INFORMATION REPORT 

August 26, 2011 SECY-11-0119

For: The Commissioners 

From: Nader L. Mamish 

 Assistant for Operations 

 Office of the Executive Director for Operations 

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING AUGUST 5, 2011 

Contents Enclosure

Administration A 

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B 

New Reactors C 

Nuclear Reactor Regulation D 

Information Services E 

Public Affairs F 

Nuclear Regulatory Research G 

Secretary H 

 /RA/ 

Nader L. Mamish 

Assistant for Operations, OEDO 

Contact: 

R. Rihm, OEDO 
August 26, 2011 SECY-11-0119

For: The Commissioners 

From: Nader L. Mamish 

 Assistant for Operations 

 Office of the Executive Director for Operations 

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING AUGUST 5, 2011 

Contents Enclosure

Administration A 

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B 

New Reactors C 

Nuclear Reactor Regulation D 

Information Services E 

Public Affairs F 

Nuclear Regulatory Research G 

Secretary H 

 /RA/ 

Nader L. Mamish 

Assistant for Operations, OEDO 

Contact: 

R. Rihm, OEDO 

DISTRIBUTION: 

EDO R/F 

AO R/F 

ML11238A155

OFFICE OEDO AO/OEDO 

NAME RRihm NMamish 

DATE 08/26/11 08/26/11 

 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
August 5, 2011 ENCLOSURE A 

Office of Administration (ADM) 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending August 5, 2011 

Fracture of Dissimilar Metal Weldments: Modeling Analysis and Support

On July 25, 2011, as a result of a competitive General Services Administration Federal Supply 

Schedule solicitation, a blanket purchase agreement (NRC-HQ-11-A-04-0014) was awarded to 

Engineering Mechanics Corporation of Columbus in Columbus, Ohio. This contract will provide 

technical assistance to continue the development of analytical and computational tools in 

support of the Extremely Low Probability of Rupture Project. The period of performance is 

July 25, 2011, through July 24, 2014, with no option periods. The ceiling for the blanket 

purchase agreement is $1,292,721.00. 

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists; Petition for Rulemaking: 

Consideration in the Rulemaking Process, 10 CFR Part 26 (PRM-26-4, NRC-2010-0269)

On August 3, 2011, the NRC published a petition for rulemaking (76 FR 46651) in the Federal 

Register to consider the issues raised by Ms. Mary Riemersma, on behalf of the California 

Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (the petitioner) in a future rulemaking (Docket ID 

NRC-2011-0137). The petitioner asked the NRC to amend its regulations to add marriage and 

family therapists as substance abuse experts. 

Domestic Licensing of Source Material--Amendments/Integrated Safety Analysis; 

Extension of Public Comment Period and Public Meeting; Correction, 10 CFR Part 40, RIN3150-AI50 (NRC-2009-0079 and NRC-2011-0080)

On August 4, 2011, the NRC published a correction to a proposed rule (76 FR 47085) that 

appeared in the Federal Register on July 27, 2011 (76 FR 44865), that extended the public 

comment period and provided a date for a public meeting for the proposed rule. This action is 

necessary to correct the date of the public meeting in the DATES section, and to correct the 

Docket ID information for accessing publicly available documents related to the proposed rule 

and draft guidance document in the ADDRESSES section. 
August 5, 2011 ENCLOSURE B 

 Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending August 5, 2011 

Meeting with Transnuclear, Inc.

On August 3, 2011, Transnuclear Inc. met with NMSS staff to present proposed responses to 

staff’s Request for Supplemental Information, dated July 26, 2011, pertaining to the TN-LC 

package application. The TN-LC package is a new Type B(U)F-96 package design that can be 

used, in particular, for transport of high burnup fuel for post-irradiation examination and 

Transnuclear Inc. had requested an expedited review to support the U.S. Department of 

Energy’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative. 

Staff discussed proposed responses in the structural, materials, criticality, and shielding 

technical disciplines, and Transnuclear Inc. advised staff that a revised application will be 

submitted on or around August 17, 2011 (one week behind schedule). Staff indicated that, in 

view of the quality of this application and of the agreed upon responses, such application will 

likely be accepted for a detailed technical review. No regulatory decision was made at this 

meeting. 
August 5, 2011 ENCLOSURE C 

Office of New Reactors (NRO) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending August 5, 2011 

Revised Schedules Issued for Vogtle and Summer Combined License (COL) Applications

On August 2, 2011, the staff issued revised safety review schedules for Southern Nuclear 

Operating Company’s (SNC) COL application for the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) 

Units 3 and 4 and South Carolina Electric and Gas’s (SCE&G) COL application for the Virgil C. 

