ML20141K277
| ML20141K277 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/22/1997 |
| From: | Blaha J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| SECY-97-107, SECY-97-107-R, WIR-970516, NUDOCS 9705280420 | |
| Download: ML20141K277 (24) | |
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1 May 22. 1997 SECY 97 107 i
l For: The Commissioners l
From: James L. Blaha, Assistant for Operations Office of the EDO l
Sub.iect: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MAY 16, 1997 '
- Contents Enclosure ,
l Nuclear Reactor Regulation A Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B Nuclear Regulatory Research C* '
Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data D l
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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* i Region I P Region II P Region III P Region IV P Executive Director for Operations Q*
Congressional Affairs R x
- No input this week. '
ON ,gde b y#SS n s \4 11 l
James L. Blaha Assistant for Operations. OEDO
Contact:
G. Tracy OEDO Ow* 'I b 1 j Document Name: C:\ WEEK 516.
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. UNITED STATES
, NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20856 INFORMATION REPORT May 22. 1997 SECY 97-107 For: The Commissioners From: James L. Blaha, Assistant for Operations. Office of the EDO Subiect: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MAY 16. 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 Secretarv 0*
Region I P Region 11 P Region III P Region IV P ,
Executive Director for Operations 0* i Congressional Affairs R
- No input this week.
Mt@9 ;
James L. Blaha l Assistant for Operations, OEDO ;
Contact-G. Tracy. OEDO l
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Items of Interest Week Ending May 16, 1997 Human Factors Coordination Meetina l
On May 13, 1997, the Division of Reactor Controls and Human Factors l '
participated in the semi-annual. division-level human factors coordination meeting with their RES. AEOD and NMSS counterparts. Agenda topics included !
disposition of Revision 2 of the Human Performance Program Plan. the development of the new integrated human factors )lan based on ATHEANA, the development of a consolidated human factors data)ase and future coordination meetings.
Imolementina Graded 0A at South Texas On May 5 - 8 staff from the Quality Assurance and Maintenance Branch and SPSB were at the South Texas site to evaluate the licensee strategies for implementing graded quality assurance. The staff evaluated information in the areas of: PRA quality SSC safety-significance categorization 0A controls for the PRA. performance monitoring and corrective action processes, graded quality controls, and audit scheduling. The licensee staff provided responses to issues raised in a recent Request for Additional Information and indicated that the QA program submittal would be revised in a number of areas to address the staff issues. l Shearon Harris Unit 1 -- Steam Generator Insoection On May 14. 1997. the NRC staff (NRR and Region II) held a teleconference with I Carolina Power and Light Company to discuss its inspection of the preheater water box of steam generator (SG) "A" at Shearon Harris Unit 1 during the current refueling outage. RF07.
Shearon Harris uses three Westinghouse model D4 SGs. During normal operation, feedwater strikes an impingement plate which is about 50 inches by 50 inches. .
The flow is then diverted downward through the water box to the tube bundle. i The top and two vertical sides of the plate are attached to the wrapper (shroud). Four vertical ribs are welded onto the impingement plate.
According to the licensee, these ribs act as plate . stiffeners. The impingement plate shields the tube bundle from the direct effect of inlet flow.
Based on eddy current inspection, the licensee detected loose aarts in the water box of SG A. The major loose parts were identified as t1e bushings from the main feed line check valve. During the retrieval of the bushings, the licensee found that the four ribs showed extensive damage that the licensee i attributed to erosion.
The licensee's preliminary analysis shows that structural integrity of the impingement plate is acceptable. The licensee also stated that they do not expect erosion of the impingement plate because the flow first strikes a target area on the plate that is cladded with Inconel. The staff requested that the licensee address all three SGs in its operability assessment and ENCLOSURE A MAY 16. 1997
submit the assessment at least 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> prior to entering Mode 4, which is scheduled around May 20, 1997.
The staff will be assessing the generic implication of this form of degradation in Westinghouse model D4 SGs in nuclear plants. ,
Oconee Units 1. 2. and 3 Unit 2 has been shut down since April 22, 1997, and Unit 3 since May 1, 1997.
