INFORMATION REPORT

December 12, 2005 SECY-05-0222

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

NOVEMBER 25, 2005

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:

U. Shoop, OEDO
December 12, 2005 SECY-05-0222

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

NOVEMBER 25, 2005

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:

U. Shoop, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\week1125.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

UShoop:paa WMDean

12/12/05 12/12/05
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 25, 2005

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: U. Shoop, OEDO by E-mail: USS@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 *

ADM * Region II *

OIS 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 EDO *

SBCR * OCA *

OE * ACRS/ACNW 25

*No input this week
November 25, 2005 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 25, 2005

Materials Reliability Project (MRP) on PWR Internals Aging Management Meeting

On November 16, 2005, staff met with representatives of the Materials Reliability Project (MRP)

to discuss the progress made by the industry in developing guidelines for establishing an aging

management program (AMP) for PWR reactor internals. These guidelines will be used by

licensees to fulfill commitments made as part of the license renewal process which requires the

development and submittal of a PWR reactor internals AMP two years before a facility begins to

operate beyond it’s original license. 

NRC Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2005-28: Scope of For-Cause Fitness-For-Duty Testing

Required By 10 CFR 26.24(a)(3)

On November 22, 2005, staff issued RIS the subject which conveys the NRC’s staff position on

the circumstances under which for-cause fitness-for-duty (FFD) testing is required after an

accident and to provide the basis for enforcement guidance on the type and severity of personal

injury accidents for which this testing must be performed. The information in this RIS is

intended for licensees who are required to establish and maintain FFD programs and

procedures as specified in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 26.

Public Meeting with Congresswoman Kaptur Regarding Contamination at the NASA Plumbrook

Test Reactor Site

On November 18, 2005, NRC and NASA staff met with the staff of Congresswoman Marcy

Kaptur to discuss NRC’s and NASA’s activities regarding contamination at the NASA

Plumbrook Test Reactor Site in Sandusky, Ohio and plans for the proposed town meeting

which will be held on November 28, 2005. Based on discussions about NASA’s plans to

characterize the offsite contamination, all parties agreed that the appropriate time to hold the

public meeting would be after NASA obtained results from the full characterization survey of the

offsite property. Therefore, it was agreed that the public meeting would be preliminarily

rescheduled for January 17, 2006. The Congresswoman’s office will notify the public and

interested parties of the meeting after the date is finalized. 
November 25, 2005 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 25, 2005

Issuance of 10 CFR Part 72 Specific License for an Independent Spent Fuel Storage

Installation (ISFSI)

On November 17, 2005, staff from the Spent Fuel Project Office issued a 10 CFR Part 72

site-specific license to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), to construct and operate

an ISFSI at the Humboldt Bay power plant site in Eureka, CA. The ISFSI will allow PG&E to

transfer the remaining spent fuel from the Humboldt Bay Unit 3 spent fuel pool into dry cask

interim storage. The transfer of the remaining spent fuel to the ISFSI will enable the continued

decommissioning and dismantlement of Humboldt Bay, Unit 3, which was permanently shut

down in 1976.

The ISFSI will employ a customized version of the HI-STAR 100 dry cask storage system,

designed by Holtec International, Inc., which was previously approved by NRC. The Humboldt

Bay installation can accommodate five spent fuel storage casks and one additional cask to

store non-fuel, Greater than Class C radioactive waste. Because of the unique site features

and hazards, and the very low decay heat of the spent fuel, the six loaded casks will be placed

in an in-ground concrete vault.

NRC’s Annual Program Review of the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses

(CNWRA)

On November 15-17, 2005, NMSS management held NRC’s annual program review of the

CNWRA in San Antonio, TX. The review covered the management aspects of the NRC

program at the CNWRA, including work supporting: (1) High-Level Waste Repository Safety;

(2) Uranium Recovery; (3) Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards; (4) Spent Fuel Project Office;

(5) Decommissioning; (6) National Environmental Policy Act reviews; and (7) new charter work

reviewing DOE’s non-high-level waste determinations. The CNWRA president briefed NRC

management on the CNWRA’s Five-Year Strategic Plan.
November 25, 2005 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 25, 2005

Witnessing Vendor Audit for the MOX Fuel Facility

From November 7 to 18, 2005, staff witnessed an audit conducted by DCS (Duke, Cogema,

Stone & Webster) at the Bagnols Office Software Design Group in Paris, France. The Bagnols

Group is developing software for use in fuel manufacturing at the Savannah River MOX Fuel

Facility. DCS conducted an audit of quality assurance procedures compliance and informed the

staff of the audit results related to the software design program. The audit and site visit

enabled the staff to gain a better understanding of DCS and Bagnols interactions and quality

controls.

