INFORMATION REPORT

August 3, 2007 SECY-07-0127

For: The Commissioners

From: Vonna L. Ordaz, Assistant for Operations, Office of the EDO

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

JULY 27, 2007

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

*No input this week.

/RA by Tamara Bloomer Acting For/

Vonna L. Ordaz 

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

L. Rakovan, OEDO
August 3, 2007 SECY-07-0127

For: The Commissioners

From: Vonna L. Ordaz, Assistant for Operations, Office of the EDO

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING

JULY 27, 2007

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

*No input this week.

/RA by Tamara Bloomer Acting For/

Vonna L. Ordaz

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

L. Rakovan, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

EDO R/F

AO R/F Document Name: G:\PATTY\week727.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

L. Rakovan VLOrdaz TBloomer For

08/02/07 08/03/07
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JULY 27, 2007

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: R. Taylor, OEDO by E-mail: rxt2@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 3 OPA 17

NMSS 4 OIP *

FSME 6 SECY 19

RES 8 Region I *

NSIR 10 Region II 21

ADM 11 Region III *

OIS 12 Region IV *

CFO * EDO *

HR 16 OCA 25

SBCR *

*No input this week
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

Staff Participation in the Snubber Users’ Group Meeting

From July 16-18, 2007, the staff attended a Snubber Users’ Group meeting in Omaha,

Nebraska. The meeting was attended by various nuclear industry owners, their

representatives, and snubber suppliers. The owners' group discussed current issues related to

inservice examination and testing of snubbers, as well as, issues regarding code relief requests

related to snubber examination and testing. The staff discussed NRC regulatory activities

related to snubber examination and inservice testing, and conveyed the NRC position regarding

new reactors to eliminate or reduce the number of relief requests. The next meeting is

scheduled in January 2008.

Staff Participation in Steam Generator NDE Workshop

From July 16-18, 2007, the staff participated in the 26th Annual Electric Power Research

Institute (EPRI) Steam Generator (SG) Non-destructive Examination (NDE) Workshop. This

workshop brings together a worldwide collection of SG NDE experts from utilities, nuclear

steam supply system vendors, NDE service organizations, regulatory bodies, NDE equipment

manufacturers and universities to exchange experiences, information, and views on issues

related to the NDE of SG tubing. This workshop provides staff with a good understanding of

current inspection capabilities, inspection findings, and planned development of new and

improved inspection capabilities. The staff presented a paper on "Regulatory Perspective on

Recent Steam Generator Issues," which described the status of inspection findings in U.S.

plants, inspection and SG tube integrity issues, and new plant technical specifications for

ensuring the integrity of SG tubes.

Meeting on Commercial-grade Dedication Program 

On July 18, 2007 a public meeting was held between NRC staff that included representatives

from NRR and Office of New Reactors (NRO), and representatives of Nuclear Energy Institute

(NEI), Nuclear Procurement Issues Committee (NUPIC), EPRI, and other industry stakeholders. 

The industry requested the meeting to discuss industry/NRC staff perspectives on

implementation of a commercial-grade dedication program and for stakeholders to provide

comments on draft Inspection Procedure 43004, “Inspection of Commercial-Grade Dedication

Programs.” The staff agreed to evaluate the comments as part of finalizing the inspection

procedure.

National Institute of Standards & Technology - Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

On July 18, 2007, notice of the availability of the “Draft Environmental Impact Statement for

License Renewal of the National Bureau of Standards Reactor” for comment was published in

the Federal Register. The comment period will end September 5, 2007. The environmental

review is expected to be completed by the end of 2007. The safety review continues and is

scheduled to be completed by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2009. 
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE A

Crystal River Unit 3 Measurement Uncertainty Recapture Power Uprate Application

By letter dated June 28, 2007, the licensee submitted Revision 1 of the MUR power uprate

application, which replaces the April 25, 2007, application in its entirety. The licensee chose to

do this in response to NRC’s questions on the licensee’s original submittal. By letter dated

July 18, 2007, the NRC staff informed the licensee that it has performed an acceptance review

of Revision 1 of the MUR power uprate application and determined that the licensee provided

the necessary information for the staff to begin its detailed technical review.

