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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-07-0195 November 5, 2007
Contact: C. Ridge, OEDO Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) 6th International Conference on NDE in Relation to Structural Integrity for Nuclear and Pressurized Components On October 8-10, 2007, the staff attended the 6th International Conference on NonDestructive Examination (NDE) in Relation to Structural Integrity for Nuclear and Pressurized Components, in Budapest, Hungary. This conference is held approximately every 18 months and is devoted to the advancement of NDE and in-service inspection of nuclear components. The staff attended presentations relevant to operating plants and new construction and obtained information useful in current licensing related activities and codes and standards development. Ground Water Tritium Discussion with Congressman Spratt On October 16, 2007, staff from Headquarters and Region II met with Congressman Spratt from North Carolina to discuss the recent ground water tritium monitoring results. Public Meeting Related to Public Radiation Safety Cornerstone On October 18, 2007, the staff participated in a public meeting with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and public interest groups. The staff presented the Public Radiation Safety Cornerstone proposed Significance Determination Process. Special Inspection Team Charter at MIT's Research Reactor On October 22, 2007, a Special Inspection Team (SIT) began in response to a higher than expected dosimeter reading for a radiation worker at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT's) research reactor. Although no radiation exposure above regulatory requirements was identified, the licensee is investigating this higher than expected dosimeter reading. The purpose of this SIT is to independently assess the licensee's investigation. Meetings of the Digital Instrumentation and Control Steering Committee and Certain Task Working Groups On October 22, 2007, the Digital Instrumentation and Control (Digital I&C) Steering Committee held a public meeting with NEI. Participants included NRR, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Research (RES), the Office of New Reactors (NRO), the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), and the Office Nuclear Security Incident Response (NSIR), and NEI. The Steering Committee discussed the status of the development and implementation of Interim Staff Guidance in a number of technical areas and received feedback from industry representatives. Additionally, the Steering Committee discussed long-term schedule and implication issues, as well as the planned efforts of a new task working group on Digital I&C issues associated with fuel-cycle facilities. On October 22, 2007, staff held a public meeting of the Digital I&C Task Working Group on Licensing Process issues. Participants included NRR, NRO and NEI. Topics included draft Interim Staff Guidance, draft NEI White Paper, and next steps. On October 25, 2007, staff held a public meeting of the Digital I&C Task Working Group on Diversity and Defense-In-Depth. Participants included NRR, NRO, RES, NMSS, NEI, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and industry personnel (Duke Energy, Westinghouse, et. al.). Topics included the status of White Papers/Comments on the Project Plan, Interim Staff Guidance on Diversity and Defense-In-Depth problem statements, and longer term issues. On October 25, 2007, staff held a public meeting of the Digital I&C Task Working Group on Cyber Security. Participants included NRR, NRO, NSIR, NEI, and industry personnel (Progress Energy, Westinghouse, et. al.). The topics included draft Interim Staff Guidance and a Correlation Table between Regulatory Guide 1.152 and NEI 04-04. This was the last Task Working Group meeting before issuance of the Interim Staff Guidance. Transfer of licenses from General Electric to GE – Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC On October 22, 2007, the transfer of 5 licenses for General Electric's Sunol, California facilities from GE to GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC was completed. The affected licenses are the General Electric Morris Operation Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, Vallecitos Boiling Water Reactor, General Electric Test Reactor, the Nuclear Test Reactor, and the Empire States Atomic Development Associates (ESADA) Vallecitos Experimental Superheat Reactor. The Orders approving the transfers were issued on September 6 and September 26, 2007. The Nuclear Test Reactor is the only one of these reactors that still has an operating license. The other reactors have been permanently shut down. Interagency Committee on Dam Safety Meeting On October 23, 2007, the staff attended the quarterly Interagency Committee on Dam Safety (ICODS) meeting at the Federal Emergency Management Agency offices. During the meeting the new ICODS charter was approved and research plans were verified. Meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute on GSI-191 On October 24, 2007, the staff met with NEI, sump strainer vendors, licensees, and other stakeholders to discuss Generic Safety Issue 191, Pressurized Water Reactor Sump Performance. Issues discussed included chemical effects testing status, results of NRC audits, status of licensee completion of corrective actions, and NRC plans for review of licensee submittals due by the end of 2007. The staff clarified criteria for review of licensee requests for extension of time to complete corrective actions. International Meeting with American Institute in Taiwan On October 24 – 26, 2007, the staff attended a meeting with the American Institute in Taiwan - Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office Joint Standing Committee on Civil Nuclear Cooperation. At the meeting, staff discussed the