ML20133L824

Weekly Info Rept for Wk Ending 970103

ML20133L824
Person / Time
Issue date:	01/09/1997
From:	Blaha J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:
References
SECY-97-007, SECY-97-007-R, SECY-97-7, SECY-97-7-R, WIR-970103, NUDOCS 9701220146
Download: ML20133L824 (11)

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UNITEDITATES .l gj;g jniggl3 l NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ....................... ,

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20056 INFORMATION REPORT January 9. 1997 SECY 97-007 For: The Commissioners frRm: James L. Blaha, Assistant for Operations, Office of the ED0 Sub.iect: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING JANUARY 3, 1997 Contents Enclosure Nuclear Reactor Regulation A Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B Nuclear Regulatory Research C Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data D General Counsel E*

Administration F*

Information Resources Management G*

Controller H*

Personnel I Small Business & Civil Rights J*

Enforcement K*

State Programs L*

Public Affairs M International Programs N*

Office of the Secretary 0*

Region I P Region II P Region III P Region IV P Executive Director for Operations Q*

Congressional Affairs R*

• No input this week.

mes L. Blaha ssistant for Operations, OED0

Contact:

Y' M. Drouin, OEDO 415-1733 0 )

22.0050 gim+ g 9701220146 970109 EKL N R PDR; b M - (.0 b ^'N

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Items of Interest Week Ending January 3, 1997 Review of Licensee 60-Day Resconses to Generic Letter 96-05. " Periodic Verification of Desion-Basis Caoability of Safety-Related Motor-Ooerated Valves" l On September 18, 1996, the NRC issued Generic Letter (GL) 96-05 to request that nuclear power plant licensees establish a program, or ensure the ,

effectiveness of the current program, to verify on a periodic basis that safety-related MOVs continue to be capable of performing their safety functions within the current licensing bases of the facility. Licensees were required to submit a written response within 60 days (ending on November 18, 1996) indicating whether or not the GL 96-05 requested actions would be l implemented. Within 180 days (March 1997), or upon notification to NRC of completion of GL 89-10 (whichever is later), licensees are to submit a written summary description of the MOV periodic verification program established in l

accordance with GL 96-05 or the alternative indicated in the 60-day response.

The NRR Mechanical Engineering Branch (EMEB) has reviewed the 60-day responses to GL 96-05 from each licensee. Except as described below, the licensees committed to implement the actions as requested in GL 96-05 to ensure that a program is in place to periodically verify the design-basis capability of their safety-related MOVs and to submit a summary description of their j GL 96-05 programs.

! EMEB will be reviewing the 180-day submittals from licensees when they begin arriving in late March 1997.

WESTINGHOUSE i

l Westinghouse has not met its November 25, 1996, planned schedule for deliverables for the SCSB review of the AP600 PCS and WG0THIC. A telephone i call was held on December 19, 1996, to discuss the schedule slippage.

l l The clime nodal study (Section 12 of WCAP-14407, "WG0THIC Application to l AP600"), which was due on December 16, 1996, is being delayed. No date for this submittal was provided. During the review of the results, anomalies were noticed in the PCS annulus. Westinghouse has contacted NAI (the-GOTHIC computer program vendor) to determine the cause. It may be a problem with the GOTHIC part of the model. Westinghouse will keep the staff updated on this study. The PIRT report was received on December 27, 1996.

JANUARY 3, 1997 ENCLOSURE A i

l Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards  :

Items of Interest i Week Ending January 3, 1997 l

Advanced Medical Systems. Inc. ,

4 On December 24, 1996, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (District),  !

) Cleveland, Ohio, reached a settlement on the cost-recovery action against

Advanced Medical Systems, Inc. (AMS) and several other defendants. The ,

2 District will receive $1.25 million from AMS and others, with the first installment of $250,000 on or before January 19, 1997, followed by 36 monthly

installments. The lawsuit in U.S. District Court has been dismissed with no

admission of liability by any party. The settlement also contained conditions ,

J to be met by AMS before it may reconnect to the sewer system. AMS is also .

permitted to discharge 100,000 gallons of its stored water, if it contains less than 100 picoeuries per liter of only soluble cobalt-60. I c Acolication~for Transfer of the Public Service Comoany's License for the Fori i St. Vrain Independent Spent Fuel Storaae Installation l The Spent Fuel Project Office (SFPO) has received the Department of Energy's

'(DOE's) application for the transfer of the Public Service Company of i

Colorado's license for the Fort St. Vrain Independent Spent Fuel Storage l

Installation in accordance with 10 CFR 72.50. The staff has begun its review

! of the application and has initially determined that the application appears 1

to be complete. DOE has requested that the transfer of the license be approved by July 1, 1997.

