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SECY-97-007

January 9, 1997

ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Items of Interest
Week Ending January 3, 1997

Review of Licensee 60-Day Responses to Generic Letter 96-05, "Periodic Verification of Design-Basis Capability of Safety-Related Motor-Operated Valves"

On September 18, 1996, the NRC issued Generic Letter (GL) 96-05 to request that nuclear power plant licensees establish a program, or ensure the effectiveness of the current program, to verify on a periodic basis that safety-related MOVs continue to be capable of performing their safety functions within the current licensing bases of the facility. Licensees were required to submit a written response within 60 days (ending on November 18, 1996) indicating whether or not the GL 96-05 requested actions would be implemented. Within 180 days (March 1997), or upon notification to NRC of completion of GL 89-10 (whichever is later), licensees are to submit a written summary description of the MOV periodic verification program established in accordance with GL 96-05 or the alternative indicated in the 60-day response.

The NRR Mechanical Engineering Branch (EMEB) has reviewed the 60-day responses to GL 96-05 from each licensee. Except as described below, the licensees committed to implement the actions as requested in GL 96-05 to ensure that a program is in place to periodically verify the design-basis capability of their safety-related MOVs and to submit a summary description of their GL 96-05 programs.

EMEB will be reviewing the 180-day submittals from licensees when they begin arriving in late March 1997.

WESTINGHOUSE

Westinghouse has not met its November 25, 1996, planned schedule for deliverables for the SCSB review of the AP600 PCS and WGOTHIC. A telephone call was held on December 19, 1996, to discuss the schedule slippage.

The clime nodal study (Section 12 of WCAP-14407, "WGOTHIC Application to AP600"), which was due on December 16, 1996, is being delayed. No date for this submittal was provided. During the review of the results, anomalies were noticed in the PCS annulus. Westinghouse has contacted NAI (the GOTHIC computer program vendor) to determine the cause. It may be a problem with the GOTHIC part of the model. Westinghouse will keep the staff updated on this study. The PIRT report was received on December 27, 1996.

ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
Items of Interest
Week Ending January 3, 1997

Advanced Medical Systems, Inc.

On December 24, 1996, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (District), Cleveland, Ohio, reached a settlement on the cost-recovery action against Advanced Medical Systems, Inc. (AMS) and several other defendants. The District will receive $1.25 million from AMS and others, with the first installment of $250,000 on or before January 19, 1997, followed by 36 monthly installments. The lawsuit in U.S. District Court has been dismissed with no admission of liability by any party. The settlement also contained conditions to be met by AMS before it may reconnect to the sewer system. AMS is also permitted to discharge 100,000 gallons of its stored water, if it contains less than 100 picocuries per liter of only soluble cobalt-60.

Application for Transfer of the Public Service Company's License for the Fort St. Vrain Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation

The Spent Fuel Project Office (SFPO) has received the Department of Energy's (DOE's) application for the transfer of the Public Service Company of Colorado's license for the Fort St. Vrain Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation in accordance with 10 CFR 72.50. The staff has begun its review of the application and has initially determined that the application appears to be complete. DOE has requested that the transfer of the license be approved by July 1, 1997.

This is the third application received by the SFPO staff from DOE. Previous applications concerned the licensing of the Three Mile Island fuel debris interim storage system and the licensing of the dry transfer system.

Regulatory Discussions with Wyoming to Reduce Duplicative Technical Reviews Where Concurrent Regulatory Authority Exists

The Uranium Recovery Branch, Division of Waste Management, has been in contact with the Land Quality Division, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ), to discuss ways to potentially reduce duplicative technical reviews in areas where the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the State have concurrent regulatory authority for in situ leach (ISL) uranium operations. Representatives from Region IV and the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses also participated in the discussion. This is part of a continuing effort examining potential programmatic methods for streamlining license application and amendment request reviews for ISL uranium facilities.

Primarily, concurrent regulatory authority occurs with ISL activities associated with non-radiological constituents and standards. Several areas of potential streamlining were identified, including: historic preservation and cultural resources review; land application of effluents by spray irrigation; deep disposal wells; surface impoundment design; non-radiological decommissioning and cleanup; pre-operational ground-water characterization of well fields; ground-water restoration and surety; and inspection and enforcement. The staff believes that there is an opportunity to streamline NRC's review efforts by relying on the reviews and findings conducted by the WDEQ in those areas in which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and WDEQ share regulatory authority, if WDEQ's and NRC's methodologies are comparable. The streamlining would not involve the relinquishment of NRC's authority to the State, but would focus on reducing duplication of effort. WDEQ expressed support for the concept and is interested in continuing detailed discussions of potential impacts to WDEQ and NRC programs.

Environmental Protection Agency Rescinds 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart I

In a Federal Register notice dated December 30, 1996, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule rescinding 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart I as it applies to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission- or NRC Agreement State-licensed facilities other than commercial nuclear power reactors. Subpart I is a National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants which limits radionuclide emissions to the ambient air from NRC-licensed facilities. By this final rule, EPA has determined that the NRC regulatory program for licensed facilities, other than commercial nuclear power reactors, protects public health with an ample margin of safety, the same level of protection that would be afforded by continued implementation of Subpart I. The effective date of the rule was December 30, 1996.

Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc., Requests Termination of Its Nuclear Regulatory Commission License to Dispose of Special Nuclear Material

In a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission dated December 20, 1996, Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc. (CNSI), requested termination of its NRC license which authorizes receipt and disposal of special nuclear material (SNM) at the Barnwell low-level waste disposal facility. A separate NRC license has been required because CNSI has been authorized to receive quantities in excess of that sufficient to form a critical mass as specified in 10 CFR 150.11. In conjunction with its request to NRC, CNSI has submitted a license amendment request to the State of South Carolina to impose the SNM limits of 10 CFR 150.11. In its request to NRC, CNSI states that the costs associated with the NRC license are significant and exceed the limit of cost-effectiveness.

ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
Items of Interest
Week Ending January 3, 1997

Issuance of Regulatory Guide Related to Petitions for Rulemaking Improvements

The Division of Engineering Technology Generic Safety Issues Branch staff has developed Regulatory Guide 10.12, "Preparation of Petitions for Rulemaking Under 10 CFR 2.802 and Preparation and Submission of Proposals for Regulatory Guidance Documents." It is being issued on January 3, 1997.

Regulatory Guide 10.12 provides guidance to persons who submit petitions for rulemaking (PRMs) to the NRC concerning the type and quantity of information that would allow the NRC to process the PRM in an expeditious manner. This regulatory guide delineates factors the NRC uses in setting priorities for processing PRMs and makes the rulemaking process more open to licensees and the public. It also provides the procedures for the submission of proposals to change existing regulatory guidance documents (RGDs) such as regulatory guides, bulletins, generic letters, and sections of Standard Review Plans (including branch technical positions).

The guidance and procedures provided in Regulatory Guide 10.12 are not mandatory. This regulatory guide does not change any existing provision regarding PRMs as delineated in 10 CFR 2.802. Rather, within the petition process it offers an alternative to the minimum threshold requirement of

10 CFR 2.802(c) to all petitioners who desire more expeditious processing of their PRMs by the NRC.

ENCLOSURE D

Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data
Items of Interest
Week Ending January 3, 1997

Preliminary Notifications (PNs)

ENCLOSURE I

Office of Personnel
Items of Interest
Week Ending January 3, 1997

ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending January 3, 1997

Media Interest

Headquarters responded to calls on the rescheduling of a Commission meeting on Maine Yankee.

Region I received a fair amount of media coverage on Massachusetts' request to become an Agreement State.

Region III received calls on Commonwealth Edison's internal review of the LaSalle and Zion nuclear power plants.

ENCLOSURE P

Region I
Items of Interest
Week Ending January 3, 1997

Lower Bucks County Hospital, PA; License No. SNM-1800; Docket No. 070-02792

Region I is continuing to follow the efforts of Lower Bucks County Hospital, PA in their attempts to recover a missing pacemaker. On December 30, 1996, a Region I inspector visited a Chem Clave Unit in Morgantown, PA and the Lehigh County Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant to retrieve samples of the liquid and sludge phases of a chemical cleaning process that may have processed the pacemaker when it was sent from Nazareth Hospital as biohazardous waste in November 1996. The sampling was done as an independent check of sampling made by the licensee that same day. NRC will analyze the samples for the presence of any alpha contaminants that could result if the source was damaged during the Chem Clave process that included shredding and chemical cleaning processes of the biohazardous waste. Region I is coordinating its efforts with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

ENCLOSURE P

Region II
Items of Interest
Week Ending January 3, 1997

Duke Power Company - Oconee

On January 2, the licensee commenced the Oconee Emergency Power Engineered Safeguards Functional Test. This is a one-time integrated test intended to address several emergency electrical system design and testing issues. The first two of six separate test portions were completed on the afternoon of January 3. The completed tests simulated a loss of offsite power on all three Oconee units and loading of the Keowee generators through the overhead power path after a Keowee load rejection. Initial information indicates that the test was well executed and the power systems performed as expected. To date, the licensee's overall command and control of the testing has been good.

ENCLOSURE P

Region III
Items of Interest
Week Ending January 3, 1997

Zion Nuclear Power Station

On January 3, 1997, Region III Regional Administrator A. Bill Beach and members of the Region III staff met with ComEd Zion Site Vice President J. H. Mueller, and members of the ComEd staff to discuss the readiness of Unit 2 at the Zion Nuclear Power Station to return to operation.

Zion Unit 2 has been shut down since September 1996 for routine refueling and maintenance.

Confirmatory Action Letter Issued to Wisconsin Electric Power Company

On January 3, 1997, a Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL) was issued by NRC Region III to Wisconsin Electric Power Company regarding concerns with Point Beach Nuclear Power Station. Significant weaknesses in operations, maintenance, and engineering have been identified at the Point Beach plant. These weaknesses encompass programmatic problems with the plant's procedures, work and test activities, licensing and design bases adherence, and corrective action program. The CAL discusses these weaknesses and confirms the actions to be taken prior to returning Unit 2 to service from its current outage.

ENCLOSURE P

Region IV
Items of Interest
Week Ending January 3, 1997

Predecisional Enforcement Conference with Southern California Edison

On January 3, 1997, Region IV staff conducted a pre-decisional enforcement conference with representatives from Southern California Edison. Discussions concerning apparent violations related to the implementation of a program to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 50.65, "Requirements for Monitoring the Effectiveness of Maintenance at Nuclear Power Plants," (the Maintenance Rule). This conference was open to public observation.