ML20126F898

Weekly Info Rept for Wk Ending 921218

ML20126F898
Person / Time
Issue date:	12/23/1992
From:	Blaha J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:
References
SECY-92-429, WIR-921218, NUDOCS 9212310190
Download: ML20126F898 (31)

Text

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December 23, 1992 Ent: The Commissioners from: James L. Blaha, Assistant for Operations, Office of the ED0 Egbject: WEEKLY ll1 FORMAT 10N REPORT - WEEK ENDit1G DECEMBER 18, 1992 fariteati Enclosure Nuclear Reactor Regulation A Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B fluclear Regulatory Research C*

Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data D General Counsel E*

Administration F Information Resources Management G Controller H Personnel  !

Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization & Civil Rights J*

Enforcement K Consolidation L State Programs M*

Policy Planning N*

Public Affairs 0*

International Programs P*

Congressional Affairs Q*

Regional Offices R Executive Director for Operations S*

Meeting Notices T

• No input this week.

n . Q/7Ma w g UU30 ,,

gamesL.Blaha Assistant for Operations, OED0

Contact:

Raji Tripathi, OEDO O

-504-1733 9212310190 921223 PDR COMMS NRCC I1 WEEKLYINFOREPT PDR g

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Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Items of Interest Week Ending December 18, 1992 Vndor. Insgection at Siemens- '

Ed Kendrick of the Reactor Systems Branch supported the Vendor Inspection i' Branch in an inspection at Sicmens Nuclear Division in Richland, Washington, during the week of December 14. The objective of the inspection is to review  !

the adequacy of Siemens design control procedures and analytical methods to i support the supply of reload fuel to operating BWRs and PWRs. The inspection is in response to concerns arising from the recent WNP-2 instability event and -

some unrelated errors in analytical methods recently reported by siemens.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Assumes Resoonsibi'ity for Seabrook Emeraency Elan .

On December 15, 1992, Grant Peterson, Associate Director of the federal Emergency Management Agency. Wrote to the Executive Director for Operations ,

expressing satisfaction with the offsite emergency plans of Massachusetts for the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant. The transfer of responsibility for these plans from the licensee to the Commonwealth will be ef fective December 30, .

1992. Until the transition occurs, the North Atlantic Energy Service '

Corporation (the licensee) will maintain its offsite response organization and the utility-developed Seabrook plan for hassachusetts communities.

These will be discontinued following the transfer of responsibility.

MEETING OlLILIA .

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has held a series of meetings concerning the applicability of the Clinical Laboratories improvement Act (CLIA) to onsite drug testing. DRSS:PSGB staff attended a meeting on December 11, 1992, of representatives of Federal agencies .that had objected to that '

application of CLIA. The unanimous recommendation from attendees, who included representatives from NRC, the Departments of Transportation.and Labor, the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, and others, was that onsite drug testing be excluded from the provisions of CLIA.

Rod Position Indication - HMP-2. IIT Follow-Vo Item On December 9, 1992, the NRC staff met with the BWR Owners Group'(BWROG) to discuss the BWROG reassessment of the adequacy of rod position indication (RPI) for post-accident monitoring. The reassessment was necessitated by the loss of all RPI as a result of the failure of a nonsafety-related uninterruptable power supply (ups) during the incident at Nine Mile Point Unit 2 on August 13, 1991.s The BWROG representatives provided an overview of RPI: designs, operator uses of.RPI, and of event analyses methodology used in the reassessment of the adequacy of RPl.- The BWROG's reassessment examined a broad spectrum of events within and somewhat beyond design basis. .The importance of RPI to the-l operator was evaluated for each event by determining the difference in plant i

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response if RPI was or was not available. The reassessment also considered the impact of the availability or unavailability of the neutron monitoring system (NMS) on the importance of RPl.

The BWROG concluded that loss of RPI is not a safety concern, ths EPGs adequately address indeterminate control rod position, and there is no basis r requiring either an alternate RPI or safety grade power to RPI systems. The .

NRC staff indicated that the overall methodology described by the BWROG seemed reasonable, but stated that they could not comment on the reassessment results until a report is submitted and reviewed. The NRC staff also suggested that the BWROG consider quantifying the risks of losses of RPI and NMS and including these values in the report, which is due to the staff in late February 1993.

(gm mche Peak Steam Electric Station (CPSES) t Unit 2 A monthly status meeting was held with the utility at the Comanche Peak Site on December 8, 1992, to discuss the remaining work on Comancho Peak Unit 2.

Significant discussion items included the utility's plans for its internal operational readiness assessment and its actions necessary to support a starting date of January 14, 1993, for the NRC's operational readiness assessment team (ORAT) inspection. The utility's plans for the power ascension test program were also outlined. As of December 7,1992, the utility has completed 136 of 149 preoperational tests and obtained "results approval" on 107; and 66 of 77 systems have been turned over to the operations department. The utility currently projects a fuel load date of January 25, 1992.

Following the meeting, the NRC's CPSES Oversight Panel met to discuss the information presented by the utility. Additionally, inspection and licensing actions necessary to be completed by the staff prior to the issuance of the low-power license were discussed. Meeting attendees included the Regional ,

Administrator, the Assistant Director, NRR Projects, and two representatives of the NKR Special Inspection Branch. Significant issues discussed included results of the fire protection and Borg-Warner check valve inspections. ORAT inspection plans, and revisions to the draft 94300 letter.

