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SECY 97-230

October 8, 1997

James L. Blaha
Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact: M. Gamberoni, OEDO

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

Electrical System Reliability

EELB (N. K. Trehan) attended the Fifth Meeting of the Secretary of Energy's Task Force on Electric System reliability. The meeting was held September 24 and 25, 1997, at Plymouth, Massachusetts. The first day of the meeting was closed to the public and was spent discussing new technologies for transferring more bulk power via high voltage (500 kV or above) transmission lines.

The second day of the meeting was opened to the public and focussed on proposals for a self-regulatory organization (SRO) to assure the reliability of the electric grid. This proposal would require new legislation to grant Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) the authority to establish the SRO and to require that all participants in bulk power markets adhere to reliability standards.

Hope Creek Generating Station

On September 28, 1997, with Hope Creek Generating Station in a refueling outage, smoke was observed from an electrical solenoid which actuates an emergency brake for the main cable hoist on the refueling bridge. The hoist was in service and was lowering a fuel bundle into the spent fuel pool. Power to the bridge was secured within 3 minutes and the smoke cleared. The fuel bundle was suspended in the pool for approximately one hour before operators lowered the bundle manually into its permanent location using a previously approved "abnormal" procedure. About six hours later, the leads were lifted from the faulty solenoid and the bridge was re-energized; the bundle was then successfully un-grappled. The bridge was moved to a safe location for repairs. The event was not reportable.

The solenoid was replaced and a bridge test was conducted. Approximately 8 more fuel bundle moves were completed before additional problems arose. Specifically, the plunger in the solenoid, just replaced, became stuck, preventing the brake from being released. Fuel moves were terminated and troubleshooting continues.

Salem Nuclear Genreating Station, Units 1 and 2

Salem Unit 2 Status - Salem Unit 2 has successfully completed the last two major tests of the Integrated Test Program, which were a 40% power load rejection and a trip of a single feedwater pump. The Salem Assessment Panel meeting to assess performance at 100% power has been tentatively scheduled for December 2, 1997.

Salem Unit 1 Schedule - Salem Unit 1 is scheduled to begin loading fuel on November 19, 1997. Other milestones are scheduled as follows: Mode 5, December 5; Mode 4, December 21; Mode 3, January 5, 1998; and criticality, February 3, 1998. The Manual Chapter 0350 process will be followed for Salem Unit 1, although many of the items have already been closed in support of the restart of Salem Unit 2. A memorandum to the Commission is being prepared to present the status and restart schedule of Salem Unit 1 recovery issues. Also, the Salem Assessment Panel, which includes representatives from NRR, will meet at the site in the near future to discuss Salem Unit 1. The Panel will also meet with the licensee to review key issues that are required to be resolved prior to Salem Unit 1 restart.

Maine Yankee

A press conference sponsored by the Decommissioning Project Directorate was held on September 30, 1997, at the Maine Yankee corporate offices. The purpose of the press conference was to brief the local press on the NRC's regulatory process for the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant. The press briefing was held in advance of a public meeting on the same topic to be held on October 7, 1997. An additional public meeting has been scheduled for November 6, 1997, at which the staff will receive public comments on the Maine Yankee Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR).

McGuire Nuclear Station

On October 3, 1997, McGuire, Unit 2 shut down for an 84-day refueling outage. One of the major work activities during this outage is replacement of the four steam generators. The plant is scheduled to restart on December 25, 1997. The Unit 1 steam generators were replaced during a refueling outage early this year.

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

Trilateral Initiative on Weapons Material

On September 26, 1997, a member of the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards staff participated in a meeting of the technical working group of the Trilateral Initiative to place excess Russian and U.S. weapons material under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Russian and IAEA representatives also participated in this meeting which was held in Vienna, Austria. During the meeting, the U.S. invited representatives from Russia and IAEA to participate in a joint demonstration of verification and monitoring technologies in the U.S.

Standard of Excellence Award

Dr. Santiago Parra of the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, has been chosen to receive the Standard of Excellence Award given by the Nuclear Criticality Safety Division of the American Nuclear Society. This prestigious award is given only to those who have set new standards of achievement in the field of nuclear criticality safety.

