ML061720521

Oedo Procedure - 0410, Weekly Information Report

ML061720521
Person / Time
Issue date:	07/01/2006
From:	Bill Dean NRC/EDO/AO
To:
P. Anderson 415-1703
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ML061720520	List: ML061720521
References
OEDO Procedure - 0410, Rev 0
Download: ML061720521 (8)

Text

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Executive Director for Operations OEDO Procedure New Office Procedure No.: OEDO Procedure - 0410 Procedure

Title:

Weekly Information Report Effective Date: July 1, 2006 Approved By: William M. Dean, AO/OEDO Date Approved: June 30, 2006 Section Assigned Ownership: Center for Communications Comments:

Training/Special Instructions: None ADAMS Accession No.: ML061720521

OEDO Procedure - 0410 1 Revision 0 OEDO PROCEDURE - 0410 Revision 0 Weekly Information Report

1. PURPOSE This procedure provides guidance for staff involved in submitting, reviewing, and distributing the Weekly Information Report (WIR).

2. BACKGROUND The Weekly Information Report (WIR) is a communication vehicle by which the staff informs the Commission of current significant staff activities of interest to the Commission. The WIR is forwarded as an information SECY paper and is made publicly available. Therefore, it serves a broad readership, including the Commission, NRC managers and staff, the general public, and other NRC stakeholders. The WIR is also published on the agencys web site each week and is viewed by numerous external stakeholders.

3. BASIC STEPS The following information provides guidance on schedule, format, and threshold for items submitted for inclusion in the Weekly Information Report.

3.1 Schedule Inputs for the WIR should be submitted by the offices and regions by the close of business each Friday. Input should be submitted by e-mail to the Office of the Executive Director for Operations (OEDO) / Assistant for Operations (AO) secretary. Each office/region must submit either a report or a message confirming there is nothing to report for that week.

3.2 Guidance for Input (1) Each item should be limited to a paragraph or two, which clearly describe the item or activity in plain language. Grammar should not include purple (emotional, colorful, incendiary, emphatic) language.

(2) The described activity should be current, having occurred within the past week or so. Items older that two weeks should not be submitted unless circumstances like foreign travel make an earlier submittal impractical. The date the activity occurred should be included. Each office should ensure that the submitted information has not been provided in a previous WIR.

OEDO Procedure - 0410 2 Revision 0 (3) The submitted information must be factually correct, based on publicly available information, or information suitable for public release.

(4) The description should explain the significance of the item to the NRC. It should answer the question of why the reader should care about the item.

(5) The descriptions should not make any reference to pending Commission deliberations, activities, schedules, or actions awaiting Commission approval. There should be no reference to internal staff review schedules or intermediate work that needs to be completed.

(6) All acronyms should be spelled out the first time when it is used in the input, including NRC office names. That is, each office/region should treat its input as a stand-alone document.

(7) Internal NRC organizations below the division level should not be identified in the write ups. Likewise, the names of NRC staff, managers or telephone numbers and e-mail addresses should not be used in the descriptions. The names of staff or managers from other Federal or State agencies should not be used. If needed, the title of the individual can be used. Using the name and title of foreign program directors or other dignitaries is appropriate.

(8) Typical subjects to report include:

- notable developments associated with major issues and projects in which the Commission has interest;

- notable issues related to major internal agency systems, (e.g., ADAMS, HRMS);

- noteworthy or highly controversial public meetings;

- summaries of FOIA/Privacy Act requests;

- significant licensing actions, inspections or regulatory actions;

- significant foreign incidents meetings, or information;

- Senior level managerial changes at power reactor or fuel cycle facilities;

- proposed rule(s) signed by the Executive Director for Operations;

- issuance of ACRS reports;

- publically available Commission papers, Decision Documents Memoranda, and correspondence;

- award of significant contracts;

- summaries of press releases;

- significant media inquires;

- issued Federal Register Notices;

- personnel arriving and departing the agency;

- congressional hearings scheduled; and

- items otherwise requested to be a part of this report.

OEDO Procedure - 0410 3 Revision 0 3.3 Report Format

1. Type the document in WordPerfect Arial 11 font.

2. Use regular portrait paper setting. No letterhead.

3. Use single spacing.

4. Use a blank line between each entry.

5. Use 1 inch margins

6. Type the heading using the format shown in Appendix A.

7. Use sub heading titles (initial caps and underlined) for each entry.

8. Dates should be spelled out, i.e., February 4, 2006, not 2/4/06.

9. Do not use page numbers.

10. Make sure all codes are deleted, especially Font Codes and Style Codes (ALT F8).

11. Name document by using your office acronym, the month and day input is due (which is Fridays date), and with a .wpd extension. Example would read NMSS0208.wpd - -> 02 is for the month of February and 08 is the 8th day in February.

See Appendix B for examples of typical items of interests.

4. RESPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITIES Reporting Offices Each office and region should designate a primary point of contact and an alternate point of contact for providing the WIR input. These individuals will be responsible for assuring the quality and content of the input and be able to clarify or resolve comments on the content of the submitted input. The names of the designated point of contact and alternate should be provided to the AO secretary.

AO Secretary The AO secretary is responsible for compiling the WIR and maintaining a list of contacts for each office or region. The AO secretary can be reached at 301-415-1703.