On December 10, 1992, the utility turned the containment and safeguards build:ngs over to the operations department. On December 12, the utility extended the radiologically controlled area (RCA) boundary to encompass the Unit 2 areas which will require RCA controls following Unit 2 licensing.

Diablo Canyon Units 1 and 2 On December 10 and 11, 1992, the project manager and staff lawyers participated in a pre-hearing conference with the Mothers for Peace regarding a proposed extension of the Diablo Canyon operating licenses. The proposed amendment would allow for. a full forty years of operation by recapturing 13 and 15 years of the construction periods for Units 1 and 2, respectively. The Mothers of Peace were given legal standing by the licensing board. The board did not, however, rule on the admissibility of the contentions. The Mothers for Peace submitted 11 contentions regarding the following subjects:

DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE A

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maintenance and surveillance, personnel performance, counterfeit or fraudulent parts, age-related degradation, Thermo-lag, hazardous materials, radioactive waste storage, emergency preparedness, earthquakes, no significant hazards considerations, and tne National Environmental Policy Act. The licensing board will issue an order rendering their decislons. The schedule for issuance was not discussed.

A rally with Greenpeace was held directly before the public comment portion of the hearings. A variety of public comments were presented before the licensing board that were in favor and against the proposed amendment, l

. DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE-A.

( Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards items of Interest Week Ending December 18, 1992 Sh01LSoli;eJ Rarldom Inmqction Teu During the week of December 7-11, 1992, a member of the International Safeguards Branch met with members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation facility in Columbia, South Carolina, to prepare for the short notice random inspection test. Members of the IAEA installed and checked out the " mailbox" computer where receipt data on uranium hexafluoride cylinders and shipment data on fuel assemblies will be entered daily for the IAEA inspector to review. The IAEA tested the measurement equipment that will be used by the inspectors to verify the declared receipt and shipment data. On February 28, 1993, Westinghouse will commence entry of transaction and inventory data to the " mailbox," and the test will begin in early March and last through the end of Septomber 1993.

tieetina Regardina NUHOMS-MP187 Seent fuel Transport Package On December 9, 1992, the Transportation Branch met with Pacific Nuclear and Sacramento Municipal Utility District to discuss the NUH0HS-MP187 spent fuel transr; ort package. The NUHOMS-MP187 is a stainless steel and lead shielded cask which is being designed to transport NVHOMS dry shielded storage canisters. The cask will accommodate a single NUHOMS canister, which holds 24 PWR fuel assemblies. The loaded cask will weigh approximately 125 tons and will be transported by rail. The discussion centered on the design of the cask and impact limiters, and on the structural and criticality analyses for the package.

First Meetina of the Interagency Domestic Security Aff airs Workina Grnup On December 16, 1992, staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Division of Security and Of fice of the General Counsel attended ~

the first meeting of the interagency Domestic Security Affairs Working Group, which is one of five groups established by the President's Office of Management and Budget to facilitate the transition of the gaseous diffusion enrichment plants from the Department of Energy (D0E) to the U.S. Enrichment Corporation. DOE is the lead agency for this working group. The need to clearly establish the inventories of source and special nuclear materials that exist at the plants when the transfer of oversight responsibility from DOE to NRC occurs was one of the issues raised for this working group to resolve.

MC/ DOE Hiah-level Waste Technical Exchance Meetina On December 14-15, 1992, the Department of Energy (00E) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a technical exchangt. on recent work by the two agencies on Total System Performance Assessment for a High-level Waste Repository, in addition to DOE and NRC staff involved in performance assessment, th3 tech-nical exchange was attended by members of the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW), consultants to the ACNW, and representatives of the State of Nevada. The DOE reported on recently completed total system performance assessments for the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The NRC DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE B

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reported on its Phase 2 Iterative Performance Assessment, which is nearing completion. Some of the issues discussed at the technical exchange included:

construction of Complementary Cumulative Distribution functions (CCDF's) representing releases from the repository and used to demonstrate compliance with <he EPA standard; representation of uncertainty in parameter distri-butions; modeling of disruptive events, such as volcanos and human intrusion by exploratory drilling; and the hydrology of the Yucca Mountain site and its effect on radionuclide transport.  ;

Babcock & Wilcox< Naval Nuclear fuel DiviS10D On December 16, 1991, Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) personnel met with staff of tho Office of Nuclear Paterial Safety and Safeguards to learn of B&W's plans to convert Russian high-enriched uranium to low-enriched commercial grade fuel. The meeting was rc Wested by B&W for informational purposes only.

• B&W would need seve I amendments to its license to do the conversion, and could submit an amendment request for increased storage authorization as early as January 1993.

Vodate 00f!x.necommiti.t. nina o Management Plan Site - Dow Chemical On November 18, 1992, Dow Chemical (DOW) submitted a request, pursuant to 10 CFR 40.14(a!, to bo exempted from the unrestricted release criterion of n' . 42. DOW has made an application to the Nuclear Regulatory re- , . s. , i bury their thorium contaminated wasto in a DOW owned and v.- ad hazardous waste landfill under the provisions of 10 CFR 20.302.

.ae . ugh concentration of thorium in this waste would make it impossible to release any site which contains the material for unrestricted use. Therefore, 00W has proposed that a restrictive covenant be applied to the hazardcus waste landfill burial site. They claim that this restrictive covenant, as proposed, will assure the security and integrity of the site in perpetuity. The staff is in the process of reviewing this exemption request and preparing a '

Commission Paper on the subject because this proposal is counter to statements on unrestricted release found in the Action Plan to Ensure Timely Remediation of the Sites Listed in the Sito Decommissioning Management Plan (SECY-92-106). '

The DOW situation is described on page A-79 of the Site Decommissioning Management Plan (SECY-92-200).

