INFORMATION REPORT

September 25, 2003 SECY-03-0166

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-03-0166 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING SEPTEMBER 19, 2003

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

Chief Information Officer G

Chief Financial Officer H*

Human Resources I

Small Business & 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:

L. Roche, OEDO
September 25, 2003 SECY-03-0166

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-03-0166 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING SEPTEMBER 19, 2003

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

Chief Information Officer G

Chief Financial Officer H*

Human Resources I

Small Business & 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:

L. Roche, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\Week919.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

LRoche:paa WMDean

09/25/03 09/30/03
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 19, 2003

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: L. Roche, OEDO by E-mail: lar2@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 * IP *

NSIR 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I 20

ADM 10 Region II 21

CIO 11 Region III 22

CFO * Region IV *

HR 15 OEDO *

SB/CR * OCA 24

OE *

*No input this week
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) Board Approves Contract for Support Services from

Entergy Nuclear Nebraska 

On September 12, 2003, the NPPD board approved a 10-year contract hiring Entergy Nuclear

Nebraska, a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, of Jackson, MS, to supply support services for

Cooper Nuclear Station. NPPD will continue to own, be sole operator, and retain the operating

license of Cooper. Entergy personnel will fill certain key management positions and provide

daily oversight and direction for plant operations. The Chief Nuclear Officer will be an Entergy

employee, but will report directly to Mr. Bill Fehrman, NPPD President and Chief Executive

Officer. Most of the workers at Cooper will remain NPPD employees.

Extended Power Uprate Application For Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station

On September 10, 2003, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC and Entergy Nuclear

Operations, Inc., the licensees for Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station submitted an

application for a 20% extended power uprate (EPU). This EPU would increase the maximum

authorized power level from 1593 megawatts thermal (Mwt) to 1912 Mwt or about 110

megawatts electric. The licensee plans to make plant modifications during the Spring 2004

refueling outage that will allow for a power uprate of approximately 15%. The licensee has

requested a license amendment by July 2004.

Exelon Early Site Permit Application

By letter dated September 8, 2003, Exelon Generation Company, LLC informed the NRC that it

has finalized the scope of work necessary to complete the seismic portions of its early site

permit (ESP) application and anticipates submitting the application to the NRC on or before

October 17, 2003. This letter is a follow up to a June 27, 2003, letter in which Exelon advised

the NRC that it would not be submitting its ESP application on the original schedule because it

was still refining the scope of work necessary to provide the seismic-related information.

Publication of Amendment to Section 50.44

On September 16, 2003, the final risk-informed amendments to the regulations for combustible

gases in containment were published in the Federal Register (68 FR 54123). The revised

regulations become effective on October 16, 2003. Specifically, the amendment to 50.44

eliminates the requirements for hydrogen recombiners and hydrogen purge systems in current

light water reactors and relaxes the design and qualification requirements for hydrogen and

oxygen monitoring equipment commensurate with the equipment’s low risk significance. It also

specifies requirements for combustible gas control in future water-cooled and non-water-cooled

reactors. The NRC staff has developed corresponding changes to the standard technical

specifications which will soon be published in the Federal Register as Technical Specifications

Task Force (TSTF) 447, Rev. 1, "Elimination of Hydrogen Recombiners and Change to

Hydrogen and Oxygen Monitors" along with a model safety evaluation under the Consolidated

Line Item Improvement Program. Licensees may submit license amendments in accordance
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE A

with this guidance. Currently licensed plants will be allowed to eliminate technical specification

requirements for hydrogen and oxygen monitors, but Mark I and Mark II BWRs will retain the

monitoring requirement to maintain containment oxygen levels below 4% (i.e., inerted). A

revised regulatory guide (RG 1.7, Rev. 3) containing guidance for meeting the new rule and a

revised Section 6.2.5 of the Standard Review Plan will also be published in the near future.

Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) and Davis Besse Lessons-Learned Overviews to the

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB)

On September 10, 2003, NRR staff provided overviews of the Reactor Oversight Process and

the Davis Besse Lessons-Learned report in a public meeting to the DNFSB. The DNFSB is

interested in the NRC’s oversight processes because the oversight policy of the Department of

Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration is being re-examined to allow greater

flexibility for contractor self-assessments.
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Hunt Valve Bulletin Issued

On September 4, 2003, staff issued Bulletin 2003-03, “Potentially Defective 1-inch Valves for

Uranium Hexafluoride Cylinders,” dated August 29, 2003, to notify stakeholders of potential

operational problems of the Hunt valves. The subject valves have been widely used in the

domestic nuclear fuel industry on cylinders for processing, storing, and transporting UF6. A

public meeting was held at Headquarters on September 16, 2003, to discuss the concerns the

Bulletin addressed and the actions it requested. The Bulletin requested affected licensees,

certificate holders, and registered users to identify Hunt valves in their possession and take

certain actions to assure that the 1-inch valves they use meet established safety requirements,

without reliance on documentation provided by the Hunt Valve company. The public meeting

was attended mainly by affected users and key NRC staff. A representative from the

Department of Transportation also attended and helped answer some questions from the

audience. Staff is developing a Temporary Instruction that will provide guidance related to the

bulletin.

Mixed-Oxide Meeting with Duke, Cogema, Stone and Webster

On September 11, 2003, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards (FCSS) staff met with

Duke, Cogema, Stone and Webster (DCS) to discuss nuclear criticality safety (NCS) validation

issues related to NCS Open Item 4 for the Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. DCS has

decided to change its approach for validating its criticality safety computer code. DCS stated

that it no longer intended to use the Oak Ridge National Laboratory sensitivity uncertainty

approach and, instead, would rely on a traditional approach. The proposed methodology was

presented and discussed. FCSS staff gave DCS its initial assessment of the proposed

traditional approach and areas of concern. DCS will provide a revision to the Validation Report

incorporating this new methodology and taking into consideration the staff’s areas of concern. 

Staff Participation in Multi-Agency Radiological Laboratory Analytical Protocols

Workgroup Meeting

On September 15-17, 2003, the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards and the

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research staff participated in a Multi-Agency Radiological

Laboratory Analytical Protocols (MARLAP) workgroup meeting, which was held at the National

Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Maryland. Also attending this

meeting were representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department

of Defense, the Department of Energy, NIST, and the U.S. Geological Survey. The purpose of

MARLAP is to provide a framework and guidance on radio-analytical laboratory data and

protocols, using a performance-based approach to meet projects or program data requirement

needs. The workgroup conducted a final revision of MARLAP Chapters, based on public

comments and EPA’s Science Advisory Board feedback. The workgroup also discussed

MARLAP’s publication and training needs. The workgroup plans to issue the final version of

MARLAP’s document by early 2004.
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE B

Publication of the Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance (NUREG-1757)

As part of its redesign of the materials license program, the Office of Nuclear Material Safety

and Safeguards (NMSS) has completed the consolidation of numerous decommissioning

guidance documents into a three-volume NUREG report, NUREG-1757, “Consolidated NMSS

Decommissioning Guidance.” NUREG-1757 provides guidance for planning and implementing

license termination under the License Termination Rule (10 CFR Part 20, Subpart E), and it

also incorporates the risk-informed and performance-based alternatives of the rule. The three

volumes address the following topics: Decommissioning Process for Materials Licensees

(Volume 1, Revision 1); Characterization, Survey, and Determination of Radiological Criteria

(Volume 2, Final); and Financial Assurance, Recordkeeping, and Timeliness (Volume 3, Final). 

This NUREG is intended for licensees and other stakeholders usage. The three volumes have

been published and are now available (in print and on the web at

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1757/).
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-III-03-037, Honeywell International, Inc. - RELEASE OF NON-LICENSED

GASEOUS MATERIAL.

2. PNO-III-03-038, U.S. Inspection Services - RADIATION OVEREXPOSURE OF A

RADIOGRAPHER.

3. PNO-II-03-018, ABB, Inc. (General Licensee) - MISSING SEALED SOURCE.

4. PNO-IV-03-040A, Northridge Hospital - UPDATE - HIGH DOSE RATE AFTERLOADER

EQUIPMENT FAILURE.

5. PNO-I-03-027, Exelon Nuclear - DUAL UNIT REACTOR SCRAM DUE TO ELECTRICAL

GRID DISTURBANCE.

6. PNO-I-03-028, Edgewater Manor Apartments - MISSING TRITIUM EXIT SIGNS.

7. PNO-IV-03-041, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center - MEDICAL

MISADMINISTRATION.

