INFORMATION REPORT

November 21, 2006 SECY-06-0223

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

OCTOBER 27, 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

Information Services H

Chief Financial Officer I*

Human Resources J

Small Business and Civil Rights K*

Enforcement L*

Public Affairs M*

International Programs N*

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:

L. Rakovan, OEDO
November 21, 2006 SECY-06-0223

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

OCTOBER 27, 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

Information Services H

Chief Financial Officer I*

Human Resources J

Small Business and Civil Rights K*

Enforcement L*

Public Affairs M*

International Programs N*

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:

L. Rakovan, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

EDO R/F

AO R/F Document Name: C:\WIR\week1027.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

LRakovan:paa MRJohnson

11/08/06 11/21/06
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 27, 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 OE *

NRO * OPA *

NMSS 4 OIP *

FSME 6 SECY 19

RES 7 Region I *

NSIR 10 Region II 21

ADM 11 Region III *

OIS 12 Region IV *3

CFO * EDO *

HR 16 OCA *

SBCR * ACRS/ACNW *

*No input this week
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 27, 2006

Meeting with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to discuss electrical issues

On October 26, 2006, the staff met with FERC to discuss the North American Electrical

Reliability Council (NERC)/FERC program and documents that FERC has endorsed that apply

to Nuclear Power Plants. Other areas addressed included the scope and status of the

Department of Energy/FERC/NRC grid status monitoring map and the FERC modeling and

analysis. FERC provided the results of their review of NRC's inspection performance

monitoring, human factors research, and use of simulators for training.

Reactor Oversight Process

On October 24, 2006, the staff held the monthly Reactor Oversight Process public meeting at

NRC headquarters. Meeting topics included discussions on Mitigating Systems Performance

Index implementation, safety culture integration into the Reactor Oversight Process,

performance indicator issues, and open and new frequently asked questions.

Senior Reactor Analysts Counterpart Meeting

During the week of October 23, 2006, the staff hosted a Senior Reactor Analysts Counterpart

meeting at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The meeting agenda focused

on training and other topics involving risk assessment of inspection findings. Meeting attendees

included the Senior Reactor Analysts representing each Regional office and NRC

Headquarters.

Meeting with Brookhaven National Laboratory and General Electric

On October 18, 2006, the staff and contractors from Brookhaven National Laboratory met with

representatives from General Electric's (GE) Lungmen project at the Foxboro facility of

Invensys, a GE contractor. The purpose of the meeting was to gain an overview of the

Lungmen project, which is an advanced boiling-water reactor, and understand how it relates to

the Economic Simplified Boiling-Water Reactor in terms of human factors engineering aspects.

The Lungmen site is located in Taiwan, and at the time of the meeting, some of the actual

control room equipment was still at the Foxboro facility.

Public Meeting on 10 CFR Part 52 Final Rule

On October 25, 2006, the staff held a public meeting for the purpose of answering stakeholder

questions about the draft final rule language for 10 CFR Part 52, "Licenses, Certifications, and

Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants," and for other 10 CFR Parts affected by the Part 52

rulemaking. The draft final rule language was made publicly available on September 28, 2006. 

The staff answered stakeholder questions about the draft final rule language and outlined

several changes to the rule that have been made since the draft final rule language was made

available.
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE A

Meeting with Sump Strainer Vendors, Pressurized Water Reactor Owners Group and NEI

On October 19, 2006, staff met with NEI and strainer vendors to discuss chemical effects

issues related to Generic Safety Issue (GSI)-191. The staff summarized recent NRCsponsored chemical effects testing, and strainer vendors discussed their individual approaches

to addressing the chemical effects issue. The staff and NEI also discussed some possible

ways to reduce conservatisms in the GSI-191 evaluation methodology and to reduce plants'

vulnerabilities to strainer clogging. NEI agreed to consider providing proposals for reducing

conservatisms in specific areas of the GSI-191 evaluation methodology. The staff emphasized

that any such changes must be fully justified. 

