding

Exelon’s decision to install pre-emptive weld overlays on dissimilar metal welds associated with

the Byron Station (Byron), Unit 1 pressurizer valve and surge line connections during the Fall

2006 outage. The weld overlays are intended to address inspectability issues with the original

welds and reduce the susceptibility of the welds to primary water stress corrosion cracking. 

These weld overlays are not addressed in Section XI of the American Society of Mechanical

Engineers Code, and therefore, Exelon submitted a relief request. During ultrasonic

examinations of the weld overlays, flaws larger than the acceptance criteria were found in

three of the six overlays. Exelon requested that they be permitted to operate with the flaws in

service until the next refueling outage while they investigated the root cause of the flaws and

automated grinding and welding repair methods to reduce radiation exposure. Following

discussions with the staff, the licensee opted to perform the repairs.

Operator Licensing Meetings

On September 27, 2006, the staff hosted a periodic counterparts meeting with the Regional

Operator Licensing Branch Chiefs. The meeting focused on a number of issues related to

generic operator licensing, the initial licensing examination program, the requalification

examination and inspection program (including license proficiency watches), and

administrative matters. The meeting also enabled the staff to prepare for a September 28,

2006, public meeting covering the same subjects with the Industry Operator Licensing Focus

Group sponsored by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). The public meeting was conducted at

the NEI Offices in Washington, DC, and attended by facility representatives from all four
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Regions, Westinghouse, and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, with international

observers from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and Ontario Power Generation.

Palisades Nuclear Plant License Renewal Safety Evaluation Report

On September 28, 2006, the staff issued the Safety Evaluation Report related to the license

renewal of the Palisades Nuclear Plant, ahead of schedule. By letter, dated March 22, 2005,

Nuclear Management Company, LLC submitted an application pursuant to 10 CFR Part 54, to

renew the operating license for an additional 20 years. There are no identified open items and

the staff has resolved the confirmatory item in its review.

Publication of Part 52 Draft Final Rule Language

On September 28, 2006, the staff published, for public viewing only, draft final rule language

for 10 CFR Part 52, "Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants," on the

NRC’s rulemaking website. This draft rule language is part of a final rulemaking to enhance

Part 52 based on lessons learned during early site permit (ESP) and design certification (DC)

reviews. The draft rule language is also based on discussions with stakeholders about the

ESP, DC, and combined license (COL) review processes. The draft final rule reflects the NRC

staff's consideration of comments received during the public comment period and will assist

stakeholders in preparing for a November 9, 2006, Commission meeting on the Part 52 rule.

Letter of Intent for Exelon COL

By letter dated September 29, 2006, Exelon informed the NRC of its intent to submit a COL

application in November 2008. Exelon is currently in the process of selecting both a

technology and a site. Exelon is currently evaluating both the General Electric Economic

Simplified Boiling Water Reactor and the Westinghouse AP1000, and are considering various

site locations within the state of Texas.

Publication of Draft Proposed Limited Work Authorization (LWA) Rule

On October 4, 2006, the staff published, for public viewing only, draft supplemental proposed

rule language for 10 CFR Part 52, "Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power

Plants," on the NRC’s rulemaking website. This supplement addresses requirements related

to LWA. The primary purposes of the supplemental proposed rule are to revise the definition

of construction and to reform the LWA process in 10 CFR 50.10(e). This would remove the

need for construction permit and COL applicants, and holders of ESPs to obtain a LWA to

conduct certain pre-construction activities. The Commission has approved publication of the

supplemental proposed rule to seek public comment, which will be published in the Federal

Register (FR) in the near future. This draft document is being made available for information in

advance of the FR publication to keep stakeholders informed.

Orders on Fingerprinting Requirements for Access to Safeguards Information (SGI)

On September 29, 2006, the NRC issued an Order to licensees and all other persons who

seek access to SGI. The Order implements Section 652 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005,

enacted on August 8, 2005. Section 652 amended the fingerprinting requirements provided in
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Section 149 of the Atomic Energy Act and now requires fingerprinting before anyone is given

access to SGI. Section 149, as amended, also requires a Federal Bureau of Investigation

identification and criminal history records check based on the fingerprints.
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 6, 2006

Receipt of Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MOFFF) License Application and Public

Meeting

On September 27, 2006, Duke Cogema Stone and Webster (DCS), the applicant for the

MOFFF, submitted the application and supporting submittals to the NRC for a license to

possess radioactive material, including special nuclear material necessary to manufacture

mixed plutonium/uranium oxide nuclear fuel assemblies. NMSS staff held a public meeting on

the same date in which DCS presented the documentation heirarchy and the general content

of the license application, the Integrated Safety Analysis Summary, the three exemption

requests, the emergency plan submittal, and classified information handling submittal. NRC is

performing a sixty day acceptance/acknowledgment review of the application and its

supporting submittals.

