INFORMATION REPORT

July 26, 2005 SECY-05-0133

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-05-0133 - “WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING JULY 22, 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

*No input this week.

/RA/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

T. Kim, OEDO
July 26, 2005 SECY-05-0133

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-05-0133 - “WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING JULY 22, 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

*No input this week.

/RA/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

T. Kim, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\week722.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

TKim:paa WMDean

07/26/05 07/27/05
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JULY 22, 2005

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: T. Kim, OEDO by E-mail: tjk3@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 5 OPA 10

RES 6 OIP *

NSIR * SECY 12

OGC * Region I 13

ADM 7 Region II 14

OIS 8 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 15

HR 9 EDO *

SBCR * OCA 16

OE *

*No input this week
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

NRC Information Notice (IN) 2005-18: Summary of Fitness-For-Duty Program Performance

Reports For Calendar Years 2001, 2002 and 2003

On July 15, 2005, NRC staff issued the subject IN to report on lessons learned by licensees

from their fitness-for-duty (FFD) program performance reports for calendar years 2001, 2002

and 2003. As required by 10 CFR 26.71(d), NRC licensees have submitted their semi-annual

FFD program performance reports to the NRC. In the past, the NRC summarized and analyzed

this performance data and published an annual report, NUREG/CR-5758, “Fitness for Duty in

the Nuclear Power Industry—Annual Summary of Program Performance Reports.” This IN

provides similar FFD program performance data information for the years 2001, 2002 and

2003. The IN requires no specific action nor written response; however, licensees are expected

to review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider taking actions, as

appropriate. 

Nine Mile Point - Amended License Renewal Application

On July 15, 2005, Constellation Energy Group submitted an amended license renewal

application for Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2. The amended application is an

enhancement to the original license renewal application and completes the applicant’s recovery

plan addressing quality issues with the original submittal. The applicant identified 14 additional

plant systems, that were not identified in the original license renewal application, to be within

the scope of license renewal. The staff will establish a revised review schedule beyond the

standard 22 months, provided that the staff finds the enhanced submittal satisfactory for further

detailed review.

NRC Bulletin 2005-02: Emergency Preparedness (EP) and Response Actions for SecurityBased Events

On July 18, 2005, NRC staff issued the subject Bulletin to request information from power

reactor licensees regarding actions taken or planned to be taken in the following areas: 1)

security-based emergency classification levels and emergency action levels (EALs), emergency

response organization augmentation for security-based events, and a security-based EP drill

and exercise program, and 2) accelerated NRC notifications and onsite protective measures. If

actions regarding the topics covered in this bulletin have not been taken, the addressees are

requested to provide a schedule detailing expected completion dates for all pending activities. 

The bulletin requires addressees to provide a written response to the NRC in 30 days.
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE A

NRC IN 2005-19: Effect of Plant Configuration Changes on the Emergency Plan

On July 18, 2005, NRC staff issued the subject IN to inform addressees of recent inspection

findings where licensees failed to properly evaluate the effect of plant configuration changes

(procedures, equipment, and facilities) on their emergency plans. The IN discusses the

expectation that licensees effectively manage configuration changes and evaluate any potential

impact on implementing the emergency plan and, if necessary, the need to develop and

implement compensatory measures. The IN requires no specific action nor written response;

however, licensees are expected to review the information for applicability to their facilities and

consider taking actions, as appropriate. 

Proposed Generic Letter on Hemyc/MT Fire Barriers

On July 18, 2005, NRC staff forwarded to the Office of Federal Register a proposed Generic

Letter (GL) entitled "Impact of Potentially Degraded Hemyc and MT Fire Barriers on

Compliance with Approved Fire Protection Programs," for publication. The proposed GL 

requests power reactor licensees to evaluate their facilities to confirm compliance with the

applicable regulatory requirements in light of the information provided in this GL and, if

appropriate, take additional actions. Specifically, although “Hemyc” and “MT” fire barriers in

nuclear power plants may be relied on to protect electrical and instrumentation cables and

equipment that provide safe shutdown capability during a fire, recent NRC testing has revealed

that both materials failed to provide the protective function intended for compliance with existing

regulations, for the configurations tested using the acceptance criteria in GL 86-10, 

Supplement 1, "Fire Endurance Test Acceptance Criteria for Fire Barrier Systems Used To

Separate Redundant Safe Shutdown Trains Within the Same Fire Area." The proposed GL

was published in the Federal Register (70 FR 42596) for public comment. The comment period

expires on September 23, 2005. 