- This is the third application received by the SFP0 staff from DOE. Previous

applications concerned the licensing of the Three Mile Island fuel debris j interim storage system and the licensing of the dry transfer system.

I Reaulatory Discussions with Wyomina to Reduce Duolicative Technical Reviews Where Concurrent Reaulatory Authority Exists 4

The Uranium Recovery Branch, Division of Waste Management, has been in contact i with the Land Quality Division, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality l~ (WDEQ), to discuss ways to potentially reduce duplicative technical reviews in areas where the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the State have concurrent

, regulatory authority for in situ leach (ISL) uranium operations.

- Representatives from Region IV and the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory p Analyses also participated in the discussion. This is part of a continuing

, effort examining potential programmatic methods for streamlining license application and amendment request reviews for ISL uranium facilities.

Primarily, concurrent regulatory authority occurs with ISL activities associated with non-radiological constituents and standards. Several areas of 4 potential streamlining were identified, including: historic preservation and

cultural resources review; land application of effluents. by spray irrigation; deep disposal wells; surface impoundment design; non-radiological decommissioning and cleanup; pre-operational ground-water characterization of well _ fields; ground-water restoration and surety; and inspection and JANUARY 3, 1997 ENCLOSURE B

enforcement. The staff believes that there is an opportunity to streamline NRC's review efforts by relying on the reviews and findings conducted by the WDEQ in those areas in which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and WDEQ share regulatory authority, if WDEQ's and NRC's methodologies are comparable. The streamlining would not involve the relinquishment of NRC's authority to the State, but would focus on reducing duplication of effort. WDEQ expressed support for the concept and is interested in continuing detailed discussions of potential impacts to WDEQ and NRC programs.

Environmental Protection Aaency Rescinds 40 CFR Part 61 Suboart I In a Federal Reaister notice dated December 30, 1996, tha Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule rescinding 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart I as it applies to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission- or NRC Agreement State-licensed facilities other than commercial nuclear power reactors.

Subpart I is a National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants which limits radionuclide emissions to the ambient air from NRC-licensed facilities.

By this final rule, EPA has determined that the NRC regulatory program for licensed facilities, other than commercial nuclear power reactors, protects public health with an ample margin of safety, the same level of protection that would be afforded by continued implementation of Subpart I. The effective date of the rule was December 30, 1996.

Chem-Nuclear Systems. Inc.. Reouests Termination of Its Nuclear Reaulatory Commission License to Dispose of Special Nuclear Material In a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission dated December 20, 1996, Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc. (CNSI), requested termination of its NRC license which authorizes receipt and disposal of special nuclear material (SNM) at the Barnwell low-level waste disposal facility. A separate NRC license has been required because CNSI has been authorized to receive quantities in excess of ,

that sufficient to form a critical mass as specified in 10 CFR 150.11. In i

conjunction with its request to NRC, CNSI has submitted a license amendment i request to the State of South Carolina to impose the SNM limits of 10 CFR 150.11. In its request to NRC, CNSI states that the costs associated with the NRC license are significant and exceed the limit of cost-effectiveness.

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4 JANUARY 3, 1997 ENCLOSURE B l

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Items of Interest Week Ending January 3, 1997 Issuance of Reaulatory Guide Related to Petitions for Rulemakina Imorovements The Division of Engineering Technology Generic Safety Issues Branch staff has developed Regulatory Guide 10.12, " Preparation of Petitions for Rulemaking Under 10 CFR 2.802 and Preparation and Submission of Proposals for Regulatory Guidance Documents." It is being issued on January 3, 1997.