Meetina with New Hamnshire Official on Low level Waste Storaae at Seabrook On December 16, 1992, staff met with Mr. Bruce Ellsworth, Commissioner for the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, regarding the feasibility of storing commorcial low-level waste (LLW) at the Seabrook Nuclear Station.

.Because of the small volume of LLW generated in the State by non-power reactor licensees (on the order of 100 cubic feet per year), the State will not be developing its own disposal facility. Its efforts to date to contract with another State for disposal of LLW generated after the end of this year have not been successful. Beginning in 1993, the generators in the State of New liampshire will not have access to disposal of their LLW at either of the operating disposal facilities (Hanford or Barnwell).

DECEMEER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE B

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3 i NRC staff discussed Generic Letter 85-14, " Commercial Storage at Power Reactor .

Sites of Low-Level Radioactive Waste Not Generated by the Utility" and the issues that would need to be addressed by the State or the applicant for such storage. Mr. Ellsworth is considering sending the Commission a letter asking if the guidance in Generic Letter 85-14 is still relevant and applicable today given the lack of progress in States' disposal programs and for New Hampshire, in particular, where the low volume of waste being generated is unusual.

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4 Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data items of Interest Week Ending December 18, 1992 Diannnstic Evaluation tnd incident Inyntiquiqn Branch (DEllB1 The incident Investigation Team (llT) continued its investigation efforts involving the potential overexposure of a nursing home patient as well as other individuals who may have come in close proximity to the unshielded source.

The llT convened in Bethesda on Monday, December 14. Reviews were conducted at the Omnitron facilities in Louisiana and Texas. Review of the current regulatory requirements, policies and guidance provided to the license reviewers and inspectors on HDR licensing and inspection were begun. --

Observations made to date on wire samples (including a dummy wire) have shown the three fractures to be generally similar and consistent with bending overload failures.

Based on interviews to date it currently appears that systematic radiation safety training was not provided and reliance was placed on certification of the individuals in their medical or technical field. Omnitron has stated that they only provided training on routine and emergency operating procedures for their device.

Dr. Carl J. Papertello and Dr. Mohamed Shanbaky conducted an interim exit interview with Oncology Services management representatives on Thursday, December 17 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) representative was present.

Blood count results for 39 blood counts are negative for acute effects. NRC's consultant stated the data provide evidence that a group as a whole received an exposure in excess of background with an average dose of about 6 rari for the group.

NRC has been requested to attend the FDA's exit with Omnitron which is expected to be held in the next two weeks. On Thursday, December 17, NMSS issued Information Notice 92-84 to inform all medical licensees of this event and the need to survey patients with temporary implants before release, incident Response Branch During the week of December 7, IRB staff and Halliburton-NUS Environmental Corporation personnel did final computer testing for the Emergency Response Data System (ERDS) for five reactor units: Arkansas 1 and 2, Indian Point 2, Fermi 2, and Wolf Creek. With the successful completion of these tests, there are now 55 reactor units with ERDS links.

Also during the week of December 7, the IRB Chief and staff member attended a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris to discuss preparations for the incident response tabletop exercises to be conducted this spring in many different nations. All European countries DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE D

participated in the meeting along with representatives frem the tJkraine and '

Rumania.

During the past week, Halliburton installed hardware and software upgrades to ERDS which increased the number of channels available for external users and added high speed dedicated channels for the regional offices. <

On December 15-16 COMEX, an NRC contractor, presented 2-day training classes on Response Technical Manual-92 (RTM-92) to Region 1 and to Headquarters. On December 16, IRB staff conducted Protective Measures training in Region 1.

Both sessions were very well attended.

On Decembe 16, the AEOD Director and Deputy Director, 00A Division Director and IRB Chief and staff met with five Russian officials from Gosatomnadzor (GAN) regarding the initiative to obtain a nuclear emergency support center and system similar to NRC's Operations Center. This was the first such meeting. The next one will be a working session to be held in late February 1993.

On November 16, IRB held a telecommunications drill with the Republic of Korea. All telecommunication procedures checked out well.

Reactor Onerations Analysis Branch (ROAB)

Special Study Report ($92-07), " Pressure Locking and Thermal Binding of Gate Valves," was published on December 8, 1992. This study was initiated in response to an event at the James A. FitzPatrick plant where it was evident that a flexible-wedge gate valve could become pressure locked during normal plant operation, and thus, may not function during an accident. The study .

shows that valve binding caused by pressure locking or thermal binding is a common-mode failure mechanism that can prevent a valve.from opening, and could render redundant trains of safety systems, or multiple safety systems, inoperable. The valve binding h a result of inadequate design considerations, and the inadequacy in design will not necessarily be found during plant startup testing or regular surveillance testing. In spite of.

numerous generic communications issued in the past by both'the NRC and Industry, pressure locking and thermal binding continue to occur to gate valves installed in safety-related system of both boiling water reactors and pressurized water reactors. It appears that the generic communications to date-have not led to effective industry action to fully identify, evaluate, and correct the problem.