Meeting with NAC International (NAC)

On September 28, 2006, staff met with representatives from NAC to discuss the licensee’s

plans to submit a new application for the Californium Transport System (CTS); submittal of

proposed amendments to the Certificates of Compliance (CoC) for the NAC Universal Storage

System (UMS); and the NAC Legal Weight Truck (LWT) packaging. The licensee also

summarized the requested changes to the NAC Multi-Purpose Canister (MPC) spent fuel

storage system application currently under review by the staff. NAC indicated that the CTS

application will be submitted in February 2007, and the NAC-LWT application will be submitted

by the end of October 2006. The NAC-UMS CoC amendment application was received

September 22, 2006. The NAC-MPC CoC amendment application is currently under review by

the NRC staff.
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE E

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 6, 2006

MELCOR (Version 2.0) Workshop

On September 18-22, 2006, RES organized the subject workshop to familiarize MELCOR

users with the latest version. Over fifty participants from the U.S. and Cooperative Severe

Accident Research Program (CSARP) member countries were involved in this workshop. The

MELCOR code is the NRC’s primary analytical tool for severe accident analysis and is used

widely by the NRC, the industry, universities, and international groups for addressing reactor

safety issues.

CSARP 2006 Annual Technical Review Meeting and MELCOR Code Assessment Program

(MCAP) Meeting

On September 25-27, 2006 and September 27-28, 2006, respectively, RES sponsored the

subject CSARP and MCAP international meetings. The purpose of these meetings were to

exchange technical information on severe accident research with a view to addressing

regulatory and safety issues. The 51 participants, from various organizations in 13 countries,

suggested that severe accident research in the future be focused on phenomenological

research.

24th International Common-Cause Failure Data Exchange (ICDE) Steering Group Meeting

On September 26-28, 2006, staff attended the subject meeting to review progress to date and

discuss future activities for the next year of the agreement period. These include updating the

common-cause failure (CCF) event data for the six components currently in the ICDE

database; updating CCF analyses and insights for several components with emphasis on

inspection and maintenance applications; and, adding several components for data collection

(e.g., control rod drive assemblies, level-measurement devices, and heat exchangers). A

workshop was held as part of the meeting in which the various countries described how the

ICDE data are used in their country. The NRC presented its efforts to provide insights about

new and interesting CCF event failure mechanisms for use by the Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation and Regions in inspection activities.

Presentation at the Reactor Health Physics Counterpart Meeting

On September 27, 2006, staff made a presentation at the subject meeting on the revised

Reactor Abnormal Occurrence criteria, reactor exposure and dose trends, and the recentlyreleased fact sheet on groundwater contamination. There were demonstrations of the revised

VARSKIN computer code, used to assess skin dose from contamination, and the Radiological

Toolbox databases. The presentation generated positive comments, requests for copies of the

VARSKIN code and Toolbox, and an appreciation for the work on communicating risk due to

groundwater contamination. RES is coordinating with its counterparts in the Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation to make this an annual presentation at the counterpart meeting.
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE E

Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) Steering Committee Public Meeting with the Nuclear

Energy Institute and Nuclear Industry Representatives

On September 28, 2006, staff participated in the subject meeting to discuss risk-informed

activities. The steering committee discussed their charter and structure; the appropriate levels

of interface between the industry and NRC; and, the PRA Leadership Team, which would

interact with the industry to discuss risk-informed implementation issues. The staff discussed

planned improvements to the risk-informed regulation implementation plan and ongoing efforts

to improve the NRC's risk-informed environment. The industry presented their views on the

PRA quality standards development and how the industry would like to proceed; and, their

priorities for strategic (e.g., rulemakings) and tactical (e.g., technical specification

improvements) risk-informed activities.
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending October 6, 2006

Number Six Software, Inc.

