INFORMATION REPORT

December 29, 2005 SECY-05-0236

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

DECEMBER 16, 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 Thomas A. Bergman, Acting for/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

U. Shoop, OEDO
December 29, 2005 SECY-05-0236

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

DECEMBER 16, 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 Thomas A. Bergman, Acting for/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

U. Shoop, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\week1216.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

UShoop:paa WMDean

12/29/05 12/29/05
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 16, 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 *

RES 8 OIP *

NSIR 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I *

ADM * Region II 21

OIS 11 Region III 22

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 15 EDO *

SBCR * OCA 24

OE * ACRS/ACNW 25

*No input this week
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

Regulatory Endorsement Meeting with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

On December 13, 2005, the staff met with representatives of the ASME Board of Nuclear

Codes and Standards to discuss the objectives of the newly formed Task Group on Regulatory

Endorsement (TGRE) and the TGRE recommendations on endorsement of ASME codes and

standards in NRC regulations and regulatory guides. The TGRE representatives made specific

proposals for streamlining 10 CFR 50.55a and for the endorsement of various ASME codes and

standards. Plans were tentatively made to meet again in approximately 4 months to discuss

specific proposals in greater detail.

Public Service Electric & Gas (PSEG) Nuclear LLC - Salem Fire Suppression System Meeting

On December 13, 2005, the staff met with PSEG to discuss the carbon dioxide (CO2) fire

suppression system at Salem Nuclear Generating Station. The licensee requested a license

amendment to address the lower concentration and hold time, but withdrew the request when

the staff expressed concerns that PSEG had not adequately justified the lower concentration,

not discussed its effect on Appendix R exemptions, and did not address CO2 migration. In a

letter dated September 29, 2005, the staff requested a meeting to discuss the concerns with

the application and the licensee’s plans to return the system to conform with its licensing basis. 

The licensee discussed the causes of the deficiency, the steps they have taken to improve

performance, and the compensatory measures that are in place to ensure plant safety. The

licensee stressed that permanently resolving this issue is one of the top priorities at Salem. 

The licensee is evaluating multiple solution paths and plans to select a path in March of 2006. 

Vermont Yankee Extended Power Uprate - Advisory Committee on Reactor

Safeguards/Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACRS) Meetings

The staff and Entergy representatives briefed the ACRS Subcommittee on Power Uprates, in

two separate meetings, on the proposed extended power uprate for Vermont Yankee. The first

meeting was held on November 15 and 16 in Brattleboro, Vermont, and included a presentation

on transient testing, credit for containment overpressure for emergency core cooling pumps' net

positive suction head, and the NRC summer 2004 engineering inspection results. A significant

portion of this meeting was devoted to public comments. Many of the comments expressed a

need for an independent safety assessment. The second ACRS Subcommittee meeting was

held on November 29 and 30 at NRC Headquarters. This meeting covered the review areas

that were not discussed during the first meeting including steam dryer integrity and the

analytical methods and codes used by Entergy’s fuel vendor, General Electric.

On December 7, 2005, the staff and Entergy representatives briefed the ACRS Full Committee

on the proposed power uprate. The staff’s presentation included the deterministic evaluation

and risk evaluation pertaining to the request to credit containment overpressure. Entergy’s

presentation included the steam dryer analysis. On December 10, 2005, the ACRS voted to

recommend tentative approval of the Vermont Yankee power uprate, subject to the completion

of its final draft report. The ACRS expects to issue the final report before December 31, 2005.
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE A

RIS 2003-18, Supplement 2, “Use of Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 99-01, Methodology for

Development of Emergency Action Levels" Revision 4, Dated January 2003

On December 12, 2005, the staff issued the subject RIS, Supplement 2. The purposes of this

supplement are to (1) supercede previously issued information in RIS 2003-18 and

Supplement 1 regarding obtaining and documenting State and local governmental authority

agreement to emergency action level (EAL) changes, (2) provide more examples of EAL

differences and deviations, as identified in reviews of EAL submittals, to ensure the consistency

of future licensee EAL submittals and/or the consistency of licensee documentation for EAL

changes made under 10 CFR 50.54(q), and (3) provide additional guidance on EAL upgrades

from NUMARC/NESP-007 EALs to NEI 99-01 EALs.
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

Draft Interim Guidance on Concentration Averaging for DOE Waste Determinations Released

On December 5, 2005, the Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection

(DWMEP) issued draft interim guidance on concentration averaging for public comment. 

