INFORMATION REPORT 

May 12, 2008 SECY-08-0066

For: The Commissioners 

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING 

MAY 2, 2008 

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: 

S. Bagley, OEDO 
May 12, 2008 SECY-08-0066

For: The Commissioners 

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

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING 

MAY 2, 2008 

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: 

S. Bagley, OEDO 

DISTRIBUTION: 

EDO R/F 

AO R/F Document Name: G:\AO\WIR\2008\Week0502.doc 

OEDO AO/OEDO 

SBagley VLOrdaz 

05/12/08 05/13/08 

 ML081350228
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MAY 2, 2008

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

Headquarters and Regional Office activities. 

Contact: S. Bagley, OEDO by E-mail: shb@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 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE A 

 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

GSI-191 Testing in Winterthur, Switzerland

During April 21 - 25, 2008, the Division of Component Integrity (DCI) and Division of Safety 

Systems staff observed Generic Safety Issue (GSI) - 191 chemical effects head loss testing at 

the Control Components, Inc. (CCI) laboratory in Winterthur, Switzerland. The primary objective 

was to observe a head loss test that included chemical precipitates as part of the debris mix. 

The test was conducted to support the GSI-191 activities for Salem. In addition, the staff 

observed a portion of the testing to support GSI-191 activities for Palo Verde. The staff 

presented several test observations to CCI. 

Environmentally Assisted Corrosion International Meeting

During April 21 - 25, 2008, DCI staff participated in the 2008 Annual Meeting of the International 

Cooperative Group on Environmentally Assisted Corrosion in Bastad, Sweden. Approximately 

150 researchers and regulators from 19 different countries attended the meeting. DCI staff 

participated in various activities, including an expert panel meeting on new resistive materials 

and a meeting for international materials regulators. Items of note included a discussion of 

dissimilar metal weld inspection findings for steam generator inlet and outlet welds, a new 

problem identified with chloride assisted stress corrosion cracking for stainless steel valves, 

identification of stress corrosion cracking from weld fabrication flaws, and results from a series of 

initiation testing including stainless steel materials in pressurized water reactor chemistries. 

American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code Meeting

During April 21-25, 2008, DCI staff attended the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 

(ASME) Code meetings in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The staff participated in 

discussions on repairing and mitigating primary water stress corrosion cracking in dissimilar 

metal welds. The staff also participated in the newly formed joint Section III and Section XI Task 

Group on New Reactors. The primary responsibility of this new Task Group is to identify 

technical areas where changes to the ASME code are needed, and to recommend those 

changes to the appropriate ASME Section. In addition, the staff participated in discussions 

related to the development of high density polyethylene piping fabrication, fusing and inspection 

requirements. 

International Group on Radiation Damage Mechanisms in Pressure Vessel Steels Meeting

During April 21 - 25, 2008, DCI and Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research staff participated in 

the 14th meeting of the International Group on Radiation Damage Mechanisms (IGRDM). The 

objective of the IGRDM is to provide a forum for broad technical interaction in research on 

radiation damage mechanisms in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. Session topics 

included: microstructure, environmental and metallurgical variables, micromechanics, as well as 

special sessions on materials defects and high fluence. 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE A 

License Renewal Staff Holds Public Meeting to Discuss Metal Fatigue Analysis with Wolf Creek 

Nuclear Operating Corporation

On May 1, 2008, Division of License Renewal staff conducted a public meeting with 

representatives of Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation to discuss the status of the metal 

fatigue analyses related to an open item in the Wolf Creek Generating Station Safety Evaluation 

Report (SER) with open items, dated February 1, 2008. The licensee submitted the metal 

fatigue analyses in its License Renewal Application. The licensee’s response to the SER open 

items is scheduled to be submitted by May 15, 2008. 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE B 

 Office of New Reactors (NRO) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

Office of New Reactors’ Participation at American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler Code 

Meetings

The staff participated in several American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Section III 

and Qualification for Authorized Inspection (QAI) meetings at the sub-group, subcommittee and 

main committee levels during the week of April 21, 2008. Specifically, the staff participated in 

the following committee meetings: Subcommittee on Nuclear Accreditation, QAI Subcommittee 

on AIA Accreditation, QAI Standards Committee, and Section III Sub-group on General 

Requirements (SG-GR). In addition, the staff participated in task groups on NCA-4000 

Clarification (Section III), New Reactors, and Multinational Design Evaluation Program. 

