ML20135C758

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Weekly Info Rept for Wk Ending 970221
ML20135C758
Person / Time
Issue date: 02/26/1997
From: Blaha J
NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:
References
SECY-97-048, SECY-97-048-R, SECY-97-48, SECY-97-48-R, WIR-970221, NUDOCS 9703040271
Download: ML20135C758 (21)


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  • l February 26. 1997 SECY 97 048 For: The Commissioners i l From: James L. Blaha, Assistant for Operations. Office of the EDO Sub.iect: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 21, 1997 l Contents Enclosure -I r

Nuclear Reactor Regulation A I Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B  !

l Nuclear Regulatory Research C* i l Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data D l General Counsel E*

l Administration F Chief Information Officer G t l

Chief Financial Officer H

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Personnel I i Small Business & Civil Rights J  !

Enforcement K* i State Programs L* i Public Affairs M l

! International Programs N*  !

l Office of the Secretary 0*  !

Region I P  !

Region II P Region III P t Region IV P  !

l Executive Director for Operations 0*  !

Congressional Affairs R t t

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  • No input this week. gg i l g mes L B O I l 04005*

9 James L. Blaha Assistant for Operations OEDO 9 i t

Contact:

G. Tracy OEDO l p l Document Name: C:\ WEEK 225. i 02/2(,/97 02/ 97 p 4/

OGA1-Q-jp l 9703040271 970226 I l

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o UNITED STA178 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20066 INFORMATION REPORT February 26. 1997 SECY 97-048 2

For: The Commissioners From: James L. Blaha, Assistant for Operations, Office of the ED0 Subiect: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 21, 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 Chief Information Officer G Chief Financial Officer 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.

ames L. Blaha Assistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

G. Tracy. OEDO

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Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Items of Interest Week Ending February 21. 1997 South Texas Unit 2 - Rod Dron Tests The results of the scheduled E0C rod drop tests at South Texas Unit 2 on

. February 8, 1997, are as follows:

e 4 RCCAs with burnups ranging from 39.8 to 52.7 GWD/MTU rods stuck at 6 steps e 1 RCCA with burnup of 39.8 GWD/MTV stuck at 12 steps e 4 of the 5 RCCAs had shown 0 or 1 recoils during testing in 1/96 e 2 RCCAs showed more than normal increases in rod drop t'ime, although the times were still well within TS limits e The RCCA that stuck at 12 steps could be moved to 6 steps but could not be fully inserted.

e The other 4 RCCAs were moved to fully inserted.

The licensee is continuing to evaluate the data.

Nineteen of the 21 once burned assemblies from Cycle 1 that will be loaded into rodded )ositions in the upcoming cycle have been drag tested. All showed low drag - a)out 25 lbs in the dashpot region and about 5 lbs above the dashpot region. The other two assemblies will be drag tested later this week.

Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant -- Steam Generator Tube Reoair Status The licensee is continuing its efforts to re-ins)ect the welded steam generator (SG) tubes to determine the cause of tie leakage that occurred after filling the secondary side of the SGs. They are currently focusing on the changes in ultrasonic test (UT) signal characteristics that were identified following the post weld heat treatment (PWHT) of repaired HEJ sleeves. The initial UT testing was performed prior to the PWHT process.

Approximately 25-30% of the welded tubes in SG B indicated a change in the UT r signature on re-inspection, after PWHT. Approximately 50% of the welded tubes inspected to date (the ins)ection is approximately 70% complete) in SG A have indicated a change in the JT inspection results. The inspection of SG A is currently on hold while the tube pulls are ongoing.

The licensee is conducting a root cause evaluation that will address structural, metallurgical. and non-destructive examination issues. They are

! in the process of pulling 6 tube samples for analysis to determine the cause of the weld failures. To date. three tube samples have been pulled. The remaining samales should be pulled and all samples will be shipped to Westinghouse ]y COB Friday February 21.

FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE A

An INP0 assist visit consisting of vendor and industry representatives was onsite this week to review the sequence of events since the outage started in September. They will assist the licensee in determining a root cause and recommend tiibe repair options.

The plant remains in refueling shutdown during this evolution. No restart-date is scheduled. Region III and NRR staff members have been closely monitoring the licensee's activities onsite.

FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE A i

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Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards I Items of Interest Week Ending February 21. 1997 l Meetino with Envirocare of Utah. Inc.

On February 18. 1997, staff from the Division of Waste Management and the  ;

Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses met with re)resentatives of '

Envirocare of Utah. Inc. (Envirocare). The meeting was 1 eld to discuss some groundwater constituents. chiefly arsenic and selenium, that appear to have exceeded background concentrations. This was detected at the majority of the twelve point of compliance monitoring wells surrounding Envirocare's 11e.(2) disposal cell. The May 1996 readings were confirmed in August 1996 by l additional sampling. Envirocare reported that the apparent exceeding of background concentrations was coincident with its May 1996 change to a new analytical laboratory. Envirocare provided information to suggest that the readings were attributable to a contrast in analytical methods and procedures. ;

rather than to a loss of liner integrity in the 11e.(2) cell. Envirocare will  ;

submit a detailed report in March 1997 to support its position.  !

Low-Level Waste Forum Meetina From February 11-14. 1997 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff attended the Low-Level Waste (LLW) Forum meeting in San Diego, California. NRC staff made presentations on: taking credit for engineering barriers in performance assessment analyses: the recent revision to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Energy (DOE): and post-closure disposal site ownership. '

NRC Commissioner Dicus, a former LLW Forum member, attended the meeting and discussed several to)ics including: the NRC Strategic Assessment; external regulation of DOE: tie proposed decommissioning rule: NRC views en Ward Valley: and potential waste management legislation in Congress.

During the meeting, the State of California announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Interior to compel the transfer of Federal '

land to the State fr tne Ward Valley disposal facility. The State also plans to begin immediateiv to conduct additional field testing as recommended in the May 1995 National Mademy of Sciences report on this subject. The impact of the new Barnwell pricing structure on LLW disposal was also discussed. Based on weight rather than volume. this new pricing structure has focused disposal efforts on achieving optimal density rather than volume reduction. Generators are also exploring the use of lighter containers in response to the new pricing structure. I Meetina with Deoartment of Enerov on a Central Interim Storaae Facility On February 19, 1997, a pre-application meeting was held between representatives of the Department of Energy (DOE). its contractors, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff to discuss proposed submittal of a non-site-specific topical safety analysis report (TSAR) for a central interim storage facility (CISF). DOE anticipates that this TSAR will be submitted in May 1997. The DOE presentation included discussion of CISF operations. design basis events, and occupational radiation exposure.

FEBRUARY 21. 1997 ENCLOSURE B

During the discussion of design basis events the NRC staff noted some concerns regarding DOE's approach to recovery and retrievability operations in the event a container is damaged. After further discussion. the DOE representatives agreed to reference the DOE Dry Transfer System in the Phase I CISF TSAR. rather than wait until Phase II. The 00E representatives noted that they will utilize traditional methods of radiation exposure control and i facility design features to keep radiation exposures as low as reasonably l achievable. Of particular interest. DOE stated that they will use robotics 1 for tasks related to remote cask unloading. The DOE representatives also presented information on a proposed organizational structure, preoperational testing plan, training program, operations technical specifications, and

, emergency planning. The DOE plans to take a systematic approach to training.

! and this will be included in the TSAR. Finally. they noted that DOE would provide information regarding the 10 CFR 72.48 change evaluation process and an " employee concerns program" in the TSAR.

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i FEBRUARY 21. 1997 ENCLOSURE B i

Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data Items of Interest Week Ending February 21, 1997 Meetina with NERC on February 18. 1997 Representatives of the Reactor Analysis Branch of AEOD and the Electrical Engineering Branch of NRR met with David Nevius Vice. President of the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) on February 18. 1997, at NERC headquarters in Princeton. New Jersey. The meeting was held to convey NRC's concern about grid reliability to NERC and to get NERC's perspective on the future management of grid reliability. NRC personnel attending were Jack Rosenthal. Jose Ibarra, and Mary Wegner from AEOD and Jose Calvo. Dale Thatcher. Ronaldo Jenkins, and Narinder Trehan from NRR.

