INFORMATION REPORT

November 8, 2004 SECY-04-0206

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0206 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING OCTOBER 29, 2004

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 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*

*No input this week.

/RA/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

T. Kim, OEDO
November 8, 2004 SECY-04-0206

For: The Commissioners

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

Subject: SECY-04-0206 WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK 

ENDING OCTOBER 29, 2004

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 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*

*No input this week.

/RA/

William M. Dean

Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

T. Kim, OEDO

DISTRIBUTION:

Central File

Public Document Name: C:\WIR\Week1029.WPD

OEDO AO/OEDO

TJKim WMDean

11/08/04 11/08/04
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 29, 2004

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: T. Kim, OEDO by E-mail: tjk3@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 8 OIP 18

NSIR 9 SECY 19

OGC * Region I *

ADM 10 Region II *

CIO 11 Region III *

CFO * Region IV 23

HR 12 OEDO *

SBCR * OCA *

OE *

*No input this week
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 29, 2004

NRC Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2004-15: Emergency Preparedness Issues - Post 9/11

On October 18, 2004, the NRC issued the subject RIS to inform nuclear power plant licensees 

of emergency preparedness (EP) issues identified based on an evaluation of the post-9/11

threat environment and NRC staff observations of EP activities related to recent force-on-force

exercise activities. This RIS contains sensitive information and it is categorized as “official use

only,” and therefore, it is not publicly available.

Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) Licensing Forum

On October 20, 2004, management and staff representatives of the Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation (NRR) participated in the NEI Licensing Forum held in Baltimore, Maryland. Various

aspects of the NRC’s licensing activities, including routine technical specification amendments,

exemptions, code reliefs, generic communications, topical reports, license renewals, and power

uprate amendments were discussed. Participants shared ideas to enhance the efficiency of the

NRC’s licensing process as well as to further improve the quality of licensee’s applications. 

Meeting with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

On October 26, 2004, staff from Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), Office of

Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR), and NRR met with representatives of the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) staff at the FERC offices in Washington, D.C. 

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss implementation of the recently signed Memorandum

of Agreement between the NRC and FERC, including communication during an emergency,

information sharing, grid modeling, cyber security, and physical security. 
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 29, 2004

Meeting of the American National Standards Institute N14 Committee on Packaging and

Transportation of Radioactive Materials

On October 20-21, 2004, staff from the Spent Fuel Project Office participated in the Annual

Meeting of the American National Standards Institute N14 Committee on Packaging and

Transportation of Radioactive Materials. The Committee is the sponsor of existing industry

standards that address packaging and transportation of uranium hexafluoride, leakage testing

of transportation packages, and various other topics related to radioactive materials transport. 

Additional standards under development include storage and transport of damaged spent

nuclear fuel; fabrication, testing, and inspection of spent fuel casks; control and measurement

of external contamination and radiation; and design and use of Type A packages. Membership

on the Committee includes government organizations, contract carriers, nuclear fuel cycle

industry representatives, packaging manufacturers, and transport logistics providers. The

Annual Meeting is held to discuss the status of standards development activities and recent

transportation issues or events.

Louisiana Energy Services Quarterly Management Meeting

On October 21, 2004, staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards met with

management from Louisiana Energy Services (LES). The purpose of the meeting was to

discuss issues related to the uranium enrichment facility proposed to be located in Eunice, New

Mexico. Issues discussed included status of the licensing review and environmental impact

statement preparation, and open technical issues. LES management indicated that it is

pleased with the progress of the project, and committed to being responsive to the open

technical issues.

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Ruling on Hydro Resources, Inc., Hearing

On October 22, 2004, the Presiding Officer for the ongoing Atomic Safety and Licensing Board 

adjudicatory hearing in the matter of Hydro Resources, Inc., issued his ruling on the motions of

the intervenors (Eastern Navajo Dine Against Uranium Mining and Southwest Research and

Information Center) to supplement the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the

Crownpoint Uranium Project (CUP) and to re-open a portion of the CUP hearing record. The

CUP is a planned in-situ leach uranium recovery facility located in McKinley County, New

Mexico. Uranium recovery activities would be conducted at Crownpoint, Unit 1, and the

contiguous Church Rock Section 8 and 17 sites. The intervenors had filed motions to have the

FEIS supplemented to consider potential impacts from operations at the Church Rock sites on

a planned new housing development (Springstead Estates) located two miles to the southwest

of the Church Rock sites. The intervenors also filed a motion to re-open and supplement the

hearing record relating to Church Rock Section 8. The Presiding Officer denied the intervenors’

motions to supplement the FEIS, and dismissed the motion to re-open and supplement the

record pertaining to Church Rock Section 8. The hearing will now continue on remaining CUP

issues before the Board.
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 29, 2004

