UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001

OFFICE OF THE

INSPECTOR GENERAL

December 2, 2015

MEMORANDUM TO: Victor M. McCree

Executive Director for Operations

FROM: Stephen D. Dingbaum /RA/

Assistant Inspector General for Audits

SUBJECT: STATUS OF RECOMMENDATIONS: AUDIT OF NRC’S 

OVERSIGHT OF SPENT FUEL POOLS (OIG-15-A-06)

REFERENCE: DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR 

REGULATION, MEMORANDUM DATED OCTOBER 30, 

2015

Attached is the Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) analysis and status of 

recommendations 1, 2, 3, and 4 as discussed in the agency’s response dated October 

30, 2015. Based on this response, recommendations 1, 2, 3, and 4 are resolved. 

Please provide an updated status of the resolved recommendations by March 30, 2016. 

If you have questions or concerns, please call me at 415-5915, or Sherri Miotla, Team 

Leader, at 415-5914.

Attachment: As stated

cc: W. Dean, NRR

F. Brown, OEDO

B. Pham, OEDO

J. Arildsen, OEDO

J. Jolicoeur, OEDO

M.Johnson, OEDO

EDO_ACS Distribution Resource
Audit Report

AUDIT OF NRC’S OVERSIGHT OF SPENT FUEL POOLS

OIG-15-A-06

Status of Recommendations

Recommendation 1: Provide a generic regulatory solution for spent fuel pool 

criticality analysis by developing and issuing detailed licensee 

guidance along with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

(NRC) internal procedures.

Agency Response Dated

October 30, 2015: The staff is currently reviewing Revision 1 of the Nuclear 

Energy Institute’s report, NEI 12-16, “Guidance for Performing 

Criticality Analyses of Fuel Storage at Light Water Reactor 

Power Plants,” (Agencywide Documents Access and 

Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. 

ML14112A516), which will form the basis of the regulatory 

guide. The NRC staff has submitted requests for additional 

information to the Nuclear Energy Institute and will continue 

the review once it receives responses.

CONTACT: Amrit Patel, NRR/DSS

(301) 415-5893

OIG Analysis: The actions proposed by the agency meet the intent of the 

recommendation. This recommendation will be closed upon 

NRR’s issuance of the regulatory guide and revisions to 

NUREG-0800.

Status: Resolved.
Audit Report

AUDIT OF NRC’S OVERSIGHT OF SPENT FUEL POOLS

OIG-15-A-06

Status of Recommendations

Recommendation 2: Develop and implement spent fuel pool inspection guidance at 

operating reactors.

Agency Response Dated

October 30, 2015: On September 4, 2015, the staff issued for regional comment 

draft Inspection Procedure (IP) 60715, “Spent Fuel Safety at 

Operating Reactors,” (ADAMS Accession No. ML15247A049). 

This inspection procedure will enhance spent fuel pool 

oversight by supplementing, when necessary, current 

inspection guidance in IP-71111.20, “Refueling and Other 

Outage Activities.” The regional comments have been 

received and incorporated. Staff anticipates issuing the 

inspection procedure in its final form by the end of October 

2015.

CONTACT: Juan Peralta, NRR/DIRS

(301) 415-2858

OIG Analysis: The actions proposed by the agency meet the intent of the 

recommendation. This recommendation will be closed upon 

NRR’s issuance of updated inspection procedures addressing 

spent fuel pools. 

Status: Resolved.
Audit Report

AUDIT OF NRC’S OVERSIGHT OF SPENT FUEL POOLS

OIG-15-A-06

Status of Recommendations

Recommendation 3: Develop an enforceable neutron-absorbing material aging 

management program.

Agency Response Dated

October 30, 2015: The staff has completed most of the internal NRC review and 

approval processes for the generic letter requesting 

information on monitoring of neutron-absorbing materials in 

spent fuel pools. The staff is currently following the Office of

Management and Budget’s (OMB’s) routine process for new 

information collections in order to obtain an OMB clearance 

number. The staff intends to issue the generic letter soon 

after the agency receives an OMB clearance number.

CONTACT: Scott Krepel, NRR/DSS

(301) 302-0399

OIG Analysis: The actions proposed by the agency meet the intent of the 

recommendation. This recommendation will be closed when 

NRR completes its analysis of the generic letter responses 

and develops an enforceable neutron-absorbing material 

aging management program based on the analysis.

Status: Resolved.
Audit Report

AUDIT OF NRC’S OVERSIGHT OF SPENT FUEL POOLS

OIG-15-A-06

Status of Recommendations

Recommendation 4: Update Inspection Manual Chapter 2561 and Inspection 

Procedure 60801.

Agency Response Dated

October 30, 2015: The staff has completed approximately 80 percent of the 

review and update of the approximately 40 inspection 

procedures associated with IMC 2561. The revision of IP 

60801 is being coordinated with the Office of Nuclear Reactor 

Regulation, Division of Inspection and Regional Support to 

ensure that the new revision is aligned with the new IP being 

generated as part of the action for Recommendation 2. The 

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards plans to 

issue the core IPs by the end of December 2015, with 

issuance of the revised IMC 2561 to follow in March 2016.

CONTACT: Bruce Watson, CHP, NMSS/DUWP

(301) 415-6221

OIG Analysis: The actions proposed by the agency meet the intent of the 

recommendation. This recommendation will be closed when 

NMSS issues the revised versions of IMC 2561 and IP 60801.

Status: Resolved.