Summer Nuclear Station Units 2 and 3. The original projected completion date for the Vogtle 

final safety evaluation report (FSER) was June 2011. The new projected completion date for 

the Vogtle FSER is August 2011. The original projected completion date for the Summer FSER 

was June 2011. The new projected completion date for the Summer FSER is September 

2011. The NRC revised the safety review schedules to reflect the delay in the schedule for the 

FSER for the AP1000 design certification amendment. 

Final Safety Evaluation Report (FSER) Issued for AP1000

On August 5, 2011, the staff issued to Westinghouse Electric Company the FSER for the 

AP1000 Design Certification Amendment. This FSER documents the NRC staff review of the 

amendment application through Revision 19 of the Design Control Document (as submitted 

June 13, 2011). The FSER is publicly available in ADAMS at ML112061231. Also on August 5, 

2011, the staff issued a separate letter to Westinghouse with a projected schedule for the final 

rulemaking. The letter states that the staff projects that the final rule will be submitted to the 

Commission by October 5, 2011, and published in the Federal Register in January 2012. 

FSER for Vogtle Combined Licenses (COLs) Issued

On August 5, 2011, the staff issued the FSER for Southern Nuclear Operating Company's 

application for COLs and a limited work authorization (LWA) for the Vogtle Electric Generating 

Plant Units 3 and 4. The FSER reflects the NRC staff’s safety conclusions related to the 

potential construction and operation of the proposed reactors. The FSER and the Final 

Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (issued on March 24, 2011) will be provided to 

the Commission for the next phase of the licensing process, which is a mandatory hearing. 
August 5, 2011 ENCLOSURE D 

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending August 5, 2011 

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Nuclear Power Engineering Committee 

(NPEC) Meeting

From July 25-27, 2011, staff attended the IEEE NPEC meeting in Dana Point, California. The 

objective of the meeting was to work on an update to several IEEE standards. The staff is 

assigned to Sub-Committee 3 (Operations, Maintenance, Aging, Testing and Reliability) and 

Sub-Committee 4 (Auxiliary Power) working with IEEE standards 336, 338, 308, 741 and 765. 

In addition, during the IEEE Standard 741, (Sub-Committee 4) meeting, the staff also addressed 

and clarified the concerns and questions raised during the NRC’s public workshop conducted on 

June 28-29, 2011, regarding the regulatory requirements and guidance provided in the 

proposed Regulatory Issue Summary for nuclear power plant electric power system degraded 

voltage protection schemes. 

Staff Issues Seabrook Station License Renewal Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement (SEIS) for Public Comment

On August 1, 2011, the staff issued for public comment the draft of NUREG-1437, Generic 

Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 46, 

Regarding Seabrook Station, Unit 1. This draft supplemental environmental impact statement 

(SEIS) includes the staff’s preliminary analysis that considers and weighs the environmental 

effects of the proposed action, the environmental impacts of alternatives to the proposed action, 

and mitigative measures available for reducing or avoiding adverse impacts. It also includes the 

staff’s preliminary recommendation that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal 

for Seabrook Station, Unit 1, are not great enough to deny the option of license renewal for 

energy-planning decision-makers. The public comment period ends on October 26, 2011. The 

staff has scheduled public meetings near the plant on September 15, 2011, to present its 

analyses and to solicit public comments on the document. 

Westinghouse In-Vessel Fuel Head Loss Test

On August 3, 2011, as part of Generic Safety Issue (GSI)-191 review, the staff witnessed an 

in-vessel fuel head loss test. The test was the second half of the cross-test that staff requested 

several months ago but industry did not perform. The test was a Westinghouse fuel assembly 

test in the AREVA test rig. 
August 5, 2011 ENCLOSURE E 

Office of Information Services (OIS) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending August 5, 2011 

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

of July 29, 2011, through August 4, 2011: 

TAMKO/EPOCH facilities in Missouri, general licenses for devices used to 

measure thickness 

FOIA/PA-2011-0313 

NIACS codes 541613, 541810, etc., names and dollar amounts of past 

vendors; publication “Forecast of Contracting Opportunities;” women’s 

business advocate 

FOIA/PA-2011-0312 

NRC1007414, contract and all modifications FOIA/PA-2011-0311 

Studies used to support conclusions referenced in “Recommendations for 

Enhancing Reactor Safety in the 21st Century - The Near-Term Task 

Force Review of Insights from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Accident, July 12, 

2011,” page 50, Section 4.3, paragraph 3 

FOIA/PA-2011-0310 

Any documents, records, reports, and situation reports relating to any and 

all actions taken by Chairman Jaczko while using “emergency powers” 

following the earthquake in Japan including emails, faxes, or 

correspondence 

FOIA/PA-2011-0309 

Nuclear Material Events Database event reports for well logging sources 

abandoned downhole in state of Kentucky 

FOIA/PA-2011-0308 

Office of New Reactors (NRO) Office Instruction NRO-REG-114, 

“Rulemaking Procedures,” Revision 0 

FOIA/PA-2011-0307 

All licensees who hold a Radioactive Materials License including name, 

address, phone, Radiation Safety Officer and/or contact person for each 

licensee in Excel format 

FOIA/PA-2011-0306 

.
August 5, 2011 ENCLOSURE F 

 Office of Public Affairs (OPA) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending August 5, 2011 

OPA Received Significant Media Inquiries on the Following:

Termination of the Licensing Support Network and the ultimate closing of the Las Vegas hearing 

facility. 

Senate oversight hearing on the Commission’s actions following the NRC Japan Task Force’s 

recommendations. 

Updates of the seismic hazard information found in the NRC’s seismic generic issue (GI-199). 

Other Public Affairs Items:

OPA coordinated press coverage following the Senate Hearing. 

OPA did a recorded interview and answered media questions on a fish found in the Connecticut 

River downstream of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant (Vermont) identified with very low levels 

of strontium-90. 

Press Releases Issued

Headquarters:

11-144 **CORRECTED** Licensing Board to Conduct Hearing August 17 in Austin, 

Texas, on South Texas Project New Nuclear Reactor Application (8/4) 

11-145 NRC Seeks Public Input on Draft Environmental Report for Seabrook Nuclear 

Plant License Renewal, Meeting September 15 (8/2) 

11-143 NRC to Hold Public Workshop in Houston August 11-12 on Medical Event 

Definition and Other Rule Changes (8/2) 

Regions:

III-11-028 NRC Schedules Public Meeting August 11 to Discuss Perry Nuclear Power Plant 

Performance and NRC Oversight (8/4)

II-11-043 NRC Schedules Meeting to Discuss Restart of NFS Process Line (8/4)

IV-11-037 NRC Names New Resident Inspector at Columbia Generating Station (8/2)
August 5, 2011 ENCLOSURE G 

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending August 5, 2011 

Publication of Revision 1 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.156, “Qualification of Connection 

Assemblies for Nuclear Power Plants” 

On August 3, 2011, the RES staff published Revision 1 of RG 1.156, “Qualification of 

Connection Assemblies for Nuclear Power Plants.” Revision 1 of RG 1.156 endorses the use of 

the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standard 572-2006, “Qualification of 

Class 1E Connection Assemblies for Nuclear Power Generating Stations.” In conjunction with 

RG 1.89, “Environmental Qualification of Certain Electric Equipment Important to Safety for 

Nuclear Power Plants,” RG 1.156 provides an acceptable method of demonstrating compliance 

with current NRC regulations on the environmental qualification of connectors, terminations, and 

environmental seals for cable and wire assemblies for service in nuclear power plants. RG 

1.156 is available on the NRC website at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/regguides/power-reactors/rg/. 

 

International Forum for Reactor Aging Management (IFRAM) Meeting

On August 4-5, 2011, RES staff participated in the Kickoff Meeting for the International Forum 

for Reactor Aging Management (IFRAM) at Colorado Springs, Colorado. IFRAM is intended to 

foster collaborative research projects and knowledge transfer among parties interested in long 

term reactor operations. Also participating in the meeting are representatives from domestic 

and international organizations including the International Atomic Energy Agency, U.S. 

Department of Energy, Electric Power Research Institute, Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency 

(Japan), Nuclear Plant Life Prediction Programs, and the Materials Ageing Institute. 
August 5, 2011 ENCLOSURE H

 Office of the Secretary (SECY) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending August 5, 2011 

Document Released 

to Public 

Date Subject

Information Papers

1. SECY-11-0104 08/02/2011 Weekly Information Report – Week Ending 

July 22, 2011 

Memoranda

1. M110719 08/01/2011 Staff Requirements-Briefing on the Task 

Force Review of NRC Processes and 

Regulations Following the Events in Japan 

2. M110728B 08/03/11 Staff Requirements-Briefing on Severe 

Accidents and Options for Proceeding with 

Level 3 Probabilistic Risk Assessment 

Activities 

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein, dated July 29, 2011, responds to letter urging the 

NRC to initiate a rulemaking process to require a more rapid shift of spent nuclear fuel to 

dry cask storage. 

2. Letter to Congressman Darrell Issa, dated July 29, 2011, responds to letter concerning 

information related to the submittal of the Recommendations for Enhancing Reactor 

Safety in the 21st Century (Task Force Report). 

3. Letter to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, dated July 27, 2011, responds to letter regarding the 

planned strike by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 97 at Nine Mile 

Point Nuclear Station. 

4. Letter to Congress, dated July 27, 2011, responds to letter from the Blue Dog Coalition 

and the Task Force on Oversight and Regulatory Review regarding Executive Order 

13563.