Meeting of International Steam Generator-Tube Integrity Program-3

During the week of October 18-21, 2004, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) staff

participated in the semi-annual meeting of the International Steam Generator-Tube Integrity

Program-3 (ISG-TIP-3) at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) offices in Palo Alto,

California. Of particular interest during the meeting was the research results and progress

reported from Canada on the development of materials environmental degradation susceptibility

zones for tubing materials, and the progress from the EPRI research to improve water

chemistry guidelines. The purpose of these semi-annual meetings is to share with the

participants experimental data and predictive correlations and models needed to evaluate the

integrity of steam generator tubes as plants age and degradation proceeds. The participants,

included Argonne National Laboratory, the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, the Canadian

Nuclear Safety Commission, EPRI, Westinghouse Electric Company, the Korean Atomic

Energy Research Institute, the Korean Institute of Nuclear Safety, and B&W (Babcock &

Wilcox) Canada. 

NRC-KAERI Meeting on Severe Accident Research Program

On October 26, 2004, staff from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and RES attended a

meeting with representatives of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute’s (KAERI) to

discuss KAERI’s near and longer term severe accident research plan. This meeting was held in

conjunction with the NRC sponsored Nuclear Safety Research Conference. The KAERI staff

affirmed that ex-vessel core coolability and ex-vessel energetic fuel-coolant interactions, or

steam explosions, are two remaining issues pertinent to severe accident prevention and

mitigation in nuclear power plants. 

Implementing Agreement between the NRC and the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization

in the Area of Thermal-Hydraulic Code Applications and Maintenance

On October 27, 2004, the Executive Director for Operations (EDO) signed the international

agreement between the NRC and the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES).

This Implementing Agreement defines the terms and conditions by which the NRC and the

JNES will cooperate in the code applications and maintenance program. The research

conducted, the in-kind information exchanged, and the participation fee provided by JNES

under this Implementing Agreement will contribute to verifying the accuracy of the NRC’s

thermal-hydraulic codes through the expansion of the international user community and through

their subsequent applications and feedback. The Implementing Agreement will become

effective upon signature and will remain in effect for five years.
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE C

Agreement between the NRC and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited in the Area of Severe

Accident Research

On October 27, 2004, the EDO signed the international agreement between the NRC and

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited/L’Energie Atomique du Canada Limitee.

 

This Agreement defines the terms and conditions by which the NRC and AECL will continue

cooperation in the area of severe accident research. The research conducted and in-kind

information exchanged under this Agreement will contribute to verifying the accuracy of the

NRC’s MELCOR severe accident code. The work performed and exchanged under this

Agreement also enhances the quality assurance of our reactor safety codes through the

expansion of the international user community and through their subsequent code assessments

and feedback. The NRC uses this code to evaluate potential risk and vulnerability scenarios for

severe accidents, to address regulatory and licensing issues for operating plants, and to review

new designs. This Agreement will become effective upon signature and will remain in effect for

a period of five years.

Management Directive 8.4, “Management of Facility-specific Backfitting and Information

Collection”

On October 28, 2004, the EDO signed Management Directive (MD) 8.4, “Management of

Facility-Specific Backfitting and Information Collection,” for publication. This MD replaces

Manual Chapter 0514. In August 2003, the Committee To Review Generic Requirements

(CRGR) had submitted to the EDO various recommendations to enhance NRC's administrative

controls for backfitting. In December of that year, the EDO approved the backfit action plan,

which RES had developed to address the CRGR recommendations. One of the key staff

activities described in the action plan was to develop MD 8.4. This MD (1) delineates the office

responsibilities and authorities; (2) describes the necessary inter-office coordination for backfit 

identification and justification; (3) provides guidance for developing the combined backfit and

regulatory analysis; and (4) articulates staff guidance for handling the licensee backfit claims

and appeals. The NRC offices directly involved in backfitting and the regional offices will

develop or revise, as appropriate, backfit procedures that are consistent with this MD. 

Implementation of those procedures, after the required CRGR review and endorsement, will

ensure uniform application of the provisions of the NRC's backfit rules, as specified in 10 CFR

Part 50.109, Part 70.76, Part 72.62 and Part 76.76.