Dr. Parra was selected for the award in recognition of his role in developing the nuclear criticality safety training program for the Hanford Site in 1994. This two-year program, based on three elements: education, training, and experience, set standards for Department of Energy and commercial facilities to use as a model, and led to revision of the American National Standards Institute/American Nuclear Society National Standard 8.20, "Nuclear Criticality Safety Training." The award will be presented to Dr. Parra at the American Nuclear Society's Winter Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on November 17, 1997.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Staff Renews License for Fansteel

On September 30, 1997, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission renewed the source material license for Fansteel, Inc., which is located in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The NRC staff coordinated review of the license renewal request with the State of Oklahoma. The Fansteel site is listed on the NRC's Site Decommissioning Management Plan because it: 1) contains a large quantity of radioactive waste that may be costly to dispose of in accordance with NRC requirements and 2) has groundwater contamination. Fansteel largely terminated processing operations at the site in 1989, but in 1994 the licensee submitted a renewal request. Under the renewed license, Fansteel is authorized to process source material contained in large impoundments on site to remove valuable metals and to concentrate the thorium and uranium for offsite use or disposal.

Advisory Committee on Medical Uses of Isotopes

On September 25-26, 1997, the Advisory Committee on Medical Uses of Isotopes (ACMUI) held its fall meeting. The meeting focused on the revision of 10 CFR Part 35, "Medical Uses of Isotopes." During the meeting, Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff members briefed the ACMUI on actions taken to date and those planned for the future on the Part 35 project. The NRC staff presented rule alternatives for quality management programs; radiation safety committees; notification of patients; thresholds for reportable events; and training and experience requirements for authorized users, radiation safety officers, and medical physicists. In addition, the staff presented alternatives for revising the NRC's 1979 Medical Policy Statement. The ACMUI provided the NRC staff with its recommendations for action in each area. Continued ACMUI involvement in the Part 35 project was discussed, and future meetings were tentatively planned for March/April 1998 to discuss the entire rule text and associated guidance.

The NRC staff also provided the ACMUI with an update on other rulemaking and guidance development projects, as well as other topics of interest.

American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists

On September 27, 1997, Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety staff members met with the Board of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) in San Francisco, California, to discuss revision of 10 CFR Part 35. The discussion focused on issues related to the use of unsealed materials in diagnosis and treatment, such as the use of I-131 for Graves' disease. The AACE Board passed a resolution of support for the revision, and expressed their desire to continue participation in the process, including possible participation in the facilitated public meetings on this subject to be held in Philadelphia and Chicago.

Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

On September 25, 1997, an Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards staff member co-chaired a session on medical systems at the Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. The session was a modified debate on the topic "Design of Medical Equipment: Who Should Bend: Technology? People? Both?" The audience, which was allowed to participate in the debate, was comprised of 60 professionals from the human factors field and several related medical fields. The session concluded with a consensus view that the proper unit of analysis is not the medical equipment itself, but rather the system of which that equipment is a part. Further, what should be changed in order to reduce patient and occupational risks, was concluded to vary with the particular medical system in question. Those conclusions are consistent with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's findings from human factors evaluations of teletherapy and remote afterloading brachytherapy and from review of nuclear medicine and radiotherapy misadministrations.

Meeting with Commonwealth Edison

On September 30, 1997, staff members from the Spent Fuel Project Office met with representatives of Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) and Holtec International (Holtec). Representatives of PECO Energy, Westinghouse, Duke Power, the Nuclear Energy Institute, and Ibex also attended the meeting. The meeting was held to discuss Holtec's progress in preparing a response to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's second request for additional information (RAI) regarding the Holtec Hi-Star 100 dual purpose cask system; results and lessons learned from Holtec's quarter-scale impact limiter drop test; and continued ComEd implementation of a new quality improvement program for its Dry Cask Storage Program. Holtec indicated that the response to the RAI was nearly complete, and that the revised Safety Analysis Report and Topical Safety Analysis Report would reflect the changes in thermal, containment, and criticality areas which had been discussed with the staff. Redesign of the impact limiters, based on the unsuccessful drop tests, was also discussed.

Multi-Agency Radiation Laboratory Protocols Manual Workgroup

On September 23-25, 1997, the Division of Waste Management hosted the ninth Multi-Agency Radiation Laboratory Protocols (MARLAP) workgroup meeting to discuss and develop a multi-agency guidance manual on radio-analytical work. The purpose of MARLAP is to promote consistency in radio-analytical protocols, provide criteria for evaluating radio-analytical results, and promote high quality radio-analytical laboratory work. Over 25 participants, representing the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, attended the meeting. The meeting focused on several issues including: radio-analytical data quality objectives (DQO), contracting laboratory services, quality assurance and quality control, data validation, sampling plans, separation techniques in radio-analysis, and nuclear counting instrumentation. Participants also completed review of a draft planning process designed to implement radio-analytical work in accordance with the DQO requirements. The MARLAP workgroup target is to issue a draft MARLAP document for interagency review by May 1998.