The study identifies conditions when pressure locking or thermal binding have occurred. The systems in which pressure-locking or thermal binding-have actually occurred include high-pressure coolant injection, low-pressure .

coolant injection, low-pressure core spray, emergency feedwater, residual- heat removal, reactor coolant system, condensate, and feedwater. The valves and steam involvedThe supply. provided such functions-as study concludes that )ressure injection, locking andisolation, thermal binsuction, ding of gate valves warrant priority attention ay NRC and Industry. Specifically, the study proposes that a Bulletin or Generic Letter be prepared. The study further suggests that this issue be the subject _of an NRC/ Industry workshop to adequately communicate with the proper licensee technical managers to obtain industry feedback on the most effective way to resolve this problem.

DECEMBER 1B, 1992 ENCLOSURE D 1

o Preliminary Notifications:

a. PN19275, _Public Service Electric & Gas Co. (Salem 2), Augmented Inspection Team Dispatched To Salem Unit 2 To Review failure of the Annunciator System To function As Designed.

b. PN39264, Commonwealth Edison Co. (Dresden 2), Shutdown To Replace Reactor Recirculation Pump Seal.

c. PN-V-92-038, Portland General Electric Co. (Trojan 2), State of Oregon May Ask for Public Hearing Regarding Trojan.

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C DECEMBER 18,1992 -ENCLOSURE D .)

Office of Administration items of Interest Week Ending December 18, 1992 i Sionificant FOIA Reauests Received by the NRC for 5-Day Period of December 11

- Decamber 17. 1992 Request for a list of active NRC contracts for computer services. (Michael Angelakis, Integration Technologies Group, Inc., F01A-92-592)

Request for three categories of records regarding Amoco Performance Products, Inc. of Georgia. (A. McArthur Irvin of Stuart & Irvin, FOIA-92-593)

Request for the name of any recent recipient of a license to possess C0-60 in the Northeastern Ohio area. (Virginia Young, Reuter Stokes, Inc., F0!A 595)

Request for a summary of non-compliance statistics for reactors licensed by the NRC, by year and severity level, for the years 1989, 1990, and 1991.

(Winthrop Hayes, American Nuclear Insurers, f01A-92-596)

Request for a copy of the list of prices given by the awardee of Purchase Order No. 93-0240. (Daniel Selnic(, PR Newswire F01A-92-597)

• Request for information on bionics (animal testing). (Robert Byers, f01A 598)

Request for a copy of the abstract of the previous bids for solicitation No.

RS-SEC-93-117. (Bob Brummer, Devonshire Imaging Inc., F01A-92-599)

Request for records pertaining to an investigation of a Rly employee.

(Beverly Ozmun, Globe X-Ray Services, Inc., F01 A-92-600)

Request for records from January 1987 pertaining to the Cabot Corporation's facilities located at Boyertown, Reading and Revere, Pennsylvania.' (John Hunter, fansteel Metals, F0!A-92-601)

Request for copies os 19 specified IG cases. (Jim Morris, Houston Chronicle, F01A-92-602)

Request for a copy of the FY 93-97 Five Year Plan. (Marguerite Hrebenach,

. F0!A-92-603)

Request for records relating to the cooling tube leaks which closed the Trojan nuclear power plant in November 1992. (EdHartiszus,F0!A-92-604)

Request for a copy of the _ contract that proceeded solicitation _ No. RS-IRM - 186. (Kenneth Marx, Delta CompuTec Inc., F01A-92-605)-

Request for a copy of the contract, bid abstract, business clearance, technical evaluation, technical proposal and'the RFP to contract No. NRC ,90-179. (Heather Mahan, INS Incorporated, F0!A-92-606)

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Request for a list of _ all firms _or individuals who make a _ written request or .

is provided a copy of solicitation _No _RS-IRM-93-186. (Gale Sampson, F01A 600) 1 i

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DECEMBER 18, 1992- ENCLOSURE F .l L, 2.-

Office of Information Resources Management Items of Interest <

Week Ending December 18, 1992 1

NUREG-1460. " Guide to NRC Reportino and Recordkeeoino Reouirements."

Published NUREG-1460 was formally published and disseminated to NRC staff and a number of external recipients. The guide is intended for use as a reference tool for

'oth o licensees and NRC staff and receivad very positive reactions from NRC offices during the review process. The guide will be updated annually to ensure the accuracy of the information and maintain its currency. In addition, commenters on the draft guide recommended enhancements that will be incorporated into future editions. The guide is also available electronically in Wordperfect 5.1 format.

11DLqement Directive 3.50. " Document Man uement" Management Directive 3.50, " Document Management," prepared by the Document Management Branch and dated December 9, 1992, was distributed to the agency'.-

New and Revised NRC Forms

'The Office of Information Resources Management is revising two forms and creating five new forms for the Office of Administration for NRC Management

-Directive 11.1, " Acquisition of Supplies and Services." The forms being revised are NRC Form 104, " Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Ordering / Receiving Report," and NRC form 400, " Request for Procurement Action." The forms being created are NRC forms 534, 534A, 5348, and 5340, " Advance Procurement Plan,"

(four different variations) and NRC Form 548, " Sample Summary Score Sheet."

When the management directive is approved. the forms will be printed and made available in the NRC supply rooms.

MNBB Water Leak In res)onse to telephone trouble calls on the morning of December 11, 1992, from tie Maryland National Bank Building (MNBB), the Telecommunications Branch (TB) discovered water running through telephone closets on the 6th-through lith-floors which was disrupting service. -TB alerted the Facility Management Branch (FMB), Office of Administration, of the problem md dispatched contractor personnel on an emergency basis. Work began .mmediately to protect telephone terminal blocks in the closets with. plastic.