Mr. Nevius described NERC's functions as establishing standards for grid operations. measuring performance, and ensuring compliance. He defined reliability in relation to its two components, security (grid can withstand a transient and retain its integrity) and adequacy (sufficient capacity). Means to ensure compliance with NERC standards include making compliance mandatory, requiring control area and security coordinators to be members of regional councils, executing formal agreements, imposing sancy. ions. and having a regulatory backstop. The final two aspects are not wall defined yet.

Mr. Nevius asked NRC personnel about setting up a system Operator training course, accreditation, audits, examinations and the like. NERC is beginning to establish such a system and felt that NRC experience could provide NERC with suggestfons.

RASCAL Trainina On February 18, 1997 IRD conducted " Dose Assessment Ur,ing RASCAL 2.1" training in the NRC's Professional Developnent Center. Pepresentatives from RES. NRR NMSS and Region IV attended the 1-day refresher program for NRC Dose Assessment Analysts.

Reaion i Visit -

Three members of the IRD staff visited the Region I office on February 20, 1997 to discuss the impact of reductions in the regional Incident Res)onse 1

-resources. This visit will be followed up by discussions with the otler Regions during the next week.

PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATIONS (PNs)

a. PNO-I-97-011. Monsour Medical Center MISADMINISTRATION INVOLVING A

. DIAGNOSTIC DOSE OF 10 DINE-131.

l l b. PNO-I-97-012. Department of Health & Human Services (National' Institutes i

of Health). MEDICAL MISADMINISTRATION INVOLVING A DIAGNOSTIC DOSE OF i 10 DINE-131.

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c. PNO-IV-97-010A. Sheffield Steel (Sand Springs. 0K) NUCLEAR GAUGE FOUND AT SCRAP YARD (UPDATE).
d. PNO-IV-07-11.' Wolf Creek Nuclear Oper. Cor). '(Wolf Creek 1), SUSPENSION OF WELDING AT WOLF CREEK GENERATING STATI01. ,

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FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE D

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Office of Administration Items of Interest Week Ending February 21, 1997 Interaaency Focus Grouo on Oral Presentations 4

t Ste> hen Pool. Contract Specialist, participated in an interagency focus group on rebruary 20 & 21. 1997.-for the purpose of developing a training module on oral presentations for Federal-wide use. As a leader in the use of oral ,

presentations. NRC was invited by the sponsor, the Assistant Deputy Under l Secretary of Defense (Acquisition Process and Policies), to join l l

representatives of other agencies. industry, and GA0 to share experiences gained using this streamlined procurement procedure. When development is complete. the course will be available on a Federal-wide basis.

Acauisition Trainina Module

, On February 20. 1996, the Division of Contracts (DC) presented an acquisition i

training module entitled. " Developing an Independent Government Cost i Estimate." on a pilot basis to 30 project managers. This is one of 11
acquisition training modules that DC will present this fiscal year. The

" Source Evaluation Panel Procedures" module will be presented on March 27 1996. 3 l

Translations Activity a

A draft of NUREG/BR-0080 " Translations of Foreign Documents." containing the i third and fourth quarters of 1996, as well as the annual compilation, has been prepared and is being reviewed by the Office of International Programs prior j to publication.

Rulemakina Activities

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Changes to Nuclear Power Plant Security Requirements (Part 73): A proposed rule that would amend the regulations applicable to nuclear power plant security by removing certain requirements associated with an internal threat ,

was published in the Federal Register on February 20. 1997 (62 FR 7721). The l proposed action resulted from an NRC reconsideration of its nuclear power l plant physical security requirements to identify those that are marginal to l safety. redundant, or no longer effective. The comment period for this action closes May 6. 1997.

l FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE F  :

Chief Information Officer Items of Interest Week Ending February 21. 1997 Discontinuation of DOE Technical Reoort Microfiche Proaram The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information has notified NRC that, due to loss of funding. they are discontinuing their domestic microfiche program. For the last 25 years, the NRC Library has received microfiche of the following types of nuclear-related technical reports: INIS international reports. DOE contractor and National Laboratory reports. NRC NUREG reports -- about 2.000 reports each year. DOE is planning to replace this service with a World Wide Web-based product to provide full text of the DOE reports. They will continue to distribute microfiche of international reports. The issue for NRC is DOE microfiche of NUREG reports.

