No. I-08-005 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 

February 12, 2008

NRC ISSUES “WHITE” FINDING TO PEACH BOTTOM NUCLEAR PLANT FOR 

SECURITY OFFICER INATTENTIVENESS AND RELATED ISSUE 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will further increase its level of oversight at the 

Peach Bottom nuclear power plant after finalizing a “white” inspection finding for instances of 

inattentiveness on the part of multiple security officers as well as an ineffective behavioral 

observation program at the facility. Exelon owns and operates the plant, which is located in Delta 

(York County), Pa. 

Under the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, inspection findings are classified by color 

based on their safety significance. The colors range from “green,” for a very low safety issue, to 

“red,” for a high safety issue. A “white” finding represents an issue of low to moderate safety 

significance. 

“By virtue of this action, the NRC has completed its determination of the significance of 

the finding,” NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins said. “However, that does not mean 

we are done with our reviews of the plant’s security program. Indeed, this ‘white’ finding means 

we will continue to engage Exelon on its work toward addressing any security program 

deficiencies in a timely and comprehensive manner.” 

In September 2007, the NRC was made aware of video recordings of Peach Bottom 

security officers who appeared to be inattentive while on duty. In response, the NRC dispatched 

a team of five inspectors to the plant to review the matter. The Augmented Inspection Team 

(AIT) review was concluded on Sept. 28. 

The NRC reported at an Oct. 9th public meeting that the inspectors had confirmed there 

had been multiple security officers who were inattentive on multiple occasions in a “ready 

room,” a room where officers not on patrol or on watch are allowed to read, study, eat or relax 

but must remain ready to respond. In addition, the inspectors found that Exelon and Wackenhut, 

which was then the plant’s contract security provider but has since been replaced by an in-house 

security force, missed opportunities to identify such behavior via the behavioral observation 

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program. Nevertheless, the inspectors concluded that because of overlapping security measures, 

security at the plant was not significantly degraded, and that Exelon had taken prompt action to 

address inattentiveness issues once they were brought to light. 

 

A follow-up NRC team inspection was performed the week of Nov. 5 to assess Exelon’s 

root cause analysis of the inattentiveness issues and determine if the company’s corrective 

actions were sufficient to prevent a recurrence. During a public meeting on Dec. 3, the team 

reported that it had identified a potentially “greater than green” inspection finding involving the 

inattentiveness by plant security officers, which reflected shortcomings in the facility’s behavior 

observation program. At the Dec. 3rd meeting, the NRC staff stated that the final significance 

determination for the finding would come at a later date. 

 

The NRC offered Exelon the opportunity to take part in a Regulatory Conference, at 

which additional details on an issue can be brought forward, or to respond in writing to the 

proposed action. In a Jan. 7 communication, the company informed the NRC it would not contest 

the characterization of the inspection finding. 

 With the issuance of the letter today, the NRC staff has finalized its significance 

determination for the finding by characterizing it as “white.” This finding will result in 

additional NRC oversight activities at the site, above and beyond extra NRC inspections already 

being devoted to Peach Bottom in response to the issues involving the security program. These 

activities will include a supplemental team inspection. On Nov. 28, the agency’s Executive 

Director for Operations, Luis Reyes, approved additional NRC oversight to assess Peach Bottom 

security performance. 

Exelon has implemented a number of corrective actions to address the Peach Bottom 

security program concerns. These actions have been reviewed by the NRC and found to be 

reasonable. The NRC will conduct follow-up inspections to verify the effectiveness of these 

actions. 

NRC reviews regarding the plant’s security program are continuing. Enforcement may be 

taken when those reviews are completed. 

The company will have 30 days to appeal the “white” inspection finding. 

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