ML20043G635
| ML20043G635 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 06/13/1990 |
| From: | Kammerer C NRC OFFICE OF GOVERNMENTAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS (GPA) |
| To: | Carr, Roberts, Rogers NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9006200513 | |
| Download: ML20043G635 (11) | |
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8 gg i $ M MEMORANDUM FOR:
Chairman Carr Comissioner Roberts
-l Comissioner Rogers Comissioner Curtiss Comissioner Remick
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FROM:
'If carlton Kamerer, Di@ rector State Programs I
Office of Governmental and Public Affairs
SUBJECT:
MONTHLY STATE PROGRAMS AND REGIONAL REPORT FOR MAY 1990 The May 1990 Significant Intergovernmental Activities and Issues Report is enclosed for your information. This Report is the result of the combined efforts of NRC's Regional State Liaison Officers, Regional i
State Agreements Officers and the State Programs staff.
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Enclosure:
Significant Intergovernmental Activities and Issues - May 1990 cc: See Distribution List Attached i
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1 Distribution List;for Monthly State Programs / Regional Report H. Denton, GPA 4
J. Fouchard, PA-R. Hauber, IP D. Rathbun, CA l
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- J. Taylor, EDO W. Parler, OGC.
S. Chilk, SECY-E. Jordan, AEOD R. Bernero, NMSS T. Murley, NRR E. Beckjord, RES T. Martin, RI i'
S. Ebneter, RII
- A. B. Davis, RIII R.' Martin, RIV-J. Martin, RV M. Miller, RI R. Trojanowski', RII
' R. Lickus, RIII.
f C. Hackney, RIV-D. Kunihiro, RV J. McGrath, RI.
R.. Woodruff, RII-B. J. Holt, RIII
- R. Doda,-RIV-J. Hornor, RV B. Stiltenpole,.NMSS k
Public Document Room t-,
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k CONTENTS HEADQUARTERS g
Meeting with Maine LLW Officials.................................
1 Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors Annual Meeting.................................................
1 State Prog rams Counterpart Meeting...............................
1 International Symposium on Radiation Protection Infrastructure...
2-Non-Agreement States LLW Meeting.................................
2 NCSL State-Federal Assemb1y......................................
2 National Energy Strategy Sub-Group Staff Meetings................
2 REGION I MAINE y
Staff Training.........................................
2 NEW YORK Meeting with New York Public Service Commission Representatives...........................
3 Meeting with New York Officials on Cintichem Decommissioning............................
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~ Training for Ci ty Department of Health Staff...........
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Beaver Valley Emergency Planning Exercise.............. - 3 l
l REGION II h
i KORTH CAROLINA l
McGuire Local Public Officials Meeting.................
3 REGION III ILLIN0IS ASME Code Subagreement.................................
4 Commi s s i o ne r Remi c k V i s i t..............................
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CONTENTS (continued) 1 Page l
Low-Level Waste........................................
4 Di scove ry of Fuel Pe11et............................... 4 Signaling Events at Sheffield LLW Disposal Site........
5 IOWA BRC Legislation........................................
5 Review Vis1t...........................................
5 MICHIGAN Low-Level Waste........................................
5 MINNESOTA BRC Legislation........................................
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REGION IV t
URF0 ACTIVITIES-NEW MEXICO Church Rock............................................
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REGION V 3
L OREGON Environmental Radiation Quality Assurance i
T a s k F o r c e M e e t i n g.............................. _,....
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Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation. Council...................................
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Meeting on Effects of Radioactive Waste Disposal at Fara11ones Islands........................
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s, HEADQUARTERS Meeting with Maine LLW Officials NRC staff from NMSS, NRR, OGC and GPA met with representatives from the Maine Low-Level Radioactive Waste Authority on May 3, 1990 in Rockville, Maryland. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss LLW storage and disposal options, particularly the feasibility and licensability of storage / disposal at the Maine Yankee site, including
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using the Maine Yankee containment when the plant has been j
decomissioned.
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~ Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors Annual Meeting The Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc. (CRCPD) held its 22nd Annual Meeting on May 6-10, 1990 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Chairman Carr addressed the annual meeting on Comission consideration of the Below Regulatory Concern (BRC) policy statement. The Chairman-also discussed the status of Part 20 and the NRC site decontamination program.