On September 26, 2006, a competitive task order no. DR-33-06-363 was awarded to Number

Six Software, Inc. under the General Service Administration's (GSA’s) Federal Supply

Schedule. The Contractor shall provide "Operational Support for the NRC Project

Management Methodology and Supporting Tools". The period of performance is three years,

including two one-year option periods, with a total estimated cost of $6.1 million. 

Southwest Research Institute

On September 29, 2006, a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, NRC-02-06-018, was awarded to

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). The total estimated cost of the contract is $800,000. 

The contract, entitled, "Technical Assistance for the Review of a Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication

Facility Application,” is a "work for others" award to SwRI to maintain essential capabilities at

the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA). The period of performance is

September 29, 2006, through September 28, 2007, with a 4-year option period. 

On September 29, 2006, a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, NRC-02-06-021, was awarded to

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). The total estimated cost of the contract was also

$800,000. The contract, entitled, "Technical Assistance for Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Facility

Construction Inspection” is a "work for others" award to SwRI to maintain essential capabilities

at the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA). The period of performance is

September 29, 2006, through September 28, 2007, with a 4-year option period. 

Project Performance Corporation

On September 29, 2006, a competitive Labor Hour delivery order, DR-07-06-504, was

awarded to Project Performance Corporation under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule

program. The contractor shall provide services to modernize the Emergency Response Data

System (ERDS) in two releases. The first release will modernize the ERDS hardware and

software at NRC headquarters and regions, the NRC backup facility, the NRC technical

training center, and States. The second release will modernize the hardware and software at

plants and will address the more long-term issues such as plant communications, plant data,

system administration, and system security. The base period of performance is two years. The

total estimated cost is $4.4 million inclusive of three one-year option periods and three optional

tasks.

Systems Research and Applications Corporation

On September 29, 2006, a competitive Labor Hour delivery order was awarded to Systems

Research and Applications Corporation of Fairfax, VA under the GSA Federal Supply

Schedule program. This delivery order requires the contractor to provide technical assistance

in providing a structural approach for the modernization of NRC Headquarters Operations
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE G

Center. The period of performance is one year and the total value of the delivery order is

approximately $300,000. 
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE H

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 6, 2006

Microsoft Office Suite Town Meeting

On October 3, 2006, OIS hosted a “Town Meeting” in the NRC Auditorium to discuss Agency

deployment of the Microsoft Office Professional 2003 software suite. The regions and the

NRC’s Technical Training Center participated in the meeting through video teleconference. A

panel of OIS and Human Resources representatives discussed the phases of the Microsoft

Office Suite project, a tentative roll-out schedule, and the deployment process. The panel also

discussed software version upgrades for existing installations of previous versions of the

Microsoft Office applications, and the use of the Consolidated Test Facility for testing

applications that have been developed under previous Microsoft Office software versions. The

meeting included information on how to obtain contractor support for testing NRC applications

and a question and answer period.

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

of September 28 through October 5, 2006:

Fee paid to Navarro & Associates for audit of financial statement for

FY05 and Annual Appropriation for Office of Inspector General staff

for FY05

FOIA/PA-2007-0001

Company names of all nuclear-related industry in Lea County, NM

with full omission list and details and air and water monitoring;

emergency plans for Louisiana Energy Services and proposed Spent

Fuel Plant

FOIA/PA-2007-0002

Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corp., 12 West Blvd., Neewfield, NJ 08344,

any and all files

FOIA/PA-2007-0003

Program Plan for Power Uprate Operating Experience Review,

beginning March 2005, all correspondence, responses, records to

date

FOIA/PA-2007-0004

Job Announcement RII-DRS-2006-0018, Emergency Response

Assistant, all records re: selection

FOIA/PA-2007-0005

MLTS Database, active and retired facilities FOIA/PA-2007-0006

Materials license no. 29-00968-02, Alcan, Millville, NJ FOIA/PA-2007-0007

Security clearance records on named individual FOIA/PA-2007-0008

Medical Byproduct Materials licenses, all facilities, 50 states FOIA/PA-2007-0009

Independent review by SEI, re: NRC Certification and Accreditation

process within the Information Systems Security Program 

FOIA/PA-2007-0010
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE J

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 6, 2006

Arrivals

ARORA, SURINDER S. PROJECT MANAGER NRR

BAILEY, KENNETH M. AFFIRMATIVE EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST SBCR

