UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

REGION III 

2443 WARRENVILLE RD. SUITE 210 

LISLE, IL 60532-4352 

August 21, 2014 

Ms. Angela Leek, 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. Leek: 

A periodic meeting with your program was held on August 7, 2014. 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 Pat Louden 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 you 

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 
 

Enclosure 

AGREEMENT STATE PERIODIC MEETING SUMMARY FOR THE IOWA 

BUREAU OF RADIOLOGICAL HEALTH 

DATE OF MEETING: AUGUST 7, 2014 

DISCUSSION: 

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

Prevention, Emergency Response, and 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 approximately 166 specific licenses. 

The previous IMPEP review was conducted in August 2012. The review team found Iowa’s 

performance to be satisfactory for all performance indicators reviewed. No recommendations 

were made by the review team. 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 the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s 

(NRC) program. 

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 are able to perform a commendable amount 

of work that is comparable to an Agreement State with four or five program staff 

members. The Bureau has excellent communications between staff members and has 

streamlined many processes without sacrificing the quality of regulatory products or the 

emphasis on health, safety and security. The staff is very knowledgeable of the status of 

the program. Bureau staff has a good understanding of new regulatory initiatives. 

The Bureau has good managerial and financial support. 

Program Weaknesses: The Program’s small size means that the loss of a single person 

can have significant negative effects. The Bureau’s radioactive materials database is in 

need of improvement. The NRC representatives discussed the possibility of Iowa using 

the new NRC web based licensing program. One particular advantage of the system is 

that all IT functions are performed by an NRC contractor and thus would spare the State 

that responsibility. 

 

NRC Attendees Iowa Attendees

Jim Lynch, RSAO Ken Sharp, Division Director 

Pat Louden, Division Director Angela Leek, Bureau Chief 

 Randy Dahlin, Health Physicist 

Leo Wardrobe, Health Physicist 
 

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Feedback on NRC’s Program: 

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 2012 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 were hoping to add a third health physicist position in the near future. 

Recently, the Bureau lost its administrative support staff member. The Division Director 

said that rather than filling that position, a technical staff member may be hired. This 

decision would push some administrative duties to the technical staff, but reduces the 

staffing vulnerability of the program. 

The NRC’s training process in Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 1248 was discussed 

with Bureau representatives. Since the IMPEP process looks for Agreement State 

programs to be compatible with IMC 1248, the Bureau should be aware of the procedure 

and should ensure that Iowa’s training program has the necessary elements. 

Program Reorganizations: 

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

review and none are expected. Angela Leek was promoted to the Bureau Chief position. 

Changes in Program Budget/Funding: 

The Bureau has a solid source of funding through a dedicated fee fund. Fees collected 

are significantly less than NRC fees. 

Materials Inspection Program: 

The Bureau reported that they have not performed any inspections overdue and had no 

overdue inspections at the time of the meeting. The Bureau typically performs between 

50 and 70 inspections per year. 

Based on inspection experience, the Bureau is exploring a goal of having no inspection 

frequencies longer than three years. More interaction with licensees is viewed as 

positive reinforcement of license requirements. 

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. They do not define “candidate” licensees as NRC uses in IMC 1220. If an 

industrial radiography licensee enters Iowa under reciprocity, the program will attempt to 

perform an inspection, if staff is available. The NRC staff cautioned the Bureau on how 
 

3 

reciprocity inspections are looked at during IMPEP reviews, as defined in IMC 1220. 

Iowa’s more restrictive schedule will likely meet the IMC 1220 standard, but the Bureau 

should make sure that is the case. 

The Bureau issued an Information Notice to Iowa portable gauge licensees when they 

noticed an uptick in the number of portable gauge incidents being reported across the 

country. 

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 State’s Chapter 37 rule, which is equivalent to NRC’s Title 10 of the 

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 37, was adopted on July 16, 2014. The 

Bureau has chosen to wait until the March 2016 deadline for Agreement State 

implementation to enforce the new requirements beyond the current Increased 

Controls requirements. 

 

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

The Bureau reported seven events to NMED since the 2012 IMPEP review. All of the 

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

updated, within NMED.

Response to Incidents and Allegations: 

The Bureau continues to be sensitive to notifications of incidents and allegations. 

Incidents are quickly reviewed for their effect on public health and safety. The Staff is 

dispatched to perform onsite investigations when necessary. The Bureau Chief has 

placed a high emphasis on maintaining an effective response to incidents and 

allegations. 

Status of Allegations and Concerns Referred by the NRC for Action: 

The NRC referred one allegation to Iowa since the last IMPEP review. The allegation 

involved radioactive material security at a nuclear pharmacy. Another allegation 

regarding dosimetry for gauge licensee employees was received by the Bureau, as 

well. The Bureau investigated the concerns appropriately and in a timely fashion. 

Significant Events and Generic Implications: 

The Bureau did not identify any significant events or generic issues since the 2012 

IMPEP review. 

 
 

4 

State’s Mechanisms to Evaluate Performance: 

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

products. Inspection and licensing reports are reviewed to ensure that timeliness and 

quality are maintained. Inspectors are accompanied at least annually by the Bureau 

Chief. 

Current NRC Initiatives: 

NRC staff discussed ongoing initiatives with the Bureau. These included the 

FSME/NMSS reorganization, web based licensing, and future training webinars planned 

by the NRC. 

The NRC representatives discussed planned technical webinars which will be broadcast 

to Agreement States in the future. A webinar on medical event detection is planned to 

be offered in September 2014. The Bureau representatives requested that copies of 

PowerPoint slides be made available to Agreement States prior to the webinar. 

The Bureau Chief expressed appreciation for the State Liaison briefing conducted by 

Region III in March 2014. The briefing provided her with a lot of relevant information and 

included valuable face-to-face meetings with Regional, HQ and resident inspection staff. 

CONCLUSIONS: 

The Iowa Agreement State Program remains a strong, stable program with good management 

support. The technical staffing level for the Program is adequate but vulnerable, as the loss of 

one individual (of two total) would have serious ramifications. Department managers are aware 

of this issue and intend to resolve the situation. 

Schedule for the Next IMPEP Review: 

The NRC staff recommends that the next IMPEP review to be held, as currently 

scheduled, in late 2017.
 

Ms. Angela Leek, 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. Leek: 

A periodic meeting with your program was held on August 7, 2014. 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 Pat Louden 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 you 

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 

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