Through the DOE program. the NRC Library had been providing NUREG microfich'e to the NRC File Center, where the fiche were duplicated for distribution to the Public Document Room. Office of the General Counsel, and then returned to the Library. In order to continue the program, it will be necessary to pay for the service through the National Technical Information Center.

F0IA Recuests Received Durina the Week Endina February 20. 1997 Violations by power plant for 1992 through 1996. (F01A/PA-97-0052)

Commissioner appointment recommendations to the White House to replace Commissioner Rogers upon expiration of term. (FOIA/PA-97-0053) l Medical inspection manuals or instructions issued since 11/1/96.

(F01A/PA-97-0054)

Budget 1990 through 1996 listing reactor, nuclear material, nuclear waste fund, and any other fees for each year. (F01A/PA-97-0055)

Gibraltar Chemical Resources in Winona. TX. analytical data.

(F01A/PA-97-0056)

Radioactive material license applications in the state of Delaware.

(F0lA/PA-97-0057)

ComSecys since November 22, 1996. (FOIA/PA-97-0058) i FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE G

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m q Chief Financial Officer )

Items of Interest 1 Week Ending February 21, 1997

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Prooosed Rule Sioned by the CF0 l 1

i On February 19. 1997, the Acting Chief Financial Officer approved a proposed rule that amends 10 CFR Parts 170 and 171. These proposed amendments to the Commission's. fee regulations are necessary to implement the requirements of Public Law 101-508 to recover 100 percent of the FY 1997 budget authority through fees. ,

The proposed annual fees for all licensees would increase by about 8 percent compared to FY 1996. The increase in the annual fees results primarily from (1) a decrease in the amount of the budget recovered from Part 170 fees and l other offsetting recei)ts; and (2) a decrease in the number of licensees paying annual fees. T1e proposed change is consistent with NRC's intention, stated in the FY 1995 final rule, that beginning in FY 1996, annual fees would be stabilized by adjusting prior year annual fees by the percent change (plus or minus) in the NRC budget authority taking into consideration the estimated '

collections from Part 170 fees and the number of licensees paying fees.

The FY 1997 proposed annual fees are compared to those assessed for FY 1996 in the following table:

Ranae of Annual Fees Proposed Class of Licensees FY 1996 FY 1997 Operating Power $2,746,000 $2,972,000 Reactors Fuel Facilities $597,800 to $2.4M $647,000 to $2.6M Uranium Recovery $20.600 to $57,000 $22.300 to $61.600 Facilities Transportation $950 to $72.700 $1,000 to $78.700 Approval Holders Materials Users $450 to $21.700 $490 to $23,500 l

Other Licensees $52.800 to $388.400 $57.200 to $420.000 Other aspects of the proposed rule that the Commission should note are:

The professional hourly rates for the reactor and materials programs would be revised based on the number of direct FTEs for FY 1997. The FY 1997 hourly rate for the reactor program is $131 per hour as compared to

$128 per_ hour for FY 1996. The FY 1997 hourly rate for the materials FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE H l l

program is $125 per hour as compared with $120 per hour for FY 1996.

The materials " flat" licensing fees would be revised to reflect the change in the hourly rate and to reflect the results of the biennial review of the materials program as required by the CF0 Act.

The fees in Part 170 that relate to the export and import of radioactive material would be revised to reflect the costs of providing the services.

$170.11 would be amer.ded to add a fee exemption provision for those amendments to portable gauge licenses referencing NUREG 1556 that would change only the name of the Radiation Safety Officer.

A procedural change would be implemented whereby Part 170 fees would be assessed to verify quality assurance, safeguards contir,gency and emergency plan changes submitted by licensees. ,

A new annual fee of $2.600.000 (fee Category 1.E.) would be established for each Certificate of Compliance issued to the United States Enrichment Corporation.

The NRC would continue to assess two fees for licensees that qualify as small entities under the NRC's size standards. In general, licensees with gross annual receipts of $350.000 to $5 million pay a maximum fee of

$1.800. A second or lower tier small entity fee of $400 is in place for small entities with gross annual receipts of less than $350.000 and small governmental jurisdictions with a population of less than 20.000. No change will be made in the amount of the small entity fees because the small entity' fees are not based on the budget but are established at a level to reduce the impact of fees on small entities.