BURKE, JOHN P. MATERIALS ENGINEER NRR

JARVIS, RODNEY J. PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST (TL) ADM

ROMINE, C. RACHEL SECRETARY (OA) OGC

SIMONIAN, NIRY EDITORIAL AND CORRESPONDENCE ASST EDO

Retirement

HODGES, NANCY L. SECRETARY R-IV

REAMER, CHARLES W. DIR, DIV OF HLW REPOSITORY SAFETY NMSS

VAN DOORN, PETER K. SENIOR REACTOR INSPECTOR R-II

WINGO, CAROLYN I. TECH ASSISTANCE PROJ COORD NMSS
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 6, 2006

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

Shieldalloy’s decommissioning plan for its materials site in New Jersey.

NRC’s special inspection at Palo Verde.

Oyster Creek’s drywall liner and its relevance to the plant’s license renewal application.

The NRC’s Tritium Task Force report.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

06-120 NRC Issues Supplemental Safety Evaluation for North Anna Early Site Permit

Application (10/3)

06-121 NRC to Hold Public Meeting Oct. 19 on Environmental Scoping Process for

Vogtle Early Site Permit (10/4)

06-122 NRC Implements Reorganization of Materials and Agreement State Programs

(10/4)

06-123 NRC Tritium Task Force Issues Report and Recommendations, Finds No

Health Impact (10/4)

06-124 NRC to Hold Public Meeting Nov. 1 in Rockville, MD on Proposed Revisions to

Limited Work Authorization Rules (10/4, revised 10/10)

06-125 NRC Announces Opportunity to Participate in Hearing on Vogtle Early Site

Permit Application (10/6)

06-126 NRC to Hold Public Meeting in Piketon, Ohio, to Discuss Final Safety,

Environmental Reviews for Centrifuge Plant (10/6)

Regions:

I-06-054 NRC Public Meeting Scheduled for Oct. 6th to Discuss Indian Point Nuclear

Plant’s Alert and Notification System (10/2)

I-06-055 NRC to Discuss Process for Review of License Renewal Application for

FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant, Seek Input on Environmental Review (10/3)

II-06-040 NRC Schedules Regulatory Conference to Discuss Turkey Point Nuclear Plant

Event (10/3)
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE M

II-06-041 NRC to Present Results of Licensee Performance Review at Areva Commercial

Fuel Plant in Richland (10/3)

IV-06-022 NRC to Conduct Special Inspection at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station

(10/2)
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 6, 2006

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. COMSECY-06-0043 09/06/006 Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Drug-Free Workplace Plan - Recommended

Changes to Drug Testing Pool

SRM on 06-0043 09/29/06 (same)

Commission Voting

Record on 06-0043

09/29/06 (same)

2. SECY-06-0200 09/20/06 Results of the Review of Emergency

Preparedness Regulations and Guidance

3. SECY-06-0204 09/28/06 Proposed Rulemaking – Security

Assessment Requirements for New Nuclear

Power Reactor Designs (RIN 3150-AH92)

Information Papers

- SECY-06-0203 10/03/06 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

September 22, 2006

Commission Correspondence

- Letter to Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education, dated September 29, 2006,

provides NRC's FY 2007 Annual Federal Plan of Executive Agency Actions to Assist

Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Notice of Hearing and of Opportunity to Make Oral or Written Limited Appearance

Statements, Exelon Generation Company, LLC (Early Site Permit for Clinton ESP Site).

2. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, Procedures for Meetings.

3. Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Notice of Hearing and Opportunity to Petition for

Leave to Intervene on an Early Site Permit for the Vogtle ESP Site, Docket No. 52-011.

4. Abnormal Occurrence Reports: Implementation of Section 208 of the Energy

Reorganization Act of 1974; Revised Policy Statement. 
October 6, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 6, 2006

Director of New Reactors Visits Region II Office

On October 4, 2006, the Region II Construction Inspection Organization staff members

celebrated the establishment of the new organization with a ribbon cutting ceremony at their

new office spaces in the Richard B. Russell Federal Building. The ribbon cutting honor was

shared by the Region II Regional Administrator, Director of the Office of New Reactors (NRO). 

The ceremony was also attended by the Region II Deputy Regional Administrator for

Construction, the Director, NRO, and the Director, Division of Construction Inspection and

Operational Programs, NRO. The Construction Inspection Organization will be responsible for

the inspection of new reactor and fuel facility construction nationwide.