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INFORMATION REPORT

SECY-00-0130

June 15, 2000

Contact:  D. Lange, OEDO

WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JUNE 9, 2000

The Weekly Information Report is compiled by the Office of the EDO and includes highlights of Headquarters and Regional Office activities.

Contact: D. Lange, OEDO by E-mail: djl@nrc.gov.

ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Operational Safeguards Response Evaluation (OSRE) at Oconee

Staff from the Reactor Safeguards Section conducted an Operational Safeguards Response Evaluation at Oconee on June 5-8, 2000. It is the first of the OSREs to be conducted after completion of the first full cycle, pending the initiation of the new performance assessment program. This OSRE is part of a Region II security inspection of Oconee and will include Headquarters and contractor support.

Specific Design Basis Threat for Cyber

On June 1, 2000, personnel from the Reactor Safeguards Section and Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards met at the Department of Energy (DOE ) Forrestal building to discuss the development of a design basis threat (DBT) focused on cyber. DOE has been tasked to develop the threat statement by the end of the summer 2000. The NRC staff in attendance will work with the DOE in developing the DBT. The NRC will also work with the DOE on their project to set requirements for the cyber protection of Restricted Data, possibly leveraging the protection information and applying it to the protection of power reactor and fuel facility cyber based safety and information systems.

Personnel from the Reactor Safeguards Section will attend the second Cyber Threat Development Group meeting at the Department of Energy Forrestal building on June 15, 2000. The Group has been tasked to develop a Design Basis Threat, focused specifically on the cyber threat, by the end of summer 2000.

Reactor Oversight Process

Don Hickman, Doug Coe and Bill Dean of the Inspection Program (IIPB) staff made presentations at the Region III Reactor Inspector Counterpart meeting on May 31, 2000. At this meeting, the IIPB staff discussed inspection program issues including those related to performance indicators and the Significance Determination Process with the regional staff and answered questions from the participants.

Lungmen Project - Taiwan Atomic Energy Council (AEC) Audit

During May 24 - June 2, 2000, staff from the Instrumentation and Controls Section assisted Taiwan AEC in audit reviews of I&C systems for the under-construction Lungmen Unit 1. NRC's involvement is brought about by a bilateral agreement with the Taiwan AEC to act as an observer/advisor for the project. Lungmen will be the first nuclear power plant that employs completely integrated computer-based I&C systems designed and built in the United States. The arrangement allows Taiwan AEC to benefit from NRC technical expertise and regulatory experience while giving the NRC opportunity to learn the effectiveness of our guidelines, BTPs, and endorsed standards (contained in the revised SRP Chapter 7) regarding computer-based I&C systems.

Three Mile Island

On June 5, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an earlier ruling by the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which reinstated 2,000 lawsuits filed against GPU Energy by persons who claimed health problems resulting from the 1979 Three Mile Island Unit 2 accident. Those cases had previously been dismissed by U. S. District Chief Judge Syllvia H. Rambo of Harrisburg, PA., based on the medical analysis of 10 test cases from the 2,000 plaintiffs. The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Judge Rambo's ruling that there was insufficient evidence provided in the 10 test cases to link the residents' health problems to radiation that leaked during the 1979 accident. It also upheld Judge Rambo's decision to dismiss the 10 test cases. The Court ruled that Judge Rambo went too far in dismissing the remainder of the 2,000 lawsuits and reinstated those cases. The Supreme Court, without comment, rejected an appeal to overturn that ruling.

ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Meeting re: Cancellation of U.S. Enrichment Corporation Decommissioning Financial Assurance Bond

On June 6, 2000, staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards and the Office of the General Counsel discussed the notice of cancellation of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation (USEC) decommissioning financial assurance bond with staff from the House Commerce Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. USEC is using a surety bond for $55.5 million issued by Safeco Insurance Company of America for compliance with the gaseous diffusion plant decommissioning financial assurance requirements in 10 CFR Part 76.35(n). USEC also established a standby trust agreement with the First Union Bank in Richmond, Virginia. On May 30, 2000, Safeco provided notice of its intent to cancel the bond. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff explained the bond requirements and that, if USEC cannot provide an acceptable alternate financial assurance instrument, NRC intends to draw on the bond and transfer the funds into the standby trust agreement.