This notice informs the Commission that in accordance with the rulemaking authority delegated to the Chief Financial Officer (CF0), the Acting CFO has signed this proposed rule and proposes to forward it to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

Comorehensive Fee Review The first of four phases of a comprehensive review of the Part 170 license fee process is currently underway. Both headquarters and regional offices have been participating in frequent meetings of the Working Group. The ultimate objective of the review will be to evaluate current processes, make specific recommendations for streamlining the processes from an agency-wide perspective for headquarters and regional offices. document procedures, and implement selected actions. A conference was held from Fearuary 10-13 at which regional and headquarters staff met in contractor facilitated sessions to document the current process flows. Point of contact for additional information is Graham Johnson. 415-6042.

FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE H i

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Office of Personnel Items of Interest Week Ending February 21, 1997 4

Career Fair Attended at the University' of Maryland On February 19. 1997. Jennifer Davis and George Pangburn. Office of Nuclear i Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), and Henry Rubin. Office of Personnel.

, attended the 20th Annual Multi-Ethnic Student Career and Job Fair at the t

University of Maryland. Several excellent entry-level applicants were 1

forwarded to be reviewed by NMSS management.

Career Fair Attended at Virainia Tech On February 19-20. 1997. Michelle Burgess. Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), and Randy Brown. Office of Personnel, attended the ~

4 Virginia Tech COOP Connection Career Fair to interview potential COOP

candidates for NRC.

Career Fair Attended at the Massachusetts Institute of Technoloav (MIT)

On February 20-21, 1997 Santiago Para. Office of Nuclear Material Safety and' Safeguards, and Sandy Johrtson. Office of Personnel, attended the Eight Annual Career Fair sponsored by the MIT chapters of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. National Society of Black Engineers, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. .

Arrivals WELLING. Graciela SECRETARY (0A) (PFT) RI

Deoartures

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FEBRUARY 21. 1997 ENCLOSURE I i

i Office of. Small Business & Civil Rights Items of Interest Week Ending February 21. 1997

, Semi-Annual EE0 Commission Briefina The Commission held its semi-annual EE0 briefing on Thursday. February 20 1997. This periodic briefing provided an c)portunity for the Deputy Executive i Director for Management Services. along wit 1 the Director. Office of Small Business and Civil Rights and the Director. Office of Personnel, to review accomplishments made in the EE0 area over the last six months, and to i highlight continuing EE0 goals and objectives. Representatives from the three EE0 subcommittees also participated in the meeting.

Black History Month Observance l

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The Office of Small Business and Civil Rights and the Advisory Committee for
African Americans sponsored a program on February 18. 1997 focusing on the .

j progress made by African Americans to ensure equality of o)portunity over the

! last forty years. The program featured a presentation by .is. Gwendolyn E.

l, Boyd National First Vice President. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

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. FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE J 1

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. I Office of Public Affairs Items of Interest  ;

Week Ending February 21, 1997 l m

Press Releases l Headauarters:  ;97-027 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet March 20-21 in Rockville. MD  :

96-028 NuclearPlantStatus.EventRe!ortsNowAvailableDailyon Nuclear Regulatory Commission' Internet Web Site 97-029 NRC Removes New Jersey Property From List of Contaminated Sites97-030 NRC Staff to Meet With Department of Energy on Tritium  ;

Production j Reaions:

I-97-12 NRC Issues $40.000 Fine Against PA Inspection Comnany: Two Former Executives Barred From Licensed Activities 111-97-17 NRC Staff to Meet With Public to Discuss Big Rock Point i Decommissioning IV-97-12 NRC To Hold Public Meeting to Discuss Sequoyah fuels Decommissioning Plans i

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FEBRUARY 21. 1997 ENCLOSURE M l

Region I Items of Interest Week Ending February 21, 1997 Removal of RTI. Inc. (NJ) From SDMP List and Termination of License On February 18, 1997. Region I sent a license termination to RTI Inc.

Rockaway NJ. RTI was a site identified and placed on the Site Decommissioning Management Plan list in 1990. The SDMP list identifies about 50 sites throughout the United States that are contaminated and warrant i special management oversight and attention. RTI had been placed on the list primarily due to buried radioactive waste onsite from Co-60 irradiator operations. The licensee conducted characterization and remediation at the site from 1987 through 1995. Radiological surveys performed by the licensee in 1996 showed that previously contaminated areas now meet NRC guidelines of unrestricted release. Region I staff performed confirmatory surveys and received Commission approval to remove this site from the SDMP list and terminate the license. The EPA and the State of New Jersey were notified of these actions.