8. PNO-II-03-19, Carolina Power and Light Company - REGION II RESPONSE TO

HURRICANE ISABEL.

9. PNO-11-03-19A, Carolina Power and Light Company - UPDATE ON REGION II

RESPONSE TO HURRICANE ISABEL.

10. PNO-III-03-039, Chicago Prostate Cancer Center - LOST IODINE - 125 SEED STRAND.
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Geological and Seismological Characteristics for Siting and Design of Dry Cask Independent

Spent Fuel Storage Installations and Monitored Retrievable Storage Installations; (AG93-

Part 72)

On September 16, 2003, a final rule on the subject title was published in the Federal Register

(68 FR 54143). The rule amends the licensing requirements for dry cask modes of storage of

spent nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive waste, and power reactor-related Greater than Class

C waste on an independent spent fuel storage installation or in a monitored retrievable storage

installation. The amendments update the seismic siting and design criteria including geologic,

seismic, and earthquake considerations. The final rule becomes effective October 16, 2003. 
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Requests received during the period of

September 12 through September 18, 2003:

I.M.P.A.C. Listing FOIA/PA-2003-0435

Security files on named individual - Referral by the Department of

Energy

FOIA/PA-2003-0436

Personnel records regarding Nuclear Safety Intern position FOIA/PA-2003-0437

Lifetime Occupational Exposure History FOIA/PA-2003-0438

Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2, Final Accident Sequence

Precursor Analysis of August 2000 Operational Event, complete

report

FOIA/PA-2003-0439

OIG Investigations closed from 1-1-02 FOIA/PA-2003-0440
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Arrivals

ANDREWS, Susan SECRETARY (OA) RII

BUCKLEY, Michael SECURITY RISK ANALYST NSIR

CROSS, Sherri SR. TECHNICAL SAFEGUARDS ANALYST NSIR

FARRINGTON, John ATTORNEY OGC

FORD, Rhonda HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST (BENEFITS) OHR

GARRETT, Albert SR. SECURITY SPECIALIST NSIR

HEISSERER, Jamie NUCLEAR SAFETY INTERN NSIR

JOHNS, Nancy SR. HR POLICY & PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

SPECIALIST

OHR

KRISTOBEK, Richard IT SPECIALIST NMSS

ROTTEN, Sietze NUCLEAR SYSTEMS ENGINEER NSIR

Retirements

BERRY, Carolyn TEAM LEADER OCFO

SCHNEIDER, George REACTOR TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTOR OHR

Departures

PRIBLE, Amy STUDENT MANAGEMENT ANALYST OEDO

SNYDER, Debra SECRETARY (OA) RII

YOUNGMAN, Kim STUDENT ENGINEER (Co-op) RI
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Media Interest

NRC’s preparations for Hurricane Isabel as it bore down on the Mid-Atlantic region and the

disruption the storm caused to some nuclear power plants.

Criticisms by a government watchdog group that the force-on-force exercise at Indian Point

power plant in July was too easy and did not reflect a realistic terrorist threat scenario.

Continued local opposition to a commercial irradiator to be located in Bucks County, PA, as

residents file suit to block the facility. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board is considering

whether to stay the NRC’s approval of a license for the facility.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

03-117 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet September 23-24 in

Rockville, Maryland (9/15)

03-118 NRC Annual Nuclear Safety Research Conference to be Held October 20-22 in

Washington, D.C. (9/16)

03-119 NRC Announces the Availability of License Renewal Application for Farley

Nuclear Power Plant (9/17)

Regions:

I-03-53 NRC Region 1 Monitors Hurricane Isabel (9/18)

II-03-044 NRC Staff Proposes $7,500 Civil Penalty Against Virginia Company for

Violations of NRC Radioactive Material Controls Requirements (9/16)

II-03-045 NRC Region 2 Office in Atlanta Implements Hurricane Response Procedure

(9/17)
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-03-0149 8/26/03 Proposed Amendment to the Charter of the

Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of

Isotopes

SRM on SECY-03-0149 9/16/03 (same)

Commission Voting

Record on SECY-03-

0149

9/16/03 (same)

Information Papers

1. SECY-03-0159 9/11/03 SECY-03-0159 Weekly Information Report -

Week Ending September 5, 2003

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Congress dated September 12, 2003, provides July report on status of NRC

licensing and regulatory duties. 

