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SECY-99-260

November 4, 1999

Contact:  J. Yerokun, OEDO

ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

NEAC Presentation

On October 21, 1999, the Decommissioning staff made a presentation to the New England Energy Advisory Committee (NEAC) on the NRC's regulation and oversight of decommissioning power reactors. NEAC is chartered by the Governor of Connecticut to periodically meet with the owners of electrical generating stations, consumers, and advocates and advise the Governor on various energy matters impacting his constituents. The October 21 meeting held at the Haddam Neck facility was attended by approximately 12 members of the public and plant managers from the Millstone, Haddam Neck, and Maine Yankee decommissioning facilities. Similar to the October 13 and 14 public meetings held in Meriden, CT, on the NRC's inspection program for decommissioning power reactors, Mr. Paul Harris of the Decommissioning staff made the NEAC presentation and responded to public as well as Committee questions. The staff's attendance at this meeting is part of the Decommissioning staff's public outreach initiative and was well received by the NEAC Chair, Ms Terry Concannon.

Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station - Release of Land for Unrestricted Use

On October 20, 1999, members of the NRC staff met with representatives of GPU and the State of New Jersey to discuss the release of land for unrestricted use that is a portion of the Oyster Creek site. The meeting was open to the public and held at Oyster Creek to facilitate the public's attendance. The public had the opportunity to ask questions at the conclusion of the meeting.

GPU intends to sell about 600 acres of the 755-acre owner-controlled site. The sale of the property will effectively reduce the current site boundary surrounding Oyster Creek to enclose only about 152 acres of land. The NRC staff has been evaluating GPU's proposal to sell the property to determine if there are any concerns that have the potential to adversely affect public health and safety, impact the environment, or compromise the continued safe operation of Oyster Creek.

In response to a September 22, 1999, NRC request, GPU submitted pertinent information regarding the sale, including the basis for concluding the property is suitable to be released in accordance with NRC regulations and the supporting radiological surveys and assessment.

At the meeting, GPU provided an overview of the sale, including any effect on the operation of Oyster Creek and the radiological assessment of the property. The NRC staff discussed the regulatory process that is being used, including the evaluation of GPU's radiological information and the conduct of confirmatory surveys to verify that the property meets the regulatory criteria for release. Representatives from the State of New Jersey discussed their plans and involvement in the process.

NEI Decommissioning Forum

Sam Collins, Stu Richards, and Rich Barrett attended the NEI forum on decommissioning in Portland, Maine, on October 18 and 19. In a session on risk-informing the decommissioning process, Mr. Barrett outlined the NRC approach to risk informing the exemption process; namely (1) to systematically analyze accident sequences to identify the contributors to risk and those aspects of operation and design which control risk; (2) to share the preliminary analysis with all stakeholders and solicit their comments; (3) to revise the analysis based on stakeholder comments and industry commitments; and (4) to resolve the issue in a way that all stakeholders can understand and accept.

In the course of the session, NRR staff learned of a previously unpublished risk analysis performed by GPU for the proposed decommissioning of Oyster Creek. We informed NEI that we intend to formally request that document. NEI has agreed to supply it with a letter clarifying which aspects of the Oyster Creek design the industry as a whole will commit to. We expect receipt of the document shortly after NEI's working group meeting on November 4.

Representatives from NMSS and RES also attended the forum.

Davis Besse Power Cable Failure (EEIB)

On October 2, 1999, the #2 component cooling water pump tripped due to a ground fault on Phase 'A' to the 4160 V pump motor. The safety-related, Class 1E, three phase 5Kv Okonite power cable (neoprene outer jacket with ethylene propylene rubber insulation) was replaced with a 15Kv power cable. The failed 5Kv Okonite power cable had cracks throughout the outer jacket and heat damage throughout the outer jacket on approximately 175' of the 265' cable run. The three phase cable is located in a 4" PVC conduit embedded in the concrete floor of the turbine building. The 90' section of cable that is elevated at the circuit breaker end of the circuit was in good condition and showed no signs of damage.

As part of the root cause analysis, Davis Besse sent the failed cable to BETA Labs. On October 21, members of the NRC staff from NRR/DE/EEIB, RES/DET/MEB and RIII visited BETA Labs to discuss the results of the test program on the failed power cable. The preliminary finding by BETA Labs is that Phase 'A' of the cable failed due to moisture intrusion into the cable insulation which resulted in grounding of the conductor. Moisture also resulted in severe corrosion and loss of 5 of 7 strands of the cable ground conductor.

