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SECY-00-0200

September 22, 2000

Contact:  A. McMurtray, OEDO

WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING September 15, 2000

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

Contact: A. McMurtray, OEDO by E-mail: acm2@nrc.gov.

ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

Turkey Point License Renewal Application

By letter dated September 8, 2000, Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) submitted its application requesting the renewal of the operating licenses for Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, Units 3 and 4, for an additional 20 years beyond their current 40-year terms. The contents of FPL's application include a safety report describing how the effects of aging will be managed during the renewal term for the systems, structures, and components within the scope of 10 CFR Part 54, and an environmental report addressing the environmental impacts required by 10 CFR Part 51.

Turkey Point Units 3 & 4 are Westinghouse three-loop nuclear steam supply systems with current operating licenses that expire on July 19, 2012, and April 10, 2013, respectively. Turkey Point is the first license renewal application for a Westinghouse design. The staff is projecting a 30-month review schedule from receipt of the application on September 11, 2000.

NRC/FEMA Steering Committee Meeting

The quarterly meeting of the NRC/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA ) Steering Committee was held at NRC headquarters on September 7, 2000. The NRC/FEMA Steering Committee meets periodically to address radiological emergency preparedness issues affecting offsite emergency planning. The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) management and Operator Licensing, Human Performance and Plant Support Branch/Emergency Planning and Health Physics (IOLB/EPHP) staff represented the NRC at this meeting. FEMA was represented by Russell Salter, Chemical and Radiological Preparedness Division Director, Vanessa Quinn, Radiological Emergency Preparedness Branch Chief, and staff.

The major items discussed included the status of emergency planning activities at Indian Point and emergency planning requirements for plants being decommissioned. Risk-informing NRC regulatory activities and any potential implications on offsite emergency planning for nuclear power plants being decommissioned were also discussed. In addition, an NRC manager from the Division of Inspection Program Management (DIPM) participated in a discussion on risk-informed regulation. The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for December 13, 2000, at FEMA.

Public Meeting on Risk Informing 10 CFR Part 73

On September 6, 2000, NRR conducted a public meeting at NRC headquarters to discuss various topics in connection with the conduct of future force-on-force security exercises at nuclear power plants. Attendees included NRC staff, members of the public, members of industry, and representatives of Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), Nuclear Control Institute (NCI), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), and Congressman Markey's staff. NRC Regional office staff participated in person and through video conferencing. NRC staff and stakeholders engaged in dialog regarding the details of the future conduct of Operational Safeguards Response Evaluations (OSREs) and related issues.

Millstone Station, Unit 3

The staff recently issued a license amendment approving a licensing bases change to reclassify the full-core offload to the spent fuel pool as a normal evolution (as opposed to its current classification as an abnormal event). Based on the review of the licensee's application, the staff concluded that the proposal to offload an entire reactor core to the spent fuel pool (SFP) as a routine, planned evolution was acceptable. The full-core offload thermal-hydraulic analysis and methodology used for this license amendment was similar to previous amendments that were approved for other licensees with similar designs.

Millstone Unit Nos. 1, 2, and 3

By letter dated August 31, 2000, Northeast Nuclear Energy Company (NNECO) and Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc., submitted their application for an order and conforming amendments consenting to the transfer of the operating licenses for Millstone Unit Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Dominion Nuclear Connecticut is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Dominion Energy, which is owned by Dominion Resources, Inc. Dominion Nuclear Connecticut and NNECO have requested NRC review and approval of the transfer by March 1, 2001.

Millstone Unit 1 was retired in July 1998 and is currently being placed in a safe storage condition for future decommissioning.

ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Committee Meeting

On September 4-8, 2000, Spent Fuel Project Office (SFPO) staff participated in the Technical Committee Meeting (TC-405.9) to Revise the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (now designated TS-R-1, formerly ST-1). The meeting was held at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The U.S. delegation was comprised of representatives from the Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and industry. Twenty-three member states were represented. The TC considered about 200 proposals to change IAEA's regulations or its supporting documents relating to general provisions, activity limits and material restrictions, transport controls, packaging requirements, and test procedures. Consideration of contamination-related proposals were referred to a Coordinated Research Project on Radiological Aspects of Package and Conveyance Contamination. This Research Project was established at the 5th Meeting of the Transport Safety Standards Advisory Committee (now designated Transport Safety Standards Committee) held on May 11-15, 2000.

Public Meeting with the Nuclear Energy Institute and Industry Staff on 10 CFR Part 72.48 Guidance

On September 7, 2000, SFPO staff conducted a public meeting with NEI and industry staff to discuss Appendix B of NEI 96-07. Appendix B of NEI 96-07 contains guidance for implementing the revisions to 10 CFR Part 72.48. In the meeting, NEI provided a new revision to Appendix B that addressed earlier comments from the SFPO staff and a matrix that summarized disposition of all previous comments from the staff. The matrix showed that most of the previous comments were addressed in the latest revision to Appendix B of NEI 96-07. The industry and SFPO staff agreed to several follow-up actions for remaining issues on Appendix B.

Meeting of National Academy of Sciences, Board on Radioactive Waste Management

On September 11, 2000, the Director of the SFPO made a presentation and participated on a panel at a meeting of the National Academy of Science Board on Radioactive Waste Management in Washington, DC. NRC Chairman Richard Meserve was a guest speaker at this meeting. The subject of the meeting was "Transportation of Radioactive Waste:  Past Experience, Current Issues, and Future Prospects." The meeting was informational and included the following topics:

• Risks associated with transportation of commercial, Department of Energy, and Navy spent fuel
  
  
• Public communication about transportation of spent fuel
  
  
• International transport experience with spent fuel
  
  
• Perspectives on spent fuel transportation issues by representatives of industry, the state of Nevada, and transportation "corridor" states

Transportation Risk Studies Workshop

On September 13, 2000, SFPO and Sandia National Laboratories hosted an all-day workshop, at NRC headquarters, dealing with two spent fuel transportation risk studies. The two studies were the package performance study, which just completed a scoping phase, and the "Reexamination of Spent Fuel Shipment Risk Estimates," NUREG/CR-6672, which was published in March 2000. The roundtable workshop included representatives from government agencies, transportation and nuclear industries, and public interest groups interested in spent fuel transportation requirements. This workshop was a follow-up to the package performance study workshops held in 1999 that were designed to seek stakeholder and public input on the scope and content for the package performance study.

Public Meeting Concerning the Kerr-McGee Cushing, Oklahoma, Site

On September 6, 2000, the Division of Waste Management (DWM) staff attended the quarterly Kerr-McGee Cushing site public meeting. This site is listed on the Site Decommissioning Management Plan. This meeting was sponsored by the Kerr-McGee Corporation (the licensee) and the Oklahoma State Department of Environmental Quality. Approximately 70 people were in attendance, including State Representative Wells and State Senator Morgan. The initial discussions focused on the odors resulting from the remediation of a waste acid sludge pit (non-radiologically contaminated). Subsequent discussion focused on radiological material remediation and the impact of any potential radiological contamination on the community. Local residents were concerned with ongoing remediation activities onsite. DWM staff addressed any radiological concerns during the question-and-answer portion of the meeting. After the meeting, several of the local citizens and State Representative Wells thanked the DWM staff for attending and participating in the meeting.

Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards Meeting

On September 12, 2000, the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) and the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research staffs participated in the quarterly meeting of the Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards (ISCORS). This meeting was hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency. The agenda included a variety of topics of interest to the NRC. Dr. Thomas Leschine of the University of Washington, Chair of the National Research Council Task Group, provided a summary of the group's recently issued report on the use of institutional controls at the Department of Energy (DOE ) legacy sites. Staff from DOE presented an overview of a new initiative to provide a more rigorous assessment of radiation doses to important animal and plant species which may be significantly exposed to radioactive materials during site operation or following decommissioning.

Presentation on Regulation of Exposures to Radionuclides and Chemicals

On September 12, 2000, the NRC and other federal agency staff attended a presentation by Dr. David Kocher of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory on harmonizing the risk assessments of exposures to radionuclides and chemical carcinogens. One of his major points was that despite perceptions that chemical carcinogens are regulated at a much lower risk level than radionuclides, in reality, the risk levels are not very different. Radionuclides are regulated using a "top down" approach which starts with an established limit and works downward, using the as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) principle. Chemical carcinogen risk assessments start with a goal of 10^-4 to 10^-6 and allow relaxation of risk, depending on cost-benefit, technical feasibility, and other factors. The end points are essentially the same for both approaches.

International Conference on Radioactive Waste Disposal - DisTec 2000

During the week of September 3, 2000, a DWM representative attended the International Conference on Radioactive Waste Disposal, "Disposal Technologies and Concepts 2000 - DisTec 2000," held in Berlin, Germany. Other U.S. representatives included members of DOE, the Department of State, national laboratories, and U.S. private consultants and industries. Over 350 participants representing 22 countries attended the conference. The conference was coordinated by the German Federal Office of Radiation Protection, The German Agency for Construction and Operation of Repositories, the European Commission on Radioactive Waste Disposal, and IAEA. The conference addressed issues pertaining to:

• International cooperation for repositories
  
  
• Site selection criteria, methodologies, and procedures
  
  
• Repositories for low-, intermediate-, and high-level waste
  
  
• Disposal options for naturally occurring radioactive materials
  
  
• Repository safety
  
  
• Backfilling and sealing of repositories.

10 CFR Part 70 Guidance Public Meeting

On September 12-13, 2000, NRC staff held a public meeting with several stakeholders, including a representative from Environmentalist, Inc., a public interest group, and representatives from DOE, NEI, and the major 10 CFR Part 70 Fuel Fabricators. Development of guidance documents associated with recent revisions of Part 70 regulations was discussed at this meeting. Specifically, the NRC staff and stakeholders discussed Chapter 11 of the revised Part 70 Standard Review Plan (SRP) which contained the acceptance criteria for Management Measures described in license applications. Two examples that illustrated differences related to Chapter 11, comments on Chapter 3 of the SRP and on NEI guidance for Integrated Safety Analysis (ISA) summaries, and the status of other guidance documents being developed by NRC were also discussed at this meeting. The principal differences between the NRC and the industry proposals discussed at this meeting were the extent to which licensees needed to describe the plans for implementing Management Measures in their applications. At the conclusion of the meeting, NEI and the fuel fabrication representatives agreed to provide a proposed set of guiding principles for developing acceptance criteria in Chapter 11 of the SRP.

BN-350 Cooperative Assessment for Secure Storage of Spend Nuclear Fuel Meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan

During the week of August 27, 2000, a Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards (FCSS) representative participated in meetings, in Kazakhstan, to finalize a report detailing options for an appropriate site to store spent fuel from the BN-350 Breeder Reactor in Aktau, Kazakhstan. This report was a culmination of several years of effort by DOE and the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Office of International Programs requested FCSS participation to support discussions on physical protection requirements. At the conclusion of the meetings, two sites, Aktau and Baikal, were identified as possible storage locations.

On-site Licensing Review of Paducah Higher Assay Upgrade Amendment

During the week of September 5, 2000, staff from FCSS conducted an on-site licensing review at the U.S. Enrichment Corporation's (USEC) Paducah plant. The on-site review was performed to evaluate and discuss technical and programmatic concerns that surfaced during an earlier NRC review of nine nuclear criticality safety approvals/evaluations (NCSAs/Es). The results of the onsite review were generally favorable, although two of nine NCSAs/Es required revision to correct technical inadequacies. USEC continued to work on resolving issues previously identified in an NCSA/E that supported higher assay operations in April 2000 and the criticality accident alarm system exclusion that was denied by the NRC staff in August 2000.

Kazakhstan to Supply Uranium to the U.S.

On September 8, 2000, U.S. and Kazakhstani officials concluded agreements on cooperation in the uranium sector, applicable over a 10-year period, that are worth $200-million. One of the four contracts signed under this agreement requires Kazakhstan to supply enriched uranium for U.S. nuclear power plants. The completion of this contract was the culmination of an effort by Kazakhstan to be exempted from the antidumping policy established to prevent excessive amounts of Russian uranium from entering the U.S. market. The NRC staff is coordinating with the Department of State on these agreements, to assess implications for NRC programs.

ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

Two Draft Guides (DGs) Issued

The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) has issued proposed revisions to two regulatory guides for public comment. DG-1098, "Safety-Related Concrete Structures for Nuclear Power Plants (Other than Reactor Vessels and Containments)," is a proposed Revision 2 to Regulatory Guide 1.142. DG-1098 was developed to provide guidance to licensees and applicants on methods acceptable to the NRC staff for complying with the NRC's regulations on the design, evaluation, and quality assurance of safety-related nuclear concrete structures, excluding concrete reactor vessels and concrete containments.