2. Letter to Dr. Henry D. Royal, President, Society of Nuclear Medicine, and Dr. Simin

Dadparvar, President, American College of Nuclear Physicians, provides expressed

concerns about dose reconstructions that NRC performed. 

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Revised Notice of the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste Meeting -

September 23-24, 2003.

2. Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes: Notice of Meeting.
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region I

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Presentation at the Bloomfield, New Jersey Township Council Meeting

On September 15, 2003, management and staff from the Division of Nuclear Materials Safety

(DNMS) attended a Township Council meeting in Bloomfield, N.J., chaired by the Mayor of

Bloomfield. The staff made a presentation on the Viacom, Inc., site in the township. That

presentation included a general description of the role of the NRC; a discussion of the

company’s remediation and final survey methods; the Region’s inspection and confirmatory

survey activities; and the license termination process. The Viacom site included eleven

buildings with nearly a million square feet of floor space on a 14-acre site. Building surfaces

and soil had been contaminated with thorium and uranium from past lamp manufacturing and

Manhattan Engineering District activities. Termination of the license will release the site for

unrestricted use. About 40 people attended, including elected officials, media and members of

the public. Township officials indicated they appreciated the Region’s efforts at the meeting. 
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region II

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Region II Licensing Counterpart Meeting with Licensees

On September 17, 2003, the Regional Administrator attended the Region II Licensing

Counterpart Meeting at the Hyatt Hotel in Atlanta, GA.

Carolina Power and Light Company - Brunswick Nuclear Plant Operator License Certification

Presentation

On September 16, 2003, the Acting Director, Division of Reactor Projects, attended the

Brunswick Operator Licensing Certification presentation and performed a site tour in

Wilmington, NC. 

Entergy Operations, Inc. - Grand Gulf Exercise

On September 17, 2003, the State Liaison Officer participated in the full scale Grand Gulf

exercise as a member of the Regional Assistance Committee, in Jackson, MS. This exercise

involved officials of the States of Mississippi and Louisiana and the respective local

governments.

Fuel Facility Inspection Counterpart Meeting

On September 17-18, 2003, staff from Regions II, RIII, RIV, NMSS, and NSIR participated in a

Fuel Facility Inspection Counterpart Meeting as part of consolidating inspections in Region II. 

Discussions included introductions to the design and operation of each facility, processes to be

used for implementation of the inspection program, and establishment of routine

communication methods.

South Carolina Electric and Gas Company - V. C. Summer Nuclear Station Outage Meeting

On September 18, 2003, representatives from South Carolina Electric and Gas Company

attended a management meeting in the Regional office. The purpose of the meeting was to

discuss major activities for the upcoming V. C. Summer nuclear station refueling outage,

current issues, and management changes. 

Florida Power Corporation - Crystal River Nuclear Plant

On September 19, 2003, representatives from Florida Power Corporation were in the Regional

office to attend a management meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss general

plant performance and status at the Crystal River Nuclear Plant in Crystal River, FL.
September 19, 2003 ENCLOSURE P

Region III

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

Meeting on Byron Exceeding its Licensed Thermal Power Limits

On September 18, 2003, members of the Region III staff met in the regional office with

representatives of Exelon Generation Company to discuss the facts surrounding the August 29,

2003 even notification that Byron Station may have exceeded its licensed thermal power limits.
September 19, 2003 

Office of Congressional Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending September 19, 2003

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE, NO. 31

OCA

Contact

DATE

&

PLACE

TIME WITNESS SUBJECT 

Gerke 09/24/03

342 Dirksen

9:30 Mikulski, Feinstein,

NARFE, SSA

Pension and Retirement Benefitsfor Government Workers

Senators Governm

Combs 09/25/03

2123 RHOB

TBA NRC, DOE, Bechtel, NEI Review of the Progress of DOE’s

Yucca Mountain Project

Reps. BaEnergy aEnergy a

Keeling 09/30/03

2322 RHOB

 2:00 TBA

Hearing May Be Closed

Nuclear Terrorism Prevention:Fedl Govt’s Progress Toward

Installing Radiation DetectionMonitors at U.S. Ports & Borders

Reps. GOversighEnergy a

Keeling 10/01/03

2247 RHOB

1:00 TBA

Closed

Security of the national SCADAsystems

Reps. PuTechnoloPolicy, Inand the CGovernm