Vendor Inspection at Namco Controls

Between April 21 and April 25, 2008, the staff conducted an inspection at the Namco Controls 

facilities located in Lancaster, South Carolina. The purpose of the inspection was to verify that 

Namco Controls had adequately implemented their quality assurance and reporting programs 

consistent with the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B and 10 CFR Part 21, 

respectively. The NRC inspection focused on quality activities affecting limit switches that 

Namco Controls supplies as safety-related items to US utilities. 

Meeting with TVA to Discuss Hydrology Review for the Bellefonte Combined License Application

On April 25, 2008, the staff held a Category I public meeting with the Tennessee Valley Authority 

(TVA) to discuss hydrology issues associated with the Bellefonte combined license application 

(COLA). The meeting focused on an April 17, 2008, paper that TVA developed to address 

issues that the staff had identified in its review of the probable maximum flood (PMF) analysis 

contained in the Bellefonte COLA. The review of the PMF analysis has been identified by the 

staff as being in the critical path for the Bellefonte COLA review. TVA described key points in 

the paper, provided a current status, and proposed actions going forward. 

UniStar Response to NRC Regulatory Issue Summary 2008-01

By letter dated May 1, 2008, UniStar Nuclear Energy (UNE) provided its response to NRC 

Regulatory Issue Summary 2008-01, Process for Scheduling Acceptance Reviews based on 

Notification of Applicant Submission Dates for Early Site Permits, Combined Licenses, and 

Design Certifications and Process for Determining Budget Needs for Fiscal Year 2010. In its 

letter, UNE indicated that Union Electric Company (AmerenUE) expects to submit a complete 

combined license application for the proposed Callaway Plant Unit 2 which is to be located in 

Callaway County, Missouri, on or before August 4, 2008. 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE C 

 Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

Geologic Site Visit to Yucca Mountain

On April 24, 2008, the NRC and Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses staff 

participated in a site visit to the Yucca Mountain area. Staff observed drill cores stored at the 

United States Department of Energy Sample Management Facility, and examined geologic 

characteristics of the Buckboard Mesa area on the Nevada Test Site. The visit was observed by 

representatives from Clark County, Nevada. 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE D 

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

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

MDS Nordion and Best Theratronics Vendor Visit

On April 29, 2008, the Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management 

Programs (FSME), conducted a vendor visit to MDS Nordion, and its successor, Best 

Theratronics, in Ottawa, Canada, as part of a series of visits to manufacturers of sealed sources 

and device products containing cesium chloride (CsCl). Both of these companies are United 

States NRC licensees who manufacture irradiators with large activity sources. This initiative is 

designed to determine the physical and chemical forms of CsCl that are currently used, the 

feasibility of using alternative forms of CsCl, and the use of alternative isotopes. The team was 

comprised of staff from FSME, the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, and a 

representative from the Agreement State, Massachusetts. 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE E 

 Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

Technical Exchange with Idaho National Laboratory on Methods for Very High Temperature 

Reactors (VHTR)

On April 21 through April 24, NRC staff attended a joint meeting at Idaho National Laboratory 

(INL) on Methods for VHTRs. The meeting covered the objectives and scope of Department of 

Energy funded VHTR Research and Development (R&D) activities in three major topical areas: 

thermal-fluids and accident analysis, fuel, and fission products transport. The emphasis of the 

meeting was on methods development, i.e., tools and data development for VHTR design and 

safety analysis with applications to the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). A similar 

meeting focusing on graphite and high temperature materials R&D is scheduled at INL the week 

of May 5, 2008. 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE G 

 Office of Administration (ADM) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

Limited Work Authorizations for Nuclear Power Plants; Correction (3150-AI05, 10 CFR Parts 2, 

50, 51, 52, and 100)

On April 28, 2008, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission published a correction (73 FR 22786) to 

a final rule (72 FR 57415, October 9, 2007) that amended the Commission’s regulations 

applicable to limited work authorizations. The document corrected erroneous language to the 

preamble and codified language of the final rule. The correction became effective April 28, 

2008, and is retroactively applicable to November 8, 2007. 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE H 

 Office of Information Services (OIS) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Requests Received During the Period of April 25, 

2008 through May 1, 2008: 

