INFORMATION REPORT

March 22, 2006 SECY-06-0064

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

MARCH 10, 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 22, 2006 SECY-06-0064

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

MARCH 10, 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\week310.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

LRakovan:paa WMDean

03/21/06 03/22/06
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MARCH 10, 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 * OPA 17

RES * OIP *

NSIR * SECY 19

OGC * Region I *

ADM 10 Region II 22

OIS 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 EDO *

SBCR * OCA 24

OE * ACRS/ACNW *

*No input this week
March 10, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 10, 2006

Memorandum and Order in License Renewal Application for Palisades Nuclear Plant

On March 7, 2006, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) issued a Memorandum and

Order ruling on standing, contentions and other pending matters related to the subject license

renewal application. The ASLB ruled that the Petitioners established standing but did not

submit any admissible contentions under applicable NRC regulation and precedent. Therefore,

the adjudicatory proceeding was terminated.

Pilgrim Public Information Session on License Renewal Review Process

On March 8, 2006, the staff conducted the subject public information session in Plymouth,

Massachusetts. The session was conducted following the receipt of the license renewal

application for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station to provide information on the license renewal

process and opportunities for public involvement. Representatives from Region I, Office of

Public Affairs, Office of the General Counsel, Office of Congressional Affairs, and the Office of

Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR) supported this public information session.

Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) Fuel meeting

On March 1, NRR and Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) staff participated in a

meeting with General Electric (GE) and Global Nuclear Fuels (GNF) at the GE/GNF offices in

Wilmington, NC, regarding the ESBWR fuel design and critical heat flux (CHF) correlation. GE

has submitted several topical reports providing detailed fuel design information and one

additional submittal regarding the CHF correlation is expected this week. Meeting discussion

topics included the need for additional justification for classification of the control rod drop

accident as beyond design basis for ESBWR, the acceptability of the proposed acceptance

criteria for the control rod withdrawal error event, additional fuel design details needed to

support NRC confirmatory calculations, and justification of the applicability of the GE critical

quality-boiling length CHF correlation to the ESBWR. 

Public Meeting on Security Design Expectations for New Reactors

On March 6, NRR and NSIR staff hosted a public meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)

on the proposed rulemaking for security design expectations for new reactors. During the

meeting, staff discussed the purpose and schedule for the rulemaking, listened to comments

from industry representatives, and answered questions on the rulemaking process. Industry

representatives indicated their intentions to develop several documents that may help with the

development of staff's guidance documents in support of the rule. Staff and industry agreed to

continue to interact throughout the rulemaking process.

ESBWR Severe Accidents and Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) meeting

On March 8, 2006, NRR and RES staff met with GE to discuss the ESBWR severe accident

(SA) analysis and the treatment of thermal-hydraulic (T/H) uncertainty in the PRA. During the
March 10, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

SA portion of the meeting, the NRC's contractor, Energy Resources Incorporated, presented

preliminary results of confirmatory SA analyses performing using the MELCOR code and

comparisons with GE's MAAP results. The preliminary results showed good agreement

between the two codes. Additional ESBWR design details were requested by ERI to further

refine the MELCOR input deck. 

During the T/H uncertainty portion of the meeting, GE presented its proposed approach for

addressing an NRC’s request for additional information on this topic. The NRC staff agreed in

principle to the approach proposed by GE to benchmark the MAAP code with the NRC

approved TRACG code, and to perform additional TRACG comparisons for events where

MAAP calculated minimal core uncovery or low margin to core uncovery. The staff indicated

that additional details, when submitted, would have to be reviewed before the staff could agree

that the PRA success criteria established with MAAP/TRACG were appropriate.

NRC Audits Watts Bar's New Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) Sump Strainer Design

On March 6, the staff met with the Tennessee Valley Authority to begin the second phase of its

audit of Watts Bar's new ECCS sump strainer design. This audit is one of the ten that the staff

plans to conduct in support of Generic Safety Issue 191, “Assessment of Debris Accumulation

on PWR Sump Performance,” closure over the next two years. Initial discussions with the

licensee covered various technical subjects, including Loss of Coolant Accident/net positive

suction head analysis, break selection, sump structure analysis, debris generation and

transport, head loss testing, chemical effects, and downstream effects.
March 10, 2006 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending March 10, 2006

Withdrawal of Proposed Rule on Post-Fire Operator Manual Actions (AH54- Part 50)

On March 7, 2006, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (70 FR 10901) that

withdraws a proposed rule that would have amended its fire protection regulations for nuclear

power facilities. The proposed amendment would have allowed nuclear plant licensees to use

manual actions by plant operators as an alternative method to achieve hot shutdown conditions

in the event of fires in certain plant areas. The proposed rule is withdrawn because, after

evaluating stakeholder comments, the Commission believes that the proposed rule would not

have achieved its stated objectives of effectiveness and efficiency.
March 10, 2006 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 10, 2006

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

March 3 through March 9, 2006:

Dresden 1, 2 or 3, investigation or inspection reports re: tritium or

other radioactive material releases

FOIA/PA-2006-0130

Tripler Army Medical center incident of June 19, 1990, re: 131I FOIA/PA-2006-0131

NRC Roster of Utilities FOIA/PA-2006-0132

Millstone, alleged disabling of intrusion detection system, written

report

FOIA/PA-2006-0133

Contract awarded to Anteon (re: systems integration, information

assurance), all attachments & exhibits, all task/delivery/purchase

orders, & proposal submitters

FOIA/PA-2006-0134

License no. 37-01893-01, docket no. 030003013, Guthrie Clinic &

Robert Baker Hospital, Sayre, PA, records after 2-28-05 to present

FOIA/PA-2006-0135
March 10, 2006 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 10, 2006

Arrival

BAUM, ALLEN CONSULTANT RES

BROWN, MARIA SECRETARY (OA) NRR
March 10, 2006 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 10, 2006

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

Vermont Yankee Power Uprate.