DWMEP is currently in the process of developing a Standard Review Plan (SRP) to provide

guidance to NRC staff on reviews of waste determinations submitted by the U.S. Department of

Energy (DOE). The draft SRP is expected to be issued in late 2006 and will include guidance

on evaluating the application of concentration averaging principles in cases specific to the types

of waste and situations typically encountered in waste determinations. Because several

stakeholders are interested in obtaining NRC guidance on concentration averaging as soon as

practicable, the NRC staff issued the draft interim guidance. The public comment period ends 

January 31, 2006.

DOE Audit of Plutonium Vitrification Project Observation

On December 5-9, 2005, staff observed a DOE audit of the Savannah River National

Laboratory Plutonium Vitrification Project. The DOE audit was conducted by the DOE Office of

Environmental Management and the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. The

purpose of the Plutonium Vitrification Project is to develop a disposition waste form for 13

metric tons of plutonium that has high contaminant levels. The audit evaluated the project

activities that provide input to the planned repository license application and the adequacy and

effectiveness of the quality assurance program implementation.
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Piping & Bolting and Phased Array (PA) NonDestructive Examination (NDE) Conference

On December 5-8, 2005, staff participated in the subject conference in Florida. NDE

techniques were discussed, particularly PA technologies which allow increased speed of

examinations, reduced worker dose, and improved examination coverage where access is

difficult. RES is evaluating PA techniques for components that currently cannot be inspected

reliably with conventional NDE.

Human Performance Measures Workshop

On December 6-8, 2005, staff and Idaho National Laboratory staff hosted the subject workshop

in Charleston, South Carolina. The workshop was attended by the Institute for Nuclear Power

Operations, Electric Power Research Institute, and various utilities. The workshop provided a

forum for information exchange of industry best practices in the area of human performance

and information on the NRC's progress in developing a technical basis for development of

measures of human performance.

Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PMBR) Pre-Application Process Plans Meeting

On December 12, 2005, staff participated in the subject public meeting with PBMR (Pty) Ltd to

discuss future informational sessions, white papers, and workshops in preparation for a design

certification application for a pebble-bed gas-cooled reactor. An application is anticipated in

early 2008.
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE D

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-II-05-013, Southern Nuclear Operating Company Inc. Vogtle Electric Generating

Plant, Unit 2 - VOGTLE UNIT 2 SHUTDOWN TO REPAIR RHR PIPE LEAK.

2. PNO-I-05-029, Froehling & Robertson, Inc. - PORTABLE DENSITY GAUGE REPORTED

MISSING.

3. PNO-I-05-029A, Froehling & Robertson, Inc. - PORTABLE DENSITY GAUGE

RECOVERED AND SECURED.
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

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

December 9 through December 15, 2005:

Alternative Mechanisms for Land Use Restrictions, memo from D.

Michaels, OGC, to F. Cameron, OGC, dated August 27, 1993

FOIA/PA-2006-0050

OI Reports 1-2003-046 & 1-2003-046S, exhibits; results of

Enforcement Conference, transcripts

FOIA/PA-2006-0051

South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC),

Comprehensive Cultural Assessments or other evaluations to assess

safety conscious work environment since January 1, 2004, all records

FOIA/PA-2006-0052

Pinkerton Government Services or Securitas Inc., enforcement

actions, allegations, investigations, all records

FOIA/PA-2006-0053

Contract No. NRC-10-04-413, Urban/Meridian Joint Venture,

technical proposal, cost proposal, SOW, previous contract,

performance evaluations

FOIA/PA-2006-0054

Differing Professional Opinion (DPO) document on Emergency

Planning

FOIA/PA-2006-0055

Contractor vouchers, comparison of due dates vs. actual signed

dates, FY 05, signed by named individual

FOIA/PA-2006-0056

OI Case 1-2003-034, all records FOIA/PA-2006-0057
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

Arrival

COOPER, LA'TOYA STUDENT CLERK NMSS

LINGAM, SIVA PROJECT MANAGER NRR

QUINN, LAURA M. GENERAL SCIENTIST NRR

TOMS, GERALD D. CONSULTANT NSIR

WENGERT, THOMAS PROJECT MANAGER NRR

YADAV, PRIYA P. GENERAL ENGINEER NMSS

Departures

DUFFY, MELISSA L. ATTORNEY OGC

ESELGROTH, PETER CONSULTANT EDO

GRIMMEL, BRADFORD S. PROJECT ENGINEER NRR

JOHNSON, WILLIAM D. CONSULTANT EDO

REINHART, FREDERICK M. BRANCH CHIEF NRR
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. COMSECY-05-0057 11/23/05 Fourth Annual Report - Broadcasting of

Commission Meetings Over the Internet

SRM-COMSECY-05-

0057

12/13/05 (same)

