September 18, 2009 

Melanie Rasmusson, Chief 

Bureau of Radiological Health 

Iowa Department of Public Health 

Lucas State Office Building, 5th Floor 

321 East 12th Street 

Des Moines, IA 50319 

Dear Ms. Rasmusson: 

A periodic meeting with your program was held on August 25, 2009. The purpose of the 

meeting was to review and discuss the status of Iowa’s Agreement State Program. The Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission was represented by Steve Reynolds, Aaron McCraw, and me. 

I have completed and enclosed a general meeting summary, including any specific actions that 

will be taken as a result of the meeting. 

If you feel that our conclusions do not accurately summarize the meeting discussion, or have 

any additional remarks about the meeting in general, please contact me at (630) 829-9661, or 

email to james.lynch@nrc.gov to discuss your comments. 

Sincerely, 

/RA/ 

Jim Lynch 

Regional State Agreements Officer 

Division of Nuclear Materials Safety 

Enclosure: 

As stated 

cc w/ encl: Ken Sharp, Director 

 Iowa Division of 

 Environmental Health
Melanie Rasmusson, Chief 

Bureau of Radiological Health 

Iowa Department of Public Health 

Lucas State Office Building, 5th Floor 

321 East 12th Street 

Des Moines, IA 50319 

Dear Ms. Rasmusson: 

A periodic meeting with your program was held on August 25, 2009. The purpose of the 

meeting was to review and discuss the status of Iowa’s Agreement State Program. The Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission was represented by Steve Reynolds, Aaron McCraw, and me. 

I have completed and enclosed a general meeting summary, including any specific actions that 

will be taken as a result of the meeting. 

If you feel that our conclusions do not accurately summarize the meeting discussion, or have 

any additional remarks about the meeting in general, please contact me at (630) 829-9661, or 

email to james.lynch@nrc.gov to discuss your comments. 

Sincerely, 

/RA/ 

Jim Lynch 

Regional State Agreements Officer 

Division of Nuclear Materials Safety 

Enclosure: 

As stated 

cc w/ encl: Ken Sharp, Director 

 Iowa Division of 

 Environmental Health 

DISTRIBUTION: A. McCraw, 

FSME 

S. Xu, FSME 

S. Reynolds, RIII 

A. Barker, RIII 

H. Logaras, RIII 

DOCUMENT NAME: G:\SEC\Work in progress\2009 Iowa Periodic Meeting Summary.doc 

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OFFICE RIII C RIII RIII RIII 

NAME JLLynch:jc/rj 

DATE 09/ 8/09 

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
Enclosure 

DISCUSSION: 

The Bureau of Radiological Health (the Bureau), located within the Division of Environmental 

Health (the Division), administers the Iowa Agreement State Program. The Division is a part of 

the Department of Public Health (the Department). The Program currently regulates 174 

specific licenses and approximately 200 general licenses. 

The previous IMPEP review was conducted in September 2007. The review team found Iowa’s 

performance to be satisfactory for all performance indicators reviewed. The review team made 

one recommendation regarding program performance and identified one good practice. 

Accordingly, the review team recommended, and the Management Review Board agreed, that 

the Iowa Agreement State Program was adequate to protect public health and safety and 

compatible with NRC’s program. 

The status of the recommendation from the 2007 Iowa Final IMPEP Report is summarized 

below: 

• The review team recommended that the State evaluate their decommissioning financial 

assurance program to identify and secure original financial assurance documentation 

from current and future licensees who are required to comply with Iowa’s financial 

assurance requirements. 

Status: The Bureau evaluated all of their licenses and acquired original, up to date 

financial surety documentation, as required. The surety instruments are properly 

secured in a safe. New licenses are evaluated for financial assurance need, prior 

to issuance. This recommendation should be verified and closed at the next 

IMPEP review. 

Other topics covered at the meeting included: 

Program Strengths: The experienced, dedicated staff is the most notable strength of the 

program. The two technical staff members and the support staff member are able to 

Nancy Farrington, Health Physicist

Amanda Tostlebe, Clerk Specialist 
managerial support and can get exemptions to the out-of-State travel restrictions for

mission-critical travel. The hiring freeze has not had an effect on the Agreement State 

program, as the program is currently fully staffed. 

Feedback on NRC’s Program: 

The Bureau expressed frustration with the National Source Tracking System (NSTS). 

