INFORMATION REPORT 

December 6, 2007 SECY-07-0213

For: The Commissioners 

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING 

NOVEMBER 30, 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/ 

Vonna L. Ordaz 

Assistant for Operations, OEDO 

Contact: 

A.C. Ridge, OEDO 
December 6, 2007 SECY-07-0213

For: The Commissioners 

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING 

NOVEMBER 30, 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/ 

Vonna L. Ordaz 

Assistant for Operations, OEDO 

Contact: 

A.C. Ridge, OEDO 

DISTRIBUTION: 

EDO R/F 

AO R/F Document Name: G:\Melissa\WIR\Week1130.WPD 

OEDO AO/OEDO ML073410670 

ACRidge VLOrdaz 

12/04/07 12/05/07 
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 30, 2007

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: A.C. Ridge, OEDO by E-mail: acr1@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 17 

NMSS 4 OIP * 

FSME 6 SECY 19 

RES * Region I 20 

NSIR 10 Region II 21 

ADM 11 Region III 22 

OIS 12 Region IV 23 

CFO * EDO * 

HR 16 OCA 24 

SBCR * 

*No input this week 
November 30, 2007 ENCLOSURE A 

 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending November 30, 2007 

Cooper Nuclear Station Measurement Uncertainty Recapture Power Uprate (MUR) Application

By application dated November 19, 2007, the licensee requested a 1.6% measurement 

uncertainty recapture power uprate for Cooper Nuclear Station. The application requests NRC 

approval of the amendment by April 8, 2008. The licensee plans to implement the power uprate 

within 90 days of the issuance of the amendment, if approved. The licensee indicated that they 

followed the guidance in NRC Regulatory Information Summary (RIS) 2002-03, AGuidance on 

the Content of Measurement Uncertainty Recapture Power Uprate Applications@ in developing its 

application. The staff is currently conducting an acceptance review of the application. 

Public Meeting for Safety Review and Environmental Scoping Process Regarding the License 

Renewal Application (LRA) review for Beaver Valley Power Station, Units 1 and 2 (BVPS)

On November 27, 2007, the staff conducted two public meetings in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to 

discuss the safety review and solicit comments on the scope of the environmental review for the 

BVPS license renewal application. Approximately 125 individuals attended the meetings. 

Comments addressed the potential environmental impacts of the uranium fuel cycle and 

potential radiological impacts on human health. The staff will continue to receive scoping 

comments by mail, electronically, or in person at headquarters until the scoping period ends on 

January 7, 2008. 

Meeting with the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) Owners Group (BWROG)

On November 27, 2007, staff from NRR and the Office of Research met with the BWROG to 

discuss disparities in treatment of debris-induced emergency core cooling system (ECCS) 

strainer performance issues. The BWROG agreed to evaluate some potential issues identified 

by the NRC staff with regard to BWR strainer performance. Another meeting was tentatively 

planned for second quarter 2008. 
November 30, 2007 ENCLOSURE C 

 Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending November 30, 2007 

Meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute

On November 27, 2007, NRC staff from the Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation 

met with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) to discuss the agenda for a two-and-a-half day 

meeting which is being planned for January 30 to February 1, 2008, in Charlotte, NC. At the 

January 2008 meeting, participants will discuss the issues associated with Burnup Credit and 

Transport of High Burnup Spent Fuel Assemblies. NRC staff and NEI agreed to an agenda and 

format for the meeting to facilitate a more effective way of identifying paths for issue resolution. 

During the November 27 meeting, Energy Power Research Institute also presented the results of 

their study on the “Criticality Risk during Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel.” 

American National Standards (ANSI) N14.5 Committee Meeting

On November 27-28, 2007, staff from the Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation 

participated in the ANSI N14.5 Committee meeting at Department of Energy offices in 

Germantown, MD. ANSI N14.5 is the standard for Leakage Tests on Packages for Shipment. 

The Committee agreed to reaffirm the current 1997 standard, with minor corrections, and to 

initiate a revision for 2009. For the 2009 revision, the Committee plans to consider clarifications 

on leakage testing of (1) loaded packages that are in storage, and (2) packages that are fully 

welded. 
November 30, 2007 ENCLOSURE E 

 Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending November 30, 2007 

Public meeting with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) regarding NEI’s Comments on Draft 

Guide (DG)-4012 (Guidance for Implementing 10 CFR 20.1406, “Minimization of 

Contamination”)

On November 28, 2007, RES staff and staff from other NRC offices held the subject public 

meeting with NEI. A significant discussion included NEI’s recommendations to release DG-4012 

as an interim guide and to relocate details found in the Regulatory Position to an appendix. 

These recommendations will be considered by the staff along with the other public comments. 
November 30, 2007 ENCLOSURE F 

 Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending November 30, 2007 

Cs-137 Irradiator Facilities

On November 29, NSIR and Region I management and staff toured two self-shielded Cs-137 

irradiator facilities at George Washington University (GWU) and GWU Hospital in Washington, 

DC. The meeting and discussions that followed with the GWU Radiation Safety Officers and 

security management provided an overview of the cesium chloride irradiator security upgrades 

and examples of how these licensees implemented the Increased Controls Order. 