DG-1100, "Design Guidance for Radioactive Waste Management Systems, Structures, and Components Installed in Light-Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Plants," is a proposed Revision 2 to Regulatory Guide 1.143. DG-1100 - was developed to provide guidance to licensees and applicants on methods acceptable to the NRC staff for complying with the NRC's regulations in the design, construction, installation, and testing of radioactive waste management facilities, and on the structures, systems, and components in light-water-cooled nuclear power plants.

ENCLOSURE D

Incident Response Operations
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

Preliminary Notifications

1. PNO-I-00-028, American Ash Recycling Corporation of Pennsylvania, CESIUM 137 SEALED SOURCES FOUND IN INCINERATOR ASH IN YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.
   
   
2. PNO-I-00-029, Ambric Testing and Engineering Associates, Inc., BANKRUPTCY OF PORTABLE GAUGE LICENSEE.
   
   
3. PNO-II-00-035, BWX Technologies, Inc., TRACTOR TRUCK HAULING LOW LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTES BURNS.
   
   
4. PNO-II-00-036, Fuller, Mossbarger, Scott, and May Engineers, Inc., STOLEN PORTABLE MOISTURE-DENSITY GAUGE.
   
   
5. PNO-II-00-037, University of Virginia, MEDICAL MISADMINISTRATION INVOLVING A PATIENT RECEIVING AN HDR TREATMENT.

ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

Focused Source Selection

The National Contract Management Association (NCMA) published an article entitled, "Focused Source Selection: A Promising Alternative," in the September issue of their monthly flagship publication, Contract Management. This article described the NRC's innovative process for awarding management and support contracts. Contract Management is distributed to the Association's 21,000 members throughout the United States and in several foreign countries.

Contract Award

On September 12, 2000, the Division of Contracts and Property Management awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (NRC-03-00-002) to Sonalysts, Incorporated, on a competitive basis. The objective of this contract is to obtain specialized technical assistance to support the NRC in the administration of the Generic Fundamentals Examination Section examinations. The contract period of performance is November 20, 2000, through November 19, 2003, at an estimated cost of $796,886.00. Streamlining initiatives utilized on this contract were electronic transmittal of the Statement of Work (SOW), use of less than three Source Evaluation Panel (SEP) technical members, and simplified evaluation criteria.

Revision of References to Section 202 of the Energy Reorganization Act (Parts 1, 2, 19, 30, 40, 50, 51, and 70

A final rule that makes minor conforming changes to the regulations that reference Section 202 of the Energy Reorganization Act was published in the Federal Register on September 12, 2000 (65 FR 54948). The final rule also corrects a typographical error and makes several additional conforming changes. The final rule became effective September 12, 2000.

ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Requests received during the 5-Day Period of September 8, 2000 through September 14, 2000:

ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

2000 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Kick Off Attended

On September 12, 2000, Henry Rubin, CFC Agency Coordinator, attended the 2000 CFC Kick Off of the National Capital Area held at Constitution Hall. The Honorable Rodney E. Slater, Secretary of Transportation and Chair of this year's campaign, was the keynote speaker. NRC's CFC Kick Off is scheduled for October 12, 2000, at 9:00 a.m. in the Commissioners' Conference Room.

ENCLOSURE J

Office of Small Business & Civil Rights
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

Managing Diversity Training

On Tuesday, September 12, 2000, a session of the Managing Diversity for Employees seminar was conducted for Headquarter employees. Employees from the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Office of Public Affairs (OPA), Office of International Programs (OIP), NRR, and NMSS attended this session. Previous sessions were conducted in each of the regional offices and at the Technical Training Center. This half-day managing diversity awareness seminar is designed to integrate the concept of diversity management with individual performance, personal accountability, and Agency goals. Course participants studied a pragmatic definition of diversity management and examined the impact of managing diversity on creating a high performance organization. Approximately 1500 NRC employees have attended these sessions and 85% of these employees rated the session as good or excellent.

The final awareness session is scheduled for October 10, 2000. This seminar is intended to be an integration session to discuss specifically how managing NRC's diversity may impact on safety oversight, risk communication, human resource management, organizational performance, and public confidence. Managers, supervisors and employees are encouraged to attend.

ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

Media Interest

OPA received calls on the USEC financial report provided to Congress last week.

Chris Grimes and Robert Wood, NRR, and OPA staff were interviewed by a reporter from the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's largest business newspaper, on plant license renewals, license transfers, high-level waste, and public confidence issues.