Licensing of the Bluewater Uranium Mill Tailing Site

On September 25, 1997, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted the Department of Energy's (DOE) Long-Term Surveillance Plan (LTSP) for the Bluewater Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRCA) Title II site near Grants, New Mexico. In so doing, the NRC determined that the final LTSP satisfied the requirements in UMTRCA for long-term surveillance of a disposal site, as well as all requirements in 10 CFR 40.28 for an LTSP. The action places the Bluewater site under general license (10 CFR 40.28), and terminates Materials License SUA-1470 with the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCo). The ARCo mill is the first Title II mill to use alternate concentration limits in achieving groundwater cleanup and to be reclaimed on site. In accordance with DOE's guidance document for long-term surveillance, all further interaction between the NRC and DOE will be conducted through the DOE Project Office in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Licensing of Utah Uranium Mill Tailings Disposal Site

On September 30, 1997, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted the Department of Energy (DOE) Long-Term Surveillance Plan (LTSP) for the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRCA) Title I disposal site at Clive, Utah. In so doing, the NRC determined that the final LTSP satisfied the requirements set forth in UMTRCA for long-term surveillance of a disposal site and all requirements in 10 CFR Part 40.27 for an LTSP. The tailings disposed of at the Clive site were relocated from the South Salt Lake City Uranium Processing site. This action places the Clive disposal site under general license (10 CFR Part 40.27). In accordance with DOE's guidance document for long-term surveillance, all further NRC/DOE interaction on the long-term care of the Clive site will be conducted through the DOE Project Office in Grand Junction, Colorado.

With this action, twelve of eighteen Title I sites are now licensed as DOE approaches the October 1998 deadline for Title I surface reclamation.

Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

AEOD Report on Review of Undetected Failures of Safety Systems (E97-02)

An AEOD report on "Review of Undetected Failures of Safety Systems" (E97-02), was issued on September 26, 1997. The purpose of this evaluation was to review undetected failures of safety systems in nuclear power plants. A set of 33 such events was identified by a search of the 70 events found in the Accident Sequence Precursor database for the time period 1991 through 1993. The undetected failures were analyzed and evaluated with respect to their discovery methods, failure rate, failure causes, corrective and preventive actions by licensees, and resulting regulatory actions. In some cases, the failure remained undiscovered for a long time, 4 failures for a period of 1 to 10 years, and another 4 for more than 10 years and up to 18 years. These unrecognized deficiencies were not detected by programmatic activities. The deficiencies existed since original construction, in some cases, or were introduced during plant modifications sometime after operation commenced. Selected information from this study was previously provided to Principal Working Group 1 of the Nuclear Energy Agency in support of a worldwide generic study of undetected failures of safety systems.

PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATIONS

1. PNO-II-97-047, Ames, Inc., CONTAMINATED MATERIAL IDENTIFIED AT SCRAP YARD

2. PNO-II-97-051, Duke Power Co. (McGuire 1-2), DUAL UNIT REACTOR TRIP DUE TO LOSS OF NON-SAFETY INSTRUMENT BUS

3. PNO-IV-97-050, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (Humboldt Bay 3), REACTOR CAISSON LEAK REPAIRED

4. PNO-IV-97-051, St. Paul Minnesota Radiopharmacy, RECEIPT OF CONTAMINATED PACKAGES

5. PNO-III-97-075A, Michigan Electric Co. (Cook 1-2), DUAL UNIT SHUTDOWN TO ANALYZE POST-ACCIDENT WATER FLOW IN RECIRCULATION COOLING MODE (UPDATE)

6. PNO-III-97-075B, Michigan Electric Co. (Cook 1-2), DUAL UNIT SHUTDOWN TO ANALYZE POST-ACCIDENT WATER FLOW IN RECIRCULATION COOLING MODE (SECOND UPDATE)

7. PNO-I-97-061, Boston Edison Co. (Pilgrim 1), POTENTIAL 1989 FALSIFICATION ISSUE INVOLVING LICENSED OPERATOR -- MEDIA INTEREST

8. PNO-I-97-063, Temple University, CONTAMINATION INCIDENT AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

9. PNO-I-97-062, Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. (Nine Mile Point 1), FORCED OUTAGE TO REPAIR EMERGENCY CONDENSER TUBE LEAKS