NRC staff made presentations or participated in panel discussions on many topics including: multi-federal regulation of radiationfacilities,NRCpenerallicensing,NRCexperiencewithcivil penalties, overview of NRC s State Programs activities 10 CFR 20 status report, radiographer certification, low-level radioactive waste, mixed waste and 10 CFR 35 amendments. Other sessions of interest included:
1 EPA radionuclide standards, regulation of DOE facilities, status of the high-level radioactive waste program, radon, NORM and NARM and regulatory requirements for explosive detection systems using neutron activation.
I State Programs Counterpart Meeting State Programs held a counterpart meeting during the CRCPD annual meeting on May 8,1990 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The participants reviewed and updated the status of policy initiatives developed in 1987 shortly after the creation of the Office of Governmental and Public l
Affairs. Status reports were given on State and regional activities.
In addition, a representative from OGC addressed LLW compact / legislative authority issues and policy statement on cooperation with the States-related issues. Draft procedures for handling Comissioner requests for visits with Governors or other State officials were also reviewed and discussed.
State, Local and Indian Relations also held.a counterpart meeting with the Regional State
~ Liaison Officers on May 8-9, 1990. The group discussed the content of
- potential memoranda ~of understanding with a representative from the State of Ohio. The counterpart participants re,1ewed and discussed implementation of the Comission's policy statement on cooperation with the States, the status of State BRC legislation and the proposed agenda for the National SLO Meeting to be held on September 11-12, 1990 in Rockville Maryland. The participants also viewed a recent broadcast on the Kerr-McGee facility in West Chicago. The State Agreements staff held an agenda planning session for its counterpart meeting.
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International Symposium on Radiation Protection Infrastructure Carlton Kamerer, Director of State Programs, presented a paper at the International Atomic Energy Agency Symposium on Radiation Protection Infrastructure on May 10, 1990 in Munich, Germany. Mr. Kamerer's paper was entitled " Establishing a Comprehensive Radiation Control Program."
Non-Agreement States LLW Meeting NRC staff from NMSS, 0GC, NRR, Region I, Region III and GPA met with LLW officials from the States of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, j
Michigan and New Jersey on May 15, 1990 in Rockville, Maryland. The purpose of the meeting was pre-licensing consultation with these representatives from non-Agreement LLW host States.
Issues discussed included alternative disposal technologies, perfcrmance objectives, quality assurance, organizational approaches, site selection and characterization, performance assessment and interim storage.
NCSL State-Federal Assembly Mindy Landau, State Programs, attended the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) State-Federal Assembly on May 18, 1990 in Arlington, Virginia. The NCSL Environment Comittee discussed a proposed National Energy Policy and the current status of LLW disposal in the U. S. with representatives from the Department of Energy, Afton -
Associates and an environmental organization. The Comittee also received an update of Clean Air legislation and other Congressional issues.
National Energy Strategy Sub-Group Staff Meetings SpirosDroggitis,StatePrograms,attendedEconomicPolicyCouncil(EPC)
National Energy Strategy Sub-Group Staff meetings on May 23 and May 31, 1990 at the Department of Energy Headquarters in Washington, DC. The purpose of the first meeting was to brief the EPC staff on DOE's plans for completion of the National Energy Strategy Final Report, which is due 3
to the President in December of 1990. The briefing included a discussion of the schedule, narrowing of options for analysis, the role of the EPC staff, and other administrative matters.
The principle objectives of the second meeting were to circulate a list of narrowed options from the NES Interim Report, issue guidance on analysis of the options, organize the.-
analytical efforts into Sub-Groups, identify DOE leads for each Sub-Group and exchange information on points of contacts.
REGION'I MAINE Staff Training Jay Hyland, State of Maine, was in Region I offices during the period of May 21-25, 1990 for basic training and orientation in licensing practices 2
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and procedures. Mr. Hyland will be the key license reviewer when Maine
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assumes Agreement State status.
4 NEW YORK Meeting with New York Public Service Comission Representatives Tim Martin, Region I Administrator, and other Region I staff, met with representatives from the New York Public Service Comission (PSC) on May 24, 1990 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss NRC plans for the restart of Nine Mile Point I and the PSC's performance incentive program for the plant.