Meanwhile, FMB took measures to install a tarpaulin on the. building roof to-stop the inflow of water. At TB's request, FMB provided dehumidifiers which were placed in telephone closets to reduce humidity, and vacuumed the standing water. 'An emergency purchase of hair dryers provided the tools to dry out wet terminal blocks and all telephone service was restored by mid-afternoon.

Twenty-six terminal blocks were damaged (corrosion). New-blocks will be installed and service transferred to the new blocks as we experience failures.

DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE G

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1TSS Succort During the week, the Information Technology Support Section (ITSS), Division of Information-Support Services completed the following actions:

Completed 145 service orders for microcomputer maintenance and installation support.

Completed 131 work orders for microcomputer software support.

Referred 231 rein sts for microcomputer assistance to other IRM activities for action.

DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE G

Office of the Controller items of Interest Week _Ending December 18, 1992 Financial Manaaers Council The NRC's Financial Managers Council had its initial meeting on December 9, 1092. The Financial Managers Council is comprised of allottee financial managers from the offices and regions and is chaired by Jesse Funches, Deputy Controller. Its primary purpose is the coordination and information exchange between the Office of the Controller and other NRC staff on financial management issues. Mr. James Taylor, in his capacity as the Chief Financial Officer for the NRC, addressed the council during its initial' meeting and r emphasized the importance of financial management within the NRC, and the council's role in improving financial management.

petition for Rulemakina On October 13, 1992, the NRC published, for a 60 day comment period, a petition for rulemaking filed by the American College of Nuclear Physicians and the Society of Nuclear Medicine. The petitioners request that the NRC amend its fee regulations in order to mitigate the adverse impacts 6xperienced by its members because of the recent increases in licensing, inspection and-annual fees. The comment period expired December 14, 1992. The NRC has received approximately 80 comments on the petition. A cursory review of the comments indicates that there are comments both for and against the petition.

DECEMBER IU, 1992 ENCLOSURE.H

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1 Office of Personnel Items of Interest-  ;

Week Ending December 18, 1992 Candidates for Development Proarams Selected The Office of Personnel recently announced the selection of individuals who will participate in the Executive Potential Program for Mid Level Employees.

They are Brian McCabe, NRR; Sharon Mearse, ADM; Charleen Raddatz, RES; Thomas Rich, NMSS; Gerald Vaquez, Region IV; G. Scott Barber, Region I (first alternate); and Phyllis Sobel, NRR-(second alternate).. Individuals selected for the Women's Executive Leadership Program are.Rickie Beall, OC; Robert Hogg, HMSS; and Marsha Ward, SECY. The selected individuals will participate in a series of OPM-sponsored activities to prepare them for future opportunities as supervisors, managers, and executives in the Federal Government.

OPM Conference Attended On December 13-16, Peter Goldman and August Spector attended the OPM conference'" Changes, Choices, Challenges in Federal Human Resource Development" in Baltimore, Maryland. This first national conference sponsored by OPM on Human Resource Development (HRD) was attended by 750 trainers from-across the nation. Dr. Spector presented a paper describing an OPM task force-study on the roles and competencies of today's training professional, the issues impacting the HRD career field, and changes occurring in the profession.

Employee Assistang_e Proaram Activities ,

On December 17, Patricia Kaplan attended a meeting of the D.C. Chapter of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association. The. topic for this meeting was the-role of an Employee Assistance Program in an organization's overall wellness program.

Arrivals MARTIN, Febbie OFFICE AUTOMATION ASSISTANT (0PFT) Ril MASTEN, Kelly CLERK-(CHRISTMAS HIRE) (OPFT) 0!G ZENTMYER, Kelly CLERK-TYPIST (CHRISTMAS HIRE) (OPFT) RIII Departures l

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DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE I

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Office of Enforcement Itsms of Interest Week Ending December 18, 1992 Sianificant Enforcement' Actions:

1. A Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty in the amount of $ 3,750 WAS issued on December 14, 1992 to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The action was based on two-violations of NRC requirements and include the failure to perform proper surveys which resulted in radioactive contamination in the public domain and the failure to perform the necessary surveys of unrestricted areas. The event was self-disclosing, the corrective actions were limited and '

resulted in 50% escalation of the base civil penalty. -The other factors were considered but no further adjustment was warranted. (EN 92-096)

2. A Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty -in the amount of 575,000 was issued on December 14, 1992, to Washington Public Power Supply System (WNP-2). The action was based on three violations identified during the review of the August 15, 1992, reactor power oscillation event which resulted in the manual scram of the reactor.

These violations have collectively been classified as a Severity Level Ill problem. The base civil penalty of $50,000 has been escalated 50 percent after finding 50 percent escalation appropriate for both past poor performance and prior opportunity to identify the problems and 50 percent mitigation for the licensee's corrective actions. (EN 92-097)

3. A Demand for Information (Demand) was issued on December 17, 1992 Cameo Diagnostics Centre, Inc., Springfield, MA, The action was based upon the licensee's use of NRC-licensed material at a location that was not authorized in its license;-the licensee's refusal to voluntarily discontinue unauthori.:ed use of these materials; and the licensee's failure to inform the NRC of this use after being specifically informed in a letter dated November 13, 1992, that the licensee did not have authorization to use these materials at this_new location. As further dH cribed in thc Demand, the information that is known about the circumstances of this case cast doubt on whether the Licensee's President, Mr. Rosenbaum, will 3rovide complete and accurate information, communicate with tie NRC in a forthright and candid manner, and conduct operations in accordance with regulatory requirements. The Demand is being issued to determine whether the NRC has reasonable assurance that, in the future, the licensee and its President will provide complete and accurate information to the NRC and otherwise conduct licensed activities in accordance with the Commission's-requirements. (EN 92-099) l:

DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE K i

R Office of Consolidation items of Interest Week Ending December 18, 1992 Second Buildino Status Problems with the installation of flashing and. sealant at the " terraces"'

projecting at floor 9, delayed installation of windows on floor 9 adjacent to the terraces.