The California Energy Market Newsletter interviewed Chris Grimes on plant license renewal.

ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

Commission Correspondence Released to the Public

1. Letter to Congressman Tom Bliley, et al., dated September 11, 2000, concerns the financial review of the United States Enrichment Corporation (enclosure withheld).
   
   
2. Letter to Vincent Tamagna, Putnam County Legislature, dated September 5, 2000, concerns the replacement of the existing steam generators at Consolidated Edison Company of New York's Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit No. 2.
   
   
3. Letter to Congress dated September 5, 2000, transmits the June monthly report on the status of licensing and regulatory duties.
   
   
4. Letter to Congresswoman Kelly dated September 5, 2000, concerns request that the decision on the proposal to restart Indian Point with the existing steam generators be suspended until the investigation is concluded.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Revised Agenda.
   
   
2. ACRS Subcommittee Meeting on Planning and Procedures; Notice of Meeting.
   
   
3. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Notice of Meeting.
   
   
4. ACRS Meeting of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee; Notice of Meeting.
   
   
5. Staff Meetings Open to the Public; Final Policy Statement.

ENCLOSURE P

Region I
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

Indian Point Unit 2

On September 11, 2000, the NRC met publicly with representatives of Consolidated Edison (Con Ed) to discuss actions taken and planned for improving station performance and the current status of performance assessments at Indian Point 2. Several members of the public attended the meeting.

As stated in a letter to Con Ed this past May following the NRC Senior Management Meeting, information from the September 11 meeting will be used to consider what additional NRC actions are necessary to further assess performance at Indian Point 2. Any additional actions will be documented in a letter to Con Ed.

Stakeholder Meeting Regarding Terminated License

On September 5, 2000, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety (DNMS) representatives attended a meeting at a formerly licensed facility (SmithKline Beecham) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition to the DNMS staff, representatives of the building owner, the general contractor, the environmental consultant (Teledyne Engineering), Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the building trade unions were present at the meeting.

The meeting was held to discuss worker concerns about radioactive material, including a radium dial clock that was found in a load of building debris from the site. The clock was discovered when it set off alarms at a scrap yard.

Additional examination by an environmental consultant revealed the presence of carbon-14 and hydrogen-3 on the interior of a pipe in the load of building debris and remaining at the demolition site. Both radionuclide concentration levels were below the NRC release limits.

The meeting participants appeared satisfied with the information presented by the DNMS staff, including determinations that the site met NRC criteria for release for unrestricted use. The participants also expressed appreciation for the DNMS staff support at the meeting.

ENCLOSURE P

Region II
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000

Regional meeting of Resident and Regional Inspectors

On September 11-14, 2000, the Region held a meeting with the Resident and Regional Inspectors in the Regional Office. The meeting's purpose was to discuss insights on Agency projects and lessons learned from experience with the revised reactor oversight process. A keynote speaker was the Deputy Executive Director for Management Services from the Office of the Executive Director for Operations (OEDO). Staff from the Office of the Nuclear Reactor Regulation presented information on several topics, including revisions to 10 CFR 50.59 and 50.65.

Region II's EDO Coordinator visits the Regional Office

On September 13-14, 2000, Region II's OEDO Coordinator visited the Region II Office. As a part of the visit, the Coordinator participated in the Regional meeting of Resident and Regional Inspectors.

Presentation of Certificates of Appreciation to Puerto Rico (PR) Health Department staff in San Juan, Puerto Rico

On September 12-13, 2000, the Chief of the Materials Licensing/Inspection Branch 2, presented Certificates of Appreciation to the PR Health Department staff in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Certificates were for their support during the Vieques Island environmental surveys.

Southern Nuclear Operating Company - Farley Exercise

On September 11-14, 2000, the Regional State and Government Liaison Officer participated as a member of the FEMA Regional Assistance Committee to evaluate the Farley emergency preparedness exercise. The exercise participants included the licensee, officials of the States of Alabama and Georgia, and the applicable local governments.

University of Virginia Medical Center

On September 7, 2000, an event occurred that involved a medical misadministration for a patient undergoing an HDR remote afterloader brachytherapy treatment. The patient received an unintended dose of 8 gray (800 rads) rather than the prescribed dose of 5 gray (500 rads). Region II planned to conduct a special inspection next week to follow-up on the event.

ENCLOSURE R

Office of Congressional Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending September 15, 2000