Tritium leak issues at Palo Verde (AZ), Indian Point (NY), and Braidwood (IL).

Whether there is any foreign ownership and operation of nuclear power corporations.

NRC’s Congressional Oversight Hearing March 8.

Release of NAS study on Low Activity Wastes.

Press Releases

Regions:

III-06-008 NRC to Discuss 2005 Performance Assessment for Perry Nuclear

Power Plant (3/10)
March 10, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 10, 2006

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-06-0020 02/01/06 Private Fuel Storage, L.L.C. - The Advisory

Council on Historic Preservation’s

Comment(s) on Termination of Consultation

Process 

SRM-SECY-06-0020 02/09/06 (same)

Commission Voting

Record on 06-0020

02/09/06 (same)

2. SECY-06-0041 02/22/06 Proposed Strategy to Support

Implementation of the New-Reactor

Construction Inspection Program

Information Papers

1. SECY-06-0050 03/02/06 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

February 17, 2006

2. SECY-06-0051 03/02/06 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

February 24, 2006

3. SECY-06-0054 03/09/06 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

March 3, 2006

Memoranda

M060303 03/03/06 Staff Requirements - Affirmation Session:

I. SECY-06-0046 - Entergy Nuclear Vermont

Yankee and Entergy Nuclear Operations,

Inc. (Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power

Station).

M060214 03/07/06 Staff Requirements - Briefing on NMSS

Programs, Performance, and Plans - Waste

Safety
March 10, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

Commission Correspondence

Letter to Senator Susan M. Collins, dated March 3, 2006, responds to request for the status of

NRC’s answers raised on the agency’s preparedness for, and response to, Hurricane Katrina.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, notice of 168th meeting (3/22-24/06).

2. Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes: Call for Nominations.
March 10, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 10, 2006

Congressional Liaison Visits to Florida

On March 6-8, 2006, the Regional State Liaison Officer, accompanied by a representative from

the Office of Congressional Affairs, visited the Congressional District Offices of U.S. Senator

Bill Nelson, U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, in Tampa, Florida, and Representative Ginny BrownWaite, in Brooksville, Florida. 
March 10, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV (RIV)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 10, 2006

Diablo Canyon Management Change

On March 3, 2006, Mr. David Oatley, Vice President and General Manager - Diablo Canyon

Power Plant, announced his retirement from Pacific Gas and Electric Company after 23 years

of service. Mr. Jack Keenan, Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer, stated in a

separate announcement that the General Manager position would be temporarily left vacant,

and the corresponding duties would be taken on by Mr. James Becker, Vice President and

Station Director, and Ms. Donna Jacobs, Vice President - Nuclear Services. Mr. Oatley's

retirement is effective on March 10, 2006. 
March 10, 2006 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending March 10, 2006

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 9

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Combs 03/07/06

SR-232A

2:45 Linton Brooks-National

Nuclear SecurityAdministration,Joseph Rispoli-AssistantSecretary fo Energy forEnvironmental Mgmt.

FY 2007 Budget - Nuclear Weaponsand Environmental Cleanup

Senators Strategic Armed Se

Decker 03/08/06

2362BRHOB

10:00 DOE - Secretary Bodman Department of Energy-Overview Reps. Ho

Energy aAppropria

Shane 03/08/06

2154 RHOB

2:00 TBD Paperwork Reduction Act Reps. Mil

RegulatoGovernm

Shane 03/09/06

SD-628

9:30 NRC NRC Oversight Senators 

Clean Air

 and NuEnvironm

Decker 03/09/06

2362BRHOB

10:00 DOE Department of EnergyEnvironmental Management Reps. Ho

Energy aAppropria
CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 9

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

March 10, 2006 

Combs 03/09/06

SD-366

10:00 DOE - Dennis Spurgeon -

Asst Secretary of Energyfor nuclear energy

Confirmation Hearing Senators 

Energy a

Combs 03/14/06

Tentative

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

Combs 03/15/06

2362BRHOB

10:00 DOE - Paul Golin, Acting

Director, OCRWM

Department of Energy - NuclearWaste Disposal

Reps. HoEnergy aAppropria

Shane 03/16/06

TBD

TBD NRC will not be invited FISMA Reps. Da

Governm

Combs 03/23/06

Las Vegas,NV

10:00 NRC, GAO, DOE/OCRWM,

DOE/IG, Bechtel

Yucca Mountain Project: PersistentManagement and Quality Assurance

Reps. PoFederal WOrganizaGovernm

Combs 03/28/06 or

03/30/06TBD

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
CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 9

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

March 10, 2006 

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