NRC IN 2005-20: Electrical Distribution System Failures Affecting Security Equipment

On July 19, 2005, NRC staff issued the subject IN to inform addressees about the adverse

impact of electrical distribution system failures on plant security systems. This IN specifically

provides four examples of recent failures of electrical distribution systems at the following

nuclear power plants, Palo Verde, Millstone, Watts Bar, and Turkey Point, that had adversely

affected the respective plant’s security systems. The IN requires no specific action nor written

response; however, licensees are expected to review the information for applicability to their

facilities and consider taking actions, as appropriate. 

Construction Inspection Program Public Meeting

On July 20, 2005, NRR staff held a public meeting with the Nuclear Energy Institute and the

industry to discuss issues related to the Construction Inspection Program. The focus of the

discussion was on the necessary documentation to demonstrate that the inspections, tests,

analyses, and acceptance criteria have been completed.
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE A

Public Meeting on Mitigating System Performance Index and Reactor Oversight process

On July 20, 2005, NRR staff together with staff from the Offices of Nuclear Regulatory

Research (RES) and the Regions hosted a public meeting on the implementation of the

Mitigating Systems Performance Index (MSPI). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the

results and follow-up actions from the June 20-21, 2005, MSPI Workshop. Additionally,

industry representatives discussed the status of proposed alternatives to the requirements for

probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) quality issues related to MSPI implementation. RES staff

presented preliminary results from its confirmatory analysis of the industry’s PRA crosscomparison effort, as well as comparisons between the NRC’s Standardized Plant Analysis

Risk model results and industry MSPI PRA data. The NRC has also developed an MSPI

database to assist the staff in the identification of PRA model “outliers” to support staff

inspection activities for MSPI implementation. The MSPI is a more risk-informed performance

indicator than the NRC’s current Safety System Unavailability performance indicator used as

part of the agency’s Reactor Oversight Process. Industry-wide implementation of the MSPI is

scheduled for January 2006.

On the following day, the staff hosted the monthly public meeting on the Reactor Oversight

Process. Discussion topics included implementation issues associated with the Significant

Determination Process, status updates from the Task Forces evaluating the Scrams with Loss

of Normal Heat Removal and Reactor Coolant System Leakage Performance Indicators (PIs), 

update on efforts to improve the safety system functional failure PI, general discussion of

security issues (closed session), and PI Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). 
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

Participation in U.S. - Russian Federation Bilateral Meeting to Discuss Surplus Weapons-Grade

Plutonium Disposition Program

On July 11-14, 2005, NMSS staff participated in the subject Bilateral Meeting with the

Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Nuclear,

Industrial and Environmental Regulatory Authority of Russia (Rostekhnadzor) to discuss current

efforts and upcoming regulatory/licensing activities related to the Surplus Weapons-Grade

Plutonium Disposition Program. DOE is supporting regulatory development activities

associated with the Russian Federation Plutonium Disposition Program. Discussion topics

included the status of U.S. licensing reviews, the status of mixed-oxide lead test assembly

irradiation, and future workshops to be held in Moscow.

NRC/DOE Technical Exchange Meeting on High-Level Waste

On July 20, 2005, NRC and DOE high-level waste (HLW) staff held the subject meeting in 

Las Vegas to discuss the extent of technical information necessary to support an NRC safety

decision for the potential Yucca Mountain Repository. The technical exchange was open to the

public and was held in hearing room facilities constructed in anticipation of hearings on a future

license application for a HLW repository.
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

Meeting of the Proactive Materials Degradation Assessment Expert Panel

On July 11-14, 2005, RES staff and contractors from Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL),

held the last formal meeting of the Proactive Materials Degradation Assessment (PMDA)-

Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT) Expert Panel. The purpose of the PMDAPIRT is to identify locations and components in light-water reactors (LWRs) that could be

susceptible to future materials degradation phenomena. This information will provide a basis

for the development of proactive regulatory and industry actions to avoid, mitigate, and/or

manage potential future degradation of reactor components. The Panel is comprised of eight

internationally recognized experts in materials degradation phenomena of components in

nuclear and non-nuclear applications. The experts are from industry, regulatory agencies, and

academic institutions in the U.S., France, Sweden, Japan, and Canada. A final draft report

which combines the results from both the boiling-water reactor and pressurized-water reactor

systems will be developed by November 2005. 
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending July 22, 2005

List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: Standardized NUHOMS -24P, -52B, -61BT, -32PT,

-24PHB, and -24PTH Revision; Withdrawal of Direct Final Rule (Amendment 8) (AH72- Part 72)

On July 15, 2005, NRC published the subject notice in the Federal Register (70 FR 40879) for

the withdrawal of a direct final rule. This action is taken because the NRC staff became aware

of changes in the technical specifications associated with the Certificate of Compliance for this

cask system.