Public Meeting on Duane Arnold Dissimilar Metal Butt Weld Inspections

On July 19, 2007, NRR, Office Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) and Region III staff

members, met with representatives of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Florida

Power and Light (the licensee of Duane Arnold Energy Center), the Boiling Water Reactor

(BWR) Vessels and Internals Program (VIP), and EPRI to discuss the industry’s response to

dissimilar metal butt weld ultrasonic testing issues at Duane Arnold and for the boiling water

reactor BWR fleet. The discussions focused on: (1) review of previous testing at Duane

Arnold, including methods and human factors; (2) summary of BWR industry experience; (3)

concerns identified in the Technical Evaluation Report by PNNL; and (4) Performance

Demonstration Initiative (PDI) qualified inspection schedules for Category D welds not yet PDItested. NRC staff requested from the BWRVIP documentation of the licensee’s inspection

schedule of Category D welds which have not yet received at least one PDI inspection. NRC

staff will follow up with Entergy, the licensee for the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant,

regarding its plans for completing Category D weld inspections. The BWRVIP and EPRI

agreed to investigate developing a formal process to “sunset” previously-qualified inspection

procedures which are no longer in active use. A tentative future meeting on issues with PDIqualified exams was suggested, although the location and date for any such meeting was not

set.

Staff Issues Pilgrim License Renewal Final Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact

Statement

On July 27, 2007, the staff issued the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)

regarding Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The SEIS represents the completion of the staff’s

environmental review of the license renewal application submitted by Entergy Nuclear, Inc. The

SEIS contains the NRC’s finding that there are no environmental impacts that would preclude

license renewal for an additional 20 years of operation. 
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE B

Office of New Reactors (NRO)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

Meeting with GNHEA Regarding Revision to ESBWR Design Control Document

On July 20, 2007, the staff met General Electric Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas (GHNEA)

and other stakeholders concerning GHNEA’s plans to provide the Tier 1 Economic Simplified

Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) design control document Revision 4 by September 28, 2007. 

GHNEA stated that the revised document would be an improvement, would include

standardized wording, and would eliminate redundancy. The staff expressed its concern that

the level of design detail in Tier 1 is not consistent with Tier 2 and significant information related

to the containment system was missing. 

Meeting with NEI Regarding New Reactors High Frequency Seismic Issues

On July 23-24, 2007, the staff and its consultants and NEI representatives met in the EPRI

office in Palo Alto, CA. The primary objective was to review the conclusions of two technical

studies on: (1) the function describing spatial variation of seismic input motion; and (2)

validation of software that implement soil-structure interaction analysis using coherency function

to account for the effects of high frequency ground motion. Based on the review of the report

sent before the meeting and discussions at the meeting, the staff has reached closure on the

issues and a staff position paper is in preparation.

NRO Staff Visited Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station as Part of Pre-COLA Activities

On July 23-24, 2007, as part of the pre-combined license application (pre-COLA) activities

planned by the staff for all sites, the staff and contractors from PNNL visited the Comanche

Peak Steam Electric Station in preparation for the upcoming combined license application. The

purpose of this visit was to familiarize the staff with the proposed site and to begin establishing

a working relationship with the applicant and local agencies. Topics discussed during the visit

included hydrology, meteorology, ecology, radiation protection, socioeconomics, energy

alternatives, and alternative sites. 

Unistar Nuclear Partial Combined License Application

On July 24, 2007, the staff completed the sensitive, unclassified non-safeguards information

(SUNSI) review of part 1 of UniStar Nuclear's application for a combined license for an U.S.

Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR) to be designated as Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

Unit 3. The partial application was dated July 13, 2007, and supplemented on July 16, 2007. 

The NRC made those portions of the partial application that are not subject to withholding

available to the public on July 25, 2007 (a press release was issued on July 25 to announce the

availability of the partial application in ADAMS). The staff will also publish a Federal Register

Notice of receipt and availability of the partial application. The next step is for the staff to

complete its acceptance review of the partial application and, if found acceptable, docket. 

