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SECY-03-0128 July 31, 2003
Contact: R. Torres, OEDO
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 Workshop on Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Qualification From July 21 through 23, 2003, two staff members from the Division of Systems Safety and Analysis participated in the workshop on MOX fuel qualification in Moscow, Russia. Also participating were staff from the MOX fuel program from the Department of Energy and Department of State and counterparts from the Russian government. The purpose of the workshop was to exchange information on criteria for MOX fuel qualification and fuel performance as part of the bilateral agreement to dispose of excess plutonium through fuel utilization in commercial nuclear reactors. The NRC staff presentation described the NRC regulations and licensing criteria which will be applied to the application for the MOX fuel design. A similar presentation was provided by the Russian nuclear regulatory authority. Staff Holds Public Meetings on the Update to the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants (NUREG-1437) The NRC staff participated in four scoping meetings over the last two weeks related to the update to the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants (NUREG-1437). A scoping meeting was held in each of the four NRC regions to solicit comments from the public on the update to NUREG-1437. The meetings were July 8 in Atlanta, July 10 in Chicago, July 15 in Anaheim, and July 17 in Boston. The people attending the meetings included representatives of the NRC staff, NRC contractors from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, members of the public, the nuclear industry, and the news media. Approximately 60 people attended the four meetings, and 30 people spoke at the meetings. Some of the public concerns included security of nuclear facilities, cancer in populations living near nuclear facilities, and storage of high-level radioactive waste. The comment period ends on September 2, 2003. In addition, in an effort to improve communication and increase interaction with members of the public, the staff conducted open houses for one hour prior to each meeting session with displays and brochures. AP1000 On July 17-18, 2003, Westinghouse Electric Company (Westinghouse) briefed the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Future Plant Design subcommittee in a public meeting at the Westinghouse Energy Center in Monroeville, Pennsylvania regarding the AP1000 reactor design. Westinghouse briefed the subcommittee on the automatic depressurization system phase 4 (ADS-4) squib valve reliability, the post-loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) aerosol deposition on containment, and the seismic and structural design. Westinghouse also discussed two specific NRC draft safety evaluation report (DSER) open-item-related issues: leak-before-break and sump performance. The NRC staff provided an overview of the 174 DSER open items and the staff's current review status. Westinghouse provided a discussion of the resolution paths for selected open issues. A member of the public also provided comments to the ACRS subcommittee during the meeting on July 17. The NRC staff plans to respond to this stakeholder's concerns in a letter. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Information Notice 2002-26, Supplement 1, Additional Failure of Steam Dryer After a Recent Power Uprate, dated July 21, 2003 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is issuing this information notice to alert addressees to another failure of the steam dryer at Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2, a boiling water reactor, during operations following a power uprate. It is expected that the recipients will review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems.
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 U.S. Department of Transportation Public Meeting on International Transport Regulations On July 22, 2003, staff from the Spent Fuel Project Office participated in a public meeting at the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Headquarters in Washington, DC. About 30 people attended the meeting. The meeting was held to collect comments on 63 proposed changes to the requirements of the 1996 Edition of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (TS-R-1). The changes, if ultimately accepted, would be published in revised IAEA regulations in 2005, and would likely necessitate domestic compatibility rulemakings by both NRC and DOT. IAEA's revision process calls for an opportunity for a period of 120 days to provide comments. DOT is the U.S. competent authority, before IAEA, for transportation issues; is consolidating all U.S. comments; and is accepting written comments through August 8, 2003. NRC plans to provide comments to IAEA through DOT. DOT expects to convene another public meeting in early October, also with NRC participation, to present U.S. consolidated comments. Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards Vulnerability Assessment Visit to Westinghouse During the week of July 21, 2003, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards staff members participated in a Vulnerability Assessment visit with Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories at the Westinghouse Facility in Columbia, South Carolina. This site visit will allow the laboratories to gather and evaluate data to support the ongoing Vulnerability Assessment efforts. Nuclear Fuel Services Predecisional Enforcement Conference On July 21, 2003, at NRC Headquarters, Region II held the Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) Predecisional Enforcement Conference regarding Material Control and Accounting. The region provided a synopsis of the events that resulted in the apparent violations. Much of the remainder of the meeting was spent allowing NFS to discuss the apparent violations, its completed and planned corrective actions, and its views on the severity of the violations. After a brief NRC caucus, the meeting reconvened to request additional information from NFS regarding the specific legal citation it referenced during its presentation and discussion. NFS stated that it will provide this information formally in writing. The Region II Regional Administrator provided closing remarks stating that, pending receipt of the requested information, the region would provide its decision on the apparent violations in 4 to 5 weeks. Staff Meets with Molycorp and State of Pennsylvania on Decommissioning of Washington, Pennsylvania, Facility On July 22, 2003, a meeting was held at the Regional Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between NRC, PADEP, and Molycorp and its contractors, to discuss Phase III of decommissioning the Washington, Pennsylvania, facility. Phase III is a new site characterization integrating both radiological and chemical concerns to provide a better understanding of the type and amount of subsurface contamination. After the meeting, the group conducted a site overview. A reporter from a local newspaper and two local city council members were invited to participate in the walkover. A draft characterization plan is to be presented to NRC and PADEP by the end of August 2003. Denial of a Petition for Rulemaking (PRM-34-05) On July 15, 2003, the Office of the Federal Register published the NRC notice of denial of a petition for rulemaking (PRM-34-05) from Amersham Corporation (currently known as AEA Technology, QSA, Inc.). The petitioner requested that NRC amend its regulations that specify performance requirements for industrial radiography equipment by removing the reference to associated equipment, clarifying provisions in the current regulations that the petitioner believes are not clearly defined, and by requiring routine inspection and maintenance of associated equipment. In summary, the petition was denied because the NRC determined that registration of associated equipment is not required. Therefore, the staff is changing NRC practice, contained in guidance and inspection procedures, to not include associated equipment in the registration process. This information will be provided to affected internal and external stakeholders via a regulatory issue summary. In addition, it is important to retain the reference to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), N432-1980, "Radiological Safety for the Design and Construction of Apparatus for Gamma Radiography" (ANSI N432), which is incorporated by reference in 10 CFR 34.20, to ensure that radiography equipment meets the minimum performance criteria to protect health and minimize danger to life and property. At the time of the request to amend 10 CFR 34.28, NRC had already proposed rulemaking to include routine inspection and maintenance of associated equipment in 10 CFR 34.31, as stated in the current regulations.
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 Public Meetings on the Proposed Rulemaking on 10 CFR 50.46 and General Design Criterion 35 Staff from the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) participated in two public meetings held on July 24, 2003, related to the proposed rulemaking on 10 CFR 50.46 and General Design Criterion 35. In the morning meeting, RES staff, staff from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) discussed issues related to the redefinition of the large-break Loss of Cooling Accident (LOCA). NEI presented a draft paper which provided their rationale and suggested approach for a proposed rule. Discussion also focused on analytic tools and the approach for maintaining defense-in-depth needed to support redefinition of the large-break LOCA. In the afternoon meeting, the Boiling Water Reactor Owners Group (BWROG) presented their plan for submitting a licensing topical report covering LOCA-LOOP (loss of offsite power) exemption requests (10 CFR 50.12 exemptions). The topical would be based in part on results from the codes, Material Access Authorization Program (MAAP), and Transient Reactor Analysis Code (TRACG). MAAP would be used as a screening tool to help decide the appropriate base case scenarios to pursue and to perform some sensitivities. TRACG would be used for the base case calculations. Industry wanted feedback as to the acceptability of this approach. It was agreed that an update would be provided by the BWROG after it had more results, probably in late September 2003.
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 Preliminary Notifications
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: NAC International, Inc., Multipurpose Canister (NAC-MPC) Revision (Part 72) A direct final rule that revises the NAC International, Inc., Multipurpose Canister (NAC-MPC) cask system listing in the list of approved spent fuel storage casks was published in the Federal Register on July 18, 2003 (68 FR 42570). This amendment incorporates changes supporting the Yankee Rowe fuel loading campaign and makes corrections to the Connecticut Yankee technical specifications. The direct final rule becomes effective October 1, 2003. The companion proposed rule to this direct final rule was published in the Federal Register on July 18, 2003 (68 FR 42646 ). The comment period closes August 18, 2003. Emergency Planning and Preparedness for Production and Utilization Facilities (Part 50) A proposed rule that would amend the emergency planning regulations for the domestic licensing of production and utilization facilities was published in the Federal Register on July 24, 2003 (68 FR 43673). The proposed rule would amend requirements relating to Emergency Action Levels and clarify exercise requirements for co-located licensees. The comment period for this action closes October 7, 2003.