Excavation and installation of water, sewer, electrical, and telecommunications lines were completed at the rear of OWFN in the driveway area, This area will continue to be disturbed as construction of 'a retaining wall, sidewalk and extension of the drivoway along the back of TWFN proceeds.

Work continued on the plaza with the installation of pre-cast concrete retaining walls and planter boxes that will shape and define the plaza landscaping.

On December 18, Daylight Mfg. Co. delivered to the NRC warehouse a 9' x 12' rear-projection screen especially designed and constructed for the TWFN auditorium.

On December 18, the Director notified the State Highway Administration's Division of Traffic Engineering of a significant pedestrian safety hazard created by the absence of a sidewalk in front of the TWFN site.

l DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE L

k Region i Items of Interest Week Ending December 18, 1992

1. Oncoloav Services Corooration Follow-UD Insoection On December 8,1992, Region I dispatched two inspectors to each of two locations authorized under the Oncology Services Corporation's NRC license to use High Dose Rate Remote Afterloading Brachythera)y Devices.

One set of inspectors inspected at the Exton, PA site; the otler inspected at the Lehighton, PA site. The inspectors were dispatched to assist the llT in determining whether lack of training and oversight was a corporate wide or isolate site phenomenon. In addition, the inspectors also reviewed the licencee's procedures and any actions taken at these sites as a result of the incident at the licensee's Indiana, PA facility. The inspectors found that along with some minor problems, a lack of training was indicated at both the Exton and Lehighton site.

Region I is preparing a written report of its inspections to be forwarded to the !!T.

2. Salem An Augmented Inspection Team was dispatched to the Salem, Unit 2, nuclear power plant to begin an inspection on Tuesday, December 15, 1992. The AIT will inspect the circumstances and evaluate the significance of the failure of the control room annunciators on December 13, 1992. The failure-involved inability of the main control board annunciators to respond to alarm conditions in the plant. The annunciators were apparently in this condition for about'l 1/2 hours without the knowledge of the control room operators. Mr. William Ruland, a DRS Section Chief, will be team leader. Representatives of AE00 and NRR will also be team members. A representative of the State of New Jersey will observe the activities of the Team.

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l l DECEMBER 18, 1992. ENCLOSURE R

e Region 11 Items of Interest Week Ending December 18, 1992

1. Virainia Electric & Power Comoany On December 14, Admiral J. Watkins, DOE Secretary, visited the Virginia Electric and Power Company's Surry Nuclear Power Station to discuss VEPCO's interest in the Department of Energy sponsoring the development of a universal spent fuel storage cask.

On December 15, representatives from the Virginia Electric and Power Company were in the Region 11 Office to present their. self-assessment results for their North Anna facility.

2. Nuclear Fuel Services. Inc.

On December 15. Region II held an Enforcement Conference with Nuclear Fuel Services, (NFS) Inc., to discuss the findings of the NRC inspection conducted October 3 through November 17, 1992. The Conference was open to the public; however, there were no members of the public in attendance. Specific issues discussed included the fire and explosion which occurred on September 10 and the inadvertent transfer of raffinate which occurred on October 13, 1992. The licensee agreed with the facts regarding the events as contained in the inspection reports. The licensee outlined the corrective actions for the events and provided their perspective on the safety consequences of the events.

3. Preventino Sexual Harassment Trainino On December 15 - 17, representatives from the Office of Personnel Management were in the Region II Office to conduct training for the entire Regional Staff on " Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace." Six separate training sessions were held over the three-day period.

4. Babcock and Wilcox - Naval Nuclear Division - Limited Cenditions of Ooeration For Uranium Scree Recoverv On December 16, the resident inspector informed the region that the licensee was unable to provide documentation'or demonstration that there was sufficient poison (Raschig Rings) in unfavorable geometry tanks in the uranium scrap recovery facility. The licensee uses the Raschig Rings as a nuclear criticality control in large vessels. The vessels are filled with boros111cate-glass Raschig Rings to occupy a percent volume fraction. The licensee's uranium concentration limit for uranium recovery operations is based on the fraction of the volume occupied by the Raschig Rings in each tank, The licensee was operating the facility with a limit of 400 grams uranium / liter based upon a 32 percent occupied volume.

DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE R

Region 111 Items of Intersst Week Ending December 18, 1992

1. B.anaaement Heetina with Centerior Corocration On December 17, 1992 the Regional Administrator, members of his staff, and the NRR Project Director met with Mr. Murray Edelman, Executive Vice President of Power Generation, Centerior Corporation and members of his staff to discuss activities at the Perry Nuclear Power Plan, Topics included the licensee's and the NRC's perspectives on the quality of performance at Perry, plans for the upcoming mid-cycle outage, a work assessment review that was recently done by the licensee, and recent NRC/ licensee interactions on some plant equipment problems.