Generally, the determination on acceptability for docketing will be made within a period of thirty

days. The staff is also utilizing the partial application to pilot its technical sufficiency review
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE B

process and intends to publish a schedule for review of the application within approximately 60

days from the date of receipt.

Joint AP1000/ESBWR Design-Centered Working Group Public Meeting

On July 24-25, 2007, the staff held the latest in a series of public meetings with the AP1000 and

ESBWR Design-Centered Working Group regarding pre-COLA. On July 24, 2007, the staff

presented information regarding the electronic submittal process for COLA, the acceptance

review process, the staff’s licensing program plan, pre-application site visits, general design

criteria #17 “Electric Power Systems,” radioactive waste programs, and probabilistic risk

assessments. On July 25, 2007, the staff and industry discussed several technical programs,

as well as the planned organization and content of COLA. The staff will follow-up on selected

topics at a public meeting in early August and at the next Working Group meeting which is

scheduled for September 11-12, 2007.
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

Differing Professional Opinion Issued

On July 24, 2007, the Director, NMSS issued a decision on a Differing Professional Opinion

(DPO) involving on management policy licensing new fuel cycle facilities (DPO-2006-005). On

November 15, 2006, several NRC employees submitted a DPO that focused on the

acceptability of the staff’s approach in licensing new fuel cycle facilities, including whether an

August 4, 2006 memorandum that provided guidance to staff reviewers was consistent with

NRC requirements in 10 CFR Part 70 and associated staff review guidance. On March 30,

2007, an Ad Hoc Review Panel provided the results of its independent review to the Director,

NMSS. The Panel concluded that a programmatic review, as described in the August 4, 2006,

memorandum is consistent with the requirements of Part 70. The Panel also recommended

that licensing review guidance and the NRC’s oversight program for fuel facilities be revised to

clarify aspects identified in the review. Based on a review of the Panel’s report and additional

comments from the DPO submitters, the Director, NMSS, agreed with the Panel’s conclusions

and recommendations and tasked the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards to review

and revise licensing guidance and inspection guidance, as well as develop and execute a

communications plan regarding the clarifications and revisions.

Meeting with Department of Energy/Idaho Field Office

On July 25, 2007, staff met with representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/Idaho

Field Office and its contractors. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the topical report

for the design of standardized canisters as part of a package for transporting DOE-owned spent

nuclear fuels. The plan is to reference the topical report when the Safety Analysis Report for an

overpack is submitted sometime in the future. At the meeting, the staff and the DOE contractor

discussed the contents of the topical report, with a focus on the structural and the criticality

safety control of the canister. The canister is designed to keep the contents subcritical, with

water intrusion in an as-loaded condition, and remain leaktight under accident conditions. DOE

is planning to submit the topical report sometime at the beginning of calender year 2008.
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE D

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

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

Public Meeting on Incidental Waste Activities

On July 20, 2007, staff, along with DOE staff, held a public meeting to discuss the two

Agencies’ interactions under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 05. 

The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss the progress the Agencies have made

since the last public meeting on November 16, 2006. NRC staff and DOE staff discussed: (1)

the Enhanced Consultation Process for NDAA (incidental waste) reviews; (2) progress in

resolving performance assessment issues specific to the DOE-Savannah River Site (SRS)

waste determinations; (3) progress in resolving incidental waste issues potentially applicable to

waste determinations at SRS and other DOE sites; and (4) the status of NRC staff monitoring

activities at SRS and the Idaho National Laboratory Site. The meeting was then opened for

public comments. Attendees included representatives from the Natural Resources Defense

Council, the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, individuals, and the trade press.
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE E

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

Publication of Draft Regulatory Guide 5021 (DG-5021) “Managing the Safety/Security Interface”

On July 24, 2007, the subject draft regulatory guide was issued, describing a method that the

NRC considers acceptable for complying with its regulations for managing the safety/security

interface at nuclear power plants. DG-5021 is available in Agency-wide Documents Access

Management System (ADAMS Package ML071900210) and on the NRC website at

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/protection/draft-index.html.
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

