INFORMATION REPORT 

March 28, 2011 SECY-11-0041

For: The Commissioners 

From: Mary C. Muessle 

 Acting Assistant for Operations 

 Office of the Executive Director for Operations 

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MARCH 18, 2011 

Contents Enclosure

Nuclear Reactor Regulation A 

New Reactors B*

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards C 

Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs D*

Nuclear Regulatory Research E 

Nuclear Security and Incident Response F*

Administration G 

Information Services H 

Chief Financial Officer I*

Human Resources J 

Small Business and Civil Rights K*

Enforcement L*

Public Affairs M 

International Programs N*

Secretary O*

Region I P*

Region II P*

Region III P*

Region IV P*

Executive Director for Operations Q*

Congressional Affairs R*

*No input this week. 

Mary C. Muessle /RA/ 

Acting Assistant for Operations, OEDO 

Contact: 

Roger Rihm, OEDO 
March 28, 2011 SECY-11-0041

For: The Commissioners 

From: Mary C. Muessle, Acting Assistant for Operations, 

 Office of the Executive Director for Operations 

Subject: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MARCH 18, 2011 

Contents Enclosure

Nuclear Reactor Regulation A 

New Reactors B*

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards C 

Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs D*

Nuclear Regulatory Research E 

Nuclear Security and Incident Response F*

Administration G 

Information Services H 

Chief Financial Officer I*

Human Resources J 

Small Business and Civil Rights K*

Enforcement L*

Public Affairs M 

International Programs N*

Secretary O*

Region I P*

Region II P*

Region III P*

Region IV P*

Executive Director for Operations Q*

Congressional Affairs R*

*No input this week. 

 /RA/ 

Mary C. Muessle 

Acting Assistant for Operations, OEDO 

Contact: 

R. Rihm, OEDO 

DISTRIBUTION: 

EDO R/F 

AO R/F 

ADAMS ML11083A074

OFFICE OEDO AO/OEDO 

NAME RRihm MMuessle 

DATE 03/25/11 03/28/11 

 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
March 18, 2011 ENCLOSURE A 

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending March 18, 2011 

Saint Lucie 1 Extended Power Uprate Application (EPU)

By application dated November 22, 2010, the licensee submitted a request for an 11.9% EPU 

for St. Lucie Unit 1. The EPU application includes a 1.7% measurement uncertainty recapture 

power uprate. By letter dated March 9, 2011, the NRC informed the licensee that the 

application provides technical information in sufficient detail to enable the NRC staff to proceed 

with the detailed technical review. 

Turkey Point 3 and 4 EPU Acceptance

By application dated October 21, 2010, as supplemented by letter dated December 14, 2010, 

the licensee requested a 15% EPU for Turkey Point Units 3 and 4. The application includes a 

1.7% measurement uncertainty recapture power uprate. By letter dated March 11, 2011, the 

NRC informed the licensee that the application provides technical information in sufficient detail 

to enable the NRC staff to proceed with the detailed technical review. 

Meeting with Entergy Operations, Inc. (EOI)

On March 15, 2011, representatives of the EOI and staff met at NRC Headquarters in Rockville, 

Maryland, to discuss the licensee’s proposed license amendment to modify technical 

specification completion times for Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1, to allow for operation with one 

inoperable reactor coolant system cooling loop during Modes 4, 5, and 6 (Hot Shutdown, Cold 

Shutdown, and Refueling). 

Pre-licensing Meeting with EOI

On March 15, 2011, representatives of the EOI and staff met at NRC Headquarters in Rockville, 

Maryland, to discuss the licensee’s plans to submit a license amendment for Arkansas Nuclear 

One, Unit 1, to modify technical specification associated with service water system requirements 

when room/area cooling subsystems may be degraded or inoperable.
March 18, 2011 ENCLOSURE C 

 Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending March 18, 2011 

Meeting with NAC International, Inc.

On March 16, 2011, the staff met with NAC International, Inc., to discuss the new application 

submitted for the Model No. MAGNATRAN transport cask. Discussions at the meeting focused 

on: the structural, thermal, shielding, and criticality analyses and methodology presented in the 

application; and issues associated with staff’s acceptance review of the application. External 

stakeholders (including print media) participated in the meeting. No regulatory commitments 

were made. 

Public Meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), Fuel Cycle Licensees (FCL), and Certificate 

Holders (CH)

On March 17, 2011, NMSS led a public meeting with representatives of the NEI, FCL, and CH. 

Staff from Region II and the Office of Enforcement also participated. The staff discussed: the 

plan to develop cornerstones that could be applied to the fuel cycle oversight process (FCOP) 

and give credit to licensees and certificate holders for an effective corrective action program 

(CAP); the conceptual enhancement to the FCOP and how the cornerstones and the credit for 

an effective CAP would fit into the enhanced FCOP; the proposed oversight framework; the 

proposed objectives of the safety cornerstones; and the basic attributes for an effective CAP. 