, Replacement of the Unit 2 high pressure injection (HPI) line where the weld crack was located has been completed. Repair of an HPI nozzle thermal sleeve misalignment indication on Unit 3 is also underway. .The two HPI pumps that cavitated during the cooldown on Unit 3. when all of the water was pum)ed from the Letdown Storage Tank (LDST) due to a faulty level indication are 3eing replaced. The LDST level 3roblem was caused by the loss of water in the level detector reference leg. T1e level detection system has been modified to add
- another reference leg so that each of the two level detectors has its own reference leg.
i On May 14. 1997, a meeting was held with the licensee at Headquarters to review the technical information related to the weld crack, thermal sleeves.
LDST level control and design, system operation, etc., and to reach a decision on the readiness of Units 2 and 3 to restart. On May 16, 1997, the Region II Administrator conducted an onsite meeting at Oconee to discuss the Unit 3
- Augmented Inspection Team results and the status of the Unit 2 and Unit 3 Confirmatory Action Letter. The NRR and Region II staffs continue to closely monitor the licensee's activities associated with these concerns.
Salem Nuclear Generatino Station. Units 1 and 2 RESTART SCHEDULE - By letter dated May 5, 1997, the licensee provided a revised schedule for Unit 2 restart. Initial criticality is scheduled for mid-July, 1997, and full power, mid-August. 1997. The Readiness Assessment Team Inspection is scheduled to begin June, 1997.
1 MEMO TO THE COMMISSION - A status memo to the Commission is being prepared and is scheduled to be issued June 12. 1997. ;
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RESTART ISSUES - On May 6. 1997, the staff and the licensee met at the Salem site to discuss each of the 29 actions that need to be resolved prior to restart. Similar meetings will be held approximately every other week to i discuss the status of these items. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for May 22. 1997. !
The following are significant items that have to be resolved prior to restart.
FIRE PROTECTION - From April 14 through April 17, 1997, the staff conducted an
, inspection of Salem fire protection issues. By May 20, 1997, the licensee t will submit a letter proposing a plan to address the inspection findings related to fire barriers.
MAY 16. 1997 ENCLOSURE A i
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CONTAINMENT FAN COIL UNITS (CFCUs) - The modifications that have.been 3
implemented to preclude water hammer on loss of offsite are being tested.
- During initial testing, a water hammer in the turbine building was 4 experienced. The cause of this water hammer is currently being investigated.
j The staff amendment increasing the CFCU initiation time from 45 to 60 seconds
- will include an evaluation of the_ modifications. Although there are still'
. several open issues, the amendment is on schedule to be issued prior to restart.
! ECCS SWITCHOVER - In responding to a Region TIA, the staff raised two concerns related to the semi-automatic switchover of ECCS water source. These concerns l are the inability of the Salem simulator to simulate 'all the manual ste)s and the licensee's consideration of errors of omission and commission. By iay 23.
- 1997, the licensee will provide a response to these concerns.
1 4- The following are licensing actions requested by the licensee prior to restart
- to reduce plant's reliance on operator workarounds
CHILLED WATER SYSTEM AND HVAC SYSTEM - By letter dated February 11, 1997, supplemented May 1,1997, the licensee proposed a new Technical Specification section entitled " Chilled Water System." By letter dated May 1. 1997, the licensee proposed a new Technical Specification section entitled "Switchgear and Penetration Area Ventilation System." The staff is expediting the review of both amendment requests.
Monticello Northern States Power Company commenced an orderly shutdown of the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant on May 9.1997. because of uncertainties with the net positive suction head (NPSH) calculations for emergency core cooling system (ECCS) pumps. The licensee determined that the amount of margin for NPSH and ECCS core reflood capability were questionable following a design basis loss-of-coolant accident with the single failure of the low 3ressure coolant-injection select logic. The licensee discovered that t1ey have 11 ft. of head loss across their strainers as opposed to the 1,ft. in earlier analyses. The issue of ECCS strainer debris plugging was previously addressed in Bulletin 96-03. " Potential Plugging of Emergency Core Cooling Suction Strainers by Debris in Boiling Water Reactors."
Monticello has large quantities of fibrous insulation material in their drywell with small suction strainers (20.5 square ft.). The licensee had planned to replace its existing strainers during their next refueling outage
-in January,1998, with a new design that has a significantly larger surface area. However, because of the recently discovered NPSH issue and the associated operability concerns NSP has accelerated its ECCS strainer modification schedule. The licensee's current schedule is to restart on July 26. 1997, after installation of the strainer modification.
The NRC staff is currently drafting an information notice to inform the industry of this issue.
