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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-05-0037 February 23, 2005
Contact: T. Kim, OEDO Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Information Notice (IN) 2005-01: Halon Fire-Extinguishing System Piping Incorrectly Connected On February 11, 2005, NRC issued the subject IN to highlight a potential generic issue regarding incorrectly connected piping in the halon fire-extinguishing systems. No specific action or written response is required for INs, however, it is expected that recipients will review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems. Information Notice (IN) 2005-02: Pressure Boundary Leakage Identified on Steam Generator Bowl Drain Welds On February 11, 2005, NRC issued the subject IN to highlight a potential generic issue regarding a pressure boundary leakage identified on steam generator bowl drain welds at a pressurized-water reactor plant. No specific action or written response is required for INs, however, it is expected that recipients will review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems. Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2005-01: Changes to Notice of Enforcement Discretion (NOED) Process and Staff Guidance On February 7, 2005, NRC issued the subject RIS to inform addressees and other stakeholders of certain immediately effective changes to the NRC’s NOED process and staff guidance. The RIS and the attached revised NRC Inspection Manual Part 9900: Technical Guidance supercede guidance on the same aspects of the NOED process currently in the NRC Inspection Manual. Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards NMSS/Regional Division Directors’ Counterpart Meeting On February2-3, 2005, Division Directors from NMSS met with their counterparts from the regional offices. The meeting included discussions on: security issues for NMSS and Agreement State licensees; training initiatives; program status updates for a number of activities across the materials and waste arenas; and longer-term challenges likely to face each program over the next 5-10 years. Managers from the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, the Office of Human Resources, and the Office of State and Tribal Programs also participated. This was the first of two Division Director counterpart meetings to be held this year. French Delegation Meets with NMSS Staff on Spent Nuclear Fuel On February7, 2005, staff from the Division of High-Level Waste Repository Safety, the Spent Fuel Project Office, and the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses met at NRC headquarters offices to discuss spent nuclear fuel (SNF) performance with representatives from the Commissariat à L'Energie Atomique, CEA Saclay, France. The Commissariat is conducting research on the long-term evolution of spent fuel. The purpose of the meeting was to exchange views on various safety issues involved in the transportation, storage, and disposal of SNF. The meeting included discussions on the integrity of high burn-up SNF; the release fraction of radionuclides; the hydride embrittlement of cladding; SNF matrix dissolution; and gap and grain boundary inventory of radionuclides. NRC staff also presented an overview of guidance currently under development, in particular, guidance on damaged SNF. Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research NRC to Serve as the Designated Representative of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) On February 8, 2005, the Executive Director for Operations (EDO) signed an agreement for the NRC to serve as the designated representative of the AIT. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the United States and the AIT in Taiwan had signed an agreement on December 13, 2004, relating to the participation in the NRC program of Thermal Hydraulic Code Applications and Maintenance Research (CAMP) for a five year period. The NRC will serve as the AIT's designated representative for the purposes of that cooperation. Fission Product Burnup Credit On February 3, 2005, a meeting was held with representatives from the NRC, Department of Energy (DOE), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to discuss the status on ORNL acquisition of fission product burnup credit (FP BUC) data on behalf of DOE. ORNL presented the status of obtaining experimental data (from Cogema-France) needed to develop a technical basis to allow fission product burnup credit for loading spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies in high-capacity casks. The DOE has tasked ORNL to coordinate the U.S. effort in obtaining the French FP BUC data for NRC, DOE and EPRI, and to negotiate with Cogema on behalf of DOE. A follow-up meeting is planned for May 2005. Quarterly Steering Committee Meeting for Interagency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Research and Development (R&D) of Multimedia Environmental Models The
subject meeting was held by teleconference on February 8, 2005. At this
meeting seven of the nine participating agencies were represented. A
subcommittee was established to examine the potential for renewal of
the MOU in eighteen months and the consideration of recommendations from
the participants for changes in the MOU. The Environmental Protection
Agency, DOE, and NRC members were designated to participate on the subcommittee.