Presentations at the Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Meeting

On June 4-5, 2000, a representative from the Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety made two presentations at the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) annual meeting. Both presentations provided the SNM members with the status of the 10 CFR Part 35, "Medical Use of Byproduct Material," and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Medical Pilot Program. Society members were interested in the implementation schedule and the level of Agreement State compatibility assigned to the rule. Members also expressed an interest in the agency's inspection program and whether NRC would accept third party accreditation in lieu of conducting an onsite inspection.

Meeting with the American College of Radiation Oncologists

On June 7, 2000, representatives from the Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety met with representatives from the American College of Radiation Oncologists (ACRO). The meeting was held at the request of ACRO and was conducted as an open meeting. Staff provided ACRO with a status of the 10 CFR Part 35, "Medical Use of Byproduct Material," rulemaking and the efforts currently underway to fill the vacant positions on the Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes. Representatives from ACRO were especially interested in the training and experience requirements for authorized users of sealed sources for therapy treatments.

Presentation at the American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting

On June 6, 2000, a representative from the Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety made a presentation at the American Nuclear Society's (ANS) annual meeting. The presentation provided the ANS members with the status of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) efforts on examination of its regulatory approach for control of solid materials. The presentation included the rationale for why NRC is examining its approach, as well as current information on stakeholder reactions to NRC's efforts, the status of technical bases to support decision-making, and Commission recommendations provided in SECY-00-0070 in March 2000.

Meeting with the Jefferson Proving Ground Restoration Advisory Board

On May 31, 2000, staff from the Division of Waste Management (DWM) participated in a public meeting held by the Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG) Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) in Madison, Indiana. The JPG site is included on the Site Decommissioning Management Plan. The Department of the Army (DOA) as licensee has submitted a decommissioning plan under the restricted use provisions of the License Termination Rule (10 CFR Part 20.1403). The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) license covers the depleted uranium (DU) impact area which is within a much larger area contaminated with unexploded ordinance. The meeting consisted of two presentations, one by the DOA and the second by DWM staff, followed by a question and answer period. The DOA's presentation focused on issues related to the entire JPG site while the NRC's presentation was directed at the DU impact area. The majority of the concerns raised by the citizens were related to this portion of the site. Questions included: (1) how the NRC license would be terminated; (2) what license termination would mean in regards to liability for future offsite exposure; (3) why the license is being terminated; (4) requirements for long-term monitoring; (5) how and to what extent the DU could migrate offsite; (6) how the unexploded ordnance will effect the DU on site; and (7) how institutional controls will be administered and maintained. Other attendees included the general public, the Environmental Protection Agency, and state regulators.

Nevada Commission Meeting on Yucca Mountain Status

On May 30, 2000, staff from the Division of Waste Management participated in a meeting of the Nevada Commission on Nuclear Projects in Las Vegas on the status of Yucca Mountain. The Nevada Commission, which advises the state Governor, heard reports from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Nevada Agency on Nuclear Projects, Clark County and several public interest groups. The EPA and DOE representatives summarized, respectively, the status of the EPA's Yucca Mountain (YM) standard and the DOE's siting guidelines. EPA said its YM standard was expected this summer. It also said it had found the groundwater protection standard does not add any costs. DOE said the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for Yucca Mountain and the response to comments on the draft EIS would be published at the time of site recommendation (July 2001) rather than November 2000 as earlier planned. This statement generated objections from Nevada Commission members.

At the Nevada Commission's request, the NRC staff representative summarized the status of NRC's high-level waste activities and presented an overview of the NRC licensing process. Nevada Commission members expressed the state's opposition to any change to the NRC's formal repository licensing hearing process.

