INFORMATION REPORT

September 14, 2006 SECY-06-0198

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

SEPTEMBER 8, 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/

Michael R. Johnson 

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

U. Shoop, OEDO
September 14, 2006 SECY-06-0198

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

SEPTEMBER 8, 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/

Michael R. Johnson

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

U. Shoop, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\week908.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

UShoop:paa MRJohnson

 / /06 / /06
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 8, 2006

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 * OPA 8

RES 3 OIP *

NSIR 4 SECY 9

OGC * Region I 11

ADM 5 Region II *

OIS 6 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 12

HR 7 EDO *

SBCR * OCA 13

OE * ACRS/ACNW *

*No input this week
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 8, 2006

Public Release of Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1145, “Combined License Applications for

Nuclear Power Plants (LWR Edition)”

On September 1, 2006, the subject draft Regulatory Guide was made available for public

comment. This draft regulatory guide provides guidance to new reactor license applicants

regarding the information to be submitted in a combined license (COL) application. Users can

currently access DG-1145 using the following link: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/reg-guides/power-reactors/draft-index.html. The draft guide will be published in the

Federal Register (FR) and the public comment period will end on October 21, 2006.

U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR) Digital Instrumentation and Controls Meeting

On August 31, 2006, NRC staff met with representatives from AREVA NP to discuss digital

instrumentation and control topics for the EPR as part of the ongoing design certification preapplication review. Topics discussed at the meeting included (1) an overview of the protection

system (PS) architecture, redundancy and, functional diversity, (2) the priority actuation and

control system, and (3) control room displays and human-machine interface. The AREVA NP

representatives also outlined several instrumentation and control and human factors topical

reports that they plan to submit between December 2006 and June 2007. Technical issues the

staff raised included PS inter-divisional communication and safety to non-safety system

interfaces and communication. Additional information in these areas is needed because the

proposed design concepts have not been previously reviewed and approved by NRC staff. 

ACRS Final Review of the License Renewal Application for the Monticello Nuclear Generating

Plant

On September 7, 2006, the staff presented the Safety Evaluation Report (SER) for the license

renewal of the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant to the Advisory Committee on Reactor

Safeguards (ACRS) for review. The Monticello SER was issued by the staff on July 28, 2006. 

The Nuclear Management Company, LLC (NMC) submitted the Monticello application by letter

dated March 16, 2005, requesting the renewal of the Monticello operating license for an

additional 20 years, pursuant to 10 CFR Part 54. 

Generic Fundamental Examination

On September 6th, 2006, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation administered its Generic

Fundamental Examination to 98 operator license applicants at 10 utilities across the country. 

The Generic Fundamental Examination is a separately administered written examination that

measures applicant safety significant knowledge in three areas: components, reactor theory,

and thermodynamics. The Generic Fundamental Examination must be successfully passed

before applicants can take the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) site-specific

examinations, ultimately leading to the attainment of a NRC Reactor Operator or Senior

Reactor Operator license.
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 8, 2006

Meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)

On August 29, 2006, staff participated in a public meeting with NEI at NRC Headquarters in

Rockville, MD. The purpose of this meeting was to continue the dialogue with industry on

reaching a common understanding regarding a basis for resolving seismic issues related to

future nuclear power plants. Topics of discussion included industry’s integrating task results for

determining the performance-based site specific safe shutdown earthquake ground motion and

the status of Draft Regulatory Guide (DG-1146), “A Performance-Based Approach to Define the

Safe Shutdown Earthquake Ground Motion.” NRC staff informed the industry that DG-1146 is

scheduled to be published for public comment in October 2006. Action items for resolution of

key seismic issues were assigned to both NRC and industry representatives and future

meetings were also discussed.

Extension of the Agreement Between the NRC and the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté

Nucléaire (IRSN) of France Regarding the CABRI Water Loop Program

On August 31, 2006, the Executive Director for Operations (EDO) signed the subject

Agreement. This Agreement, together with a broad “umbrella agreement” under the auspices

of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Nuclear Energy

Agency (NEA), provides the framework for program management, the direction of experimental

testing, and the conduct of a multi-national investigation of high burnup fuel under reactivityinitiated accident (RIA) conditions. Participation in the program will allow the NRC to obtain

significant technical information and data on the behavior of high burnup fuel under RIA

conditions. The results and knowledge gained from this program will provide a realistic

technical basis for developing new criteria for the rod ejection accident, which will be included in

a revision to Regulatory Guide 1.77, "Assumptions Used for Evaluating a Control Rod Ejection

Accident for Pressurized Water Reactors.” This Extension Agreement will remain in effect for a

period of five years.