development and implementation of the new Mitigating System Performance Index and Unplanned Scrams with Complications performance indicators and staff's comments on the 2007 recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Staff also discussed nuclear energy and safety cooperative activities. Office of New Reactors (NRO) Staff's Response to SNC's Motion for Summary Disposition of Environmental Contentions On October 17, 2007, Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC) filed motions seeking summary disposition of Joint Interventor's Contentions EC 1.2 and EC 1.3 for the Plant Vogtle Early Site Permit. EC 1.2 deals with direct, indirect, cumulative impingement/entrainment and chemical and thermal effluent discharge impacts from the proposed intake and discharge structures for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4. EC 1.3 deals with how SNC's Environmental Report addresses the appropriateness of dry cooling. SNC's motions are based on the staff analysis of these issues, and subsequent impact assessments, that were included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site Permit at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Site, NUREG-1872. The staff is supporting the granting of the motions. US-APWR Safeguards Information (SGI) Program Inspection On October 17 and 19, 2007, staff conducted inspections of Mitsubishi's safeguards information (SGI) program in Arlington, Virginia and Monroeville, PA, respectively. The focus of these inspections was to determine if Mitsubishi's SGI program complied with the requirements of 10 CFR 73.21. Mitsubishi had requested staff approval to store SGI at their offices located in the United States and Japan. Public Meeting to Discuss ITAAC Closure (52.99) and Enforcement/Assessment On October 18, 2007, the staff met with industry representatives as a follow-on from public meetings held on August 30-31, 2007. The purpose of the meeting was to obtain external stakeholder feedback on the development of Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria (ITAAC) closure implementation guidance pursuant to 10 CFR 52.99 and on enforcement and assessment processes. Members of the ITAAC closure working group provided feedback to industry on two proposed ITAAC closure letters including a discussion of "sufficient information." The next public meeting is planned for December 11, 2007. ACRS Subcommittee Meeting on Staff's Review of Vogtle Early Site Permit Application On October 24, 2007, the staff met with the ACRS subcommittee on early site permits to discuss the preliminary results of its review of the Vogtle Early Site Permit Application. No significant issues were identified during the meeting. Immediately following the meeting, the staff presented to the ACRS subcommittee its implementation of lessons learned for early site permits. This was a followup to a meeting that the staff held with the ACRS to discuss lessons learned during the review of the North Anna, Grand Gulf, and Clinton early site permit reviews. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) Public Meeting with Toshiba on Requested Pre-application Review of the "Super-Safe, Small, and Simple" (4S) Reactor Design On October 23, 2007, the staff held a Category 1 public meeting with representatives of the public and the Toshiba Corporation (Toshiba) and its project partners, Westinghouse Electric Company and Japan's Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, to discuss Toshiba's request for a pre-application review of the 4S reactor design. Pre-applicant presentations provided an overview of the 4S design, safety features, and technology base and were followed by discussions of potential focus topics and plans for the requested pre-application design review activities. A statement provided by representatives from the city of Galena, Alaska, indicates that they plan to submit a formal request for a pre-application review of their siting-related white papers in the near future. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Workshop on the "International Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) Empirical Study" On October 23-25, 2007, the staff conducted the subject workshop as part of an international cooperative initiative to benchmark various HRA methods against crew performance data collected at the Halden Reactor Project simulator. The objective of the study is to evaluate the predictive capabilities of HRA methods currently available for use in risk-informed applications. Fifteen groups, representing regulatory and industry stakeholders from ten countries, participated in this workshop. The workshop's objective was to discuss the recently completed pilot study, revise the experimental design and methodology, and establish milestones and schedules for the next phase of the study to be done in 2008-2009. Also, on the basis of these preliminary results, participants identified lessons learned that can be used to improve current HRA practices. Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR) PNO-IV-07-007, Arizona Public Service Company PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION, UNIT 1 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION REQUIRED REACTOR SHUTDOWN PNO-II-07-009B, Southern Company UPDATE – EXTENDED FARLEY AUGMENTED INSPECTION TEAM (AIT) PNO-III-07-012, Byron Station 1 and 2 BOTH UNITS AT BYRON SHUT DOWN DUE TO A LEAK IN PIPE PNO-IV-07-008, Southern California Edison Co. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BRUSH FIRES AND SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION STATUS PNO-IV-07-009, Entergy Operations, Inc. ALERT AT ARKANSAS NUCLEAR ONE UNIT 2 PNO-IV-07-008A, Southern California Edison Co. UPDATE – SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BRUSH FIRES AND SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION STATUS PNO-IV-07-009, Entergy Operations, Inc. ALERT AT ARKANSAS NUCLEAR ONE UNIT 2 PNO-II-07-013, Browns Ferry 1, 2, and 3 BROWNS FERRY REFUELING FLOOR CRANE CABLE DEFORMATION PNO-IV-07-008B, Southern California Edison Co. UPDATE – SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BRUSH FIRES AND SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION STATUS Office of Administration (ADM) Notification of the Plan for the Transition of Regulatory Authority Resulting From the Expanded Definition of Byproduct Material (AH84 – 10 CFR Chapter I) On October 19, 2007, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (72 FR 59157) that presents a transition plan to facilitate the orderly transition of regulatory authority resulting from the expanded definition of byproduct material provided in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The Act provided the Commission with regulatory authority of certain radioactive materials that were previously under State jurisdiction. National Source Tracking of Sealed Sources; Revised Compliance Dates (AI22 – Part 20) On October 19, 2007, the NRC published a final rule in the Federal Register (72 FR 59162) that revised the compliance dates for licensees to begin reporting source transactions and initial source inventory information to the National Source Tracking System. The NRC is extending the compliance dates because system development has taken longer than originally anticipated. The final rule became effective October 19, 2007. William Stein III, M.D.; Denial of Petition for Rulemaking (PRM-35-19) On October 24, 2007, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (72 FR 60285) that denied a petition for rulemaking submitted by William Stein III, M.D. (PRM-35-19). The petitioner requested that the NRC amend its regulations for the medical use of byproduct material concerning training for the parenteral administration of certain radioactive drugs used to treat cancer. The NRC denied the petition because it continues to believe that the current regulations, addressed in two separate rulemakings in 2002 and 2005, establish the appropriate amount of training and experience for a physician to become an authorized user of the radionuclides in question. State of Nevada; Denial of Petition for Rulemaking (PRM-63-2) On October 24, 2007, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (72 FR 60288) that denied a petition for rulemaking submitted by the State of Nevada (PRM-63-2). The petitioner requested that the NRC amend its regulations for the proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada to specify the limits of permissible spent fuel storage at the Yucca Mountain site. The NRC denied the petition because the current regulations are consistent with law and do not permit storage of spent fuel at the site unless storage is integral to waste handling, necessary treatment, and disposal at the proposed repository. List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: HI-STORM100 (Amdt. 4)(AI22 - Part 72) On October 25, 2007, the NRC published a direct final rule in the Federal Register (72 FR 60543) that amends the HI-STORM 100 cask system listing in the list of approved spent fuel storage casks (Amendment 4) (AI22 - Part 72). This amendment includes changes to add site-specific options to the certificate of compliance to permit the use of a modified HI-STORM 100 cask system at the Indian Point Unit 1 Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation. The direct final rule becomes effective January 8, 2008. On October 25, 2007, the NRC published the companion proposed rule to this direct final rule in the Federal Register (72 FR 60589). The comment period closes November 26, 2007. Office of Information Services (OIS) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) Requests Received During the Period of October 19 through October 25, 2007:
Office of Human Resources (HR)
Office of Public Affairs (OPA) OPA Received Significant Media Inquiries on the Following Spent fuel train derailment on Shearon Harris nuclear power plant property in N.C. Inattentive guards, review of security programs, and confirmatory action letter to Peach Bottom nuclear plant. Oil sheen at the Indian Point nuclear plant in N.Y. California wildfires and the ongoing status of San Onofre nuclear plant. Massachusetts Institute of Technology research reactor special inspection. Other Public Affairs Items OPA attended Nuclear Forum entitled, "Can Nuclear Help Save the Environment?" where there was a viewing of PBS program "e2 Energy" which will broadcast in November. Speakers included former NRC Chairman Nils Diaz; Daniel Kammen of the University of California, Berkeley; Ed Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists; Matt Wald of the New York Times; and Mike Wallace of Constellation Energy. OPA provided digital images/graphics to reporters for support of their media stores: new reactors and the Toshiba pre-application.
Office of the Secretary (SECY)
Federal Register Notices Issued
Region II (RII) McGuire Regulatory Conference On October 25, 2007, representatives from Duke Power Company attended an open Regulatory Conference in the Region II office. The purpose of the Regulatory Conference was to discuss the findings from an inspection report. Region IV (RIV) Public Meeting with Callaway Plant On October 19, the NRC staff met with management personnel from AmerenUE, owner and operator of the Callaway Plant. The licensee requested the meeting to provide the NRC staff updates on several issues at the site. These issues included: essential service water system status, action taken to address the problem identification and resolution cross-cutting issue, human performance improvements, and safety culture. Several members of the public also participated in the meeting via telephone. Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)
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