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SECY-00-0157

July 20, 2000

Contact:  M. Case, OEDO

WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JULY 14, 2000

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

Contact: M. Case, OEDO by E-mail: MJC@nrc.gov.

ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Indian Point Unit 2

The staff continues its review of the Consolidated Edison Company of New York (the licensee) steam generator inspection condition monitoring and operational assessment reports submitted on June 2, 2000. In a letter dated July 7, 2000, the licensee responded to the staff's request for additional information regarding a series of issues that have arisen during telephone conversations with the licensee. These ongoing conversations have been conducted to gain further clarifications regarding the technical content of the reports. The licensee's July 7 letter included a supplement to the sections of the condition monitoring and operational assessment regarding the U-bend primary water stress corrosion cracking and sludge pile outside diameter stress corrosion cracking conditions.

Millstone Unit 3 Hearings

On March 19, 1999, Northeast Nuclear Energy Company (licensee) filed an application for a license amendment, pursuant to 10 CFR § 50.90, for the Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit No. 3 (Millstone 3). The Application sought approval to increase spent fuel storage capacity by installing two types of additional higher density spent fuel racks into the spent fuel pool. On September 7, 1999, the NRC published a notice of proposed no significant hazards consideration determination and opportunity for hearing. On October 6, 1999, interveners filed a request for hearing and petition to intervene. The petition to intervene was granted by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (Board) by Memorandum and Order, dated February 9, 2000.

On February 22, 2000, pursuant to 10 CFR § 2.1109, the licensee filed a request to invoke the hybrid hearing procedures of Subpart K and for oral argument. On April 19, 2000, the Board issued a memorandum and order acknowledging that this matter would proceed pursuant to Subpart K and established a schedule for filing written presentations.

The schedule for filing the written presentation was June 30, 2000. The staff and licensee met this schedule but not the interveners. The interveners filed a motion for permission to file an untimely written presentation but that motion has not been ruled on. Nevertheless, the interveners filed their written presentation on July 3, 2000, and on July 4, 2000 filed a superceding written presentation and then supplemented it with an added declaration on July 6, 2000. The staff filed motions (July 6 and 7, 2000) to deny the intervener's motion and to strike the written presentation for failure to comply with the regulation (10 CFR 2.1113 Oral argument) in that the facts and data relied upon are not timely and properly sworn to as required by the regulation. The staff's motions have not been ruled on.

The oral arguments on the written presentations are currently scheduled for July 19, 2000, in New London, Connecticut.

Commonwealth Edison / PECO

Unicom (parent company of Commonwealth Edison Company) and PECO plan to merge their companies in September 2000 to form Exelon Corporation. The NRC staff expects to complete its review of the request to transfer the licenses for the ComEd and PECO plants to Exelon Generating Company (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Exelon) by July 31, 2000. AmerGen submitted applications for license transfers in February 2000 to reflect the transfer of PECO's 50 percent ownership of AmerGen to Exelon Generating Company. These transfers are under review and are expected to be issued in September 2000.

On July 7, 2000, ComEd and PECO submitted new applications for approval of indirect license transfers. The indirect transfers would allow Unicom and PECO to merge but not transfer the licenses for the plants to the new generating company until a later date. This is necessary because other required regulatory approvals may not be received until after September. The staff plans to complete its evaluation of the indirect transfers in mid-September.

Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant

On July 12, 2000, the Board of Commissioners of Orange County, North Carolina (BCOC) filed a motion with the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) for an opportunity to comment on the relevancy of a June 20, 2000, Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) letter, to the environmental contentions currently before the ASLB in the Harris Nuclear Plant spent fuel storage case.

BCOC is the intervener in an ASLB hearing related to Carolina Power & Light Company's (CP&L's) December 23, 1998, license amendment application to expand the spent fuel storage capacity at the Harris Plant by placing two additional spent fuel pools in service. In its May 5, 2000, decision, the ASLB ruled that an evidentiary hearing was not necessary and that the technical contentions related to criticality and quality assurance issues were resolved in favor of CP&L. An ASLB ruling on the admissibility of the late-filed environmental contentions is still pending.