Publication of NUREG/CR-6911, “Tests of Uranium (VI) Adsorption Models in a Field Setting”

The NRC recently published NUREG/CR -6911. This report provides information on the use of

field-based techniques for determining site-specific Kd values (measures of contaminant

absorption onto soil minerals) for use in performance assessments of decommissioning and

waste disposal sites. This work contributes to NRC’s effort to continue to develop, assess, and

test groundwater transport models and assess the variability and uncertainty associated with

hydrologic model parameters. These groundwater transport models are increasingly important

for both evaluating environmental contamination and providing a method to anticipate, monitor,

and prevent such contamination.
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE D

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 8, 2006

Preliminary Notification

- PNO-I-06-010, Seabrook Power Station,-SHUTDOWN GREATER THAN 72 HOURS -

EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS INOPERABLE DUE TO PROBLEMS IN THE

VOLTAGE REGULATION CIRCUITRY.
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending September 8, 2006

Award for Technical Assistance

On August 14, 2006, a noncompetitive, 8(a) business set-aside, labor-hour type contract was

awarded to Focal Point Consulting Group, Inc. of Potomac, Maryland. The contractor will

provide business process re-engineering services for the Office of Nuclear Regulatory

Research. The contract calls for re-engineering of the office's business processes within one

year of award and includes an option for a one-year follow-on for the continuance of reengineering services, if needed. The total estimated cost, including all options, is $744,482.16.

Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for Technical Assistance

On August 2, 2006, a competitive BPA was awarded to ARES Corporation of Albuquerque,

New Mexico under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule program. The contractor shall provide

technical assistance to the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation in support of the resolution of

generic safety issue (GSI) 191 for four plants. The contract calls for audit assistance of four

plants within eight months of the BPA award. The total estimated cost of the BPA is

$479,099.18. 

Award for Technical Assistance

On August 24, 2006, a competitive cost reimbursement contract was awarded to Information

Systems Laboratories, Inc. The contractor shall perform computer simulation code

improvements, upgrades and assessments. The total estimated cost is $4,870,622.00. The

period of performance is for five years (three-year base plus two one-year options). 
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 8, 2006

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

September 1 through September 7, 2006:

RFQ OIS-06-317, Consolidated Information System Security Services

(CISSS), contract, technical proposal, cost proposal, evaluated price

of each proposal

FOIA/PA-2006-0291

Consolidated Information System Security Services (CISSS) contract,

awarded to MAR Inc., July 31, 2006

FOIA/PA-2006-0292

Contract NRC3305339, SOW & Delivery Orders/task orders FOIA/PA-2006-0293

Background investigation on named individual - Referral by OPM FOIA/PA-2006-0294

OI report 3-2002-006 dated 8-23-03, unredacted version

(ML062410110)

FOIA/PA-2006-0295
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 8, 2006

Arrivals

ANCHONDO, ISAAC MATERIALS ENGINEER (NSPDP) NRR

BLANEY, STEPHANIE A. SECRETARY (OA) NRR

GREENE, NATASHA A. PHYSICAL SCIENTIST NRR

ZHANG, JING ELECTRONICS ENGINEER NRR

Retirement

ROM, DANIEL S. PROJECT MANAGER NMSS

Departure

KISH, EDWARD R. STUDENT TRAINEE (ENGINEERING) NMSS
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 8, 2006

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

A shipment of tools from Vermont Yankee to Susquehanna that had radiation levels above

allowable limits.

Nuclear security issues in advance of the 9/11 anniversary.

Utilities’ plans for building new commercial power reactors.