The representative of the Nevada Agency on Nuclear Projects predicted the state might find it necessary to file lawsuits to challenge each of the EPA and DOE rulemaking activities as well as the NRC repository regulations and the DOE final EIS when they are issued. The state representative also reiterated its request to participate in the NRC's concurrence process on the DOE siting guidelines (see letter to the Chairman dated May 5, 2000) and said the state is considering petitioning the NRC to remove the NRC staff as a party from any licensing hearing on Yucca Mountain.

Waste Management-Related Session on Tracer Studies

On June 1-2, 2000, staff from the Division of Waste Management and the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research organized and chaired a special session on "Recent Advances in Using Tracers for Interpreting Hydrogeologic Systems" at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) spring meeting held in Washington, DC. This meeting provided an opportunity for scientists within the U.S. high-level nuclear waste (HLW) program to discuss issues related to the use of tracers in site characterization with U.S. and European investigators outside the program. These discussions will be used to support and broaden the technical bases for the acceptance criteria in the Yucca Mountain Review Plan being developed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff.

Tracers provide valuable information leading to estimation of transport of contaminants from waste disposal facilities and decommissioning sites. Recently performed state-of-the-art field tracer tests at Yucca Mountain, represent the culmination of 20 years of laboratory investigations to estimate radionuclide transport in the geologic environment. These tests involve the simultaneous injection of multiple tracers having various chemical and physical properties to identify processes (e.g., sorption and matrix diffusion) that could affect radionuclide migration. Alternative explanations for some of the tracer test results could affect performance assessments. Interpretation of the results of these tests is continuing, with much of the analytical information yet to be published. Plans for future tracer tests were discussed with the objective of optimizing the experimental results for use in support of performance assessments of the proposed HLW repository.

Meeting on the Yucca Mountain High-Level Waste Repository Design Issues

On May 31, 2000, staff from the Division of Waste Management met with Department of Energy (DOE) staff in Las Vegas, Nevada, on the Yucca Mountain High-Level Waste Repository design issues. The topics of discussion were DOE's approach to the design of the preclosure aspects of the proposed repository, level-of-detail of design information to be provided with the License Application (LA), and examples of Integrated Safety Assessment of preclosure design performed to date. DOE discussed its plans to categorize structures, systems, and components important to safety (SSCIS) on the basis of their safety significance and grade the implementation of quality assurance to these items. DOE also discussed its plans to grade the design information for SSCIS and the schedule for providing such information in the LA. Under these plans, DOE would provide all the design information for the high safety-significant SSCIS and less detailed design information for the less safety-significant SSCIS in the Construction Authorization LA. The level-of-detail of the design information for these SSCIS will be commensurate with their safety-significance categorization. However, DOE plans to provide complete design information for all the graded SSCIS at the time of the LA to Receive and Possess HLW.

ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Interagency Working Group on Wire Systems Safety

On June 7, Ashok Thadani and Mike Mayfield of RES attended an organizational meeting of the Interagency Working Group on Wire Systems Safety. The meeting was attended by 20 people representing several Federal agencies, including DOD, DOE, DOT , FAA , and NASA . The meeting was organized by the Office of Science and Technology Policy to address issues related to wiring in a variety of systems, including aircraft, space vehicles, trains, and other systems such as nuclear power plants. This meeting was the subject of a USA Today article on June 2, and initially received considerable attention.

The IWG will prepare a report to be presented to the Science Advisor and the President in October 2000. The specific content of the report and the Terms of Reference for the IWG are being refined by a smaller group and will be presented to the full IWG in early July.

The work being done by DOD, NASA, and the FAA on condition monitoring of wire systems is very interesting and could have some long-term benefit to the nuclear industry. RES plans to participate in the IWG at least through development of the report to the President, and RES expects to follow the condition monitoring work in the other agencies.