Memorandum from W. Parler, General Counsel, to the Commission 

regarding issues of the OI Mission & role of Investigations, dated 

May 25, 1988 FOIA/PA-2008-0198 

Correspondence from Senator Hillary Clinton and/or her staff to NRC 

since 2004 FOIA/PA-2008-0199 

Correspondence from Senator Barack Obama and/or his staff to NRC 

since 2004 FOIA/PA-2008-0200 

Correspondence from Senator John McCain and/or his staff to NRC 

since 2004 FOIA/PA-2008-0201 

Correspondence from former President Bill Clinton and/or his staff to 

NRC since 2004 FOIA/PA-2008-0202 

Senior Reactor Operator License, personal qualification statement, 

certificate of medical history, cancellation letter FOIA/PA-2008-0203 

Entergy Nuclear Operations, copies of SEC filings, internal structure 

financial information, etc. FOIA/PA-2008-0204 

Investigation of Interquest Northwest Inc., approximate date December 

2007 FOIA/PA-2008-0205 

NMED, lost, abandoned or stolen radioactive sources in metal scrap 

report in 2007; NMED, meltings of radioactive sources in United States 

steel mills between 1998 and 2007 FOIA/PA-2008-0206 

NUREG/CR-5496, “Evaluation of Loss of Offsite Power Events at 

Nuclear Power Plants: 1980 - 1996" FOIA/PA-2008-0207 

Foreign travel (to France) in support of mixed oxide fuel fabrication 

facility licensing efforts, 1999-2008, to include itinerary, 

reimbursements, etc. FOIA/PA-2008-0208 

Bio-Nucleonics and Bio-Nucleonics Pharma Inc., 1910 NE Miami Court, 

Miami, Dade County, Florida 33121, 2000 - 2008, compliance or 

investigations, inspection reports of any loss incidents or damages FOIA/PA-2008-0209 

Rep. Kenny Hulshof, MO, communications between Rep. Hulshof 

and/or his staff and NRC from January 1, 1997 to present FOIA/PA-2008-0210 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE J 

 Office of Human Resources (OHR) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

Retirements 

BOYLE, MICHAEL SENIOR OPERATIONS MANAGER NRR 

BURRELL, MICHAEL SR. ENFORCEMENT SPECIALIST OE 

COLLINS, DOUGLAS DIR, DIV OF FUEL FACILITY INSP RII 

GUO, JIN-SIEN REACTOR SYSTEMS ENGINEER NRR 

LINEHAN, JOHN DIR, INFORMATION & RECORDS 

SERVICES D 

OIS 

MCGUIRE, STEPHEN SENIOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE 

COORDINATOR 

NSIR 

TRIPP, PEGGY SECRETARY (OA) RII 

Departures

CALVO, JOSE SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER NRO 

GUERRERO, CRISTINA GENERAL SCIENTIST NRO 

TAVLARIDES, LAWRENCE CONSULTANT ACRS 

THROM, EDWARD SENIOR REACTOR SYSTEMS 

ENGINEER 

NRR 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE M 

 Office of Public Affairs (OPA) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

OPA Received Significant Media Inquiries on the Following:

United States low-level wastes imports/exports 

Vermont Yankee nuclear plant’s decommissioning fund plans including dry cask storage 

GE-Hitachi’s uranium laser enrichment facility in Wilmington, N.C. 

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board’s grant order for hearing in the Crow Butte in-situ leach 

facility’s expansion review, a uranium recovery facility in Wyoming 

The Federal District Court sentencing on the Davis-Besse vessel head corrosion issue. 

Other Public Affairs Items

OPA facilitated an interview with Energy Daily and OIP expanding on the subjects of the 

chairman’s International Nuclear Regulators Association letter to International Atomic Energy 

Agency. 

 

OPA regional staff assisted in numerous end-of-cycle meetings. 

Press Releases

Headquarters:

08-084 NRC Announces Opportunity to Participate in Hearing on New Reactor 

Application for Lee Site (4/28) 

08-085 International Nuclear Regulators Association Encourages Nuclear Safety 

Enhancements Worldwide (4/28) 

08-086 NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Meet May 8-10 in Rockville, 

Md. (4/28) 

08-087 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste and Materials to Meet May 20-22 In 

Rockville, Md. (4/29) 

08-088 NRC Seeks Public Comment on Fatigue Analysis of Nuclear Power Plant 

Components (5/1) 

Regions:

I-08-029 New NRC Resident Inspector Assigned to Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant (5/1) 

II-08-026 NRC Conducting Special Inspection at Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant (4/30) 

II-08-027 NRC Conducting Special Inspection at Oconee Nuclear Station (4/30) 

II-08-028 NRC to Discuss 2007 Performance of Robinson Nuclear Plant (5/1) 

III-08-017 NRC to Discuss 2007 Performance Assessment for Davis-Besse Nuclear Power 

Plant (5/2) 

IV-08-015 NRC to Discuss 2007 Performance Assessment for South Texas Project Nuclear 

Plant (4/28) 

IV-08-016 NRC to Hold Regulatory Conference with Nebraska Public Power District on 