2. Northern States Power Company On December 18, 1992, the Regional Administrator; Director.

Division of Reactor Projects; Director, Division of Reactor Safety and members of their staffs met with the recently appointed-President of Northern States Power Generation and members of his staff, to discuss the reorganization of Northern States Power and its nuclear-related activities.

3. Braidwood Nuclear Power Station On December 18, 1992, the Regional Administrator, the Deputy Director, Division of Reactor Projects, and the Project Manager, HRR, met with the licensee at the Braidwood site to discuss the Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance for the site.

4. Paramax Systems _ Corporation: Hioh Radiation Exposure to Film BAfhQ In a letter dated December 8,1992, the licensee reported to NRC Region 111 it had received a film badge report showing a 5.540 millirem exposure. The time period covered by the film badge is August 17 to October 16, 1992. The licensee has reviewed the work performed by the individual assigned the badge, which included work involving x-ray equipment and a cobalt-60 irradiator. The licensee reported that the source of the high film badge reading could not be determined. Region 111 conducted a special inspection on December 17, 1992, to review the circumstances surrounding the high film badge reading. This matter is still under review by the inspectors.

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Region IV Items of Interest Week Ending December 18, 1992

1. Wolf Creek Generatino Station $1te Visit and Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP) Public Meetina On December 15, 1992, the Regional Administrator and members of the Region IV staff toured the Wolf Creek Generating Station facility and receive an update on the licensee's Performance Enhancement Program, lhe Regional Administrator met with the Wolf Creek Board of Directors.

On Wednesday, December 16, 1992, NRC presented the results of the SALP for the period October 6, 1991, through October 10, 1992,

2. Montina with Exxon Corporation On December 14. 1992, the Director of the Uranium Recovery Field office (URFO) and select members of the staff met with representatives of Exxon Corporation and their reclamation consultant to discuss reclamation of the tailings at the Highland Mill in Wyoming.

3. S10MO.YAtLhtels Corooratisn Commissioner James R. Curtiss visited the Sequoyah facility December 17, 1992. Commissioner Curtiss was accompanied by his assistant, Ms. Janet Kotra, and Region IV staff members. The interested parties in the license renewal process were invited to observe discussions between the Commissioner and licensee staff and participate in a site tour during the Commissioner's visit.

4. Personnel Chance at Fort Calhoun Station On December 15, 1992, the licensee announced that the Fort Calhoun Station Plant Manager (Terry Patterson) became the Division Director -

Nuclear Operations, effective immediately. Terry Patterson assumes the position formerly held by Gary Gates, who was previously promoted to Vice President. The licensee also announced that James Chase, Assistant Plant Manager, will become the Plant Manager, effective January 1,1993.

Mr. Chase will immediately assume the position of acting Plant Manager until January 1.

5. Enteroy Shareholders Accrove Mercer With Gulf States Utilities On December 17, 1992, Entergy Operations, Inc. shareholders voted to approve the merger between Entergy and Gulf States Utilities (GSU).

Entergy plans to assign an observer, J. G. Dewease, at River Bend Station to assess personnel and the organization. GSU Will retain responsibility for operation of the facility until completion of the merger which is expected in late 1993. Entergy plans to establish a transition team at River Bend Station to facilitate completion of the merger.

DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE R

Region V Items of Interest Week Ending December 18, 1992

1. A team inspection of Siemen's Incorporated fuel fabrication facility was begun late Monday, December 14, 1992. The inspection is focusing on engineering performance. No conclusions are evident at this time. The team is led by NRR, Vendor Branch and consists of NRR technical branch, contractor, and Region V personnel.

2. On December 15, 1992, the San Onofre SALP Board, led by K. Perkins with F. Miraglia as the SES observer, met in the Region V Office to discuss the San Onofre draft SALP Report. The tentative date for discussion of the SALP Report with the licensee is January 14, 1993.

3. On December 14 - 16, 1992, Commissioner Curtiss visited the Yucca Mountain facility, Los Angeles County Harbor UCLA Medical Center, San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, and General Atomic facility.

Commissioner Curtiss was accompanied by Jack Martin at Yucca Mountain and Bob Faulkenberry at the Medical Center, San Onofre and General Atomic.

i DECEMBER 18, 1992 ENCLOSURE R

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December 18,-1992' NRR Meetino Notice-

. Docket Attendees /

jj- Date/ Time- Mulber location Puroose Anolicant NRR Contact; E!

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.f* 1/5/931 None- One White Flint North To discuss BWR Owner's Group NRC/BWROG- -D. Mcdonald >

9:00-12:00 ;toom 66-11' upper shelf. energy equivalent

{5 margin analyses.

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1/5/92 50-390 Watts Bar Nuclear Plant To discuss status, needed NRC/TVA. P. Tam 1 1:00 50-391 . Training Center--

actions and priorities of Spring City, Tennessee various issues that warrant senior management attention at Vatts Bar Nuclear Plant.

. 1/7/93 l50-285 One White Flint North -To discuss significant Fort NRC/OPPD Si Blean-10:30-12:00' Room 126-11 Calhoun Station issues such as .

pressurized thermal shock, probabilistic risk assessment-and plans for future power uprate and current status.

1/12/93 None One White Flint North LTo discuss the possible use of NRC/ INDUSTRY. C. . Se rpan -

9:00-5:!.00 ' Room IF-7/9 . the Yankee-Rowe Nuclear Power Station for'_ studies of generic plant systems, structures and . l

components (SSC) to improve our-knowledge.'of aging and degradation.