ENCLOSURE D

Incident Response Operations
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Preliminary Notifications

1.  PNO-IV-00-014, Kleinfelder, Inc., STOLEN PORTABLE GAUGE.

ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Focused Source Selection Award

On June 9, 2000, the Division of Contracts and Property Management awarded contract no. NRC-10-00-003 entitled, "Food Service Operator for NRC's Two White Flint North (TWFN) Cafeteria," to Aramark Services, Inc. for the management and operation of the TWFN Cafeteria and kiosk. This is a profit/loss, no cost contract with a one year base period and four additional, one year option periods. This competitive contract was awarded under NRC's Focused Source Selection Pilot program in less than 5 months from the receipt date of the procurement request from the program office. Other streamlining innovations used are: less than three (3) Source Evaluation Panel members, and use of simplified assessment criteria to evaluate the capability statements.

ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Requests received during the 5-Day Period of June 2, 2000 through June 8, 2000:

ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

*Effective 6/5/00

ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Media Interest

Six media representatives attended the Clinton plant performance review meeting. One reporter attended the performance review meeting at Farley.

A series of articles appeared in the St. Louis (Mo.) Post-Dispatch this week about the investigation at Mallinckrodt, Inc., regarding radiation exposure of workers.

ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Congressman Jack Kingston, dated June 1, 2000, concerns support for the extension of the license term for Plant Hatch, Units 1 and 2.
   
   
2. Letter to Professor Harold Lewis, University of California, Santa Barbara, dated June 1, 2000, concerns suggestions regarding NRC and NASA collaboration on risk assessment.
   
   
3. Letter to Congress, dated June 1, 2000, concerns appropriate consideration to the request for extension of the license term for Plant Hatch, Units 1 and 2.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. 10 CFR Part 72 [Docket No. PRM-72-5]; Nuclear Energy Institute; Receipt of Petition for Rulemaking.
   
   
2. 10 CFR Part 73; Re-evaluation of Power Reactor Physical Protection Regulations and Position on a Definition of Radiological Sabotage; Request for Comments.
   
   
3. Atomic Safety and Licensing Board in the Matter of Private Fuel Storage, L.L.C.; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation); Revised Notice of Hearing and of Opportunity to Make Oral or Written Limited Appearance Statements; Notice.

ENCLOSURE P

Region I
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Teledyne Environmental, Inc.

On June 1, 2000, a management meeting was held with representatives of Teledyne Environmental, Inc., dba Teledyne Brown Engineering - Environmental Services (the licensee), and Teledyne Brown Engineering. The purpose of the management meeting was to discuss the licensee's response to a recent Notice of Violation, and to describe the current corporate structure and planned changes. Based on the information provided by the licensee during the meeting, it appeared that the licensee may not be in compliance with the NRC requirements for provision of financial assurance due to a corporate re-structuring that occurred on November 30, 1999. The licensee agreed during the meeting to determine whether the parent company guarantee provided by Teledyne Inc. in 1997 is still valid.

On June 2, 2000, a CAL was issued to the licensee which required the licensee to submit in writing to the NRC by June 5, 2000, their determination of whether or not the parent company guarantee provided by Teledyne Inc. remains valid, and to provide a schedule for actions to be implemented if a new financial assurance instrument is required. In a facsimile dated June 5, 2000, the licensee informed the NRC that the current financial assurance needs to be replaced, and stated that they will submit a new financial assurance instrument by July 1, 2000.

Meeting with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

On June 6, 2000, a meeting was held at the offices of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to discuss the NRC programs for enforcement, allegations, and investigations. NRC Region I staff described these programs in detail and answered questions relating to how the Commonwealth might implement similar programs as an Agreement State. The meeting was attended by the Director of the Office of Investigations Region I Field Office, the Regional Counsel, the DNMS Deputy Director, and two members of the Regional enforcement and allegations staff. The Commonwealth was represented by the Director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Radiation Protection and members of his staff as well as attorneys from the Office of Chief Counsel of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

ENCLOSURE P

Region II
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Vieques Island - Press Conference

On June 6, 2000, the Regional Administrator, held a press conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico to discuss NRC actions to oversee the Navy's recovery of Depleted Uranium (DU) on Vieques and NRC actions to perform surveys for depleted uranium and take samples in public areas on Vieques. Approximately 30 representatives of the press and members of the public attended. NRC surveys and sampling in public areas began on June 7.