Export and Import of Nuclear Equipment and Material: Nuclear Grade Graphite (AH51 -

Part 110)

On July 21, 2005, a final rule was published in the Federal Register (70 FR 41937) that

removes NRC export licensing requirements for nuclear-grade graphite for non-nuclear end

use. This amendment removes nuclear materials which are not of significance from a nuclear

proliferation perspective from NRC jurisdiction. The Department of Commerce assumes

responsibility for licensing exports of nuclear-grade graphite in a final rule published on July 21,

2005 (70 FR 41952). The final rule became effective July 21, 2005. 

Contract Award

On July 15, 2005, a competitive delivery order, DR-09-05-332, was awarded to Eagle Design &

Management, Inc., a small business, under the General Service Administration's Federal

Supply Schedule. The contractor will provide design support to the production of the NRC

Performance Accountability Report. The total estimated cost is $73,857. The period of

performance is 18 months.
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Requests Received During the Period of

July 15 through July 21, 2005:

Government purchase card holders, phone numbers, fax numbers, &

email addresses

FOIA/PA-2005-0299

United Nuclear Corporation, documents re: mining & milling

operations at Northeast Church Rock mine, St. Anthony’s mine,

Section 27 mine, & San Mateo mine in NM; Pine Mountain mine in AZ

FOIA/PA-2005-0300

NRC license application for a GrayStar Category 3 irradiator to be

built in Honolulu, HI, all correspondence

FOIA/PA-2005-0301
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

Arrivals

FEDORS, RANDALL HYDROGEOLOGIST NMSS

JOHNSON, JON R. CONSULTANT OEDO

ROTH, DAVID REACTOR ENGINEER NRR

SCHWARTZMAN, JENNIFER K. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SPECIALIST OIP

SEIFER, CALAI L. STUDENT CLERK R-II

SHARMA, BHAWANA SENIOR CONTRACT SPECIALIST ADM

Retirements

MOHRWINKEL, CARL A. AGENCY ALLEGATIONS SPECIALIST OE

TROTTIER, CHERYL A. CHF, RAD PROT, ENV RISK & WSTE MGT BR RES

Departures

MILLER, ERIN C. SECRETARY (OA) RES

SCHAEFER, DENNIS W. CONSULTANT R-IV
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

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

Yucca Mountain Licensing Support Network issues.

Disabled emergency sirens at Indian Point.

Proposed Resolution of Generic Safety Issue (GSI)-189, "Susceptibility of Ice Condenser and

Mark III Containments to Early Failure from Hydrogen Combustion During a Severe Accident,"

through voluntary actions by certain licensees.

Other OPA Items:

OPA assisted the Chairman’s interview with The Washington Post on the future of nuclear

power.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

05-102 NRC Staff Issues Bulletin to Nuclear Power Plants on Emergency Preparedness

for Security-Based Events (7/18)

05-103 NRC Proposes National Tracking System for Certain Radioactive Materials

(7/20)

05-104 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet August 2-4 in Rockville,

Maryland (7/21)

05-105 NRC Finds No Significant Environmental Impacts from Extended Operation of

Millstone Power Station, Units 2 and 3 (7/22)

Regions:

II-05-033 NRC to Hold Public Meeting August 2 at Eunice, N.M., to Discuss Environmental

Impacts and Safety Evaluation for LES (7/18)

II-05-034 NRC Scheduled to Meet with Global Nuclear Fuel to Discuss Plant’s Regulatory

Safety Performance (7/21)

II-05-035 NRC Names Morrissey New Senior Resident Inspector at Crystal River Nuclear

Plant in Florida (7/21)

II-05-036 NRC Schedules Public Workshop August 4 on Inspection Procedures at NRCRegulated Fuel Facilities (7/21)

III-05-033 NRC Staff Issues Confirmatory Orders on Employment Discrimination by Food

Service Contractor at Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant (7/18)
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE M

III-05-034 NRC Seeks Public Input on Palisades Nuclear Plant Environmental Issues for

License Renewal (7/19)

III-05-035 NRC to Meet July 27 with South Bend, Ind., Hospital to Discuss Apparent

Violations Associated with Unintended Radiation Doses (7/20)
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-05-0121 7/7/05 Request to Consider Developing a Formal

Tribal Consultation Protocol

2. Revised SRM on SECY05-00747/13/05 Proposed Rule to Amend the Fitness-forDuty Requirements in 10 CFR Part 26

Information Papers

1. SECY-05-0117 7/1/05 Staff Comments on the Foundation

Documents of the International Commission

on Radiological Protection

2. SECY-05-0118 7/1/05 Results of the Pilot Program to Improve the

Effectiveness of NRC Inspections of

Engineering and Design Issues

3. SECY-05-0125 7/19/05 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

July 8, 2005

Memoranda

1. M050722 7/22/05 Staff Requirements - Affirmation Session: I.

SECY-05-0115 - Private Fuel Storage

(Independent Spent Fuel Storage

Installation) Docket No. 72-22-ISFSI;

Unpublished Board Order (April 25, 2005)

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Senator George V. Voinovich, dated July 11, 2005, concerns NRC’s budget and

human capital needs.