Commission Voting

Record- 05-0057

12/13/05 (same)

Information Papers

1. SECY-05-0222 12/12/05 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

November 25, 2005

2. SECY-05-0223 12/14/05 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

December 2, 2005

Memoranda

1. M051212A 12/12/05 Staff Requirements - Affirmation Session: I.

SECY-05-0216 - Exelon Generation

Company, LLC (Early Site Permit for Clinton

Site)

2. M051130 12/15/05 Staff Requirements - Briefing on Equal

Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Senators James Inhofe and James Jeffords, dated December 6, 2005, response

to request for information regarding NRC’s preparation and response to Hurricane

Katrina.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, American Energy Company, LLC

(Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station), Docket No. 50-0219-LR, ASLBP No. 06-844-

01-LR. 

2. Denial of Petition for rulemaking, 10 CFR Part 50, Docket No. PRM-50-79, Mr. Lawrence

T. Christian, et al.
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE O

3. Petition for rulemaking; request for comment, PRM-31-5, 10 CFR Part 31, Organization

of Agreement States. 

4. Petition for rulemaking: PRM-35-18, Peter Crane. 
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

Region II Management Retreat

On December 13-14, 2005, the Regional Administrator, all regional Senior Managers and

Branch Chiefs attended the Region II semi-annual Management Retreat entitled “Preparing for

Success” at the Sheraton Read House Hotel in Chattanooga, TN. During this meeting the

regional strategy for the next six months was discussed.
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region III (RIII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

Perry Performance Improvement Initiative Meeting

On December 14, 2005, Region III staff members met with representatives of FirstEnergy

Nuclear Operating Co. in Painesville, OH, to discuss the preliminary findings of an NRC

inspection on Phase 2 of the Perry Improvement Initiative. The licensee developed Phase 2 of

its performance improvement program to address issues raised in the broad NRC inspection

earlier this year at the Perry Nuclear Plant under Manual Chapter 95003. The meeting

reviewed the adequacy of the improvement plan itself and did not focus on the implementation

of the plan or its current status which will be covered in future inspections.

Meeting on offsite migration of tritium in groundwater at Braidwood

On December 12, 2005, Region III staff members participated in a meeting at the Braidwood

Nuclear Power Station with residents who live near the plant where elevated tritium

measurements have been identified on and off the site. In addition to measurable tritium in

groundwater, Exelon Generation Co. measured low levels of tritium in one residential drinking

water well. Region III is monitoring the licensee’s response to the tritium measurements and

has collected well and groundwater samples to have an independent analysis performed. The

licensee anticipates additional meetings with the residents to keep them informed of ongoing

sampling activities and remediation plans.
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV (RIV)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

Diablo Canyon Public Meeting

On December 14, 2005, the staff held a Category 3 meeting in San Luis Obispo, California, with

Pacific Gas and Electric Company to provide members of the community an opportunity to ask

questions and provide comments on issues regarding the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. The

licensee presented an overview of their independent spent fuel storage installation project and

NRC staff provided a brief description of related inspection activities. The meeting was

attended by approximately 120 members of the public, public interest groups, local media, and

county supervision. 

Columbia Public Meeting

On December 15, 2005, a public meeting was held at the Region IV office between the NRC

and Energy Northwest to discuss issues at the Columbia Generating Station. Items discussed

included human performance and equipment reliability issues. The licensee presented an

overview of their plan to improve human performance which included reinforcing expectations,

monitoring by managers and supervisors, performance monitoring and corrective actions. The

licensee also presented a brief overview of their equipment reliability improvement plan. 

Callaway Plant Management Change Announcement

Ameren Corporation has announced that Mr. Tim E. Herrmann will be promoted to Vice

President of Engineering at the AmerenUE Callaway Nuclear Plant, effective January 1, 2006. 

Mr. Herrmann will be responsible for all engineering activities at the Callaway Plant, including

nuclear regulatory affairs, plant engineering, and design/projects. This position was created as

a result of an independent review team recommendation to the board of directors to improve

managerial bench strength. Mr. Herrmann joined AmerenUE in 1981 and most recently served

as Manager of Engineering Services where he led the initiative to replace Callaway Plant’s

steam generators and turbine generator.
December 16, 2005 ENCLOSURE S

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)/

Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW)

Items of Interest

Week Ending December 16, 2005

As a result of its 165th meeting (November 14-16, 2005), the ACNW issued letters and

reports on the following subjects. 

Date Subject

December 9, 2005 Development of a Standard Review Plan for U.S. Department of

Energy Waste Determinations

December 9, 2005 Review of the NRC Program on the Risk from Igneous Activity at the

Proposed Yucca Mountain Repository