MAY 16, 1997 ENCLOSURE A
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Davis-Besse -- Hiah Pressure In.iection/Makeuo Line Intearity On April 21, 1997, at Oconee Unit 2 an unidentified reactor coolant system boundary leak of greater than 1 gallon per minute led to a plant shutdown.
The leak was later identified as coming from a crack in the HPI/MU line at the nozzle / thermal sleeve area. Subsequently, the staff held conference calls
- with representatives of the B&WOG. Framatome Technologies, and with all B&W plant licensees to discuss potential generic safety implications at the other B&W units.
Regarding Davis-Besse, the staff was concerned that the available historical ,
inspection results may not be adequate to characterize the current status of the integrity of the HPI/MU lines. The Davis-Besse unit was in a forced outage which had to be extended to replace a main transformer. The licensee decided to test the lines during this outage. ]
All four nozzles were radiographed and the films were reviewed by a Framatome Level 3 specialist. No problems were found. In addition, 16 welds were ultrasonically tested, and again no problems were found. A Region III inspector is currently on site reviewing the test results.
The licensee plans to restart the unit early next week, and synchronize onto the grid on May 22.
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I MAY 16, 1997 ENCLOSURE A
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Items of Interest Week inding May 16. 1997 Gaseous Diffusion Plant Reaulatory Issues Meetina On May 15, 1997 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards; the Office of Administration. Division
! of Security: and the Office of the General Counsel met with the U.S.
Enrichment Corporation (USEC) at their facilities in Bethesda Maryland, to discuss regulatory and other issues affecting the Gaseous Diffusion Plants.
USEC presented information on operational issues, the status of certificate amendment requests, and closure of Compliance Plan issues. The NRC presented information on the schedule and status for the proposed 10 CFR Part 76 rulemaking, the enforcement policy, and backfit.
Dam Safety Insoection at Comanche Peak On May 7.1997. Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards staff and an engineer from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) performed a routine inspection of the Safe Shutdown Impoundment (SSI) dam at Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station, near Glen Rose. Texas. This inspection was the last reactor stop on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's initial Dam Safety l Inspection Program tour. Texas Utilities Electric Co. (TU) personnel provided design and maintenance documentation, and accompanied the team on a " walkover" l inspection. The SSI. which was completed in 1979, isolates an arm of Squaw l Creek Reservoir, providing emergency cooling water in the event of l
catastrophic damage to the Squaw Creek Reservoir Dam. No major problems were ,
identified with the structure. Preliminary results of the inspection were !
, presented to TU in an exit meeting at the site. A final inspection report i I will be provided to the licensee following receipt of the FERC findings.
Meetina with the Deoartment of Enerav on Criticality Analysis Methodoloav l On May 7-8, 1997. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff met with Department of Energy (DOE) staff and contractor representatives in Lynchburg, Virginia, to discuss DOE's criticality analysis methodology for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel in the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain. Nevadt The meeting began with a tour of the Framatome Technologies commercial fuel .
fabrication facility. The quality assurance (0A) provisions applied to fuel fabrication at this facility ensure that virtually no defective rods or assemblies will result at the end of the process. The process includes 100%
inspection of all rods / assemblies, with numerous " hold points" along the way for both visual and other nondestructive examination and testing. NRC staff suggested that DOE develop a similarly robust and comprehensive QA program for fabrication of repository waste packages.
Following the tour, participants discussed the philosophy of " defense in depth" to prevent or mitigate a criticality event. NRC staff indicated that i regulatory requirements in 10 CFR Part 60 for criticality control are consistent with the " defense in depth" philosophy. DOE representatives then discussed the use of criticality data from commercial reactor startups and i MAY 16. 1997 ENCLOSURE B
4 from laboratory experiments to validate the isotopic and reactivity models utilized for repository waste package criticality analyses. The primary issue here is whether configurations for commercial reactor and laboratory criticality are sufficiently similar to repository waste package configurations to allow the data from the reactor and laboratory criticality to be used to validate the models for repository criticality analyses.
i Discussions on Hiah-level Waste Quality Assurance On May 12, 1997. Division of Waste Management (DWM) staff met with Department of Energy (DOE). Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM). to discuss issues of mutual interest related to the Quality Assurance (OA) program for the high-level waste repository, The videoconference, held at Nuclear Regulatory Commission Headquarters and in Las Vegas. