INFORMATION REPORT 

March 21, 2012 SECY-12-0041

For: The Commissioners 

From: Nader L. Mamish 

 Assistant for Operations 

 Office of the Executive Director for Operations 

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MARCH 16, 2012 

Contents Enclosure

Administration A 

Human Resources B 

Information Services C 

Nuclear Materials and Safeguards D 

Nuclear Reactor Regulation E 

Nuclear Regulatory Research F 

Public Affairs G 

Secretary H 

 /RA/ 

Nader L. Mamish 

Assistant for Operations, OEDO 

Contact: 

L. Rakovan, OEDO 
March 21, 2012 SECY-12-0041

For: The Commissioners 

From: Nader L. Mamish 

 Assistant for Operations 

 Office of the Executive Director for Operations 

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MARCH 16, 2012 

Contents Enclosure

Administration A 

Human Resources B 

Information Services C 

Nuclear Materials and Safeguards D 

Nuclear Reactor Regulation E 

Nuclear Regulatory Research F 

Public Affairs G 

Secretary H 

 /RA/ 

Nader L. Mamish 

Assistant for Operations, OEDO 

Contact: 

L. Rakovan, OEDO 

DISTRIBUTION: 

EDO R/F 

AO R/F 

ADAMS ML12080A156

OFFICE OEDO AO/OEDO 

NAME LRakovan NMamish 

DATE 03/21/12 03/21/12 

 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY 
March 16, 2012 ENCLOSURE A 

Office of Administration (ADM) 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending March 16, 2012 

Technical Support for Molybdenum-99

On February 29, 2012, as a result of a competitive GSA Schedule solicitation, NRC awarded 

two labor hour Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) for technical support for the review of 

construction and operating licenses for two Molybdenum-99 production facilities, and up to eight 

operating reactor license renewals. The BPAs were awarded to Ecology and Environment, Inc. 

(E&E) of Arlington, VA, and Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc. of Albuquerque, NM. The 

period of performance for both BPAs is February 29, 2012, to August 21, 2012, with three 1-

year option periods. The total value for the E&E BPA is $3,124,914, inclusive of all options, and 

the total value for the Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc. BPA is $3,776,185, inclusive of all 

options. 

Revision of Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for Fiscal Year 2012, Proposed Rule; 10 CFR Parts 

170 and 171 (RIN 3150-AJ03; NRC-2011-0207)

On March 15, 2012, the NRC published in the Federal Register (77 FR 15530) a proposed rule 

to amend the licensing, inspection, and annual fees charged to its applicants and licensees. 

The proposed amendments are necessary to implement the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act 

of 1990 (OBRA-90), as amended, which requires the NRC to recover through fees 

approximately 90 percent of its budget authority in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, not including 

amounts appropriated for Waste Incidental to Reprocessing (WIR), and amounts appropriated 

for generic homeland security activities. President Obama signed the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act of 2012 on December 23, 2011, giving the NRC a total appropriation of 

$1,038,100 for FY 2012. The FY 2012 proposed fee rule, based on the FY 2012 appropriation, 

would require the NRC to recover fees of approximately $909,500,000 from licensees. After 

accounting for billing adjustments, the total amount to be billed as fees is approximately 

$901,000,000. Comments on the proposed rule are due by April 16, 2012.
March 16, 2012 ENCLOSURE B 

Office of Human Resources (HR) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending March 16, 2012 

Arrivals 

John Szabo SENIOR ATTORNEY OGC 

Retirements 

None 

Departures 

None 
March 16, 2012 ENCLOSURE C 

Office of Information Services (OIS) 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending March 16, 2012 

Meeting with Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate

On March 12, 2012, staff from the Information and Records Services Division, the Office of 

International Programs, and the Office of the General Counsel met with a representative of the 

Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss 

NRC’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program and other ways by which NRC makes 

information available to the public. NRC staff explained the openness and transparency policies 

of the Obama Administration and NRC’s robust proactive program for releasing information to 

the public. The NRC’s Public Document Room and the publicly available Agencywide 

Documents Access and Management System were also discussed. The ENSI representative 

provided an overview of the Swiss equivalent of the FOIA. 

Controlled Unclassified Information

On March 13, 2012, staff from the Information and Records Services Division attended a 

working group meeting at the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Office, National 

Archives and Records Administration. The purpose of the meeting was to begin development of 

the safeguarding policy for CUI. There will be at least two more working group meetings to 

discuss and develop safeguards policy. 