10. PNO-II-97-054, Duke Power Co. (Oconee 3), SHUTDOWN IN EXCESS OF 72 HOURS

11. PNO-III-97-080, Commonwealth Edison Co. (Quad Cities 1-2), UNIT SHUTDOWN FOR FIRE RESPONSE SAFE SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE DEFICIENCIES

12. PNO-III-97-081, Consumers Power Co. (Palisades 1), SHUTDOWN TO REPAIR PRIMARY COOLANT SYSTEM LEAKAGE

Office of Administration
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

Contract Awards

Fixed price contract No. NRC-31-97-246 entitled, "Data Entry, Programming, and Microcomputer User Support Services" was awarded to US Robotech, Inc. The contract amount is $143,449.68. The contract period is September 30, 1997 through September 29, 1998, with 4 one-year option periods for a total contract value of $756,028.56. This 8(a) set-aside procurement was completed in two months using the following streamlining initiatives: electronic transmittal of SOW; use of commercial product description; reduce proposal preparation time; waive audit requirements; award without discussions.

Cost-plus-fixed-fee contract NRC-02-97-008 was awarded to Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) on September 29, 1997. The total value of this contract is $122,366. The work, entitled, "Technical Assistance for Savannah River site high-level waste tank closure: Classification of Residual Waste as Incidental" is a "work for others" award to SwRI to maintain essential capabilities at the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA). The period of performance is September 29, 1997 through December 15, 1997. The following streamlining methods were used: SOW electronically transmitted; proposal preparation time reduced; waiver of audit requirements; and simplified evaluation report.

Cost-plus-fixed-fee contract No. NRC-04-97-052 was awarded to Battelle Memorial Institute on September 26, 1997. The total value of this contract is $434,868. The work entitled, " Battelle Integrity of Nuclear Piping Program" is the result of an unsolicited proposal. The period of performance is October 1, 1997 through September 30. 2001. The following streamlining initiative was used: waiver of audit requirements.

Fixed price indefinite quantity contract No. NRC-26-97-263, entitled, "Emergency Diesel Generator Course," was awarded to NKF Engineering, Inc., on September 30, 1997. The contractor will provide technical training to NRC inspectors and supervisors which will include technical information and hands-on experience in the operation and maintenance of emergency diesel generators. The period of performance is September 30, 1997 through September 29, 1998, with four one-year option periods. The total contract amount inclusive of options is $225,591.82. The following streamlining initiatives were applied: (1) electronic transmittal of the Statement of Work, (2) set deadline for proposer's questions, and (3) limit the number of pages in the offeror's proposal.

Contract No. NRC-10-97-142 was awarded to Federal Management Systems, Inc., under the Agency's 8(a) program, for performance of "Administrative Support and Data Entry Services." The contractor will provide filing, distribution and data entry support for the Division of Contracts and Property Management. The period of performance is one year and the contract includes four option years. The contract amount for the base year is $214,195. The total value of the contract (inclusive of the four options) is $1,158,567. The following streamlining initiatives were applied: electronic transmittal of SOW; use of commercial product description; less than three panel members.

Contract No. NRC-09-97-205 was awarded to Foxx and Company as a result of a competitive small business set-aside procurement for a project entitled "Financial Management Advice and Guidance." The period of performance is September 30, 1997 through June 29, 1998 with options to extend the contract up to a total of five years. The total value of the contract, including all options is $8,413,220.94. The following streamlining initiatives were applied: use of a commercial product description; limiting the size of the SEP to two members; and audit requirements waived.

Year 2000 Facilities Issues

On September 30, 1997 the Chief, Facilities Branch attended a meeting of the Interagency Building Systems Subgroup dealing with the non-IT Year 2000 issue. The meeting was attended by representatives of many Government agencies. GSA discussed their plans to address leased buildings by sending notices to building lessors alerting them to the problem and of their responsibility to ensure that there is no disruption to services beginning 1/1/2000. The members of the subgroup wish to work together to share information being developed on the Year 2000 issue, specifically, which systems are not affected and which systems need to be modified.

Semi-annual Security Advisors Meeting

On September 29, 1997, DFS hosted the Semi-Annual NRC Security Advisors Meeting for the headquarters Security Advisors. Mr. Steven Garfinkel, Director, Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), was the guest speaker. Other presentations on drug testing, badging and x-ray equipment were made by DFS staff.