2. Letter to Congressman Markey, Congressman John Tierney, and Congressman Meehan,

dated July 11, 2005, responds to letter regarding security at Seabrook Station in

Seabrook, NH.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Notice of Appointment of Adjudicatory Employees, In the Matter of Private Fuel Storage,

L.L.C. (Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation), Docket No. 72-22-ISFSI.
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region I (RI)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

Meeting to Discuss License Termination Issues for a Complex Decommissioning Site

On July 19, 2005, staff from Region I and the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguard

met with representatives of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)

at their Trenton, NJ offices. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss NJDEP comments on a

draft environmental assessment prepared by NRC on proposed termination of the Heritage

Minerals license. The Heritage Minerals site is a complex decommissioning site containing

diffuse source material as well as state-regulated naturally-occurring radioactive material. The

NRC staff also made a site visit to Heritage following the meeting.

Indian Point Siren Outage

On July 19, 2005, a radio transmitter for activation of the 156 sirens in the emergency planning

zone for Indian Point lost power for approximately six hours. Plant personnel were not aware

the transmitter had been operating on backup power supplies for several hours prior to the loss

of all power which rendered the transmitter and the siren system inoperable. Entergy has

restored the power sources and implemented interim compensatory measures, pending the

results of their root cause investigation. The NRC resident inspectors at Indian Point are

reviewing this event with support from regional specialists.

Haddam Neck Community Decommissioning Advisory Committee Meeting

On July 19, 2005, Region I staff participated in the Haddam Neck Community Decommissioning

Advisory Committee (CDAC) meeting held in Connecticut. The meeting was open to the public

with approximately 15 people in attendance. The NRC staff provided an overview of recent

inspection findings and planned inspection activities. The licensee discussed recent site

activities regarding safety performance, radiological exposure performance, status of

decommissioning, and status of soil cleanup and groundwater monitoring. 

Commissioner Merrifield Visit to Indian Point

On July 20, 2005, Commissioner Merrifield, accompanied by Region I management staff,

toured the Indian Point Energy Center. The tour was hosted by Entergy Nuclear Northeast and

discussion topics included security, the corrective action process, conduct of operations, the

status of emergency preparedness equipment, and the company's progress and challenges

associated with site integration. Commissioner Merrifield held a question and answer session

with approximately 175 plant employees during his site visit.
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

Deputy Executive Director for Reactor and Preparedness Programs Visit to Vogtle and 

Region II Offices

On July 19, 2005, the NRC’s Deputy Executive Director for Reactor and Preparedness

Programs (DEDR), accompanied by the Regional Administrator, visited the Vogtle Nuclear

Plant in Georgia for a site tour and meetings with licensee management and the resident

inspectors.

On the following day, DEDR visited the Region II offices in Atlanta, Georgia, and met with 

regional staff.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant - Management Meeting to Discuss Unit 1 Restart Project Status

On July 20, 2005, Region II management met with representatives from the Tennessee Valley

Authority in the Regional Office to discuss the status of Browns Ferry Unit 1 Restart Project

Status. The Deputy Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation also attended the

meeting.
July 22, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV (RIV)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

Public Meeting with Ameren Union Electric Company

On July 20, the Region IV Regional Administrator and members of the Region IV staff held a

public meeting with representatives of Ameren Union Electric Company (UE), the licensee of

the Callaway Nuclear Plant. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the scope of the

upcoming refueling outage at the plant that will include steam generator replacements, the

results of the auxiliary feedwater assessment, and the results of recent work climate surveys. 

Regional Administrator Visit to Fort Calhoun Station

On July 22, the Regional Administrator visited the Fort Calhoun Station site for a site tour with

the resident inspectors and discussions with licensee managers regarding overall plant

performance and outage activities planned for 2006. 
July 22, 2005 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 22, 2005

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 28

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Keeling July 26

2154RHOB

10:00 GAO, DOE's IG, DOE

(Glen Podonsky andRobert Walsh), Wackenhut, and ServiceEmployees InternationalUnion

DOE/Office of Energy, Science, andEnvironment: Security - How Readyis the Protective Force?

Reps. ShNational S and InterGovernm

Shane July 27

2247RHOB

10:00 TBA "Regulatory Reform: Are Regulations

Hindering Our Competitiveness?"

Reps. MilRegulatoGovernm