Nuclear Safety Research Conference (NSRC)

RES sponsored its final Nuclear Safety Research Conference (NSRC) on October 25-27, 2004

at the Marriott at Metro Center in Washington, DC. This year’s conference was attended by

over 400 persons, with representation from 17 countries. Guest speakers and panelists

included NRC Chairman Nils J. Diaz, Commissioner Jeffrey S. Merrifield, as well as

representatives from various organizations, industries, government, the research community

and public interest groups in the United States and abroad. Technical sessions were held on

materials aging and degradation research, new reactors, materials fuel research, probabilistic

risk assessment infrastructure development, radiation protection, codes, and operating

experience. 
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE D

Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 29, 2004

Preliminary Notification

1. PNO-IV-04-029, Nebraska Public Power District (COOPER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT)

- REACTOR SHUTDOWN BECAUSE OF MAIN TURBINE HIGH VIBRATION.

Federal Radiological Preparedness Coordinating Committee (FRPCC) Quarterly Meeting

On October 20, 2004, Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response management and staff

participated in a FRPCC meeting. Other participants included representatives from the

Department of Homeland Security, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency;

Department of Defense; the Department of State; Department of Energy; Environmental

Protection Agency; Department of Transportation; and the Food and Drug Administration. The

FRPCC was established to coordinate Federal responsibilities for assisting State and local

governments in emergency planning and preparedness for peacetime nuclear emergencies and

to enhance Federal response planning. Topics of discussion included: draft Federal guidelines

for requesting potassium iodide from the Strategic National Stockpile; the Nuclear/Radiological

Incident Annex to the National Response Plan; the Radiological Emergency Analytical

Laboratory; and radiological training offered by the Emergency Management Institute.
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending October 29, 2004

Adjustment of Civil Penalties for Inflation (Part 2 - AH55)

On October 26, 2004, the NRC published a final rule in the Federal Register (69 FR 62393) that

adjusted the maximum civil monetary penalties it can assess under statutes within its

jurisdiction. The changes are mandated by Congress in the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Act

of 1996. The amendment raises the maximum civil monetary penalty for violation of the Atomic

Energy Act or any regulation or order issued under the Act from $120,000 to $130,000. The

final rule becomes effective November 26, 2004.

Receipt of Petition for Rulemaking From the Organization of Agreement States (PRM-35-17)

On October 28, 2004, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (69 FR 62831)

that announced the receipt of a petition for rulemaking submitted by the Organization of

Agreement States. The petitioner requests that the NRC amend its regulations to specify the

minimum number of didactic hours required to meet the requirement for training and experience

to qualify as an authorized nuclear pharmacist and an authorized user identified in the

regulations governing the medical use of byproduct material.
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 29, 2004

Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Requests Received During the Period of

October 22 through October 28, 2004:

Licenses, specific, broad scope, general, issued state by state;

number of compliance violations

FOIA/PA-2005-0024

Requests from NRC to third-party web operators to remove archived

or “mirrored” material from www.nrc.gov, all correspondence

FOIA/PA-2005-0025

Indian Island NAVMAG Seal Beach, Port Hadlock, WA, license for

depleted uranium

FOIA/PA-2005-0026

Security advisories issued in October 2001 (Referral by the Dept. of

Health & Human Services

FOIA/PA-2005-0027

Contract NRC3304349 awarded to Modern Micro Imaging, all exhibits

& attachments, amendments/modifications, cost estimates, bidders

lists & winning proposal

FOIA/PA-2005-0028

Seabrook nuclear power plant, 9-15-04 incident involving helicopter

too close to plant, investigations, interviews, all communications

FOIA/PA-2005-0029

Northeast Church Rock Mine, Gallup, NM, United Nuclear Corp.,

notices of violations, requests requiring reclamation, all records

FOIA/PA-2005-0030

Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, all correspondence from 3-1-04 to

present on relicensing & uprate; documents removed from ADAMS

after 1-1-02; inspections & violations from 1995-present

FOIA/PA-2005-0031
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 29, 2004

Arrivals

Lee R. Abramson Consultant RES

Brian C. Anderson Project Engineer R-II

Bruce Bavol Emergency Response Coordinator NSIR

Francis S. Echols Sr. Project Manager NMSS

Andrea Gabossy Management Analyst NSIR

Don Johnson Emergency Preparedness Specialist NSIR

Tonya Johnson-Harris Office Automation Assistant NSIR

Kevin R. O'Sullivan Project Manager (Financial) NMSS

Mariana Pitiriciu General Engineer (NSPDP) NRR

George Smith Physical Security Inspector R-I

Ryan Treadway Reactor Inspector R-I

Retirements

John Greeves Division Director NMSS

Kim Lee IT Assistant R-I

Saba N. Saba Electircal Engineer NRR

Pauline Thompson Investigations Assistant OI

Guy Wright, III Sr. Program Analyst OCIO

Departures

Lee Licata Project Manager NRR

Dane Woodard Security Specialist ADM
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 29, 2004

Media Interest

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

The Commission’s decision to remove ADAMS documents from the Web site pending a

security review.