Regulatory Guide 10.12 provides guidance to persons who submit petitions for rulemaking (PRMs) to the NRC concerning the type and quantity of information that would allow the NRC to process the PRM in an expeditious manner. This regulatory guide delineates factors the NRC uses in setting priorities for processing PRMs and makes the rulemaking process more open to licensees and the public. It also provides the procedures for the submission of proposals to change existing regulatory guidance documents (RGDs) such as regulatory guides, bulletins, generic letters, and sections of Standard Review Plans (including branch technical positions).

The guidance and procedures provided in Regulatory Guide 10.12 are not mandatory. This regulatory guide does not change any existing provision regarding PRMs as delineated in 10 CFR 2.802. Rather, within the petition process it offers an alternative to the minimum threshold requirement of 10 CFR 2.802(c) to all petitioners who desire more expeditious processing of their PRMs by the NRC.

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Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data Items of Interest Week Ending January 3, 1997 Preliminary Notifications (PNs)

a. PNO-III-96-077, Eastern Well Surveys, Inc., INABILITY TO RETRIEVE TWO '

WELL-LOGGING SOURCES.

b. PNO-III-97-001, Mallinckrodt Nuclear Pharmacy, MOLYBDENUM-99/ TECHNETIUM ,

GENERATOR EXCEEDS DOT REQUIREMENTS.

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i JANUARY 3, 1997 ENCLOSURE D

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Office of Personnel

. Items of Interest Week Ending January 3, 1997

. Arrivals DAVIS, Jack NUC PROC ENGR (CRITICALITY) (PFT) NMSS FRECHETTE, Paul PHYSICAL SECURITY INSPECTOR (PFT) RI i HUMPHREYS, Patti SECRETARY.(OA) (OPFT) OP/SPAC i

KHOURY, Susan CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR (PFT) OIG LITTLE, Irene DIRECTOR, SBCR (PFT) SBCR .j Retirements

' BELL, Jack HEALTH PHYSICIST (REACTOR) (PFT) NRR BEVERIDGE, George BRANCH CHIEF (PFT) NMSS BRANDENBURG, Peggy CORRESPONDENCE ANALYST (PFT) OEDO CHERY, Donald SR HYDR 0GE0LOGIST (PFT) NMSS ,

2 COLEMAN, Harris PROG MANAGER (PFT) SBCR  !

=CORLEY, John SR PROPERTY MGMT ANALYST (PFT) ADM CRAMPTON, Shirley GRANTS & COOP AGREEMENTS SPEC (PFT) ADM

DATTA, Amar FIRE PROTECTION ENGR (PFT) NMSS EBNETER, Stewart REGION II, REGIONAL ADMIN (PFT) RII

i. GALLOW, Arthur SR INVESTIGATOR (PFT) OI ,

GIBSON, Albert REGION II, DRS, DIR (PFT) RII l GRIGGS, Maudette PROJECT ENGR (PFT) NRR HARTFIELD, Richard SR MANAGEMENT ANALYST (PFT) IRM HARWELL, Marthe PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT SPEC (PFT) OP i HUNEMULLER, Neal SR REACTOR SYSTEMS ENGR (PFT) NRR MILH0AN, James DEPUTY EXEC DIR FOR NUC REACTOR (PFT) OEDO NORRIS, Jan SR PROJECT MANAGER (PFT) NRR RICHARDSON, James SR TECH ADVISOR (PFT) OIP 1

SAWYER, Carl SR SAFEGUARDS TECH ANALYST (PFT) NMSS

SCHUETZE, Geraldine PERSONAL ASST TO THE CHAIRMAN (PFT) OCM TAYLOR, James EXECUTIVE DIR FOR OPERATIONS (PFT) OEDO WAMBACH, Thomas SR PROJECT MANAGER (PFT) NRR WRIGHT, Robert SR PROJECT ENGR (PFT) RII WOODHEAD, Colleen LITIGATION ATTORNEY (PFT) OGC YARDUMIAN, Joseph SECTION CHIEF (PFT) NMSS Departures SIMONS, Heather RESIDENT INSPECTOR (PFT) RIII JANUARY 3, 1997 ENCLOSURE I

Office of Public Affairs Items of Interest Week Ending January 3, 1997 Media Interest Headquarters responded to calls on the rescheduling of a Commission meeting on Maine Yankee.