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Koooel Steel Predecisional Enforcement Conference 4

A predecisional enforcement conference was held with Koppel Steel Corporation on February 19. 1997, to discuss the findings of the 01 investigation involving the dismissal of the Radiation Safety Officer by management for

disclosing violations to an NRC inspector during an inspection in April 1996.

The licensee discussed their planned and completed actions to prevent a chilling effect regarding the reporting of safety concerns by employees to management and the NRC. Enforcement action is under consideration.

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1 FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE P

0 Region II Items of Interest Week Ending February 21. 1997 Tennessee Vallev Authority - Seauovah

On February 14. 1997. Secuoyah requested the NRC to exercise discretion with the actions required in lnits 1 and 2 Technical Specification (TS) 3.8.1.1.

Action b. These TSs require that with one diesel generator set inoperable, i

all four diesel generator sets must be restored to the o>erable status within 72 hours8.333333e-4 days <br />0.02 hours <br />1.190476e-4 weeks <br />2.7396e-5 months <br /> or both units must be in at least the hot standay condition within the next six hours and in the cold shutdown condition within the following 30 hours3.472222e-4 days <br />0.00833 hours <br />4.960317e-5 weeks <br />1.1415e-5 months <br />. The TS LC0 would have expired on February 14. at 5:25 pm. Discretion

was requested for up to an additional 48 hours5.555556e-4 days <br />0.0133 hours <br />7.936508e-5 weeks <br />1.8264e-5 months <br /> to avoid a dual unit shutdown.

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This condition was a result of problems encountered during planned testing and maintenance on the 2A-A emergency diesel generator (EDG). Specifically these

! 3roblems initially involved an inadequate polarization index level on the 2A-A j

EDG 'C' phase winding. This problem was resolved; however, during subsequent testing. an unrelated problem with degraded performance of the 2A2 engine

! governor was identified.

The RII Administrator, with NRR concurrence, granted A Notice of Enforcement Discretion, on February 14. 1997. at approximately 4:20 pm. The condition a

causing the need for the N0ED was corrected by the licensee, and TS 3.8.1.1.

Action b. and the N0ED was exited on February 15. 1997, at 1:30 p.m.

] Nuclear Fuel Services. Inc.

On February 20. 1997, the licensee's President and Chief Executive Officer visited the Regional Administrator. The discussion included a general status of activities at the site and progress toward auditing licensed activities to assure certain safety programs remain in place.

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The licensee continues to process the uranyl nitrate material received from i

the Rocky Flats Department of Energy facility in Colorado without any incident regarding safety. The licensee has completed processing approximately thirty percent of the material to date and plans to complete the entire project by April.

On February 19. 1997, the licensee received the first of several shipments of uranium hexafluoride (UF ) cylinders from the US Enrichment Corporation Gaseous Diffusion Plant ,in Portsmouth. Ohio. The shi containers arrived at the site without any problems. pment of 26 Type 5BThe license initiate a cylinder washing operation and remove the " heels" (the small amount of UF6 remaining in the cylinders) within the next six months. The NRC license requires the licensee to forward the details of this operation and the criticality safety analyses to the NRC for approval prior to beginning the operation.

FEBRUARY 21. 1997 ENCLOSURE P

Region III Items of Interest Week Ending February 21. 1997 Commonwealth Edison Public Exit Meetinas on Indeoendent Self-Assessment On February 20, 1997 Commonwealth Edison Company held public exit meetings on the findings of an Independent Self-Assessment team inspection lead by a core group of stun nuclear consultants. The team worked with Comed from October to December 1996 in assessing the performance of LaSalle and Zion Nuclear Power Stations. During the onsite portion of its review, the team was augmented by approximately 10 INP0 and industry peer experts. The team assessed performance at Zion and LaSalle plants over the past two years in five functional areas: Operations and Training. Maintenance. Engineering and Technical Support. Plant Support, and. Management and Organization. Four fundamental categories of poor performance were identified by the team:

inconsistent commitment to excellence and to standards, and ineffective leadership and management skills. NRC Regional Administrator A. Bill Beach and other staff attended the meetings which were held onsite at the two plant.s.

Dresden Nuclear Power Station A public meeting between the NRC staff and Commonwealth Edison Company managers was held onsite on February 21. 1997, to discuss the Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance report. The NRC was represented by the ,

Region III Regional Administrator. Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Director of Project Directorate III-I and Region III Director of the Division of Reactor Safety. Representatives from the utility included: Senior Vice President of the Nuclear Operations Division and Dresden Station Site Vice President.

Predecisional Enforcement Conference with Detroit Edison Comoany On February 18. 1997, a predecisional enforcement conference was conducted in the Region III Office. Lisle. Illinois, between managers from Detroit Edison Company and members of the NRC staff. Discussion focused on ap)arent license requirement violations which occurred in October and November w111e Fermi was shut down for refueling and replacement of its main turbine.

Midwest Nuclear Enaineerina Manaaers Forum On February 18 and 19. 1997. Geoffrey Grant. Director. Division of Reactor Safety, and Mark Ring Chief. Lead Engineers Branch, Region III. and Tad Marsh. Chief. Plant Systems Branch. Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

spoke with the members of the semi-annual Midwest Nuclear Engineering Managers Forum (MNEMF). The MNEMF is comprised of Engineering Managers and representatives from nuclear utilities in Region III (Midwest). Topics discussed between the NRC representatives and the MNEMF included: engineering and design inspections: Architect Engineer inspections: design basis and the FSAR: fire protection activities: Generic Letter 96-06: Information Notice 92-FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE P

18: 10CFR50.59:-Generic Letter 91-18: Spent Fuel Pool issues; and charcoal filter testing, 1

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I FEBRUARY 21. 1997 ENCLOSURE P l

a Region IV Items of Interest Week Ending February 21. 1997 WNP-2 Oversiaht Panel' Meetina l On February 20, 1997, the WNP-2 Oversight Panel met with licensee senior i managers in an open public meeting at the corporate headquarters in Richland.

Washington, to discuss the status of licensee programs. The licensee presented areas which needed additional attention and focus. Members of the l

television and radio media were present.

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FEBRUARY 21, 1997 ENCLOSURE P l l

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Office of Congressional Affairs Items of Interest Week Ending February 21. 1997 CONGRESSIONAL IIEARING SCHEDULE, No. 6 TOCAf $DATEl ..

'ASSION-1 7At i TIME - iWITNESS 4 ESUBJECT1 ~ COMMUTEE f -

MENT ~ ' PLACE 1 ummmmmmmmmmmurum Gerke 02/24/97 10:00 State, DOD, DOL, HIIS, Year 2000 Computer Problems Reps. Horn /Maloney 2154 RiiOB -

DOT,VA, EPA Government Mgmnt, Info & Technology Govemment Reform & Oversight Combs 02/26/97 9:30 Markup / Vote S.104, amend Nuclear Waste Policy Senators Murkowski/ Bumpers 366 DSOB Act; Vote on Nomination of Federio Energy & Natural Resources Pena as DOE Secretary Gerke 02/26/97 1:30 Hearing / Markup H.R. 240, strengthening Veterans' Reps. Mica / Holden 2247 RIIOB Preference Civil Service Government Reform & Oversight Gerke 03/06/97 2:30 TBA Electricity Deregulation: What are the Senators Murkowski/ Bumpers 216 Ilart Issues of Competition? Energy & Natural Resources Madden 03/11/97 10:00 DOE DOE's FY98 Budget Senators Murkowski/ Bumpers 366 DSOB Energy & Natural Resources Madden 03/12/97 10:00 DOE Nuclear Waste Mgmnt & Disposal Reps. McDade/Fazio 2362 RHOB Energy & Water Development Appmpriations Gerke 03/13/97 9:30 TBA Role of Public Power in a Competitive Senators Murkowski/ Bumpers 50 DSOB Market Energy & Natural Resources Gerke 03/20/97 9:30 TBA Electricity Deregulation: Is Federal Senators Murkowski/ Bumpers 216 Hart 12gislation Necessary? Energy & Natural Resources FEBRUARY 21. 1997 ENCLOSURE R

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