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

of March 9, 2012 through March 15, 2012: 

 

Material Licensing Tracking System (MLTS) Database, active and retired 

facilities FOIA/PA-2012-0167 

Requested records be made publically available FOIA/PA-2012-0168 

Solo Cup Company in Ada, OK, License termination and disposition 

record FOIA/PA-2012-0169 

Five worst case scenarios of Fukushima crisis as referenced on page 14 

of ML12052A111, Referral from EPA FOIA/PA-2012-0170 

OI 4-2010-049 and OI 4-2011-017, Investigation records and transcripts FOIA/PA-2012-0171 

FOIA Requests Completed:

2012-0104 

2012-0137 

2012-0149 
March 16, 2012 ENCLOSURE D 

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending March 16, 2012 

NRC Staff Present at the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) Meeting

On March 7, 2012, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff participated in the NWTRB 

meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Focus on Geologic Disposal of Nuclear Waste. 

Presentations at the meeting focused on the geologic disposal of high-level waste including 

deep-borehole disposal. NRC staff made a presentation with respect to lessons learned during 

the preparation of the Technical Evaluation Reports for Yucca Mountain. 

Meeting with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Discuss How the Blue Ribbon 

Commission (BRC) Report May Affect Geological Disposal

On March 13, 2012, NRC staff met with visiting EPA staff representatives to discuss how the 

BRC on America’s Nuclear Future final report might affect each agency’s work on geologic 

disposal. Discussions focused on (1) potential implications on coordination and collaboration 

between EPA and NRC, (2) potential processes to develop standards and regulations, and (3) 

EPA concerns on how a revised standard (40 CFR 191) for disposal could impact the Waste 

Isolation Pilot Plant. EPA is beginning to inform senior management on the BRC report. EPA 

noted movement forward would be controlled by budgetary constraints and the release of the 

Department of Energy’s response to the BRC report (due in July). 

Meeting with EPA to Discuss Upcoming Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for 

40 CFR 190

On March 13, 2012, NRC staff met with visiting EPA staff representatives seeking NRC staff’s 

informal input on potential revisions to 40 CFR Part 190. Discussions concerned the potential 

content of a forthcoming ANPR that EPA will soon submit to the Office of Management and 

Budget. The six key points of the ANPR are located on slide 10 of the EPA’s Regulatory 

Information Conference slides at: 

https://ric.nrc-gateway.gov/docs/abstracts/littletonb-hv-th33.pdf. 
March 16, 2012 ENCLOSURE E 

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending March 16, 2012 

National Fire Protection Association 805 Audit of Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station

During the week of March 5, 2012, NRC staff and contractors performed a regulatory audit of 

the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station’s application to transition their fire protection program to 

Nation Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 805. The NRC audit team reviewed NFPA 805 

transition documents, conducted interviews; participated in breakout meetings with licensee 

staff and contractors, and toured the plant to further their understanding of Fort Calhoun’s Fire 

Protection Program. The audit report will be published in the upcoming weeks. 

Public Meetings Related to the License Renewal Process for Callaway Plant, Unit 1

On March 14, 2012, the staff conducted two public meetings in Fulton, MO, to discuss the 

license renewal review process and to solicit public comments concerning the scope of the 

environmental review for the Callaway Plant, Unit 1, license renewal application. Approximately 

50 people attended the meetings, including the applicant, local residents, government officials, 

citizen organizations, and news media. Public comments included concerns regarding the safety 

of nuclear power, desire for a longer period of time to submit comments, and support for license 

renewal. Public comments on the scope of the environmental review are due by April 24, 2012. 
March 16, 2012 ENCLOSURE F 

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) 

Items of Interest 

Week Ending March 16, 2012 

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Publication of Regulatory Guide 7.4, “Leakage Tests on 

Packages for Shipment of Radioactive Materials”

On March 9, 2012 the staff published Revision 1 of Regulatory Guide 7.4, “Leakage Tests on 

Packages for Shipment of Radioactive Materials.” The regulatory guide was revised to endorse 

and incorporate revisions to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard N14.5, 

“Radioactive Materials - Leakage Tests on Packages for Shipment” as well as to address 

revisions to 10 CFR 71.51, “Additional Requirements for Type B Packages” that were 

implemented since the guide was originally issued in June 1975. The revised regulatory guide 

was announced on page 14445 of the Federal Register on March 9, 2012 and is available at 

http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1125/ML112520023.pdf. 
March 16, 2012 ENCLOSURE G 

Office of Public Affairs (OPA) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending March 16, 2012 

OPA Received Significant Media Inquiries on the Following: 

The ongoing San Onofre nuclear generating station (CA) Unit 3 steam generator tube testing 

and the seven tubes that failed.

The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant (VT) downpower due to reduction in condenser vacuum. 