The subject of the June 20, 2000, ACRS letter to the NRC Chairman is "Proposed Resolution of Generic Safety Issue-173A, 'Spent Fuel Storage Pool for Operating Facilities.'" In its letter, the ACRS recommends that "1) The staff should defer closing out GSI-173A until the re-evaluation associated with spent fuel pool (SFP) accidents for decommissioning plants has been completed; and, 2) The staff should develop screening criteria for regulatory analyses that are appropriate for SFP accidents at operating reactors."

In its July 12, motion, BCOC states that "The County believes the letter is relevant to the contentions because it addresses various matters relating to the risks of spent fuel pool storage accidents at operating reactors, including the relevance of the NRC Staff's recent draft technical study regarding the risks of spent fuel pool accidents at decommissioning reactors." Furthermore, BCOC states that "Given the subject matter of the June 20 ACRS letter, and given that the Board has previously sought comment on the Staff's draft technical study and the April 13 ACRS letter regarding spent fuel pool accident risks at decommissioning reactors ... an additional opportunity for comment is warranted here."

ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Saxton Reactor Site Visit

On July 6, 2000, staff from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, and the Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) visited the Saxton Nuclear Experimental Corporation reactor in Saxton, Pennsylvania, to discuss the Saxton license termination plan review and take a Saxton-conducted site tour. The SNL team is in the process of finalizing the draft environmental assessment (EA) and the associated request for additional information (RAI). The purpose of the meeting was for the SNL team to become familiar with the site features; physical, hydrological, and environmental characteristics of the site; remediation activities, and to obtain site-specific information prior to finalizing the draft EA and the RAI. Key items of discussion included areas of contamination at the site, dose assessment, groundwater parameters, monitoring well details, and derived clean up levels.

Audit/Observation of the Saturated Zone Flow and Transport Process Model Report for the Yucca Mountain Project

On June 21-30, 2000, members of the Division of Waste Management and a representative from the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses observed an audit of the Saturated Zone Flow and Transport Process Modeling Report (PMR) including three associated Analysis Modeling Reports (AMRs). The audit was performed by personnel from the Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Office of Quality Assurance (OQA) at the Management and Operating (M&O) contractor's facilities in Las Vegas, Nevada. Based on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) observation team's assessment of the OQA audit and the independent evaluation of the PMR/AMRs, it was determined that the audit activities were well planned and effectively implemented. The observation team also noted that the M&O had made progress with respect to the qualification/verification of data and software which support the reports.

No deficiencies were identified during the audit and the observation team concluded that the technical quality and completeness of scientific products contained in the Saturated Zone Flow and Transport PMR and the associated AMRs indicated an improving trend over the previous six PMR audits (conducted in the last quarter of 1999 and the first quarter of 2000). The audit team's findings will be documented in the OQA audit report along with three inquiries of the NRC observation team which will be documented as recommendations.

BNFL Fuel Solutions Organizational Changes

On July 7, 2000, BNFL, Inc., announced that Rita Bowser had been appointed as interim President and Chief Executive Officer of BNFL Fuel Solutions (BFS). She replaces Scott Dam, who will return to his previous position as manager of BNFL's Reactor Decommissioning Group. Ms. Bowser will be based at BFS' Scotts Valley, California, facility and will be responsible for spent fuel storage and transportation activities.

BNFL Spent Fuel Dry Cask System

On July 11, 2000, a proposed rule was published in the Federal Register (65 FR 42647) that would add the BNFL Fuel Solutions^TM Spent Fuel Dry Cask System to the list of approved dry cask storage systems contained in 10 CFR 72.214. The comment period for the proposed rule ends on September 25, 2000. The Fuel Solutions^TM dry cask system is a dual purpose system intended for the storage and transportation of spent fuel.

Nuclear Energy Institute Meeting

On July 6, 2000, senior managers from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) met at a public meeting in the NEI offices in Washington, DC. This was another in a series of quarterly meetings that are held to exchange information on the status of major activities, and to identify mutual areas of focus and interest. Discussion items included the following areas: spent fuel storage and transportation, fuel cycle activities, decommissioning, high level waste, risk informing regulations, and materials licenses.

Mixed Oxide Fuel Public Meeting

The Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, with help from the Office of Public Affairs and the Office of the General Counsel, conducted two public meetings on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) licensing role for the fabrication and use of mixed oxide fuel (MOX). The first meeting was held in Columbia, South Carolina, on July 12, 2000, and the second meeting was held in North Augusta, South Carolina, on July 13, 2000. Both meetings were attended by about 90 people. After presenting information about NRC's role and licensing process, the staff listened to comments and responded to questions about MOX and related issues. Considerable interest was expressed about the use of MOX fuel at the McGuire and Catawba Nuclear Reactors in North and South Carolina.

In addition, several citizen group representatives urged the Commission to deny the license to fabricate and use MOX fuel. Staff emphasized the next opportunity for public involvement will occur in early 2001 following receipt of the application for the license for the MOX fuel fabrication facility, which is expected in late December 2000.

ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Public Meeting with WOG on LBLOCA Redefinition Program

NRC staff met with representatives of the Westinghouse Owners Group (WOG) and other interested stakeholders on July 11, 2000, to discuss various aspects of the WOG large-break loss-of-coolant accident (LBLOCA) redefinition program. This meeting was a follow-up to earlier staff meetings with the WOG on their LBLOCA redefinition program and RES efforts to risk-inform the technical requirements of 10 CFR 50.46. The WOG provided a brief overview of its LBLOCA redefinition program, and then described the current status of the four main tasks initiated (i.e., leak before break data collection and grouping, calculation of LBLOCA initiating event frequency, draft rulemaking, and scope of implementation). The technical discussion at the meeting focused principally on the WOG's proposed use of leak before break (LBB) arguments to arrive at a more realistic break size for the design basis LOCA.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the WOG indicated a desire to meet with the staff again around November 2000 to discuss advancements made in their LBLOCA redefinition program. A tentative meeting date has not yet been set.

ENCLOSURE D

Incident Response Operations
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-I-00-018, George Washington University Hospital, POTENTIAL MISADMINISTRATION DURING THE FIRST OF A TWO FRACTION BRACHYTHERAPY PROCEDURE.
   
   
2. PNO-I-00-019, Mallinckrodt, Inc., APPARENT OVEREXPOSURE TO AN EXTREMITY OF A RADIATION WORKER.
   
   
3. PNO-I-00-020, Grand View Hospital, AN IODINE-125 BRACHYTHERAPY IMPLANT SEED REPORTED MISSING.
   
   
4. PNO-II-00-026, Professional Engineering & Inspection, STOLEN TROXLER GAUGE.
   
   
5. PNO-II-00-027, Law Engineering and Environmental, REPORT OF MISSING PORTABLE GAUGE.
   
   
6. PNO-III-00-027, Consumers Power Co. (Palisades 1), SHUTDOWN TO REPAIR SMALL REACTOR COOLING SYSTEM LEAK.
   
   
7. PNO-IV-00-016, Washington Public Power Supply System (Washington Nuclear 2), RANGE FIRE NEARBY NRC LICENSED FACILITIES (SIEMENS POWER CORPORATION AND WNP-2).

ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Union of Concerned Scientists; Receipt of Petition for Rulemaking (PRM-54-1)

A document that requests public comment on a petition for rulemaking submitted by the Union of Concerned Scientists was published in the Federal Register on July 10, 2000 (65 FR 42305). The petitioner requests that the NRC amend its regulations governing requirements for renewal of operating licenses for nuclear power plants to address potential concerns about aging degradation of liquid and gaseous radioactive waste systems The petitioner believes the degradation from aging of piping and components of liquid and gaseous radioactive waste systems at nuclear power facilities may result in an increased probability and/or consequences from design and licensing bases events. The comment period for this action closes September 25, 2000.

List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: FuelSolutions, Addition (Part 72)

A proposed rule that would add the FuelSolutions cask system to list of approved spent fuel storage casks was published in the Federal Register on July 11, 2000 (65 FR 42647). This amendment would allow holders of power reactor operating licenses to store spent fuel in the FuelSolutions cask system under a general license. The comment period on this action closes July 11, 2000.