Commissioner Diaz visits the Southern Nuclear Company Hatch Nuclear Plant

On June 7, 2000, the Regional Administrator accompanied Commissioner Diaz to the Southern Nuclear Company's Plant Hatch in Baxley, Georgia for a plant tour. The Commissioner also held discussions with licensee representatives in the areas of the NRC Maintenance rule, NRC oversight of security activities, and the impact from writing operator licensing exams.

Duke Energy Company - Oconee Nuclear Station OSRE

During the week of June 5, 2000, an Operational Safeguards Readiness Evaluation (OSRE) was conducted at the Oconee site. Regional, Headquarters and Contract Personnel conducted the evaluation of Oconee's security systems. The last OSRE at Oconee was conducted in 1996. An exit on the findings was held with licensee management on June 8.

ENCLOSURE P

Region III
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Region III Staff Resolves a Differing Professional View

Region III resolved a Differing Professional View regarding safety injection pump throttle valve openings versus sump screen openings. The filer of the DPV believed that a wider range of particles could be transported to the safety injection pump suction than considered in Information Notice 96-27 - "Potential Clogging of High Pressure Safety Injection Throttle Valves During Recirculation" - or in the plant specific evaluation. The Regional Administrator agreed with the ad hoc DPV panel whose members had agreed with the filer. The panel recommended that the issue receive further review, and all parties also agreed that the issue is of sufficiently low risk that a long term approach is appropriate. The Regional Administrator recommended to the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research that the issue be evaluated as part of Generic Safety Issue 191 or by other research or reviews conducted by the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.

Public Meeting at D.C. Cook

On June 5, 2000, Region III and Headquarters staff members met with American Electric Power officials at the D.C. Nuclear Power Plant near Bridgman, Michigan, to discuss the status of startup preparations for D.C. Cook Unit 2. Four reporters attended the meeting.

Region III Staff Participates in Palisades Emergency Exercise

Headquarters staff and about 40 Region III staff members participated in an ingestion pathway exercise at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert, Michigan. Staff participated during the first day of the two day exercise as members of the base team in the Region III office, members of the site team at locations near the plant, and in the state's emergency operations center in East Lansing, Michigan. Three Region III staff members participated in the second day's table top exercise from the state's emergency operations center.

NRC Discusses Clinton Assessments

NRC officials on June 8, 2000, met with Amergen Energy Co. officials to discuss Clinton Unit 1's latest plant performance review. The meeting was held at the plant and six reporters attended.

Regional Administrator Presents Reactor Operator Licenses

Jim Dyer, Region III's Regional Administrator, on June 9, 2000, presented licensing certificates to one senior reactor operator and four reactor operators during a ceremony held in Davenport, Iowa. The five individuals were licensed as operators at the Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant in Cordova, Illinois.

ENCLOSURE P

Region IV
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000

Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Public PPR Meeting

On June 6, 2000, members of the Region IV staff met with representatives of Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station to discuss the results of the agency's latest plant performance review for the facility.

Meeting with the Public Held to Discuss New Reactor Oversight Process at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station

On June 6, 2000, members of the Region IV staff held a meeting with the public in Goodyear, Arizona, to discuss the agency's new reactor oversight program for Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.

Chairman Meserve Visit to San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

Chairman Meserve visited the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station on June 6, 2000. The Chairman met with the NRC resident staff and licensee management, toured the facility, including observation of ongoing decommissioning activities in Unit 1, and participated in a working lunch to discuss topics of interest. Chairman Meserve held a press conference at the conclusion of the visit.

ENCLOSURE R

Office of Congressional Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending June 9, 2000