The final report from BETA Labs to Davis Besse is due in about three weeks. Davis Besse is preparing an action plan which will assess the operability aspects of the same cables that are used for component cooling water pumps #1 and #3. In addition, Davis Besse will identify all the cable that may be used in safety-related applications in the plant.

ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

Materials Staff Meeting on the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Implementation

On October 26, 1999, management and staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) and the Regions met in Region III to discuss the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) implementation issues for documents related to materials regulation. The topics discussed included various aspects of properly categorizing, entering, processing, finalizing, and promulgating materials documents. Following the ADAMS meeting, materials licensing assistants from NMSS and the Regions held a Counterpart meeting on October 27-28, 1999, to discuss issues of mutual interest related to materials licensing.

Annual Meeting of the N13 Accredited Committee (Radiation Protection) of the American National Standards Institute

On October 22, 1999, a representative from the Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety attended the annual meeting of the N13 Accredited Committee (Radiation Protection) of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in Herndon, Virginia. The attendees at the meeting uniformly supported and were enthusiastic about the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) being pro-active in support of the development of consensus standards and in their regulatory use. Additional NRC staff participation in ANSI N13 Working Groups and in ANSI N43 (Radiation Protection Aspects of Radiation Producing Equipment) was requested.

Public Meeting Regarding General Electric-Vallecitos Nuclear Center

On October 20, 1999, representatives of the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards (FCSS), the Spent Fuel Project Office (SFPO), the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, and Region IV presented information at a public meeting in Livermore, California, about licensed activities at the General Electric-Vallecitos Nuclear Center. The public meeting was requested by Alameda County officials and was coordinated by Region IV. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Headquarters and Region IV staff visited the site on October 19-20, 1999, and Region IV performed a safety inspection during the rest of the week. The public meeting was attended by about 80 citizens, including Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) and California Department of Health Services officials. A General Electric (GE) representative provided a presentation on their activities at the site. An SFPO representative provided an informational presentation on the transportation of spent fuel to and from the Vallecitos Nuclear Center. The FCSS representative provided a presentation on GE's special nuclear material license renewal activities. A Region IV representative provided a presentation on the Region's inspection program. The speakers answered questions from the audience after each presentation.

One intervener group, Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), was present. The representative requested copies of licensing documents and stated her intent to request a hearing on the license renewal. The licensing documents will be provided to Tri-Valley CAREs and to the ACPHD, who also presented a list of nine questions that they requested be answered in writing.

International Safeguards Coordination Meeting

On October 25-26, 1999, a U.S.-International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards Coordination meeting was held at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Headquarters. The meeting was attended by representatives of IAEA, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy (DOE), and NRC. The meeting addressed issues related to the implementation of IAEA safeguards at U.S. facilities. The highly enriched uranium downblending facility at BWX Technologies in Lynchburg, Virginia, is currently subject to IAEA safeguards inspections. Three DOE facilities are also being inspected; in addition, five other licensees are required to report accounting data to IAEA under the reporting protocol to the U.S.-IAEA Safeguards Agreement. The dominant issues addressed during the meeting pertained to the safeguarding of highly enriched uranium and plutonium declared excess to U.S. national security needs.

Public Exit Meetings for Radiation Protection Inspections at Gaseous Diffusion Plants

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection team that assessed the radiation protection programs at the gaseous diffusion plants conducted public exit meetings at Paducah on October 27, 1999, and at Portsmouth on October 28, 1999. The inspection team was comprised of five health physics specialists from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Region III, and Region I and conducted confirmatory inspections of the Radiation Protection (RP) programs during the weeks of August 30, 1999, and September 13, 1999, respectively. Three members of the team revisited Paducah during the week of September 20, 1999, to take a closer look at the radiological controls and to address two NRC-identified open items which involved reviewing the U.S. Enrichment Corporation's (USEC's) basis for: (1) assuming in its RP program, a maximum of 8 percent transuranic (TRU) radionuclides by activity; and (2) addressing the contribution of TRU radionuclides in internal dose assessments.