Acquisition for Project Managers Training

On July 11, 2000, the Division of Contracts and Property Management conducted its Acquisition for Project Managers module, "Preparing Statements of Work." This module provides project managers with practical exercises in developing succinct and complete Statements of Work that ensure contractors and DOE laboratories fully understand project scope, achieve work objectives, and deliver useful products in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost.

ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Requests received during the 5-Day Period of July 7, 2000 through July 13, 2000:

ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

*Transfer from RIII

ENCLOSURE K

Office of Enforcement
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Website for Office of Enforcement

On July 13, 2000, a Federal Register notice announced the NRC's intent to use the NRC Office of Enforcement (OE) website to communicate a consolidation of significant enforcement actions and to discontinue publication of the paper document, NUREG-0940, "Enforcement Actions: Significant Actions Resolved." The NRC is taking this action because this material is now available electronically on the NRC website. The Commission is also seeking public comment on this action. OE intends to provide an online comment form for public comments. The final edition of NUREG-0940 has been published and contains a notice that advises recipients that unless the NRC receives sufficient public comment in support of continuing this publication, NRC will cease publication with that issue.

ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Media Interest

Four newspaper reporters and one television reporter attended the meetings in South Carolina on NRC's role in licensing the proposed MOX facility. OPA participated in the meeting, along with staff from NMSS, NRR and OGC.

Region I and headquarters have received numerous calls regarding timing of the restart of Indian Point 2.

ENCLOSURE N

Office of International Programs
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Ambassador-Designee for the Republic of Lithuania

On July 12, Ambassador-designee for the Republic of Lithuania, John F. Tefft, met with the Director of International Programs and received a tour of our Emergency Operations Center. Discussions focused on NRC's nuclear safety assistance program in Lithuania, which started in 1995 and is funded by the Agency for International Development.

Meeting with Australian Nuclear Officicial

On July 12, NRC staff met with John Carlson, Director General of the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office (ASNO). Tom Martin (ADM/DFS) led the discussion with Carlson on the Administrative Security Arrangements between Australia and NRC for the exchange of information (including Restricted Data) concerning the SILEX uranium enrichment process. Other topics discussed were (1) implementation of the IAEA safeguards Additional Protocol; (2) new reactor technologies; (3) proliferation-resistant fuel cycle technologies; (4) status of U.S. nuclear industry; and (5) prospects for the U.S. uranium enrichment industry.

ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Jennifer R Muller, Office of the Vice President, dated July 10, 2000, transmits final report on the Welfare-to-Work hiring initiative.
   
   
2. Letter to P E Metcalf, National Nuclear Regulator, Republic of South Africa, dated July 6, 2000, invitation to observe full-scale Koeberg Emergency Exercise.
   
   
3. Letter to Congressman Gibbons, dated July 10, 2000, concerns hearing process to consider an application for a license for a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Moab Mill Reclamation Trust; Docket No. 40-3453-MLA-5; Designation of Presiding Officer.
   
   
2. Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company; Docket No. 50-309-OLA; Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.
   
   
3. ACRS Subcommittee Meeting on Thermal-Hydraulic Phenomena; Notice of Meeting.
   
   
4. GRAYSTAR, Inc.; Docket No. SSD 99-27; Notice of Hearing and of Opportunity to Petition for Leave to Intervene or to Participate as an Interested Governmental Entity (Denial of Sealed Source Registration Application).
   
   
5. ACRS Subcommittee Meeting on Reliability and Probabilistic Risk Assessment; Notice of Meeting.
   
   
6. 10 CFR Parts 12 and 50; Antitrust Review Authority: Clarification; Final Rule.