Emergency Response Drill 

On December 1, 2007, staff conducted an unannounced emergency response drill involving 

NRC headquarters and Region IV. Major exercise objectives were met. 
November 30, 2007 ENCLOSURE H 

 Office of Information Services (OIS) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending November 30, 2007 

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

of November 23 through November 29, 2007: 

NRC internal policy or guidance governing the acceptance by NRC 

employees of offers of travel paid by third parties, approvals of same, 

January 1, 2001, to present FOIA/PA-2008-0050 

NEDO-21159-2, Airborne Releases from Boiling Water Reactors for 

Environmental Impact Evaluations - Amendment 2 (Iodine-131) 

October 1978 FOIA/PA-2008-0051 

Earthquake in the Niigata prefecture, Japan, 2007, all documents 

regarding any reports of trips, inspections, or conferences FOIA/PA-2008-0052 
November 30, 2007 ENCLOSURE J 

 Office of Human Resources (HR) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending November 30, 2007 

Arrivals

HECHT, MYRON CONSULTANT ACRS 

Retirements

ALEXANDER, STEPHEN REACTOR ENGINEER NRR 

GEORGIEV, GEORGE SENIOR MATERIALS ENGINEER NRR 

HOSKINS, RITA SENIOR PROGRAM ASSISTANT OIP 

RAMEY-SMITH, ANN TECHNICAL ASSISTANT RES 

TRAVERS, WILLIAM REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR RII 

Departures

BARNES, TERESSA SECRETARY (OA) NRR 

FIELDS, MEL SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER NRR 

KARMIS, GEORGE TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE 

SAFETY ENGINEER

NMSS 

MINNICK, SHERI REGIONAL GOVT LIAISON SPECIALIST RIII 

MORAN, BRUCE SENIOR INTERNATIONAL SAFEGUARDS 

TECHNICAL ANALYST

NMSS 

WOLF, DEBRA LAW CLERK ASLBP 
November 30, 2007 ENCLOSURE O 

 Office of the Secretary (SECY) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending November 30, 2007 

Document Released 

to Public 

Date Subject 

Decision Documents

1. SECY-07-0197 11/07/07 Reactor Decommissioning Trust Fund Oversight 

by Other Agencies and Recommendations 

Regarding Further Commission Action 

2. SRM on SECY-07-0126 11/27/07 Proposed Rule: Geologic Repository Operations 

Area Security and Material Control and 

Accounting Requirements (RIN 3150-A106) 

 Commission Voting 

 Record on SECY-07-0126 

11/27/07 (same) 

Information Papers

1. SECY-07-0198 11/7/07 Performance and Coordination of the Regulatory 

Framework for the Global Nuclear Energy 

Partnership 

2. SECY-07-0205 11/23/07 Weekly Information Report – Week Ending 

November 16, 2007 

3. SECY-07-0200 11/14/07 2007 Summary of Decommissioning Funding 

Status Reports for Nuclear Power Reactors 

Memoranda

1. M071114 11/28/07 SRM-Meeting with Advisory Committee on 

Nuclear Waste and Materials 

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to the President, Congress, Government Accountability Office, Office of Management 

and Budget, dated November 15, 2007, submits the NRC’s FY 2007 Performance and 

Accountability Report. 

2. Letter to Admiral James Ellis, USN (Ret.), Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, dated 

November 13, 2007, provides an invitation to participate in NRC’s 20th Annual Regulatory 

Information Conference. 

3. Letter to Congress dated November 9, 2007, responds to letter concerning security at the 

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station. 

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS), Subcommittee Meeting on Safety 

Research Program, notice of meeting (December 18, 2007). 
November 30, 2007 ENCLOSURE O 

2. ACRS, Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Reliability and Probabilistic Risk 

Assessment, notice of meeting (December 19, 2007). 

3. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste and Materials (ACNW&M), notice of 185th meeting 

(December 17 to 19, 2007). 

4. Expanded Definition of Byproduct Material; Notification of Waiver Termination, 

RIN 3150-AH84, 10 CFR Chapter 1. 

5. ACNW&M, Meeting on Planning and Procedures (December 17, 2007). 

6. Final rule, Occupational Dose Records, Labeling Containers, and the Total Effective Dose 

Equivalent, 10 CFR Parts 19, 20, and 50, RIN 3150 – AH40. 
November 30, 2007 ENCLOSURE P 

 Region II (RII) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending November 30, 2007 

Inspector Counterpart Meeting

On November 29, 2007, the Inspector Counterpart Meeting was held in the RII Office. The 

Deputy Executive Director for Reactor and Preparedness Programs, OEDO; the Deputy Director, 

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation; and the Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 

Safeguards met with the RII staff to discuss Agency issues during the meeting. 
November 30, 2007 ENCLOSURE P 

 Region IV (RIV) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending November 30, 2007 

Commissioner Lyons visit to South Texas Project and RIV office

On November 28 and 29, 2007, Commissioner Lyons visited the South Texas Project facility, the 

Unit 3 and 4 offices in Bay City, Texas, and the RIV office. The Commissioner toured the plant 

and met with South Texas Project management, RIV staff, and local public officials. While 

visiting the RIV offices, the Commissioner made a presentation to the RIV staff during the 

resident inspector counterpart meeting. 
November 30, 2007 

 Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)  Items of Interest  Week Ending November 30, 2007 

CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS SCHEDULE, NO. 39 

OCA Contact 

Date & Place Time Committee Subject Witnesses 

Sahm 12/05/07 

406 Dirksen 

TBD Senate Environment and Public 

Works (Senators Boxer / Inhofe) 

Markup of S 2191 – America’s Climate Security Act 

• N/A 

Shane / Dacus 

02/28/08 TBD 

TBD Senate Environment and Public 

Works, Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety (Senators Carper / Voinovich) 

Oversight Hearing on New Reactors 

• Commission