The conclusions presented at the exit meeting were that the overall radiation protection programs for both facilities were good but two findings were noteworthy. The first issue was that Paducah did not have a documented basis for assuming no transuranic uptake for assigning internal dose which may underestimate total dose, and the second issue was that site radiation protection training for both sites was generic and not site specific. Attendance at both meetings included representatives of the local media and interested members of the public. Questions were raised at the meetings by the public and press regarding whether NRC regulations address the potential for radiological sabotage, concerns about criticality safety in Department of Energy (DOE) Material Storage Areas, the overall regulatory performance of the facility, questions regarding past DOE activities, the safety significance of the inspection findings, and what actions USEC is taking to address NRC findings.

Meeting with Tooele County Commissioners

On October 27, 1999, Spent Fuel Project Office staff met with members of the Tooele County, Utah, Board of Commissioners. The staff described its role in the review of the application from Private Fuel Storage, LLC, for a license to operate an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation on the reservation of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians. The reservation is geographically located within the borders of Tooele County, Utah. The Commissioners discussed Tooele County's experience with the siting and operation of several hazardous waste facilities and a low-level nuclear waste facility in the county.

Public Hearings on Proposed Environmental Protection Agency Standards for Yucca Mountain

During October 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ) conducted public hearings on proposed environmental standards for Yucca Mountain at 40 CFR 197. Staff from the Division of Waste Management (DWM) attended EPA hearings in Washington, D.C., on October 13, 1999, in Nevada, at Amargosa Valley, on October 19, 1999, and in Las Vegas on October 20-21, 1999.

In Washington, EPA panelists heard from representatives of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the Sierra Club, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nuclear Information Research Service, and from a private citizen. At Amargosa Valley, speakers included local dairy and alfalfa farmers, concerned senior citizens, as well as representatives of the state of Nevada, Clark and Nye Counties, and the Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force. In Las Vegas, state and county representatives spoke again, joined by representatives of Inyo County California, the Las Vegas mayor and city council, the Western Shoshone, and several environmental groups. Despite ample local press coverage, the meetings were rather poorly attended, drawing at most 25 to 30 people at any given time. Most of the commenters who attended these meetings supported EPA's role for setting standards, supported inclusion of separate groundwater-protection criteria (in addition to a 15 millirem, all-pathway standard), or called for greater stringency. Many encouraged EPA to consider compliance locations closer to the site, either 5 km (for consistency with 40 CFR 191 standards at WIPP), or at the footprint. Many argued for "zero release standards." The industry presentations did not support the proposed EPA standard. Representatives of the state were the most critical, calling EPA's proposal "fundamentally flawed," and employing a "misguided" definition of disposal that relies on delay rather than isolation.

Commenters were permitted 5 or 10 minutes to present their remarks before an EPA panel and a transcript was kept. Unlike the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's public meetings on proposed 10 CFR Part 63 requirements held earlier this year, no attempt was made by EPA to address any of the comments, answer any questions, or engage in dialog with the public. EPA held a final public meeting on its proposed standards in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 27, 1999.

Department of Energy Public Meetings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Yucca Mountain

On October 26, 1999, staff from the Division of Waste Management (DWM) observed two Department of Energy (DOE ) public meetings on DOE's draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for a geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada. The site of the meetings was Washington, D.C. There were approximately 30 speakers, including: Senator Richard Bryan (Nevada), representatives from the Office of the Governor for the states of Nevada and Florida; Nye County, Nevada; Prairie Island Dakota Tribe; non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private citizens. NGOs commenting on the DEIS included: National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Nuclear Energy Institute, Nuclear Information Research Service, Public Citizen Critical Mass Energy Project, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and Physicians for Social Responsibility. State of Nevada comments were focused on transportation issues, including the state's recently submitted petition for rulemaking on safeguards for shipments of spent nuclear fuel. Commenters raised a wide range of concerns, including the assessment of cumulative impacts, transportation, adequacy of the "no action" alternative, consideration of other alternatives, mitigation measures, economic impacts, and environmental justice. Representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency and Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board also attended the meeting. The remaining DOE public meetings on the DEIS are scheduled for 10 different locations (six within Nevada). Staff plans to observe the public meetings held in Nevada.

International Atomic Energy Agency Meeting on the Joint Convention on Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste

On October 18-21, 1999, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff participated in a meeting at the International Atomic Energy Agency Headquarters on the "Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management." The Joint Convention establishes a series of broad commitments with respect to the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, including the preparation of a national report that describes national policies and practices, and inventories of spent fuel and radioactive waste. The purpose of the meeting was to review drafts of procedures for implementing the Joint Convention that incorporated lessons learned from the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The U.S. delegation included, in addition to NRC staff, members from the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the State Department. No significant issues arose during consideration of the draft implementing rules and guidance documents at the meeting. The rules and guidance documents, as revised during the meeting, will remain in draft, and consideration will resume after the Convention enters into force.

The Convention enters into force 90 days after 25 states have ratified it (15 of which must have nuclear power reactors). A meeting to review National Reports is to be conducted 30 months later.

Low-Level Waste Forum Meeting

On October 25-27, 1999, the Low-Level Waste (LLW) Forum held its fall meeting in Annapolis, Maryland. Topics addressed at the meeting included private initiatives for new facilities developed by Envirocare and Waste Control Specialists, a Congressional perspective on low-level radioactive waste management by a House staff member, Environmental Protection Agency rulemakings on mixed waste, and the General Accounting Office's recent report on the national LLW program. Commissioner Merrifield discussed a wide variety of radioactive waste management and disposal issues, and answered questions. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff made presentations on entombment and rubblization as options for decommissioning, and the potential development of a rule on release of solid materials from licensed facilities.

ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

Water Reactor Safety Information Meeting

The 27th Water Reactor Safety Information Meeting was held on October 25-27 at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel. Ashok C. Thadani, the Director of the Office of Research, gave the welcome and opening remarks, and Commissioner Jeffrey S. Merrifield was the keynote speaker. An Expert Panel, moderated by Ashok Thadani and composed of Joe Colvin of NEI , John Ahearne, Jim Lang of EPRI, Bill Magwood of DOE, and Alain Vallee of Framatome, discussed "The Impact of Emerging Technologies on Nuclear Safety Research." Margaret Federline, the Deputy Director of the Office of Research, gave a talk on "The New Approach to the Meeting Format." Afternoon sessions on October 25 covered "Risk-Informed Regulation" and the "Integrity of the Primary Coolant Pressure Boundary."

Chairman Greta Joy Dicus was the guest speaker at the plenary session on October 26. The sessions were on "Enhancing Regulatory Effectiveness," "Integrity of the Primary Coolant Pressure Boundary, Part II," "High Burnup and Mixed Oxide Fuel," and "Fuel Burnup Credit."

On October 27, after sessions on "Fission Product Source Terms and Applications" and "Research Supporting New Technology," two panels made up the final plenary session. An Expert Panel of Roy Zimmerman of NRC, Thomas Murley, Dana Powers of ACRS, and Jukka Laaksonen of STUK, moderated by Margaret Federline of RES, discussed "How Best To Focus on Both Safety and Unnecessary Burden Reduction -- The Research Role." The Rapporteur Panel was chaired by Charles Ader, the Director of NRC's Program Management, Policy Development & Analysis Staff, and was composed of RES Division Directors John Craig, Tom King, and Ernie Rossi.

International Collaborative Project To Evaluate Fire Models for Nuclear Power Plant Applications

The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research conducted a planning meeting for a proposed International Collaborative Project to Evaluate Fire Models for Nuclear Power Plant Applications. The meeting was jointly organized with the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and the University of Maryland and was held at the University of Maryland on October 25 - 26, 1999. Twenty-three representatives from eight national organizations in the United States and six international organizations from five countries attended the planning meeting. The attendees represented the nuclear and building industries and all are involved in performance-based fire safety analysis.

NRC's objective for the program is to evaluate and develop fire modeling methods that could be used to support risk assessments performed according to guidance in Regulatory Guide 1.174, "An Approach for Using Probabilistic Risk Assessment in Risk-Informed Decisions on Plant-Specific Changes to the Licensing Basis." The same fire modeling methods could support the implementation of NFPA 805, "Performance-Based Standard for Fire Protection for Light-Water Electric Generating Plants," when that standard is finalized.