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

From November 15 to 17, 2005, staff participated in the subject meeting in Tokyo, Japan. The

group held a meeting on circuit breakers and discussed ongoing data collection activities

related to control rod drive systems and heat exchangers. The groups next planned activities

include updating the common-cause failure event data for the components currently in the ICDE

database with an emphasis on inspection and maintenance applications. 

8th Technical Meeting on Risk-based Precursor Analysis

From November 17 to 18, staff participated in the subject meeting in Brussels, Belgium as part

of an effort to share experiences on state-of-art methods used to perform precursor analyses. 

The staff presented results from the NRC’s Accident Sequence Precursor program and

participated in an exchange of insights, results and methods from precursor programs of

attending nations.

Halden Reactor Project (HRP) Meeting on “Review of Methods, Data Needs, and R&D Needs

for Human Reliability Analysis (HRA)”

On November 17 and 18, 2005, staff and an Idaho National Laboratory contractor participated

in the subject meeting in Halden, Norway. The objectives of the meeting was to exchange

information with member organizations, obtain updates on HRA work performed by HRP and

member organizations, and to review and discuss Halden’s future HRA program plans. NRC's

involvement will ensure a coordinated human reliability analysis research program that will

assist the NRC in regulatory activities.

American Nuclear Society (ANS)/American National Standards Institute (ANS/ANSI 2.9/2.17)

Inaugural Committee Meeting

On November 18, 2005, staff hosted the subject meeting for re-drafting two industry consensus

standards on "Evaluation of Ground-Water Supply at Nuclear Power Sites (ANS 2.9)" and

"Evaluation of Radionuclides in Ground Water at Nuclear Power Sites (ANS 2.17)." These

standards provide guidance on ground-water monitoring and assessments for onsite and offsite

operating reactor and decommissioning issues. 
November 25, 2005 ENCLOSURE C

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Grid Reliability Panel Participation

On November 18, 2005, the NRC Standards Executive presented an overview of the NRC's

approach to the development of standards at a technical conference sponsored by the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC requested the NRC Standards Executive’s

participation at this conference, which was focused on FERC's new authority to regulate the

reliability of the electric transmission system, as granted in the Energy Policy Act. FERC

anticipates holding an additional conference on December 9, 2005.
November 25, 2005 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 25, 2005

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

November 18 through November 23, 2005:

Records on named individual including case 3-2004-026 FOIA/PA-2006-0036

U.S. Navy Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant Inactive Hazardous

Waste, 1944-1978

FOIA/PA-2006-0037

Dresden plant, tritium leaks discovered in 2004; release of tritiated

water in 2000

FOIA/PA-2006-0038

OI Case 1-2003-034, Allegation R1-2003-A-0068, all records on

investigation & allegation

FOIA/PA-2006-0039

Dresden nuclear power plant, copies of data/reports re: air

monitoring, groundwater monitoring, wipe samples & particulate

samples re: release of tritium, past 5 years

FOIA/PA-2006-0040

Official personnel file on named individual, any record or logs

indicating dates & individuals who requested or received access to

subject file

FOIA/PA-2006-0041

Cerac Inc., license no. SMB-1402; WI Dept. Of Health & Family

Services, license no. 079-1055-01, Milwaukee, WI, hazardous waste,

storage & disposal, alleged or actual violations

FOIA/PA-2006-0042
November 25, 2005 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 25, 2005

Arrival

DEFINO, JENNIFER A. CONTRACT MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST

(NSPDP)

ADM

GILMER, JAMES M. REACTOR SYSTEMS ENGINEER NRR

JAMES, BURNESTINE W. HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST OHR