Cornerstones are the most important elements in each of the strategic goals (i.e., safety and 

security) that form the foundation for meeting the overall NRC mission. 
March 18, 2011 ENCLOSURE E 

 Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending March 18, 2011 

RES Hosts Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Meetings on 

High Energy Arcing Faults (HEAFs) and International Fire Events Database Project

From March 9-11, 2011, RES hosted OECD meetings on HEAFs and the international fire 

events database project. Representatives from Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, 

Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the Electric Power and Research Institute (EPRI) participated. 

RES discussed the creation of a testing program to better understand HEAFs and suggested 

testing in the United States with each member country contributing electrical equipment. The

OECD representative believed the arrangement is viable and several countries indicated 

interest in participating. EPRI will solicit interest from U.S. licensees. In the international 

database project, the representatives agreed on a list of components to attribute fire ignition 

frequencies, taking the first step to enable more refined fire Probabilistic Risk Assessment 

scenarios. Also, good progress was made on a topical report on HEAF events in the database. 

The next meeting is planned for September 7-9, 2011, at OECD headquarters in Paris, France. 

Publication of Revision 1 of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.34, “Control of Electroslag Weld 

Properties,” Revision 1 of RG 1.43, “Control of Stainless Steel Weld Cladding of Low-Alloy Steel 

Components,” and Revision 1 of RG 1.50, “Control of Preheat Temperature for Welding of LowAlloy Steel”

On March 15, 2011, the staff published revision 1 of RG 1.34, “Control of Electroslag Weld 

Properties,” revision 1 of RG 1.43, “Control of Stainless Steel Weld Cladding of Low-Alloy Steel 

Components,” and revision 1 of RG 1.50, “Control of Preheat Temperature for Welding of 

Low-Alloy Steel.” RG 1.34 describes methods that the NRC staff considers acceptable for 

implementation requirements concerning the control of weld properties when fabricating 

electroslag welds for nuclear components made of ferritic or austenitic materials. RG 1.43 

describes methods for the selection and control of welding processes used for cladding ferritic 

steel components with austenitic stainless steel to restrict practices that could result in 

underclad cracking. RG 1.50 describes methods for implementing regulatory requirements 

related to the control of welding for low-alloy steel components during initial fabrication. The 

staff is addressing comments from the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards on RG 1.44, 

“Control of the Use of Sensitized Stainless Steel,” about intergranular stress corrosion cracking 

and irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking on pressurized-water reactors. RG 1.34, 1.43, 

and 1.50 are available on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/reg-guides/power-reactors/rg/. 
March 18, 2011 ENCLOSURE G 

 Office of Administration (ADM) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending March 18, 2011 

Technical Assistance – Rulemaking to Streamline Non-Power Reactor License Renewal 

Process

On March 9, 2011, as a result of a competitive negotiated acquisition, a firm fixed price Blanket 

Purchase Agreement (BPA) (NRC-HQ-11-A-03-0007) was awarded to ICF, Incorporated, LLC, 

in Fairfax, Virginia. This BPA will provide technical assistance for the development of 

rulemaking to streamline the non-power reactor license renewal process. The period of 

performance is March 9, 2011, through March 1, 2014, with no option periods. The total value 

of the BPA is $1,199,633. 

Revision of Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011; Proposed Rule 

(RIN 3150-AI93, NRC-2011-0016)

On March 17, 2011, the NRC published a proposed rule (76 FR 14748) 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 FY 2011, not including amounts appropriated from the Nuclear 

Waste Fund, amounts appropriated for Waste Incidental to Reprocessing, and amounts 

appropriated for generic homeland security activities. Based on the FY 2011 budget submitted 

to Congress, the NRCs required fee recovery amount for the FY 2011 budget is approximately 

$915,300,000. After accounting for billing adjustments, the total amount to be billed as fees is 

approximately $915,700,000. The public comment period closes on April 18, 2011. Because 

OBRA-90 requires that the NRC collect the FY 2011 fees by September 30, 2011, requests for 

extensions of the comment period will not be granted. 
March 18, 2011 ENCLOSURE H 

 Office of Information Services (OIS) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending Month 18, 2011 

American Society of Access Professionals (ASAP) Fourth Annual National Training Program 

(NTP)

From March 7-9, 2011, OIS staff attended the ASAPs Fourth Annual NTP. ASAP is a 

professional forum dedicated to bringing government Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and 

Privacy Act (PA) professionals in touch with the requester community. Staff attended many 

breakout sessions including: Recent FOIA Decisions; Litigants’ Cases; and Controlled 

Unclassified Information. 