Other Public Affairs Items:

A reporter from the Wall Street Journal interviewed the Chairman and several senior staff for an

upcoming piece on the future of nuclear power.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

06-106 NRC to Hold Annual Public Meeting on Nuclear Security on Sept. 14 in

Rockville, Maryland (9/7)

06-107 NRC Names Two New Members to Its Advisory Committee on Reactor

Safeguards (9/8)

Regions:

I-06-050 NRC to Discuss Preliminary Results of Inspection for Oyster Creek Nuclear

Plant License Renewal Application (9/5)

I-06-051 Closure of Safety Conscious Work Environment Issue at Salem and Hope

Creek Nuclear Plants to Be Subject of Sept. 14th Open House (9/7)
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 8, 2006

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SRM-SECY-06-0142 9/6/06 Options and Recommendations for

Replenishing Expired Potassium Iodide (KI)

Commission Voting

Record on 06-0142

9/6/06 (same)

Information Papers

1. SECY-06-0191 8/31/06 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

August 18, 2006

2. SECY-06-0184 8/22/06 Agencywide Documents Access and

Management System: Semi-Annual

Progress Report for January - June 2006

3. SECY-06-0185 8/23/06 Program Update Regarding Progress on

Integration of System Architecture,

Utilization of Information Technology to

Enhance Synergies Among NRC Programs,

and Improvement in Service Through

Maintenance of an Up-to-date Web Site

Memoranda

- M060906 9/6/06 Staff Requirements-Affirmation Session: I. 

SECY-06-0166 - Pacific Gas & Elec. Co.

(Diablo Canyon ISFSI), Docket No.

72-26-ISFSI "Motion by San Luis Obispo

Mothers for Peace, Sierra Club, and Peg

Pinard for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief

with Respect to Diablo Canyon ISFSI"; II.

SECY-06-0169 - Amergen Energy

Company, LLC (License Renewal for Oyster

Creek Nuclear Generating Station) Docket

No. 50-0219, Legal Challenges to

LBP-06-07 and LBP-06-11; III. SECY-06-

0174 - Pa'ina Hawaii, LLC, LBP-06-4, 63

NRC 99 (2006) and LBP-06-12, 63 NRC

409 (2006)
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Alan J. Kuperman, NCI, dated August 31, 2006, responds to letter regarding

NRC’s policy of redacting information on the quantities of HEU requested in export

license applications.

2. Letter to Rep. John M. Spratt, Jr, dated August 31, 2006, responds to concerns regarding

the NRC and DOE interactions on implementation of Section 3116 of the 2005 National

Defense Authorization Act.

Federal Register Notices

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Meeting of the Subcommittee on Reliability

and Probabilistic Risk Assessment, notice of meeting (9/21/06). 

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

notice of meeting (9/18/06).

3. ACNW, notice of 173rd meeting (9/18-21/06). 
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region I (RI)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 8, 2006

Heritage Minerals, Inc. Public Meeting

On September 8, 2006, staff held an informational public meeting in Manchester Township,

N.J., to discuss NRC termination of the Heritage Minerals license and release of the site for

unrestricted use. Representatives from New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

and Heritage Minerals attended the meeting, as well as one local reporter, a representative

from a local congressional office, the township administrator and mayor. No members of the

public attended the meeting. The staff answered the reporter’s questions, and provided a brief

overview of the site cleanup and staff evaluation. The mayor expressed gratitude to the NRC

for completing this action, and for keeping his office informed of site progress. The staff plans

to terminate the HMI license by the end of September.
September 8, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV (RIV)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 8, 2006

Meeting with Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station

On September 7, 2006, the Regional Administrator and other regional and headquarters staff

held a meeting with representatives of the Palo Verde Nuclear Station. The purpose of the

meeting was to discuss the licensee’s actions taken to address performance issues in the areas

of human performance and problem identification that were identified as substantive crosscutting issues in the mid-cycle performance review letter issued on August 31, 2006. The

meeting was attended by other Palo Verde owner groups and the media. 
September 8, 2006 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 8, 2006

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 32

 OCAContact

 DATE & PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Xie 09/13/06

TBA

TBA Dennis Spurgeon, DOE,

former NRC ChairmanNils J. Diaz, Ernest Moniz,MIT, Skip Bowman, NEI,Patrick Moore, formerly ofGreenpeace, State PUCrepresentative TBD

Future of Nuclear Power andPossible Impediments

Reps. HoEnergy aAppropria

Combs 09/14/06

SD406

9:30 DOE, NRC’s EDO, NEI,

EDF

NRC Oversight focusing on NRC’scapability for the long- and shortterm spent fuel storage programs

Senators Clean Air

Nuclear SEnvironm

Shane September

SD-406

9:30 Markup S. 2348, Nuclear Release Notice Act

of 2006

Senators Environm

The Senate and House of Representatives are in recess until September 5, 2006.