All organizations representing the nuclear and building industries responded positively to NRC's invitation for a collaborative effort. Representatives indicated they intended to participate and contribute to the project at no cost to the NRC, with the goal of obtaining results of mutual benefit to their respective organizations. Participants plan to contribute through a variety of means that will benefit the NRC. The core of the work will be conducted by six nuclear organizations in France, Germany, Finland, and the United States. The initial effort will consist of analyzing a specific issue, safe separation distance between redundant trains in nuclear power plants, to evaluate how current state-of-the-art fire models can be used to support decision making regarding this issue in nuclear power plants. After several issues are evaluated in this manner and the models are better defined, a second phase of the project could be initiated to improve fire modeling and tools in order to support their extended use for fire safety design and decision making in nuclear power plants. RES believes that international contributions, through this collaborative project, will strengthen the technical basis to support risk-informed decisions in the regulatory framework for fire protection.

Draft Regulatory Guide on Antitrust Reviews

A Proposed Revision 1 to Regulatory Guide 9.3 has been issued as DG-9001, "Information Needed for an Antitrust Review of Initial Operating License Applications for Nuclear Power Plants." This guide is being revised to identify the type of information that the NRC staff considers germane for a decision as to whether a second antitrust review is required at the initial operating license stage. This guide applies only to initial operating license applications.

ENCLOSURE F

Office of Administration
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

Round Table Discussion on Defense in Depth as Applied to a Possible High-Level Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain, NV (Part 63)

A document announcing a facilitated round table discussion regarding the concept and implementation of defense in depth as applied to a possible geologic repository at Yucca Mountain was published in the Federal Register on October 25, 1999 (64 FR 57409). The purpose of the discussion is to foster a common understanding among stakeholders on issues associated with repository defense in depth. The discussion will be held November 2, 1999.

Fissile Material Shipments and Exemptions; Response to Comments and Request for Information (Part 71)

A document providing NRC's response to comments received on an emergency final rule that amended the regulations regarding the shipment of exempt quantities of fissile material and the shipment of fissile material under a general license was published in the Federal Register on October 27, 1999 (64 FR 57769). The NRC staff also requests information on the costs of implementing the final rule in order to quantify any unintended economic impact caused by the emergency final rule. The final rule became effective February 10, 1997. The comment period for information on costs associated with the implementation of the final rule closes January 10, 2000.

Union of Concerned Scientists; Receipt of Petition for Rulemaking (PRM-30-62)

A document that requests public comment on a petition for rulemaking submitted by the Union of Concerned Scientists was published in the Federal Register on October 27, 1999 (64 FR 57785). The petitioner requests that the NRC amend its regulations concerning deliberate misconduct to require licensees to provide specific training to management, i.e, first line supervisors, managers, directors, and officers, on their obligations under the employee protection regulations. The petitioner believes that the suggested amendment would prevent nuclear energy management from using "ignorance of the law" as an excuse for a violation and allow the NRC to take enforcement action against individuals who violate the employee protection regulations. The comment period on the petition closes January 10, 2000.

Restack

Moves to the 13th floor for the Restack project were completed between October 25-28,1999. The floor is occupied by SFPO/NMSS and the Travel Services Section/OCFO. Construction on the next Restack floor (6th) will begin on October 29,1999.

Relocation of Contractors from Gude Drive

Planning for the move of the OCIO contractors from their Gude Drive facility to the 4th floor, TWFN has been completed. Workstation modifications on floors 4,9 and 10 are scheduled to begin the week of November 1,1999 and continue through the month of November. Approximately 200 employees will be relocated to newly selected workstations in conjunction with this effort.

ENCLOSURE G

Chief Information Officer
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Requests received during the 5-Day Period of October 22, 1999 through October 28, 1999:

ENCLOSURE I

Office of Human Resources
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

Combined Federal Campaign Kickoff Held

On October 28, 1999, NRC held its 1999 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Kickoff in the Commissioners' Conference Room. The kickoff included remarks by Commissioner Greta Joy Dicus; William D. Travers, EDO; Paul E. Bird, Director, Office of Human Resources; Lisa Shea, National Treasury Employees Union Representative; and Jack Kress, CFC Loaned Executive. The keynote speaker was Patricia G. Shannon, representing the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. In addition, those offices who made significant contributions to last year's campaign were recognized with their office representatives receiving CFC award plaques. The White Flint Country Day Kindergarten sang their school song to close out the program.

ENCLOSURE M

Office of Public Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

Media Interest

There was press interest in the exit meetings at the Paducah and Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plants.