OEDO Senior Technical Communications Assistants (CAs)

The OEDO Senior Technical CAs are responsible for reviewing and editing the inputs submitted by the offices.

AO The AO reviews and signs the WIR. If any questions arise over items to be included, the AO will be the final authority.

OEDO Procedure - 0410 4 Revision 0

5. REFERENCES Guidelines for the Weekly Information Report, Memorandum from John Craig dated October 3, 2002.

6. APPENDICES Appendix A - Sample Weekly Information Report Entry Appendix B - Sample Inputs for Various Items

7. EFFECTIVE DATE July 1, 2006

Appendix A - Sample Weekly Information Report Entry

[USE SINGLE SPACING]

[USE 1 INCH MARGINS]

[NO LETTERHEAD]

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Items of Interest Week Ending February 8, 2006 Industry Presentations on Vulnerability Studies [Heading in Initial Caps and Underline]

On February 6, 2006, representatives of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, and the Spent Fuel Project Office observed industry presentations on their vulnerability studies for nuclear power plants and spent fuel dry cask storage facilities. [One blank line between entries]

Staff Issues Letter on Seismic Design of Yucca Mountain Facilities On February 8, 2006, staff issued a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) [Spell out acronym the first time] providing feedback on DOEs proposed pre-closure seismic design and compliance demonstration methodology of Yucca Mountain facilities. The seismic design of Yucca Mountain facilities is one of the priority pre-licensing issues identified by the staff. The letter informs DOE that its proposed methodology requires additional supporting analyses to demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR Part 63. The letter also provides recommendations for how DOE could demonstrate compliance with the Part 63 performance objectives. The staff is prepared to discuss its feedback in detail at a future technical exchange with DOE.

Meeting with Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission On February 4, 2006, [Spelled out the date] the staff participated in an informal meeting with a Senior Advisor of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. This meeting was hosted by staff from the Office of International Programs. During the meeting, the NRC and Canadian staffs reviewed a recent activity in which NRC staff sought and obtained confirmation from the Canadian staff that a company in Canada held the proper permits to received thorium that was going to be exported from the U.S.

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Items of Interest Week Ending February 8, 2006 Industry Presentations on Vulnerability Studies On February 6, 2006, representatives of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, and the Spent Fuel Project Office observed industry presentations on their vulnerability studies for nuclear power plants and spent fuel dry cask storage facilities.

Staff Issues Letter on Seismic Design of Yucca Mountain Facilities On February 8, 2006, staff issued a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) providing feedback on DOEs proposed pre-closure seismic design and compliance demonstration methodology of Yucca Mountain facilities. The seismic design of Yucca Mountain facilities is one of the priority pre-licensing issues identified by the staff. The letter informs DOE that its proposed methodology requires additional supporting analyses to demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR Part 63. The letter also provides recommendations for how DOE could demonstrate compliance with the Part 63 performance objectives. The staff is prepared to discuss its feedback in detail at a future technical exchange with DOE.

Meeting with Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission On February 4, 2006, the staff participated in an informal meeting with a Senior Advisor of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. This meeting was hosted by staff from the Office of International Programs. During the meeting, the NRC and Canadian staffs reviewed a recent activity in which NRC staff sought and obtained confirmation from the Canadian staff that a company in Canada held the proper permits to received thorium that was going to be exported from the U.S.

Appendix B - Sample Inputs for Various Items NRC Information Notice (IN) 2005-25: Inadvertent Reactor Trip and Partial Safety Injection Actuation Due to Tin Whisker On August 25, 2005, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation issued the subject IN to inform the power reactor licensees about recent operating experience related to the growth of "tin whiskers" in electronic circuits at nuclear power stations. For example, Millstone Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 3, experienced an inadvertent safety injection actuation and reactor trip caused by a fault on a solid state protection system (SSPS) circuit card. The licensee examined the failed circuit card and found a microscopic tin filament, approximately 2 mm long, which created a bridge between the affected diode and the output trace on the card. This microscopic filament of tin called tin whisker, had grown out of the tin coating covering the leads of the diode. The licensee inspected all circuit cards in the SSPS and discovered tin whiskers on other circuit cards. Suspect cards were either replaced or cleaned before being placed back in service. This IN requires no specific action or written response, however, it is expected that recipients will review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems.

Disposal of Radioactive Material by Release into Sanitary Sewer Systems; Withdrawal of Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (AE90-Part 20)

On November 10, 2005, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (70 FR 68350) that withdraws an advance notice of proposed rulemaking that presented possible changes to the regulations governing the release of radionuclides from licensed nuclear facilities into sanitary sewer systems. The advance notice of proposed rulemaking is withdrawn because the NRC has determined that there are no widespread public health and safety concerns due to radiation exposures associated with the handling, use and disposal of sewage sludge containing radioactive materials.

The Office of Public Affairs (OPA) received significant media inquiries on the following:

Millstones application for license renewal.

Security of research reactors in light of the reported terrorist threat to Australias reactor.

Contract Award On November 28, 2005, a General Service Administration delivery order was awarded to Falcon Express Transportation, Inc., entitled "Messenger/Courier Services." The period of performance is December 1, 2005 through November 30, 2006, with two one-year options. The cost of the delivery order is $129,703.00.