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- NMSS Heetino Notices

'b"' Docket Attendees /

Date/ Time Number Location Purpose 6pplicant NRC Contatt 12/21 N/A OWFN IF-19 Discuss Envirocare's NRC S. Wastler 12:30 application for an Envirocare lle(2) byproduct disposal license 12/22 N/A DOS Environmental NRC C. Emeigh Monitoring for DOS Safeguards 12/23 N/A DOS Action Plan Working NRC W. Murphey Group Annual Report DOE DOS ACDA 1/12/93 N/A DWFW 1F-19 To conduct the NMSS R. Castaneira Quarterly inter- R-II~

- face meetino w/ B&W HQS staff, R-II NFS staff and CAT-1 licensee security management E

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'y RES Meetina Notices 9 .

.g Docket Attendees /

• Date/ Time Number Location Purpose 8pplicant NRC Contact-

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g '1/5-8/93 N/A Red Lion Resort CSNI Specialist Meeting on T. Speis F. Eltawila' g 633 East Cabullo Fuel-Coolant-Interaction B. Sheron Blvd. F. Eltawila Santa Barbara, CA C. Tinker 1/12/93 N/A DNFN 1-F7/9 The staff.of the NRC will meet NRC staff C. Serpan 9:00 AM - with the' staffs of Yankee Atomic Reps of 5:00 PM Power Station, Nuclear Management Yankee Atomic /

and Resources Council (NWARC) NUMARC/ industry and other mmbers of the nuclear industry to discuss the possible

~

., use of the Yankee-Rowe Nuclear Power Station for studies of generic plant systems, structures and components to improve our. knowledge of aging and degradation. '

1/14-15/93 N/A Crowne Plaza Nuclear Safety Research Review NSRRC;- G. Sege. .!

. Holiday Inn Committee meeting E.Beckjord, Rockville, MD G.Sege, et al.

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December 18, 1992 M

b) OSP Meetinc Notices

.5 m Docket Attendees /

Date/ Time Number Location Purpose applicant NRC Contact g 1/12/93 NA Trenton, NJ Meeting with New NA M. Banerjee gg Jersey Officials 1/19-29/93 MA Sacrarento, CA falifornia Radiation NA J. Horner Control Program Review El P

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December, 18, 1992

m.

ll "Ek . Reaion I Meetina Notices

n

- Docket- Attendees /

S Date/ Time Number location Purpose Apolicant NRC

-; Contact R.

01/07/93 50-387 Region I Enforcement Conference - Selected NRC Staff White 10iOO a.m. 50-388 Concerning Fire Protection Members and Licensee Issues 4

01/07/93 50-317- Region I Enforcement Conference - Selected NFC Staff Nicholson-

. 10:00 a.m. 50-318 Isolation of the Emergency Members and licensee Core Cooling System Pump

. Minimum Flow Recirculation Line OPEN T0 THE PUBLIC 01/12/93 50-352 Region I Enforcement Conference - Selected NRC Staff Anderson

> 2:00 p.m. 50-353 Electrical Distribution Members and Licensee Safety Functional Inspection 1

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. .;;i y .- - Docket Attendees / .

.. l

., - g Date/ Time . Number location Purpose Apolicant . ' NRC Coni _a C ,

2 12/22/92- Isla Verde, PR Enforcement Conference Director, DRSS, .Stohr--

'9:00 a.m. Geo Cim, Inc. RII Staff and

. Licensee >

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1:00 p.m. Isla. Verde, PR Enforcement Conference. Same as above Stohr 'l Caribbean Soil Testing Company 01/05/93 (Watts Bar site Management Meeting Regional Administrator, Merschoff 1:00 p.m. RII Staff and Licensee

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07/07/93- RII'OfficeJ Self-Assessment Mtg. Regional Administrator, Merschoff-10:00 a.m. - Duke: Power Co. RII Staff, L and. Licensee . >

Oconee

01/14/93.. -Brunswick Site SALP . Presentation Regional. Administrator,

Merschoffi ji 1:00'p.m. RII Staff, and. Licensee b

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. h! Region . III Meeting Notice E

1 3: Docket Attendees gg Q_ ate / Tine Number location Purnose Apolicant NRC Contact

.; 12/29/92 30-13803 RIII R. S. Scott Associates Licensee, Division Norelius pg Enforcement Conference Director, and Selected RIII Staff 1/12/93 50-483 RIII Union Electric Corpany, Licensee, Regional Greenman Callaway - Enforcement ' Administrator, and Conference Selected RIII Staff 1/12/93 030-14669 RIII Overhoff Technology Licensee, Division Norelius 030-31687 Enforcement Conference Director, and Selected RIII Staff 2

1/13/93 50-295 Rill Conionwealth Edison Co. Licensee, Regional Greenman 50-304 Zion - SALP -Administrator, and Selected RIII Staff 1/14/93 .030-20620 RIII Pike Community Hospital Licensee, Division- Norelius Enforcement Conference Director, and Selected RIII Staff P

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g: REGION V

" MEETING NOTICES (JANUARY 4 - JANUARY 22, 1993)

E

-  : DOCKET ATTENDEES

. -; . DATE/ TIME- NUMBER LOCATION PURPOSE APPLICANT NRC CONTACT N Designated Staff II. Wong-1/14/92 50-206 San Onofre SALP Meeting

50-361 Nuclear 50-362 Generating Station s'

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