Region I received a fair amount of media coverage on Massachusetts' request to become an Agreement State.

Region III received calls on Commonwealth Edison's internal review of the LaSalle 7.nd Zion nuclear power plants.

Headauarters:

97-001 Note To Editors -- ACRS Meeting Rescheduled Reaions:

I-96-85 NRC Proposes to Fine Temple University $10,000 for Violations Involving Radioactive Materials, Equipment II-96-106 Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Rated " Superior" in Two Areas, " Good" in Two Areas of NRC Assessment 11-97-01 NRC Schedules Meeting at Florida Power Corporation's Crystal River Plant 11-97-02 NRC Staff Issues Order to Former North Anna Contract Employee Prohibiting Involvement in NRC-Licensed Activities III-97-01 NRC Staff to Meet With Wisconsin Electric to Discuss Recent Inspection Findings and Point Beach 2 Startup Activities IV-96-66 NRC, SCE Officials to Discuss Apparent Violations at San Onofre 4

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. JANUARY 3, 1997 ENCLOSURE M i

Region I Items of Interest Week Ending January 3, 1997 Lower Bucks County Hosoital. PA: License No. SNM-1800: Docket No. 070-02792 Region I is continuing to follow the efforts of Lower Bucks County Hospital, PA in their attempts to recover a missing pacemaker. On December 30, 1996, a Region I inspector visited a Chem Clave Unit in Morgantown, PA and the Lehigh County Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant to retrieve samples of the liquid and sludge phases of a chemical cleaning process that may have processed the pacemaker when it was sent from Nazareth Hospital as biohazardous waste in November 1996. The sampling was done as an independent check of sampling made by the licensee that same day. NRC will analyze the samples for the presence of any alpha contaminants that could result if the source was damaged during the Chem Clave process that included shredding and chemical cleaning processes of the biohazardous waste. Region I is coordinating its efforts with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

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JANUARY 3, 1997 r.NCLOSURE P

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Region II Items of Interest Week Ending January 3, 1997 Duke Power Company - Oconee 4

On January 2, the licensee commenced the Oconee Emergency Power Engineered Safeguards Functional Test. This is a one-time integrated test intended to address several emergency electrical system design and testing issues. The first two of six separate test portions were completed on the afternoon of January 3. The completed tests simulated a loss of offsite power on all three Oconee units and loading of the Keowee generators through the overhead power path after a Keowee load rejection. Initial information indicates that the test was well executed and the power systems performed as expected. To date, the licensee's overall command and control of the testing has been good.

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JANUARY 3, 1997 ENCLOSURE P

4 Region III Items of Interest Week Ending January 3,1997 Zion Nuclear Power Station ,

On January 3,1997, Region III Regional Administrator A. Bill Beach and '

members of the Region III staff met with Comed Zion Site Vice President J. H.

Mueller, and members of the Comed staff to discuss the readiness of Unit 2 at the Zion Nuclear Power Station to return to operation.

Zion Unit 2 has been shut down since September 1996 for routine refueling and maintenance.

Confirmatory Action Letter Issued to Wisconsin Electric Power Comoany i

On January 3, 1997, a Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL) was issued by NRC Region III to Wisconsin Electric Power Company regarding concerns with Point Beach Nuclear Power Station. Significant weaknesses in operations, maintenance, and engineering have been identified at .the Point Beach plant.

These weaknesses encompass programmatic problems with the plant's procedures, work and test activities, licensing and design bases adherence, and corrective ,

action program. The CAL discusses these weaknesses and confirms the actions to be taken prior to returning Unit 2 to service from its current outage.

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ENCLOSURE P l JANUARY 3, 1997 l

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Region IV Items of Interest Week Ending January 3, 1997 Predecisional Enforcement Conference with Southern California Edison On January 3,1997, Region IV staff conducted a pre-decisional enforcement conference with representatives from Southern California Edison. Discussions concerning apparent violations related to the implementation of a program to i meet the requirements of 10 CFR 50.65, " Requirements for Monitoring the Effectiveness of Maintenance at Nuclear Power Plants," (the Maintenance Rule). l This conference was open to public observation.

JANUARY 3, 1997 ENCLOSURE P

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