Chief Information Officer
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

FOIA Requests Received during the 5-Day Period of September 26 - October 2, 1997:

Contamination incidents at power plants, comparative information. (FOIA/PA-97-373)

Information Technology Plan, 5 year. (FOIA/PA-97-374)

Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., enforcement action (EA 96-079). (FOIA/PA-97-375)

Philadelphia VA Medical Center, alleged contamination incident involving named individual. (FOIA/PA-97-376)

Senator Christopher Dodd, CT, correspondence. (FOIA/PA-97-377)

OI report, Newark Medical Association and named individual. (FOIA/PA-97-378)

Differing Professional Opinions by NRR employees, 10/1/96 to 9/1/97. (FOIA/PA-97-379)

Pilgrim plant, Boston Edison, OI report, 1-95-032. (FOIA/PA-97-380)

Advanced Medical Systems, Cleveland, OH. (FOIA/PA-97-381)

Office of Human Resources
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

Career Fair Attended at Howard University

On October 1, 1997, Gloria Corbitt, Office of Human Resources, and Leroy Person, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, attended a career fair at Howard University in Washington, D.C. There were a number of excellent applicants who indicated interest in the NRC.

Office of Small Business & Civil Rights
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

North Carolina State University Minority Career Fair

On October 2, 1997, Von Deloatch, Manager, Small Business Program, participated in the North Carolina State University Minority Career Fair. The event was well organized with more than two hundred companies and Federal agencies represented.

During the Fair, resumes were obtained from students graduating in December of this year, or May 1998, in engineering or other scientific fields.

Bowie State University Diversity Conference

The staff of Small Business and Civil Rights participated in a 2-day Diversity Conference sponsored by Bowie State University and included attendees from state, local, and Federal government agencies, and the private sector. Dr. Roosevelt Thomas, a leader in Managing Diversity concepts, was the opening plenary session keynote speaker. Mr. Arthur Fletcher, considered the Father of Affirmative Action, was the second plenary session keynote speaker. Some workshop sessions included Strategic Operational Integration of Diversity; Process Management and Innovation; Impact of Diversity on Organizational Performance; Strategic Planning and Diversity; Tying Diversity to Management Performance Evaluation; and Invisible Rules of Organizational Culture.

Office of Public Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

Media Interest

Region I reported media interest regarding two unnamed prospective buyers of the Three Mile Island plant. They also received calls on the discovery of trace contamination in areas around the Haddam Neck plant.

School Volunteers Program

Louis Numkin, IRM, spoke about computer ethics to students at Ridgeview M.S. Harold Lefevre, NMSS, demonstrated his rock collection and discussed geology with students at Broad Acres E.S.

Office of the Secretary
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

Commission Correspondence Released to the Public

1. Letter to Dr. Raymond Wymer dtd 9/24/97 offers an appointment to the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste

2. Letter to the President dtd 9/24/97 concerns the proposed Agreement for Cooperation with Brazil

3. Letter to Aids Alvarez, U.S. Small Business Administration, dtd 9/23/97, concerns the PRO-Net Database for Small Businesses

4. Letter to Dr. Paul Pomeroy dtd 9/23/97 expresses appreciation for his contribution to the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Private Fuel Storage, Inc., Docket No. 72-22-ISFSI, Notice of Reconstitution of Board (Bollwerk/Kline/Lam)

2. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Notice of Meeting on October 21, 1997, in Potomac, Maryland, and on October 22-23, 1997, in Rockville, Maryland

3. Policy and Procedure for Enforcement Actions; Enforcement Conference Procedures; Policy statement: Amendment

Region I
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

Remediation Activities at Former Tenneco Site

Secor International, remediation contractor for residual U-238 at the former Tenneco Facility in Fords, New Jersey, continued decontamination activities at this site on the ORNL list. The U-238 contamination, which was used as a catalyst in chemical production, had been identified in two onsite buildings where manufacturing activities occurred and in adjacent land roughly the size of a football field. During multiple inspections in September, Region I verified substantive progress in the two affected onsite buildings. Contamination from below grade piping requires further remediation of affected soil adjacent to one building. Remediation activities of the affected outside ground areas has just begun. Region I has taken samples of soils and surface/excavation pit water and is in the process of analyzing the samples.