Preliminary Notifications

• PNO-I-07-006A, AMERGEN ENERGY COMPANY, LLC, UPDATE - REACTOR SCRAM

ON LOW REACTOR VESSEL WATER LEVEL DUE TO A TRIP OF THE ‘C’ REACTOR

FEED PUMP.
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE G

Office of Administration (ADM)

Items of Interest 

Week Ending July 27, 2007

Correction: 10 CFR Part 171

On July 20, 2007, NRC published a correction notice in the Federal Register (72 FR 39733) that

reinstates § 171.16(e) to Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 171, “Annual Fees

for Reactor Licenses and Fuel Cycle Licenses and Materials Licenses, Including Holders of

Certificates of Compliance, Registrations, and Quality Assurance Program Approvals and

Government Agencies Licensed by the NRC.” The Government Printing Office (GPO)

inadvertently dropped this section during printing of the 2007 bound version of the CFR.

Correction: Revision of Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for FY 2007 (AI00 - 10 CFR Part 171)

On July 26, 2007, NRC published in the Federal Register (72 FR 41009) a correction to a final

rule that corrects the amendatory instruction relating to changes to this section made by the

2007 Fee Rule (June 6, 2007; 72 FR 31401). This correction is related to GPO’s inadvertent

omission of § 171.16(e) to part 171. 
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE H

Office of Information Services (OIS)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

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

of July 20 through July 26, 2007:

Contract awarded from solicitation HR06390, Digital Instrumentation

& Control Training Program, copy of Section A or cover page

FOIA/PA-2007-0252

Oak Ridge National Lab, all records re: theft of nuclear weapon

secrets

FOIA/PA-2007-0253

Contract awarded from solicitation RSRES060674, Austenitic

Stainless Steel Susceptibility to Stress Corrosion Cracking in Marine

Environment programs, copy of Section A or cover page

FOIA/PA-2007-0254

Caldon Inc., 1070 Banksville Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15216, all

documents, records, correspondence, reports, analyses, noteswritten or electronic including any documents re: meeting or

communications, January 1, 2003- present

FOIA/PA-2007-0255

Proposals, technical papers and reports of communications submitted

by Po Kee Wong to NRC, January 1975 to present, all records, or

from System Research Company, Somerville, MA and/or Silver

Spring, MD

FOIA/PA-2007-0256

Contract NRC-0303037, awarded to Beckman & Associates, all of

Sections A - J, statement of work

FOIA/PA-2007-0257

Records from FOIA/PA-2003-0074 FOIA/PA-2007-0258

Commissioner’s Assistant Handbook, NUREG/BR-0201 FOIA/PA-2007-0259

Northwest Family Hospital, 540 Tyler Street, Gary, IN, license 13-

03459-02, all records

FOIA/PA-2007-0260

FOIA/PA-1997-0278, all enclosures and responses FOIA/PA-2007-0261

Atomics International, Rockwell International, Boeing North American

activities at Santa Susana Field Lab, De Soto, Canoga Park and

Vanowen facility locations in Canoga Park, CA, all licensing

documentation

FOIA/PA-2007-0262

Ammtiac, names and contact person in charge of purchasing boric

acid, quantity purchased, total set aside for 8A firms

FOIA/PA-2007-0263

Radiation safety officers for specific codes, include company name,

mailing address, license number, docket number.

FOIA/PA-2007-0264
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE J

Office of Human Resources (HR)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

Retirements

NELSON, SUZANNE SECRETARY (OA) RI

RAUGHLEY, WILLIAM SENIOR REACTOR SYSTEMS

ENGINEER

RES

TAYLOR, JOSEPH RESIDENT INSPECTOR RIV

Departures

LUCIANO RIVERA, MAYRA STUDENT ENGINEER RES

MOTTLER, CHRISTOPHER SECURITY SPECIALIST NSIR

OWEN, ELIZABETH REACTOR INSPECTOR RIV

TORRES PEREZ, ANDRYA STUDENT ENGINEER RES
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs (OPA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

OPA received significant media inquiries on the following:

Indian Point license renewal application.