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 OCIO Participates in the Federal Enterprise Architecture Data Reference Model Pre-briefing Staff from the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) participated in the Federal Enterprise Architecture Data Reference Model (DRM) pre-briefing recently held at the White House Truman Conference Room. Participation affords NRC an opportunity to provide input to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) prior to the first DRM Federal agency briefing, tentatively scheduled for August 11, 2003. OMB envisions the DRM to be a framework to support the classification of Federal data and information. The DRM will provide clear data ownership and stewardship and will build upon best practices such as the Federal Geographic Data Committee work. The DRM will not be a government-wide data model or a replacement for ISO 11179 or other government-wide initiatives. CISCO Integrated Operating System (IOS) Vulnerability Implementation Plan As a result of the Federal Computer Incident Response Center (FedCIRC) advisory "FA_2003-17, Exploit Available for the CISCO IOS Interface," an implementation plan for upgrade of 167 CISCO devices was forwarded to FedCIRC on Tuesday, July 22, 2003. This upgrade is scheduled for completion for all impacted agency devices by August 31, 2003. NRC - NIH Fiber Optic Connection Staff from the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) met with National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Information Technology personnel at the NIH Fernwood location to review plans for the migration to the NIH dark fiber optic connection. It was agreed that early the week of July 28th, 2003, a physical layer test would be conducted to ensure that communications could be established at that layer. Depending upon those test results, the plan is to place the Megabits/second (100Mb/s) link into operation either in late August or early September of this year. This will provide a upgrade from the current 10Mb/s connection. Kids.us At the invitation of the Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission joined other Federal agencies in fostering a safe environment for children on the Web. NRC's public Web site for children, "Student's Corner" will be made available under the domain name, "kids.us." According to kids.us, "All content on affiliated sites is thoroughly and regularly screened and monitored, making kids.us the most 'youth-friendly' space on the Web." PDR Trains Regional Inspectors on Web-based ADAMS Staff from the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) recently responded to a request from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) to host a training session on NRC's Web-based search engine for two visiting inspectors from Regions I and III. On July 17, 2003, the PDR provided a hands-on training session for the two inspectors and two NRR staff members on how to navigate and search for documents using Web-based ADAMS. The training session covered the differences between Citrix and Web-based ADAMS, the Legacy libraries, and who to call for assistance. Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Requests received during the period of July 18 through July 24, 2003:
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003
* She appeared on the EOD list for Monday, June 21st. Her actual EOD date changed to Monday, June 28th.
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 Media Interest
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 Japanese Visitors A team from Japan's two nuclear regulatory organizations (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), accompanied by the Embassy of Japan) visited NRC on Monday, July 21, 2003. They met with representatives of the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response to discuss the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Information Circular 225/Rev 4. The Japanese government is currently reviewing its physical protection system for material and nuclear facilities.
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 Commission Correspondence
Federal Register Notices Issued
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 IG Baseline Audit of Region I Staff from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted the in-office portion of their audit of the baseline inspection program. Audit focus areas include program methodology, staffing, and calendar year 2002 program completion. Next week OIG auditors will visit the Beaver Valley and Peach Bottom sites. Region I is the first region visited in this audit. Pilgrim Security Guards Strike Authorization Vote On Thursday, July 24, 2003, the security guards at the Pilgrim station voted to authorize a strike by a count of 72-to-1. The contract dispute between the security force and Wackenhut, the Pilgrim security contractor, involves issues over mandatory overtime. Although the vote authorizes the strike, the security force has not announced any plans to strike. A National Labor Relations Board meeting is currently scheduled for August 4, 2003. The Region has reviewed the licensee's strike contingency plans and is monitoring the activities.
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.-Closed Predecisional Enforcement Conference On July 21, 2003, the Regional Administrator and other regional managers were in Headquarters to attend a closed Predecisional Enforcement Conference with Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. The purpose of the conference was to discuss apparent violations involving material control and accounting. Duke Energy Corporation - McGuire Nuclear Station On July 22, 2003, the Regional Administrator was at the McGuire Nuclear Station in Huntersville, North Carolina. He toured the site and met with the resident inspectors and licensee management. South Carolina Electric and Gas Company - V. C. Summer Nuclear Exercise On July 23-25, 2003, the State Liaison Officer participated as a member of the Regional Assistance Committee in the full V. C. Summer nuclear exercise, involving officials of the State of South Carolina and applicable local governments. Special Task Force for Operations Events On July 21, 2003, a representative from the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, along with a representative from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, were in the Region II Office to obtain feedback from managers and staff. The feedback will be used as input into a special task force that is assessing how the NRC should enhance the evaluation of operations events, how the event evaluations can best be utilized by managers and staff, and how lessons learned can best be shared.
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003 Management Change at Cooper Nuclear Station Nebraska Public Power District announced on July 23, 2003, that Tom Palmisano, Site Vice President at Cooper Nuclear Station, will depart the station effective July 25, 2003, to become the Site Vice President at Monticello. Clay Warren, Vice President of Nuclear Energy, will assume the duties of Site Vice President until a replacement is named.
Items of Interest Week Ending July 25, 2003
Note: The House of Representatives is out of session until September. |
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