Meeting with New York Officials on Cintichem Decomissioning-Representatives from Region I and Headquarters met with New York representatives on May 30, 1990 to discuss NRC/ State interaction with regard to the proposed decomissioning of the Cintichem facility. The decomissioning will involve NRC regulated areas and some State regulated areas of the site. The NRC and State personnel discussed three main areas: the extent of the area required to be decomissioned, the criteria for acceptable residual levels of contamination prior to release of the facility and the procedures for making confirmatory measurements.
TrainingforCityDepartmentofHealthStaf{
Raymond Ford, New York City Department of Health, was in Region I for licensing training in the areas of medical and academic licensing during May.29-June 1, 1990. The Department has had a high turnover of staff recently and has a large licensing backlog. The Department requested special assistance in providing training for new staff.
i PENNSYLVANIA Beaver Valley Emergency Planning Exercise Marlene Taylor, Acting Region I State Liaison Officer, participated in an emergency planning exercise held at the Beaver Valley Power Station on May 1, 1990 in Shippingport, Pennsylvania. The exercise included State and local ~ government participation. Ms. Taylor acted as a government liaison at the State Emergency Operations Center.
REGION II NORTH CAROLINA McGuire Local Public Officiais Meeting Robert Trojanowski, Region 11 State Liaison Officer, participated in a meeting with local public officials from around the McGuire Nuclear Station on May 1, 1990 in Cornelius, North Carolina. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss NRC's program for regulating nuclear power plants and to encourage dialogue with local public officials.
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REGION III ILLINOIS ASME Code Subagreement On May 15, 1990, Thomas Ortciger, Director, Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety (IDNS), signed Subagreement No. 2 between the State of Illinois and the U.S. Nuclear Regubtory Comission regarding ASME Code activities at nuclear power plants in Illinois.
Region III-has scheduled a July 10, 1990 meeting with IDNS to discuss implementation of the subagreement.
IDNS is currently working on draft regulations on implementing their ASME Code authority in Illinois.
Comissioner Remick Visit On May 23, 1990, Comissioner Forrest J. Remick, Robert MacDougall, Technical Assistant, Dr. Carl J. Paperiello, Deputy Regional Administrator, Roland Lickus, Chief, State and Government Affairs, and Frederick Combs, Assistant Director, State Programs, visited IDNS headquarters office in Springfield, Illinois. The Comissioner met with IDNS Director, Thomas Ortciger, and key members of his staff.
Low-Level Waste An amendment to-Senate Bill 1761 was introduced which would establish a
. Low-Level Radioactive Waste-Disposal Facility Siting Comission consisting of three members appointed by the Governor with the consent of i
the Senate. The duty of the Comission would be to evaluate the safety i
and suitability of any site proposed by the IDNS Director for the
-location of a permanent facility for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste, and to determine if the proposed site meets all the State requirements.
In addition, House Bill 4155 was introduced at the end of A)ril which provides that any waste declared as below regulatory concern ay the Federal government will remain under the jurisdiction of the State and will be disposed of in a manner provided by Illinois law.
-Discovery of Fuel Pellet On May 8,1990, during routine environmental monitoring of the Palos Park Forest Preserve, inspectors from INDS found a fuel pellet consisting of approximately 80 microcuries of natural uranium. Argonne National Laboratory confirmed that the fuel pellet was part of the first man-made
.self-sustaining nuclear reactors, CP-1 or CP-2. The pellet was found outside the perimeter fence of the former site occupied by the Manhattan Engineering District, Site A.
The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Operations Office is formulating a plan for decomissioning beyond the perimeter fence.
IDNS will provide coments on the plan and oversight during the decomissioning.
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Signaling Events at Sheffield LLW Disposal Site
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On May 17, 1990, IDh5 notified U.S. Ecology of six " signaling events" at the closed' low-level radioactive waste disposhi site near Sheffield, Illinois. A signaling event is defined as certain upward trends or other changes in radionuclide movement within the buffer zone that surrounds a
the site. The occurrences constituting the signaling events include increases in tritium concentrations in contaminated wells, detection of carbon-14 above background levels in certain monitoring wells, and the probability that detectable concentrations of tritium will escape outside the buffer zone based on tritium concentrations in Trout Lake. While signaling events do not pose an immediate threat to the health or safety of the public and are not violations of IDNS requirements, they do serve to notify _the site operator that events have occurred which may need attention and remedial actions.