Oyster Creek

On September 30, 1997 Region I held a pre-decisional enforcement conference with GPU Nuclear to discuss five apparent violations at Oyster Creek. The agreement violations included: failure of the 4KV emergency buses to receive sustained offsite power and failure of the CRD pumps to auto load onto the emergency buses following a manual reactor scram on August 1, 1997; failure to assure that a valve in the RWCU system had primary containment isolation capability when system operating procedures were changed; loss of control of emergency service water pump component material in two pumps, leading to a failure of one of the pumps; and inadequate corrective actions in the case of two repeat failures to properly perform plant evolutions. The licensee representatives agreed with all of the apparent violations and presented the results of their root cause evaluations and their immediate and longer term corrective actions. At the conference, the staff expressed concern with (1) the station's performance in determining the cause of the August 1st failure of the emergency buses to receive sustained power from offsite sources, and (2) an apparent decline in Oyster Creek performance over the past six months in the above and other areas.

Salem

The Salem Unit 2 reactor was manually tripped at 7:14 a.m., on October 3, 1997, due to a trip of both main feedwater pumps. The pump trip occurred on an indication of low suction pressure. The licensee is currently investigating the cause of the low suction trip. Earlier, on Monday, September 29, PSE&G completed the integrated test program. The final test, a trip of a single feedwater pump from 90% power went very well with the advanced digital feedwater control system controlling plant response, as expected.

Region III
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

Management Meeting with Commonwealth Edison Company - Zion Nuclear Power Station

On October 2, 1997, a management meeting was conducted in the Region III Office, Lisle, Illinois, between management representatives from Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) and members of the NRC staff. The meeting discussion focused on the steps being taken by the utility to ensure that a safety conscious work environment exists at the Zion station. NRC

Region III Regional Administrator A. Bill Beach discussed at the meeting that ComEd's response to the potential for a "chilled" environment (or the fear among employees of retribution for raising safety concerns) would be a startup issue for the Zion station. Unit 1 is scheduled to startup in December. ComEd's Zion Site Vice President Jack Brons acknowledged at the meeting that a chilled environment existed at Zion. He described an investigation conducted by the utility to assess this situation. He also discussed the station's Employee Concerns Program which is in the process of being revamped.

On July 22, 1997, Regional Administrator A. Bill Beach wrote to the utility regarding the increased number of allegations received from Zion station personnel. There appeared to be fear among employees of retribution for raising safety concerns. In August, Regional Administrator A. Bill Beach met with a group of operators from the Zion station at their request.

Management Change at Illinois Power - Clinton Nuclear Power Plant

On September 29, 1997, Illinois Power announced that Pat Yocum was relieved of his duties as plant manager at the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant. Wayne Romberg, Assistant Vice President, will be assuming the duties of the plant manger until a new one is named.

Management Meeting with Commonwealth Edison Company - LaSalle Nuclear Power Station

On October 1, 1997, a management meeting was conducted at the Mazon Emergency Operations Facility, Mazon, Illinois, between management representatives from Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) and members of the NRC staff to discuss the status and effectiveness of the utility's restart plan and plant performance improvement actions. The meeting discussion centered around ComEd's action plans for improving the corrective action and self assessment programs at the station. Topic areas discussed included the utility's specific efforts to ensure safe plant operations and human performance improvement initiatives.

Management Meeting with the Department of the Army

On September 30, 1997, a management meeting was conducted in the Region III Office, Lisle, Illinois, between management representatives from the Department of Army and members of the NRC staff. Various issues were discussed regarding the Army's license renewal. Topics discussed included: (1) Radiation Safety Officer qualifications and duties; (2) control of and accountability for license material; (3) inspection/audit program; and (4) incident response and reporting.

ABB Combustion Engineering, Inc. Management Meeting

On October 1, 1997, a management meeting was conducted at ABB Combustion Engineering's Hematite Nuclear Manufacturing Facility, Hematite, Missouri. The meeting discussed the plant's general performance.

Region IV
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997

Pre-Decisional Enforcement Conference with Southern California Edison Company

On September 30, 1997, the Regional Administrator and members of the Region IV and NRR staffs met with representatives of the Southern California Edison Company to conduct a pre-decisional enforcement conference. The purpose of the pre-decisional enforcement conference was to discuss apparent violations involving the failure to preclude recurrence of through-wall cracking in reactor coolant system pressure boundary Inconel 600 nozzles.

CIO/CFO Visit to Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station and Region IV Office

On October 2, 1997, Messrs. A. J. Galante, CIO; J. L. Funches, CFO; and J. L. Blaha, EDO Assistant for Operations, visited the Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station (CPSES) and Region IV office in Arlington, Texas. At CPSES they attended a presentation on the licensee's information systems and toured the site. While at Region IV, presentations were made and received concerning matters of interest on the budget and future information management activities.

Office of Congressional Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 3, 1997