The Congressional hearing and the status of the Commission’s actions on Fukushima; and the 

NRC’s response to Representative Darrell Issa’s letter. 

The letter to the state of Colorado over failure to provide the public an opportunity for a hearing 

in the Pinon Ridge uranium mill (CO) licensing review. 

A supplement to the final Environmental Impact Statement for Indian Point nuclear plant (NY) 

license renewal application. 

The red findings and the contributing factors that lead to Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating 

Station (NE) shutdown and NRC’s increased oversight. 

The environmental petition with the NRC about the lack of a hardened vent system at the 

FitzPatrick nuclear plant (NY). 

Other Public Affairs Items: 

OPA supported the following media interviews and events: 

- OPA provided an on camera interview for Korea Broadcasting System about new 

reactors, lessons learned from Fukushima, and State-of-the-Art Reactor Consequence 

Analyses. 

- OPA facilitated interviews between the Office of Federal and State Materials and 

Environmental Management Programs staffers and NY Times about security of large 

radiation sources in hospitals. A headquarters OPA officer did a taped interview with 

CBS Radio regarding NRC’s radioactive material security requirements. 

- OPA Region 3 interviewed with Michigan Public Radio about the March 21 annual 

assessment meeting and how it would differ from the last on February 29, 2012. 

OPA issued 3 blog posts: 

- Steam Generator Tube Failures — Understanding the Situation. 

- NRC Gives Even Sensitive Matters a Full Legal (If Not Public) Hearing. 

- NRC issues annual assessment letters “grading” the nation’s nuclear plants. 
March 16, 2012 ENCLOSURE G 

OPA posted YouTube videos: 

- NRC Regional Administrators Discuss Regional Issues at RIC 2012

- NRC Discuss Current Issues with Industry at RIC 2012

- NRC Commissioner Ostendorff Speaks at RIC 2012

- NRC Commissioner Magwood speaks at RIC 2012

- RIC 2012 NRC Commissioner Plenary with Dr. George Apostolakis

- NRC RIC 2012 Plenary Session with Commissioner Kristine L. Svinicki

- RIC 2012 Opening Session: NRC Chairman Jaczko Keynote Remarks

Press Releases Issued

Headquarters:

12-027 NRC Amends Regulations on Security of Radioactive Materials (3/16/2012) 

12-026 NRC Seeks Public Input to FY 2012 Proposed Fee Rule (3/16/2012) 

12-025 NRC to Prepare Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Indian Point 

Nuclear Plant License Renewal Application (3/15/2012) 

12-024 NRC Publishes Regulatory Issue Summary on Reintegration of Security Into 

Reactor Oversight Process Assessments (3/15/2012) 

Regions:

I-12-007 NRC to Hold Open House on March 22 in Scriba, N.Y., to Discuss Annual 

Assessment of Nine Mile Point, FitzPatrick Nuclear Plants (3/16/2012) 

I-12-006 NRC to Hold Open House on March 20 in Ontario, N.Y., to Discuss Annual 

Assessment of Ginna Nuclear Power Plant (3/15/2012) 

III-12-009 NRC Schedules Open House and Public Meeting for March 21 to Discuss 

Palisades Nuclear Power Plant Performance in 2011 (3/15/2012) 

IV-12-008 NRC to Send Augmented Inspection Team to San Onofre Nuclear Generating 

Station (3/15/2012) 
March 16, 2012 ENCLOSURE H 

Office of the Secretary (SECY) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending March 16, 2012 

Document Released 

to Public

Date Subject 

Information Papers 

1. SECY-12-0031 2/24/12 Enforcement Alternatives for Sites that 

Indicate Additional Time Required to Submit 

Their License Amendment Requests to 

Transition to 10 CFR 50.48(C) National Fire 

Protection Association Standard 805 

2. SECY-12-0038 3/15/12 Weekly Information Report - Week ending 

March 9, 2012 

Commission Correspondence 

1. Letter to Honorable Mark Kirk et al., dated March 5, 2012, responds to concerns 

regarding the retention of the intellectual expertise and the preservation of all the 

scientific information and records produced during the consideration of Yucca Mountain 

as a geological waste repository. 

2. Letter to Representative Edward J. Markey, dated March 5, 2012, responds to letter 

regarding safety concerns with Westinghouse AP1000 Nuclear Reactor Design. 

Federal Register Notices Issued 

 

1. License Amendment Request from Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC, Hematite 

Decommissioning Project, Hematite, Missouri [Docket No.: 70-0036; NRC-2012-0054]. 

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

Planning and Procedures, notice of meeting (04/11/2012). 

3. ACRS, notice of the 593rd meeting, notice of meeting (04/12-14/2012).