The Bureau stated that inventory updates have taken several days to several weeks to 

get incorporated into NSTS. The Bureau also commented that the quality of data in 

NSTS is suspect, as there are dual entries for some sources. The Bureau indicated that 

they appreciated the good support they receive from NRC Region III and enjoy the good 

relationship and communication that they have with NRC in general. The Bureau was 

appreciative of NRC’s funding for Agreement State training. 

Staffing and Training: 

As noted above, the Iowa program has two experienced technical staff members who 

are fully trained. During the 2007 IMPEP review, the review team noted that staffing 

levels did not present any performance issues affecting implementation of the 

Agreement State program; however, loss of a technical staff member could potentially 

impact the Bureau’s ability to remain current on all regulatory actions. This potential 

vulnerability was discussed with the Division Director, who acknowledged the issue and 

indicated that they would assess staffing needs. The staffing vulnerability is especially 

important with one of the staff members considering retirement in the next few years. 

The State’s economic woes and a State-wide hiring freeze have limited their ability to 

hire additional staff. The Division Director indicated that hiring another technical staff 

member is a priority and can hopefully be accomplished as economic conditions 

improve. 

Program Reorganizations: 

The Bureau has not experienced any program reorganizations since the previous IMPEP 

review and none are expected. 

Changes in Program Budget/Funding: 

The Bureau has a solid source of funding through a dedicated fee fund. 
licensing guidance, but encouraged the State to continue this approach as resources

allow. 

The Bureau regularly performs reciprocity inspections. The Bureau conducts reciprocity 

inspections based on the inspection priority of the type of work the reciprocity licensee is 

performing. For example, the Bureau will perform one reciprocity inspection per year of 

a particular reciprocity licensee performing radiography at a temporary jobsite, but will 

only perform a reciprocity inspection of a mobile nuclear medicine lab once every three 

years. NRC staff cautioned the Bureau on how reciprocity inspections are looked at 

during IMPEP reviews, as defined in Inspection Manual Chapter 1220. 

In 2009, the Bureau learned that an Illinois inspector performed an inspection of a 

common licensee at the licensee’s Iowa office. As Illinois did not inform the Bureau of 

the planned inspection, Iowa was not aware of the inspection until it was completed. As 

the Illinois inspector cited the licensee for issues which the Bureau felt were within 

Iowa’s jurisdiction, the Bureau criticized Illinois for overstepping their jurisdiction. In 

discussions with Illinois, NRC learned that the inspector did not follow policy when he 

failed to notify Iowa of the planned inspection. Illinois believed that they had jurisdiction 

to enter Iowa to inspect activities that the licensee performed in Illinois. NRC staff 

suggested that Iowa communicate with Illinois to work together so that the licensee may 

be properly inspected by both Iowa and Illinois. 

Materials Licensing Program: 

The Bureau performs approximately 100 to 120 license actions per year. License 

actions are kept current with no licensing backlog. The license template used for all 

licenses contains an “Official Use Only” marking. 

Regulations and Legislative Changes: 

The Bureau is up to date on all regulation amendments currently required for 

compatibility. The Bureau is in process of addressing two upcoming regulation 

amendments that are not due until November 2010 and February 2011, respectively. 

Event Reporting, including Follow-up and Closure Information in NMED: 

The Bureau had reported 13 events to NMED since the 2007 IMPEP review. All of the 

events were appropriately reported to the NRC, and were properly entered into, and 

updated, within NMED. 
involved potentially improperly buried radioactive waste. The Bureau investigated the

concern appropriately and in a timely fashion. 

Significant Events and Generic Implications: 

The Bureau did not identify any significant events or generic issues since the 2007 

IMPEP review. 

Current State Initiatives: 

The Bureau is considering moving to an annual licensing fee approach. Currently, 

fees are collected on a per-inspection and per-licensing-action basis. 

The Bureau, through a partnership with Iowa State University, has an orphan source 

program which allows the State to remove potentially dangerous radioactive 

materials from the public domain until it can be disposed of properly. 

Emerging Technologies: 

None noted. 

Large, Complicated, or Unusual Authorizations for use of Radioactive Materials: 

None noted. 

State’s Mechanisms to Evaluate Performance: 

The Bureau has monthly staff meetings to discuss the status and quality of regulatory 

products. Inspectors are accompanied annually by the Bureau Chief. 

Current NRC Initiatives: 

NRC staff discussed ongoing initiatives with the Bureau. These included pre-licensing 

guidance, fingerprinting orders, national source tracking, web based licensing, generally 

licensed devices, and the issues associated with tritium exit signs. 
in NRC Fiscal Year 2011.