IOWA BRC Legislation Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed H. 2534 on April 24, 1990. The legislation, which relates to local approval of the siting of sanitary disposal projects, includes a restriction on the disposal of radioactive materials in a sanitary landfill.
Review Visit B. J. Holt Region III State Agreements Program Officer, conducted a reviewvisItoftheIowaradiationcontrolprogramonMay 21-22,-1990, in l
Des Moines, Iowa. The purpose of a review visit is to assess the status of the State's program and to assist the State in preparing for a routine i
l program review.
MICHIGAN Low-Level Waste
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- On May 23, 1990, the Michigan Low-Level Radioactive Waste Authority i
announced that Lenawee County had been dropped from consideration as a potential low-level radioactive waste disposal site for the Midwest Compact. The reason given was that the area failed to meet state siting criteria concerning water resource protection.
Consnissioner James Cleary stated that _he doubted that any location in Michigan can meet the strict siting criteria for a low-level waste facility under State law. This leaves the State of Michigan currently without any site under active
' consideration.
Future activity in Michigan will be to determine if, in fact, any site can be found to meet the State siting criteria. This effort is estimated to cost $2 million and take six to eight months to e
complete.
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i MINNESOTA-i BRC Legislation Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich signed S. 2195 on May 8,1990. The bill requires that low-level radioactive waste be treated, recycled, stored, or disposed at facilities which are specifically licensed to treat, l
recycle, store, or dispose of such waste, without regard to federal reclassification as "below regulatory concern."
REGION IV-NEW MEXICO 4
Church Rock A meeting was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 17, 1990 with representatives from NRC, EPA, and the State of New Mexico to disucss l'
groundwater issues at Church Rock.
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Environmental Radiation Quality Assurance Task Force Meeting Dean Kunihiro, Region V State Liaison Officer, attended the Environmental Radiation Quality Assurance Task Force of the Pacific Northwest meeting on May 16, 1990 in.Hvod River, Oregon.
The Task Force is comprised of representatives from Washington, Oregon, NRC, DOE, EPA and major radioactive materials users for the purpose'of coordinating L
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i environmental monitoring activities in the Pacific Northwest. Topics L
discussed included a report from the Hanford Working Group, a discussion l
of the 1989 Hanford Intercomparison Program and a summary of 1989 Task i
Force' a::tivities. The Task Force 'also discussed the impact of a recent EPA action regarding U. S. Testing on its activities.
l WASHINGTON 1
l Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council Dean Kunihiro, Region V State Liaison Officer, participated in the Washington Energy _ Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC)' Workshop on May 16-17, 1990 in Richland, Washington. Mr. Kunihiro' participated on a panel discussion'in which he gave a report on NRC activities-of interest to'EFSEC such as possible future NRC. licensing activities related to WNP-2 and expansion of' spent fuel storage capability. Mr.
Kunihiro also discussed the status of and the rationale behind the
-proposed BRC policy. The workshop included discussions of WNP-1/4 site restoration review, the status of WNP-2 operations and an examination of EFSEC's role, responsibilities and transition into the State Energy Office. Tours of WNP-2 and the WNP-1 site were also conducted.
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CALIFORNIA Meeting on Effects of Radioactive Waste Disposal at Fara11ones Islands Dean Kunihiro, Region V State Liaison Officer, attended a meeting of the California Scientific Advisory Committee on the Ocean Disposal of Radioactive Waste on May 22, 1990 at the California Department of Health Services in Sacramento, California. The Committee met to review the results of a sampling program which was conducted by the University 1
of California at Davis. The sampling program involved the collection and analysis of fish and mussels in the vicinity of the Fara11ones I
Islands for specific radionuclide content. The Committee also addressed a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report on radioactive waste disposal near the Fara11ones Islands. As a-result of discussions, the Committee decided to develop a statement that, based on available information, the Committee's view was that there are no present undue public health effects-posed by the radioactive wastes near the Fara11ones, i
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