Fourth Annual Freedom of Information Day Celebration

On March 14, 2011, OIS staff attended the Fourth Annual Freedom of Information Day 

Celebration sponsored by the American University Washington College of Law. Discussions 

centered on major issues of current importance to the openness in government community, 

especially in light of expectations for concrete success in implementation of the Obama 

Administration’s transparency policies. The conference included sessions on Legislative 

Outlook; FOIA Privacy Issues; FOIA Exemption 3 and the Securities and Exchange 

Commission; and FOIA in the Trenches. There was an impromptu discussion of the recent 

U.S. Supreme Court decision which overturned 30 years of Executive Branch and Judicial 

Branch interpretation of FOIA Exemption 2 (High). This decision was praised by the FOIA 

requesters while Federal government representatives felt a legislative remedy is necessary to 

protect information formerly protected by Exemption 2 (High) that does not fall under another 

exemption. 

Department of Justice Sunshine Week Celebration

On March 14, 2011, OIS staff attended the Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy 

(OIP) Sunshine Week Celebration to commemorate the second anniversary of Attorney General 

Holder’s FOIA guidelines designed to usher in a new era of open government. The celebration 

spotlighted four Federal agencies’ successes in implementing the new FOIA guidelines and 

increasing transparency overall. Those Federal agencies sharing their success stories were the 

Department of Treasury, Department of Agriculture, National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. OIP announced the launch of 

FOIA.Gov, a comprehensive public resource for government-wide FOIA information and data. 

FOIA.Gov displays graphically a wealth of data on agency FOIA compliance, and contains 

educational material about how the FOIA works and contact information for all government 

agencies. 

Controlled Unclassified Information Working Group (CUIWG) Meeting

On March 17, 2011, Office of Information Services staff attended the third meeting of the 

CUIWG at the National Archives and Records Administration. The Director, CUI Office, 

discussed comments about the second version of the draft CUI implementing directive (ID) 

received from the CUIWG agencies. He reiterated that the ID must apply to all agencies and 

will be intentionally generic. The initial ID will not drill down into details that may affect only a 

limited number of agencies. Additional IDs will do that at a later time. A copy of the third draft 

of the ID was provided. The next meeting of the CUIWG will be April 13, 2011. 
March 18, 2011 ENCLOSURE J 

 Office of Human Resources (HR) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending March 18, 2011 

Arrivals 

Wilson, Gerald SENIOR PROJECT ENGINEER R-II 

Retirements 

None 

Departures 

Fowler, Samuel Wren CONSTRUCTION INSPECTOR R-II 
March 18, 2011 ENCLOSURE M 

 Office of Public Affairs (OPA) 

 Items of Interest 

 Week Ending March 18, 2011 

OPA Received Significant Media Inquiries on the Following:

The Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster. 

A special inspection into an event at Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas in Wilmington, North 

Carolina. 

The cancellation of the Crystal River nuclear power plant (Florida) restart meeting. 

Other Public Affairs Items:

OPA did a radio interview with Texas Public Radio on the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board’s 

hearing on the Victoria County site (Texas). 

OPA coordinated an interview regarding past Honeywell violations between the Huffington Post 

and an NRC branch chief. 

OPA developed a specific link on its website for NRC’s response to the Japan emergency and 

related information. 

OPA coordinated media inquiries surrounding Chairman Jaczko’s testimony at hearings for the 

House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittees on Energy and Power and 

Environment and the Economy, and the Senate Environment Committee on the Japan nuclear 

crisis. 

Press Releases Issued

Headquarters:

11-044 NRC in Communication with Japanese Regulators (3/12) 

11-045 NRC Experts Deploy to Japan as Part of U.S. Government Response (3/12) 

11-046 (Revised) NRC Sees No Radiation at Harmful Levels Reaching U.S. From 

Damaged Japanese Nuclear Power Plants (3/13) 

11-047 Japanese Government Asks for Assistance with Reactor Events; U.S. 

Government and NRC Preparing Response (3/14) 

11-048 (Revised) NRC Sends Additional Experts to Assist Japan (3/15) 

11-049 NRC Analysis Continues to Support Japan’s Protective Actions (3/15) 

11-050 NRC Provides Protective Action Recommendations Based on U.S. Guidelines 

(3/16) 
March 18, 2011 ENCLOSURE M 

11-051 NRC Proposes to Amend Licensing, Inspection and Annual Fees Rule (3/18) 

11-052 NRC Informs U.S. Nuclear Power Plants on Japan Earthquake's Effects (3/18) 

Regions:

II-0-007 NRC Sends Special Inspection Team to Global Nuclear Fuel Plant (3/14) 

II-11-008 NRC Schedules Meeting to Discuss 2010 Performance of Robinson Nuclear 

Power Plant (3/17) 

II-11-009 NRC Cancels Crystal River Plant Restart Meeting (3/17)