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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-06-0130 June 7, 2006
Contact: L. Rakovan, OEDO Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) Proposed Amendment to 10 CFR 50.55a, Codes and Standards Meeting On May 15, 2006, the staff held a public meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, to present information on the proposed incorporation by reference of the 2005 editions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code, Sections III and XI. The meeting was held in conjunction with ASME Code quarterly meetings. The staff discussed proposed limitations and conditions on the use of this edition of the Code and a proposed deletion from the Rule of a one time requirement that has been met by all licensees. The meeting was well attended and the participants provided useful comments. The staff noted that the exchanges at the meeting did not replace the public comment process and encouraged the participants to send public comments to the NRC after the proposed Rule is issued in the Federal Register. ASME Code Meeting on the Development of a Code Case on Dissimilar Butt Welds In a letter to the NRC dated February 17, 2006, the ASME Code, Section XI, committee indicated that it would move forward to develop a code case providing appropriate examination frequency requirements for dissimilar metal butt welds in reactor coolant pressure boundary (RCPB) piping of pressurized water reactors (PWRs). On May 15, 2006, the staff participated in a meeting of the Task Group on Alloy 600, which has the responsibility for developing the code case, and provided the first draft of the proposed code case for discussion. Meeting participants provided comments on the draft. A special task force has been designated to take the lead for assimilating comments from the Task Group and revising the draft code case. ASME Code Meeting on the Development of a Code Case on Mitigation of Stress Corrosion Cracking On May 17, 2006, the staff participated in a meeting with the ASME Code, Section XI, committee to discuss development of a code case for acceptable mitigation methods to reduce stress corrosion cracking (SCC) initiation and growth. The use of resistant materials and implementation of certain mitigation techniques are known to be able to reduce the susceptibility of welds to SCC. This was the first meeting to discuss this topic and substantial progress was made on developing a performance-based code case to be used in conjunction with the proposed code case on examination frequencies for dissimilar metal butt welds in PWR RCPB piping. Staff Observance of Nuclear Procurement Issues Committee (NUPIC) Audits During May 9-19, 2006, at the request of the NUPIC, the staff observed a NUPIC audit at the Areva NP Plants Sector facility in Paris, France and the Areva NP Chalon/Saint Marcel manufacturing facility in Saint Marcel, France. Areva is currently manufacturing replacement steam generators, reactor vessel heads and a pressurizer for U.S. plants. Additionally, the staff observed a NUPIC joint utility audit at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Main and Futami plants in Kobe, Japan. MHI is currently manufacturing or has supplied replacement steam generators, reactor vessel heads, control rod drive mechanisms, and a pressurizer for U.S. plants. The NUPIC joint utility audit team reviewed the implementation of all Quality Assurance Programs, including procedures, examination of records, and interviews with personnel. The staff provided clarification on certain issues related to NRC regulations, including input for several findings regarding inadequacies in the 10 CFR Part 21 programs. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station License Renewal Audit From May 15-19, 2006, the staff conducted an aging management review audit of the license renewal application at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VYNPS) site in Vernon, Vt. The audit team conducted numerous interviews and breakout meetings with the VYNPS staff. The audit team also reviewed the applicant's responses to the team's questions identified during the audit and applicant responses from the previous aging management program review audit conducted on April 17-21, 2006. Several questions remained open at the end of the audit. The majority of the open questions pertain to aging management of the applicant's station blackout system (the Vernon Hydroelectric Dam). The audit question and answer data base is publicly available through ADAMS. An audit to close many of the remaining audit team's questions is currently planned for June 2006. Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1145 Workshop On May 17-19, 2006, the staff held a three day public workshop to discuss topics associated with the development of DG-1145, "Combined License Applications for Nuclear Power Plants (Light-Water Reactor Edition)." The purpose of the workshop was to discuss portions of DG-1145 that had been placed on the NRC website as "draft work-in-progress." The topics included technical specifications, steam and power conversion, radioactive waste management, training, security, emergency planning, quality assurance, the maintenance rule, and the environmental report. In addition, the staff discussed the update of the standard review plan and the process being used to determine the technical areas requiring review in a combined license application referencing a certified design. The staff also held a parallel breakout session on the update of the standard review plan sections associated with instrumentation and controls. Over 100 members of the public attended the three day workshop. Staff Visits Cherokee and Harris Pre-COL Sites During the week of May 15, 2006, headquarters staff and Region II inspectors observed geological testing at the Cherokee and Harris sites. The inspectors implemented pre-combined license inspection procedures to ascertain whether the applicant's quality assurance program is being implemented appropriately. The staff will issue trip reports for each of the site visits. Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) Kerr McGee Corporation Decommissioning Activities - License Termination On May 18, 2006, NRC terminated Special Nuclear Materials License No. SNM-1999 for the Kerr McGee Corporation (Kerr McGee) Cushing Refinery Site, located in Cushing, OK. Kerr McGee conducted decommissioning activities at the Cushing Refinery Site from January 2000 to June 2005. In accordance with its approved decommissioning plan, Kerr McGee submitted final status survey reports demonstrating that the site meets the unrestricted release criteria defined in its license. In addition, Kerr McGee submitted a dose assessment which demonstrates that the site meets the unrestricted release criteria of 10 CFR Part 20, Subpart E. The staff's evaluation of Kerr McGee's request for license termination is documented in a Safety Evaluation Report dated May 18, 2006 (ML060960070). NRC/Department of Transportation (DOT) Interagency Information Meeting On May 18, 2006, NMSS staff met with staff from DOT's Office of Hazardous Materials for a periodic information exchange. Topics of discussion included upcoming International Atomic Energy Agency meetings, as well as various transport issues including NRC's Spent Fuel Transport Risk Assessment, the source protection subgroup of a DOT security initiative, and the LaCrosse Reactor Vessel Package. The next meeting is planned for the end of June. Omaha Public Power District Meeting On May 24, 2006, the staff had a public meeting with representatives of Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) to discuss an impending exemption request to support an upcoming dry storage campaign at Fort Calhoun. The exemption is from requirements in 10 CFR Part 72 associated with technical specifications for the Standardized NUHOMS Certificate of Compliance. Specifically, the exemption request pertains to the technical specifications associated with the use of a light weight 75 ton transfer cask. NRC expects OPPD to submit an exemption request imminently. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) International Workshops From May 3-12, 2006, staff participated in the Institute for Energy Technology (Halden Reactor Project-HRP) Workshop on "Human System Interfaces (HSI) - Design and Evaluation" and Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) Special Experts Group on Human and Organizational Factors (SEGHOF) Workshop on "Future Control Station Designs and Human Performance Issues in Nuclear Power Plants" workshops in Norway. The information from the first workshop will be very useful in the development of technical bases for NRC guidance for HSI safety evaluations. The second workshop provided several lessons learned applicable to both RES and the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation's human factors engineering efforts. Additionally, staff participated in the bi-annual meeting of SEGHOF and a meeting at the HRP Virtual Reality Laboratory to discuss the application of this technology to nuclear power plant human system interface design and evaluation. 8th International Conference on Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management (PSAM 8) On May 14-19, 2006, staff attended the subject conference in Louisiana. Topics included advanced methods and tools for performing Probabilistic Safety Assessments, discussions of the path forward in challenging areas (e.g., human reliability analysis), and lessons learned frompplications. Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES) Delegation Visit to NRC, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Test Facility at the University of New Mexico (UNM) On May 15-18, 2006, a JNES delegation visited NRC headquarters, ANL, and UNM to discuss the NRC-sponsored chemical effects and head-loss tests, as well as to exchange technical and regulatory information regarding the sump clogging issue. The JNES delegation toured the head loss test loop facility at ANL and observed a chemical head-loss test. LANL and UNM researchers made detailed presentations on the integrated chemical effects testing (ICET) program and the throttle valve research program. The JNES delegation toured the UNM ICET loop and throttle valve test facilities. JNES is completing construction of their chemical effects test facility in Japan and is planning to conduct chemical effects tests later this year. Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR) Preliminary Notifications
Office of Information Services (OIS) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act Requests Received During the Period of May 19 through May 25, 2006:
Office of Human Resources (HR)
Office of Public Affairs (OPA) Items of Interest Week Ending May 26, 2006 The Office of Public Affairs (OPA) received significant media inquiries on the following: An "unusual event" declaration at Vermont Yankee. Missing neutron detectors at Pilgrim. Annual assessments of various nuclear plants. NRC's preparations for licensing new reactors. Other Public Affairs Items: Chairman Diaz was interviewed by The New York Times Magazine for an upcoming feature on the renaissance of the nuclear power industry. President Bush visited the Limerick nuclear plant and gave a speech on energy policy.
Office of the Secretary (SECY)
Commission Correspondence
Federal Register Notices Issued
Region II (RII) Vogtle Management Meeting On May 23, 2006, representatives from Southern Nuclear Operating Company were in the Regional office to attend a management meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Mitigating Systems Performance Indicator and recent residual heat removal system leaks at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant. Integrated Material Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP) On May 23-25, 2006, representatives of the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) were in the Regional office to conduct an IMPEP review of the fuel facility inspection program implementation. Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Annual Assessment Meeting On May 23, Region II staff conducted the Shearon Harris Reactor Oversight Process annual assessment meeting in Apex, NC. The meeting was well attended with approximately 100 attendees representing the public, public interest groups, media, and the utility. Following the meeting, the staff responded to questions from the public on several topics including, containment sumps, spent fuel storage, security issues, station blackout, and the 1991 loss of high head safety injection event. Region III (RIII) Region Ends Special Inspection at the Kewaunee Plant On May 23, 2006, members of the Region III staff completed a special inspection at the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Station, located at Kewaunee, Wisconsin. The inspection looked into a situation in which plant operators apparently made changes to the startup procedure without proper review or authorization during plant startup on May 17. The special inspection reviewed the licensee's review of the operators' actions, the logic of the startup procedure itself, and the reason for the procedure change. Inspection at Munson Medical Center On May 22, 2006, members of the Region III staff began an inspection at the Munson Medical Center In Traverse City, Michigan. The inspection reviews the circumstances around a medical event involving a 26-year old female that was treated with 150 millicuries of iodine-131 for thyroid cancer. Before the treatment, the patient signed a form indicating that she was not pregnant. On May 22, 2006, the patient called the medical center and indicated she discovered she was pregnant at the time she received the dose. The medical center, with the assistance of a consultant, determined the embryo/fetus received a calculated whole body dose of 40 rem. The inspection is ongoing and is expected to be completed in the next couple of weeks. No findings are anticipated. Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)
Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)/
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