NBC plans to air a movie on Y2K disasters, including nuclear power plant failures, on November 21.

ENCLOSURE N

Office of International Programs
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

Visit of Michel Livolant

Chairman Dicus and Commissioner Merrifield met with Michel Livolant, Director, Institute for Protection and Nuclear Safety of France, to discuss current issues. With generally decreasing national research budgets, a common theme of these discussions was the need for more cooperative research. Two areas for future engagement suggested by Dr. Livolant are Mox fuel technology and radiation protection. Dr. Livolant attended the NRC Water Reactor Safety Information Meeting in the early part of the week.

Visit of Jukka Laaksonen

Mr. Jukka Laaksonen, Director General of the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, met with Chairman Dicus and Commissioner Merrifield during the past week. Mr. Laaksonen provided a status report on the Soviet designed RBMK reactors at Ignalina in Lithuania and Leningrad in Russia and a description of the activity relating to siting a final spent fuel repository in Finland. In turn the Commissioners briefed him on current activities at NRC. Additionally, Mr. Laaksonen met with the NRC staff to exchange information on current regulatory issues. Mr. Laaksonen attended the NRC Water Reactor Safety Information Meeting in the early part of the week.

Visit of Herbert Allgeier

On October 29, Herbert Allgeier, Director General of the Joint Research Center(JRC) of the European Community, met with Chairman Dicus, Commissioner Merrifield and Ashok Thadani, Director of Research. The highlight of Mr. Allgeier's first visit to NRC was the signing of a renewal of the Technical Exchange and Cooperation Arrangement in the Field of Nuclear Safety Research between the JRC and NRC. As with NRC, the nuclear portion of the JRC research budget has fallen significantly over the past few years, and Mr. Allgeier was here to suggest renewed effort between our two agencies for coordinated and cooperative research relating to nuclear safety. He invited all parties to visit their Ispra Research Center to view first hand their research activities.

Export License Application for SILEX

OIP has received the first application for a license to export low-enriched uranium to Australia for use in experimentation in R&D facilities evaluating the SILEX uranium enrichment process. Since the end use involves isotope separation, the application was forwarded to the Executive Branch (EB) for review; after receipt of the EB views, the staff will forward the information to the Commission for their review.

ENCLOSURE O

Office of the Secretary
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

Commission Correspondence

1. Letter to Congressman Calvert dated September 13, 1999, forwarding answers to post-hearing questions.

2. Letter to Congress dated October 22, 1999, submits quarterly report on the denial of safeguards information.

3. Letter to Daniel Alexander Hofer dated October 22, 1999, congratulations on having completed the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor in Scouting.

4. Letter to Senator Bob Graham dated October 22, 1999, transmits NRC's comments on the Center for Strategic and International Studies report.

5. Letter to Senator Fred Thompson dated October 22, 1999, Chairman of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, concerns the effectiveness and efficiency of NRC programs.

6. Letter to Congress dated October 22, 1999, provides monthly report on the status of its licensing and regulatory duties.

Federal Register Notices Issued

1. Fansteel, Inc., Docket No. 40-7580-MLA, Designation of Presiding Officer (Thomas S. Moore).

2. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting of the Subcommittee on Reliability and Probabilistic Risk Assessment; Notice of Meeting on November 18, 1999.

3. 10 CFR Part 72; Clarification and Addition of Flexibility; Proposed Rule.

4. [NUREG-1600] Revision of the NRC Enforcement Policy.

5. 10 CFR Part 73; Docket No. PRM-73-10; Petition from the State of Nevada; Extension of the Comment Period to January 28, 2000.

6. 10 CFR Parts 2 and 50; Antitrust Review Authority: Clarification; Proposed Rule.

7. 10 CFR Part 2; Docket No. PRM-2-12; Michael Stein; Receipt of Petition for Rulemaking.

8. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Notice of Meeting on November 17-19, 1999.

ENCLOSURE P

Region I
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

Millstone One Completes Transfer of New Fuel From Spent Fuel Pool to New Fuel Storage Vault

On October 21, 1999, Millstone One completed transferring 184 new fuel assemblies from storage in the spent fuel pool into the new fuel storage vault. The unused new fuel will be returned to the manufacturer in exchange for new fuel credits to be used at the operating Millstone units. Fuel relocations were performed from October 11-20. The only problem noted was on October 11, when the crane auxiliary hook moved past its stop point. Although no damage resulted, fuel movements were halted after that crane problem, and were resumed October 12 following the licensee's investigation.