MCGHEE, JAMES M. REACTOR ENGINEER / RESIDENT

INSPECTOR

R-III

MCLEOD, AMY E. SECRETARY (OA) CSU

PANNIER, STEPHEN REACTOR ENGINEER NRR

WOODWARD, ROBERT MANAGEMENT ANALYST/AUDITOR OIG

Departures

DVORAK, ALIX M. MANAGEMENT ANALYST RES

HAKONSON-HAYES, AUDREY C. ENFORCEMENT SPECIALIST OE

KERR, LESLIE S. PROJECT MANAGER (FINANCIAL) NMSS
November 25, 2005 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 25, 2005

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

Millstone’s application for license renewal.

Security of research reactors in light of the reported terrorist threat to Australia’s reactor.

Safety and security of spent fuel storage.

Other Public Affairs Items:

OPA, along with staff from NMSS and RES, assisted a New York Times editorial writer with

information on radiation exposures and the EPA’s radiation standard for Yucca Mountain.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

05-159 NRC Forms Task Force to Look for Lessons Learned from 2005 Hurricane

Season Incident Response (11/22)

Regions:

I-05-063 NRC Proposes $3,250 Civil Penalty for Virginia Firm Over Temporary Loss of

Gauge Holding Radioactive Material (11/23)

IV-05-038 NRC Issues Confirmatory Order to Sabia, Inc., Following Alternative Dispute

Resolution (11/23)
November 25, 2005 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 25, 2005

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Memoranda

M051121A 11/21/05 SRM-Affirmation Session: (1) SECY-05-

0205 - U.S. Department of Energy (High

Level Waste Repository: Pre-application

Matters); NRC Staff Request for Stay of

LBP-05-27 (2) SECY-05-0206 - Louisiana

Energy Services, L.P. (National Enrichment

Facility) Remaining Claims in Petition for

Review of LBP-05-13 (Environmental

Contentions).

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to The President, Congress, et al., dated November 15, 2005, provided NRC’s

Fiscal Year 2005 Performance and Accountability Report.

2. Letter to Senator Susan Collins, dated November 4, 2005, responds to request for

information regarding NRC’s roles and responsibilities in preparing for and responding to

Hurricane Katrina.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS), Meeting of the Joint ACRS

Subcommittees on Reliability and Probabilistic Risk Assessment and on Human Factors,

notice of meeting (12/15-16/05).

2. ACRS Subcommittee Meeting on Power Uprates, revised notice of meeting 

(11/29-30/05). 

3. State of Minnesota: NRC Draft Staff Assessment of a Proposed Agreement Between the

NRC and the State of Minnesota. 

4. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW), Meeting on Planning and Procedures,

notice of meeting (12/15/05). 

5. ACNW, notice of 166th meeting (12/13-15/05). 
November 25, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV (RIV)

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 25, 2005

Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station Senior Management Changes

On November 23, 2005, TXU Power announced the following senior management title and

responsibility changes at Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station: Mr. Rafael Flores, previously

the Vice President of Nuclear Operations with oversight of plant operations and production, will

become the Site Vice President for Comanche Peak. Responsibilities of the new position were

expanded to include broader oversight of site activities. Mr. Mitch Lucas, previously the Vice

President of Nuclear Engineering with oversight of plant engineering, will become the Vice

President of Engineering and Support. Responsibilities of this new position were expanded to

include more corporate and external matters.
November 25, 2005 ENCLOSURE S

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)/

Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW)

Items of Interest

Week Ending November 25, 2005

As a result of its 527th meeting (November 3-5, 2005), the ACRS issued letters and

reports on the following subjects. 

Date Subject

November 18, 2005 Letter to the Chairman on Report on the Safety Aspects of the

License Renewal Application for the Point Beach Nuclear Plant

Units 1 and 2

November 18, 2005 Letter to the Chairman on Staff Recommendation to Withdraw the

Proposed Rule on Post-Fire Operator Manual Actions

November 18, 2005 Letter to the EDO on Draft Final Generic Letter 2005-XX, “Grid

Reliability and the Impact on Plant Risk and the Operability of

Offsite Power”

November 21, 2005 Letter to the EDO on Draft NRC Digital System Research Plan for

FY 2005 - FY 2009