NFS inquiry and discussion of the history of the Official Use Only policy and pending staff

proposal to commission to change policy.

Regulatory requirements for distribution of irradiated gemstones, and NRC’s proposed rule on

the expanded definition of byproduct material.

New reactors, early site permit and licensing process.

Other Public Affairs Items:

OPA set up Chairman Klein’s interview with National Journal reporter on a variety of topics

including new reactors, workforce development, safety and security, earthquake resistence

design and potential opposition to new plants.

OPA supported Braidwood nuclear plant community open house and responded to local media

there about recent inspection report on a tritiated water spill.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

07-087 NRC to Hold Public Meetings in Casper, WYO., and Albuquerque, N.M., on

Generic Environmental Study of Uranium Recovery Operations (7/23)

07-088 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Votes to Reconsider Limited Provision in Final

Rule on Fitness for Duty (7/24)

07-089 Calvert Cliffs Environmental Report Available, Public Meeting August 14 in

Solomons, Maryland (7/25)

07-090 License Renewal Application for Vogtle Nuclear Plant Available for Public

Inspection (7/25)

07-091 NRC Announces Opportunity to Request Hearing on Application to Renew

Operating License for Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant 

Regions:

I-07-041 NRC Seeks Additional Information on Shieldalloy Decommissioning Proposal

(7/23)
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary (SECY)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SECY-07-0112 7/6/07 Staff Evaluation and Proposed Revision to

the Public Radiation Safety Significance

Determination Process to Address

Radioactive Liquid Spills and Leaks

2. SECY-07-0113 7/6/07 Final Rule: 10 CFR Parts 30, 31, 32, and

150 – Exemptions from Licensing, General

Licenses, and Distribution of Byproduct

Material: Licensing and Reporting

Requirements (RIN 3150-AH41)

3. COMDEK-07-0004 7/3/07 Request for Reconsideration of the Wording

of 10 CFR Sec. 26.205(D)(4) as Affirmed on

April 17, 2007

Commission Voting

Record

7/24/07 (same)

SRM on COMDEK-07-

0004

7/24/07 (same)

4. SRM on SECY-07-0096 7/25/07 Possible Reactivation of Construction and

Licensing Activities for the Watts Bar

Nuclear Plant Unit 2

Commission Voting

Record on SECY-07-

0096

7/25/07 (same)

Information Papers

1. SECY-07-0119 7/18/07 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

July 13, 2007

2. SECY-07-0115 7/11/07 Framework for an Expanded Cadre of

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Employees

with International Experience

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Congressman Bennie Thompson, dated July 20, 2007, responds to letter

regarding the cyber-security posture of the Nation’s nuclear power plants.
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE O

2. Letter to Senator Pete Domenici, dated July 20, 2007, responds to letter expressing

support for the Commission’s efforts to meet the challenges posed by the expected new

reactor applications.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Request to Amend a License to Import Radioactive Waste (Diversified Scientific Services,

Inc.).

2. Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes (ACMUI), notice of meeting

(8/16/2007). 

3. Request for a License to Export Radioactive Waste (Pacific EcoSolutions, Inc./a.k.a.,

Perma-Fix Northwest, Inc.). 

4. Request for a License to Import Radioactive Waste (Pacific EcoSolutions, Inc./a.k.a.,

Perma-Fix Northwest, Inc.).

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

Security Complex). 

6. ACMUI, notice of meeting (8/15/2007).
July 27, 2007 ENCLOSURE P

Region II (RII)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

Watts Bar Public Meeting

On July 23, 2007, representatives from Tennessee Valley Authority attended a public meeting 

in the Region II Office. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the plant status of the Watts

Bar Nuclear Plant.

H. B. Robinson Public Meeting

On July 26, 2007, representatives from Carolina Power and Light Company attended a public

meeting in the Region II Office. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the plant status of

the Robinson Unit 2 Nuclear Plant.
July 27, 2007 

Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)

Items of Interest

Week Ending July 27, 2007

CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS SCHEDULE, NO. 25

OCA

Contact

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