Holy Redeemer Predecisional Enforcement Conference

Region I held a predecisional enforcement conference on October 28, 1999 at 9:30 with Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center. The licensee provided a root cause analysis for the medical administration that occurred on September 14, 1999 and described corrective actions that have been taken. The staff is evaluating the information presented by the licensee in determining the appropriate enforcement action in this case.

Meeting with Westinghouse Waltz Mill on Soil Remediation Plans

On October 26, 1999, Region I staff met with representatives from Westinghouse Electric Company and their consultants to discuss their plans for remediation of radiological contamination in soil and groundwater at the Waltz Mill Site in western Pennsylvania. The meeting, which was open for public observation, was attended by seven representatives from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Westinghouse presented a description of the plan which will utilize both removal of contaminated soil and an alternate remediation schedule based on radioactive decay and mechanical removal (pump and treat), to achieve compliance with the annual dose limits in 10 CFR 20, Subpart E. Because Westinghouse intends to continue licensed activities at the site for the next 25 years, there is no request for release of the site. The Waltz Mill site was placed on the original SDMP list due to the presence of soil and groundwater contamination. Region I expects to complete review of this plan and issue a license amendment authorizing the remediation by the end of 1999.

ENCLOSURE P

Region II
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

Acting Chief Information Officer Visits Region II Office

On October 28, S. Reiter, Acting Chief Information Officer, met with the Regional Administrator, and Director, Division of Resource Management and Administration and toured the Region II office.

Carolina Power and Light Company and Tennessee Valley Authority - Public Meeting

On October 25, representatives from Carolina Power and Light Company and Tennessee Valley Authority attended a public meeting in the Region II office. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss with Region II management, the pilot plants, Shearon Harris and Sequoyah, any observations, feedback, lessons learned and recommendations relative to implementation of the pilot program for the NRC's new Regulatory Oversight Process.

Duke Energy Corporation - Catawba Nuclear Plant

On October 26, representatives from the Duke Energy Corporation attended a management meeting in the Region II office to discuss operator licensing issues at the Catawba Nuclear Plant.

ENCLOSURE P

Region III
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999

NRC Holds Exit Meetings for Team Inspections at Paducah and Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plants

Exit meetings for NRC special team inspections of the radiological controls programs at the Paducah and Portsmouth gaseous diffusion plants were held on October 27 and 28, respectively. Both plants perform uranium-enrichment operations under the auspices of the U.S. Enrichment Corp. (USEC).

At the Paducah meeting, the team reported that the Paducah, Ky., plant has a good radiological controls program, has good control of releases to the environment and low external and airborne radiation levels. However, the team said it identified weaknesses in the justification of all contributions to internal radiation dose to workers. More specifically, the NRC found that USEC needs to develop and use better methods for determining whether workers were exposed to transuranics, or heavy elements such as plutonium and neptunium.

At the Portsmouth meeting, the team reported that the Piketon, Ohio, plant likewise has a good radiological controls program, has good control of releases to the environment and low external and airborne radiation levels. However, the team identified weaknesses relating to the effectiveness of worker training. Specifically, the NRC staff said the radiation training material used at the site tends to minimize radiological risks, while the agency believe the material should engage workers about the need to be extremely alert about the risks at all times. The team also found that there wasn't good retention of training information by employees. In addition, NRC Region III Administrator James Dyer said the NRC wants USEC to develop a plan for cleaning up contamination around a building at the site where a fire occurred earlier this year.

Several dozen people attended each meeting, and there was significant media interest in the inspection conclusions.

Deputy Regional Administrator Addresses Plant Managers

On Wednesday, October 27, Deputy Regional Administrator James L. Caldwell gave a presentation at a meeting of the Midwest Plant Managers. He discussed three issues: Changes and lessons learned from the current reactor oversight program; their responsibilities and liabilities associated with the new proposed oversight program; and the importance of establishing and maintaining an environment in which managers and staff feel free to raise issues and concerns.

ENCLOSURE R

Office of Congressional Affairs
Items of Interest
Week Ending October 29, 1999