At this meeting the Chair of the Steering Committee rotated from the
US Geological Survey to the DOE. The activities of the working groups
under this MOU continue to move the science of multimedia environmental
modeling into areas where the agencies can share models and databases
more efficiently and where the models themselves will more realistically
simulate natural systems. In the long run these tools will make environmental
analyses more credible and strengthen the bases for decisions involving
environmental contamination. (For more information on the MOU see the
website www.ISCMEM.org Office of Nuclear
Security and Incident Response Preliminary Notifications:
Office of Information
Services Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Requests Received During the Period of February 4 through February 10, 2005:
Office
of Human Resources 2004 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) - NRC Receives the Summit Award On February 10, 2005, during a CFC keyworker appreciation luncheon, the NRC was recognized for receiving the Summit Award, which is given to agencies that have a 3 percent increase in contributions from the previous year. The 2004 campaign has raised over $55 million dollars in contributions.
Office
of Public Affairs Media Interest The Office of Public Affairs (OPA) received significant media inquiries on the following: Halliburton’s report of a missing well-logging source, which was subsequently located. Hearings on a proposed uranium enrichment plant in New Mexico. The status of the Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear plants in Ohio. NRC’s FY 2006 budget request to Congress. Other Items of Interest OPA facilitated an interview of Chairman Nils J. Diaz by CNN on nuclear power plant security. OPA staff provided support at Atomic Safety & Licensing Board hearings in Lea County, N.M.
Office of International
Programs Visit by Delegation from Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission On February 9, 2005, a four-person delegation from Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission met with staff from NRC’s Office of the Inspector General to discuss regulatory review and audit practices. Office of the Secretary
Commission Correspondence
Federal Register Notices
Region
I Periodic Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP) Management Meetings with Alabama and Florida During the week of February 1, 2005, a Region I State Agreements Officer held periodic meetings with the States of Alabama and Florida to discuss their radioactive materials programs. No performance issues were identified in either program. The next IMPEP reviews are scheduled for April 2006 for Alabama and February 2007 for Florida. Spent Fuel Storage At Millstone Station During the period of January 31 to February 11, 2005, Region I staff and management, with the assistance of Spent Fuel Program Office Staff, conducted an inspection and observed licensee activities in preparation for the movement of spent fuel into an onsite Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) at the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant in Connecticut. The purpose of the NRC-observed dry run was to verify that the equipment and station procedures, including licensee staff training, are adequate to support the safe loading of casks and storage of the casks at the ISFSI. Millstone is using the NUHOHMS 32-PT system with storage in horizontal storage modules. Actual movement of spent fuel will commence once licensee followup actions from the dry run are complete. Management Review Board Meeting on New Hampshire Materials Program During a special meeting of the Management Review Board (MRB) on February 10, 2005, Region I staff and New Hampshire State representatives discussed the results of a periodic conference call held on January 25, 2005, regarding the State’s progress with its Program Improvement Plan (PIP). The State’s radioactive materials program is currently in heightened oversight based on its performance in the last two Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP) reviews conducted in 2001 and 2004. Based on discussions with the State, the program’s performance since the last IMPEP review has been satisfactory in most performance areas with the exception of staffing and training, and regulations required for compatibility. The MRB concluded that the program will continue under heightened oversight until a follow-up review is performed during the summer of 2005. Tour of Radiological Facilities at the Medstar Georgetown Medical Center On February 10, 2005, a Region I staff accompanied the Director of the Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards and Mr. Julio Barcelo Vernet, Commissioner Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, Spain, and his assistant, on a tour of the radiological facilities at the Medstar Georgetown Medical Center (MGMC). The group visited the facilities of the MGMC’s Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine departments and viewed the licensee’s CyberKnife, High Dose Remote Afterloader and their combination Positron Emission Tomography/Computerized Tomography devices. Region
III
Items of Interest Week Ending February 11, 2005 Visit by Commissioner Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, Spain On February 8, 2005, Mr. Julio Barceló Vernet, Commissioner Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, Spain, visited the Turkey Point nuclear plant for a site tour and met with licensee management. On the following day, Commissioner Vernet visited the Region II office and met with senior managers and staff. Honeywell Licensee Performance Review Meeting On February 7, 2005, the Deputy Regional Administrator and Director, Division of Fuel Facility Inspection, conducted a public meeting to discuss the Licensee Performance Review for Honeywell Specialty Chemicals in Metropolis, Illinois. USEC Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant On February 8, 2005, the Deputy Regional Administrator visited the Paducah gaseous diffusion plant to observe operations at the plant and to meet with the resident inspectors . Office
of Congressional Affairs
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