Direct Final Rule Signed by Acting Executive Director for Operations

On October 31, 2006, the Acting Executive Director for Operations approved a direct final rule

which revises 10 CFR 50.68, “Criticality accident requirements,” so that the requirements

governing criticality control for spent fuel pool storage racks do not apply to the fuel within a

spent fuel transportation package or storage cask when a package or cask is in a spent fuel

pool. These packages and casks are subject to the criticality control requirements in

10 CFR Parts 71 and 72, respectively. This action is necessary to avoid applying two different

sets of criticality control requirements to fuel within a package or cask in a spent fuel pool.
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 27, 2006

Technical Exchange on the U.S. Department of Energy’s High-Level Waste Repository

Performance Assessment

From October 24 to 25, 2006, the NRC and the U.S Department of Energy staff held a technical

exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada on the proposed high-level waste repository at Yucca

Mountain, Nevada. The exchange included discussions on numerous aspects of repository

performance assessment. This meeting was also attended by representatives from the State of

Nevada and other interested parties.

Public Meeting in Piketon, Ohio, to Discuss the USEC, Inc. Safety Evaluation Report and Final

Environmental Impact Statement

On October 18, 2006, the staff held a public meeting in Piketon, Ohio, to discuss the USEC,

Inc. Safety Evaluation Report and Final Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed

American Centrifuge Plant, a gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facility to be located in

Piketon, Ohio. About 50 people attended the two-hour meeting. After presentations, the staff

answered questions related to historical preservation, waste streams, safety and security at the

plant, and depleted uranium tails storage and disposal.

Public Meeting with Holtec International on HI-STAR 180 Storage/Transportation Cask

On October 24, 2006, the staff met with Holtec International to discuss the criticality safety

design of the HI-STAR 180 storage/transportation cask which Holtec is planning to submit to

the NRC for review and approval by the end of 2006. The discussion was focused on the use of

Moderator Exclusion, per Diision of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation (SFST) Interim Staff

Guidance -19 (ISG-19), under the hypothetical accident conditions. ISG-19 provides

alternatives in demonstrating the criticality safety of high-burnup spent fuel assemblies in casks

under transport accident conditions in light of the lack of data on cladding materials. The staff

provided a number of clarifications on the use of ISG-19. The HI-STAR 180 cask can

accommodate a 32-PWR with flux traps or a 37-Pressurized Water Reactor with burnup credit

baskets. The cask is being designed by Holtec for one of their international clients. 
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE D

Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs (FSME)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 27, 2006

Technical Evaluation Report

On October 20, 2006, the staff issued a Technical Evaluation Report describing the staff's

review of a draft incidental waste determination prepared by the Department of Energy (DOE)

for the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center Tank Farm Facility (INTEC TFF). 

The report concludes that DOE has met the appropriate criteria under Section 3116 of the

Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act Fiscal Year 2005 for determining that

the residual waste is not high-level radioactive waste and need not be disposed of in a geologic

repository. Once DOE issues its final waste determination for the INTEC TFF, it may

commence actions to stabilize and dispose of the waste onsite.

Interagency Meeting on the Inadvertent Importation of Radioactive Materials

On October 18, 2006, staff met with other Federal departments and agencies to discuss the

processes and protocols for handling the inadvertent importing of radioactive materials. This

interagency meeting was initiated by NRC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA). The meeting was held at EPA offices in Washington, DC. Participants discussed

government-wide and agency-specific technical, communication, and coordination issues

related to the handling of radioactive materials identified by Customs during cargo screening at

points of entry. This was a follow-on to an earlier coordination meeting held at EPA in

November 2005 and the interagency materials tabletop exercise sponsored by NRC on

August 30, 2006. NRC plans to continue meeting with the agencies on these matters through

the Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards.
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE E

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 27, 2006

RES Public Meeting with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) on Materials Engineering

Research Programs

On October 17-18, 2006, the subject meeting was held to discuss primary system materials

degradation mechanisms and research. Representatives from EPRI’s Materials Reliability

Program presented their evaluations of primary system materials degradation mechanisms and

described EPRI’s related research programs. RES staff presented an overview of the NRC’s

Proactive Materials Degradation Assessment program. The meeting provided an opportunity to

identify materials degradation research of mutual interest which may be amenable to

collaboration or sharing. The RES and EPRI representatives agreed to meet on a semiannual

basis, with February 2007 proposed for the next meeting.
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 27, 2006

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-III-06-021, Ohmart Vega Corporation - BREACHED CESIUM-137-SOURCES

2. PNO-II-06-004, AREVA, NP, Inc. - WORKERS EXPOSED TO HYDROGEN FLUORIDE

(HF) RELEASE
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending October 27, 2006