ENCLOSURE P

Region I
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Licensing Visit to DLA-Curtis Bay

On July 11, a DNMS representative performed a licensing visit at the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) facility in Curtis Bay, MD. DLA is planning to remove eight warehouse buildings that were used for storage of thorium nitrate in the 60's and 70's. The buildings were cleaned and surveyed in the mid-70's and have not been used for licensed activities since that time. Past surveys and recent characterization surveys indicate that the buildings are free of contamination. However, based on the characterization surveys, the licensee may need to remediate discrete areas of soil under and around the buildings. The licensee plans to have contractors develop a decommissioning plan for the soil areas in order to eventually release the area for unrestricted use.

ENCLOSURE P

Region II
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

Duke Energy Corporation - McGuire Plant

On July 11, the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, presented a talk at a meeting of the American Nuclear Society in Charlotte, North Carolina. On July 12, he toured the McGuire nuclear plant and met with the NRC resident inspectors and licensee managers and staff. He was accompanied during his meetings and his visit to the McGuire Nuclear Site by the Deputy Director, Division of Reactor Projects.

PRA Steering Committee Meeting

On July 11, the Regional Administrator was in Headquarters to attend PRA Steering Committee Meeting. This meeting included discussions between the Committee and representatives of industry.

Southern Nuclear Company, Inc. - Farley Plant

On July 12-13, the Director, Division of Reactor Projects lead a public Regulatory Performance meeting with licensee representatives at the Farley nuclear plant site. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the causes and licensee corrective actions for two white performance indicators, which represents a degraded cornerstone for mitigating systems.

On July 10 - 14, Region II and the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation conducted an Operation Safeguards Readiness Evaluation (OSRE) at the Farley nuclear plant. The OSRE included table top exercises and drills with the licensee's response teams.

ENCLOSURE P

Region III
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000

NRC Discusses Palisades, Michigan, Plant Assessment

NRC officials on July 11 met with Consumers Energy Co. officials to discuss the Palisades plant performance results. The meeting was held at the plant.

Michigan Public Meeting to Discuss Changes in Reactor Oversight

NRC officials July 11 held a public meeting in South Haven, Michigan, to discuss the NRC's reactor oversight process for the Palisades plant.

Point Beach, Wisconsin, Public Meeting to Discuss Plant Assessment

NRC officials on July 12 met with Wisconsin Electric Power Co. officials to discuss the Point Beach plant performance results. The meeting was held at the plant.

Kewaunee, Wisconsin, Public Meeting to Discuss Plant Assessment

NRC officials on July 12 met with Wisconsin Public Service Co. officials to discuss the Kewaunee plant performance results. The meeting was held at the Carlton Town Hall in Kewaunee. The meeting also covered a "yellow" performance indicator due to an Unit 1 siren notification system malfunction.

Wisconsin Public Meeting to Discuss Changes in Reactor Oversight

NRC officials July 12 held a public meeting in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, to discuss the NRC's reactor oversight process for the Point Beach and Kewaunee plants.

Iowa Public Meeting to Discuss Changes in Reactor Oversight

NRC officials July 13 held a public meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to discuss the NRC's reactor oversight process for the Duane Arnold plant.

Palo, Iowa, Public Meeting to Discuss Plant Assessment

NRC officials on July 14 met with IES Utilities Inc. officials in Palo, Iowa, to discuss the Duane Arnold plant performance results. The meeting was held at the plant.

Cordova, Illinois, Public Meeting to Discuss Plant Assessment

NRC officials on July 14 met with Commonwealth Edison, Co. officials to discuss the Quad Cities plant performance results. The meeting was held at the plant. The meeting also covered a "yellow" performance indicator due to an Unit 1 equipment problem with the high pressure emergency cooling system.

Mallinckrodt AIT Report Issued

Region III on July 14 issued the Augmented Inspection Team review of multiple occupational extremity exposures that exceeded the NRC limit at Mallinckrodt, Inc.'s Maryland Heights, Missouri, facility. Members of the AIT conducted their inspection from May 4-26, 2000. There has been press interest in the overexposures. The NRC held a June 23, 2000, public exit meeting in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and issued a confirmatory order to Mallinckrodt, Inc. requiring the company to improve its radiation protection and worker training programs as a result of the overexposures.

ENCLOSURE R

Office of Congressional Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending July 14, 2000