ML20029A220
| ML20029A220 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/24/1988 |
| From: | James Shea NRC OFFICE OF GOVERNMENTAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS (GPA) |
| To: | Harold Denton NRC |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20029A210 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA-90-355 NUDOCS 9102050080 | |
| Download: ML20029A220 (3) | |
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February 24. 1988 p$' $g I Q.-
MEMORANDUM FOR: Harold R. De
'r Office of Gov rr.e'it d esd Public A fa s 0
FROM:
ames R.
1 Director d
Internat V 1 Programs, GPA
SUBJECT:
MEETING WITH TRANSNUCLEAR, INC. OFFICIALS On February 17 Mr. Alan Hansen, President, and Mr. John Mangusi, General Manager of Operations, Transnuclear, Inc. (US) Hawthorne, N.Y., met, at their request, with Harvin Peterson and Neel Moore, staff members of NRC/GPA/IP, and myself in my office in Rodville, Maryland. The pur)ose of the meeting was to discuss Transnuclear's response to the NRC Fe?ruary 2 Demanti for Information on the Company's financial and legal relationships to its parent companies in the Federal Republic of Germany (NUKEM and Transnuklear, Inc.) in light of suspension of licenses for these companies following charges of illegal nurlear waste shipments and financial irregularities. The Transnucle6r officials wanted to review with the NRC staff the information they planned to provide to ensure that it would be responsive to the NRC Demand.
Mr. Hansen began the discussion with the observation that the problems which resulted in the suspension of the NUKEM and Transnuklear, Inc.
(FRG) licenses were uniquely European, not involving Transnuclear (US).
He emphasized the positive Transnuclear (US) record for many years regarding nuclear exports and their cooperation with NRC since the Company's beginning (about 1965).
The NRC staff attendees expressed appreciation for the company's good cooperation with the NRC over the years and noted that they did not recall any significant irregularities in the export / import area regarding the company.
According to Mr. Hansen, Transnuclear, Inc. is a yrivately held U.S.
corporation, incorporated in the State of New Yorc, owned 50-50 by Transnuclear, Paris (TNP)and Transnuklear, GmbH, Hanau (TNH), both of which hold stock in his company. Transnuklear Hanau is owned by the NUKEM Company in the FRG, whose management has been taken over by its parent companies since the license suspensions.
Mr. Hansen said his company employs approxinately 45 people, all U.S.
citizens except for two foreign engineers.
Three employees are "Q" cleared; the rest of the U.S. citizens are "L" cleared. The company's 9102050080 901105 PDR FOIA WALDRON90-355 PDR
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- FE8 2 41N?B m0jor activities are (.ngineering, deveicpment, and rental of nuclear material shipping casks.
Making arrangene)t> for shipping of nuclear fuel constitutes a minor portion of their overall business. They do not i
transport nuclear waste.
Mr. Hansen said the Board of Directors of Transnuclear (US) comists of I
F seven members. Three directors are appointed by TNP and three by INH, i
while one is appointed by consensus of TNP and TNH (currently the President of Transnuclear (US), Mr. Hansen.)
He noted that one of the TNH-appointed members (an officer of NUKEM) lef t I
the Board recently because of managerial changes within NUKEM (one of the owners of TNH),. changes that were brought about by the problems in the l
FRG that resulted in NRC's Demand for Information.
A vacancy, thereforo, exists at this time.
Mr. Hansen said the Tup-TNH ownership / management of TN IPS) is " passive,"
that is, the Board only meets a " couple of times" each year for funding approvals.
There is limited oversight, with no day-to-day direction from 1
Europe, although a major decision such as a large capital expenditure would be a matter for the Board's consideration, in recent years, less than 20% of his company's business has been with the European parent companies, and less than 10% with Transnuklear and NUKEM in the FRG.
(The latter part of the business has now gone to zero tecauseoftheFRGlicensesuspensions.) Mr. Hansen stated that he has total _ independence of the European parent companies where matters of U.S.
national security are involved, and, in general, there is an arms-length relationship with them.
He said, further, that Transnuclear, Inc. (US) has complied strictly with U.S. laws and regulations in the past and will continue to comply with the laws and regulations in the future.
He indicated his intention to respond fonnally to NRC's Den.and for Information, on or before the March 2 date indicated by the Demand.
He also said he was very surprised to hear in December of the developments
. in the FRG and Belgium as he had no prior knowledge of the irregularities i
currently under investigation in those countries.
He also noted that his company had given NRC assurances that it would, urtil further notice, tell NRC of planned shipments under existing export licenses.
The NRC participants thanked the Transnuclear representatives for coming f!
in and indicated that information such as they had provided would appear k
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I JtoberesponsivetotheDemand.
They also said any proprietary
.l information provided by the company would be protected from public s.
release, although the Transnuclear officials said they hoped to provide information that was fully releasable, cc: Chairman Zech Comissioner Roberts Connissioner Dernthal Comissioner arr Comissioner..ogers SECY OGC E00 NhSS t
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