Power Reactor Security Requirements (AG63 - Parts 50, 72, and 73)

On October 26, 2006, the NRC published a proposed rule in the Federal Register (71 FR

62664) that would amend the current security regulations and add new security requirements

pertaining to nuclear power reactors. The proposed rule includes new security requirements for

Category I strategic special nuclear material (SSNM) facilities for access to enhanced weapons

and firearms background checks. The proposed rule would make security requirements

imposed by Commission orders issued after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,

generically applicable and reflect experience and insights gained by the Commission during

implementation; fulfill certain provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005; add several new

requirements that resulted from insights from implementation of the security orders, review of

site security plans, and implementation of the enhanced baseline inspection program and forceon-force exercises; update the regulatory framework in preparation for receiving license

applications for new reactors; and impose requirements to assess and manage site activities

that can adversely affect safety and security. The comment period for this action closes

January 9, 2007. 
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE H

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 27, 2006

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

of October 20 through October 26, 2006:

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, all correspondence re: ashsettling basin seepageFOIA/PA-2007-0019

Background investigation on named individual from 1991 to 2006 FOIA/PA-2007-0020

Nuclear Fuel Services, security-related issues from 1-1-2000 through

present, all records

FOIA/PA-2007-0021

Nuclear facilities in the U.S. FOIA/PA-2007-0022
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE J

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 27, 2006

Arrivals

BAKER, STEPHEN LICENSING OFFICER IP

BARNES, ROBIN CONTRACT MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST

(NSPDP)

ADM

BETTLE, JEROME REACTOR SYSTEMS ENGINEER NRR

CARTWRIGHT, WILLIAM REACTOR ENGINEER NRR

CHANG, YUNG HSIEN HUMAN RELIABILITY

ANALYST/ENGINEER

RES

COSTA, RICHARD SECURITY SPECIALIST NSIR

EINBERG, CHRISTIAN SR. PROJECT MANAGER FSME

FOSTER, JENNIFER E. FUEL FACILITY INSPECTOR (ENTRY

LEVEL)

RII

GIBBS, FLORETTA ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT

TRAINEE

ADM

GRAHAM, JAY SECURITY SPECIALIST NSIR

JAIGOBIND, SAVI SECRETARY (OA) NRR

JOHNSON, JONATHAN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

SPECIALIST

NSIR

MIERNICKI, MICHAEL PROJECT MANAGER/REACTOR

ENGINEER

NRR

RECIO, ANGELA SECRETARY (OA) CFO

SALAY, MICHAEL REACTOR SYSTEMS ENGR RES

SMITH, EDWARD REACTOR SYSTEMS ENGINEER NRR

WILLINGHAM, MICHAEL GENERAL SCIENTIST NRR

WILSON, ANGELA ACCOUNTANT CFO

Departure

WETZEL, BETH CHIEF, TECH AND REG PROGRAMS SEC EDO
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 27, 2006

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

- Commission Voting

Record on SECY-06-

0205

10/25/06 Final Rule: National Source Tracking of

Sealed Sources (RIN 3150-AH48)

Information Papers

- SECY-06-0208 10/5/06 Status of the Accident Sequence Precursor

Program and the Development of

Standardized Plant Analysis Risk Models

Memoranda

- M061025B 10/25/06 Staff Requirements - Affirmation Session: I.

SECY-06-0205 - Final Rule: National

Source Tracking of Sealed Sources (RIN

3150-AH48)

Commission Correspondence

- Letter to Congress (Senator Menendez, Senator Lautenberg, and Congressman

LoBiondo), dated October 19, 2006, responds to request for NRC to hold a public

meeting on the decommissioning of the Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation. 

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Protection of Safeguards Information, Proposed Rule, RIN: 3150-AH57.

2. Application for a License to Export High-Enriched Uranium, DOE/NNSA - Y12 National

Security Complex.

3. 10 CFR Part 35 [Docket No. PRM-35-20], E. Russell Ritenour, Ph.D.; Receipt of Petition

for Rulemaking.

4. 10 CFR Part 51 [Docket No. PRM-51-10], Massachusetts Attorney General; Receipt of

Petition for Rulemaking.
October 27, 2006 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 27, 2006

Turkey Point Public Meeting

On October 26, 2006, representatives from Florida Power and Light Company attended a public

meeting in the Regional Office. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the licensee’s

response to the substantive cross-cutting issue.