Cooper Nuclear Station (4/28) 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE O 

 Office of the Secretary (SECY) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

Document Released 

to Public 

Date Subject 

Decision Documents

1. COMSECY-08-0011 3/25/08 Staff Proposal for the Establishment of a 

Committee for Nuclear Educational 

Programs Under the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act 

 SRM-COMSECY-08-0011 5/2/08 (same) 

Commission Voting 

Record on COMSECY08-0011 

5/2/08 (same) 

Information Papers

1. SECY-08-0060 4/29/08 Weekly Information Report – Week Ending 

April 18, 2008 

Memoranda

1. M080430B 4/30/08 SRM – Affirmation Session, 12:55 p.m., 

Wednesday, April 30, 2008, Commissioners’ 

Conference Room, One White Flint North, 

Rockville, Maryland (Open to Public 

Attendance) – SECY-08-0052 – Indian Point 

Nuclear Generating Units 2 and 3, License 

Renewal Docket Nos. 50-247-LR and 50-

286-LR; WestCAN, SECY-08-0054 – Pacific 

Gas and Electric Co. Diablo Canyon ISFSI, 

San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace’s Motion 

for Reconsideration of CLI-08-05 and San 

Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace’s Request 

for Admission of Late-Filed Contention 6 

Regarding Diablo Canyon Environmental 

Assessment 

M080407A 5/01/08 SRM – Briefing on Digital Instrumentation 

and Controls, 9:30 a.m., Monday, April 7, 

2008, Commissioners’ Conference Room, 

One White Flint North, Rockville, Maryland 

(Open to Public Attendance) 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE O 

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to David Paterson, Governor of New York, dated April 25, 2008, requests an 

appointment of a State Liaison Officer to act as the State of New York’s primary liaison to the 

NRC. 

2. Letter to Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education, dated April 25, 2008, provides NRC’s 

FY 2007 Annual Federal Performance Report on Executive Agency Actions to Assist Tribal 

Colleges and Universities. 

3. Letter to Jon Huntsman, Governor of Utah, dated April 25, 2008, responds to letter 

forwarding a letter from the Utah Radiation Control Board urging the NRC to deny a license 

to import approximately 20, 200 tons of radioactive waste from Italy. 

4. Letter to Senator Bernard Sanders, dated April 22, 2008, responds to questions raised 

concerning the 02/19-21/2008, workshop on NRC Plant Life Extension Research and 

Development co-sponsored by the NRC and the DOE. 

5. Letter to Congressman Jim Matheson, dated April 21, 2008, responds to letter requesting 

that the NRC study the broader policy implications associated with the 09/14/07 application 

from EnergySolutions, Inc., to import approximately 20,200 tons of radioactive waste from 

Italy. 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE P 

 Region II (RII) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

Reactor Oversight Process Annual Assessment Meeting

During the week of April 28 - May 2, 2008, the Regional Office held the Annual Assessment 

meeting for the Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the 

NRC Reactor Oversight Process at the site. 
May 2, 2008 ENCLOSURE P 

 Region IV (RIV) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending May 2, 2008 

End-of-Cycle Public Meeting with Entergy Operations, Inc.

On April 29, RIV staff conducted a public meeting in St. Francisville, Louisiana, with 

representatives of Entergy to discuss the calendar year 2007 end-of-cycle assessment results 

for River Bend Station. Members of the public and the local media attended. 
May 2, 2008 

 Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)  Items of Interest  Week Ending May 2, 2008 

CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS SCHEDULE, NO. 14 

OCA Contact Date & Place Time Committee Subject WitnKron 04/29/08 

2154 RHOB 

2:00 House Oversight and Government 

Reform Committee, Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia(Representatives Davis / Marchant) 

Recruiting and Retaining Federal Employees Through Better Benefits 

• TB

Kron 04/30/08 

216 HSOB 

3:00 Senate Special Aging Committee 

(Senators Kohl / Smith) 

Proposals for Making the Government a Model for Hiring and Retaining Elderly Workers 

• TB

Kron 05/08/08 

342 DSOB 

10:00 Senate Committee on Homeland 

Security and Government Affairs, Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia (Senators Akaka / Voinovich) 

Federal Hiring Practices • NR

• Ot

Shane/Dacus 05/15/08 

406 DSOB 

10:00 Senate Environment and Public 

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

New Reactors and License Renewal 

• NR• Ot

Powell Spring 08 

TBD 

TBD House Energy and Commerce 

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Representatives Stupak / Whitfield) 

Inattentive Guards at Peach Bottom and other Security Related Topics 

• TB