The October 29 deadline for nuclear power plants to implement tougher security requirements.

Press Releases

Headquarters:

04-134 NRC Announces Availability of License Renewal Application for Brunswick

Steam Electric Plant, Units 1 and 2 (10/25)

04-135 NRC Initiates Additional Security Review of Publicly Available Documents;

Temporarily Suspends Agency’s On-line Library (10/25)

04-136 NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Meet Nov. 4-6 in

Rockville, Maryland (10/26)

04-137 Cornell University to Provide Neutral Mediators for NRC’s Alternative

Dispute Resolution Program (10/28)

04-138 NRC Renews Licenses for Dresden and Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plants

for an Additional 20 Years (10/28)

04-139 NRC Approves Stretch Power Uprate for Indian Point Unit 2 (10/28)

Regions:

I-04-049 NRC Proposes $44,400 Civil Penalty for Baxter Healthcare Corp. Over

Irradiator Event at Puerto Rico Facility (10/26)

I-04-050 Nuclear Gauge Reported Stolen in Virginia; Recovery of Device is Sought

(10/28)

II-04-054 NRC Staff Schedules Public Meeting for November 4 to Discuss License

Renewal Process for Brunswick Nuclear Plant (10/27)

III-04-048 NRC Seeks Public Input on Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed

D.C. Cook Nuclear Plant License Renewal (10/28)

IV-04-044 NRC to Conduct Special Inspection at Humboldt Bay (10/27)
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE N

Office of International Programs

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 29, 2004

NRC Operations Center Hosts Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Visitors

Messrs Andrè Règimbald and Bernard Beaudin of CNSC staff visited the NRC offices at

headquarters on October 27, 2004, to discuss design and implementation processes

associated with emergency management and preparedness programs. The CNSC

representatives suggested that both sides establish a semiannual exchange, beginning in May

2005. 
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 29, 2004

Document Released

to Public

Date Subject

Decision Documents

1. SRM on COMSECY-04-

0059

10/21/04 Status of Decommissioning Program - 2004

Annual Report

2. Commissioner Votes on

COMSECY-04-0059

10/22/04 (same)

3. SECY-04-0187 10/14/04 Proposed Revision to the Enforcement

Policy to Address Responsibilities for

Granting a Power Reactor Notice of

Enforcement Discretion

SRM on 04-0187 10/28/04 (same)

Commission Voting

Record on 04-0187

10/28/04 (same)

4. SRM on SECY-04-0176 10/29/04 Exemption Requests to Reduce Liability

Insurance Coverage for Decommissioning

Reactors After Transfer of All Spent Fuel

From a Spent Fuel Pool to Dry Cask

Storage

Commission Voting

Record on 04-0176

10/29/04 (same)

Information Papers

1. SECY-04-0193 10/22/04 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending

October 15, 2004

Memoranda

3. M041013A 10/22/04 SRM - Briefing on Decommissioning

Activities and Status

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Petition for Rulemaking; notice of receipt - 10 CFR Part 35 [Docket No. PRM-35-17],

Organization of Agreement States; Receipt of Petition for Rulemaking. 

2. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, Meeting on Planning and Procedures, notice of

meeting (11/16/04). 
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE O

3. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on

Regulatory Policies and Practices, notice of meeting (11/16/04). 

4. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on

Reliability and Probabilistic Risk Assessment, notice of meeting (11/16/04). 

5. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Joint Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittees

on Materials and Metallurgy and on Thermal-Hydraulic Phenomena and on Reliability and

Probabilistic Risk Assessment, notice of meeting (11/30/04 - 12/1/04).
October 29, 2004 ENCLOSURE P

Region IV

Items of Interest

Week Ending October 29, 2004

Columbia Generating Station - Public Meeting

On October 28, 2004, the Regional Administrator and other members of the Region IV staff

conducted a public meeting with Energy Northwest management in Richland, Washington, to

discuss operational issues at the Columbia Generating Station. Among the issues discussed

were three reactor scrams that occurred in a period of two months (July - August), which

involved operator performance issues. One of the scrams resulted in an Alert declaration.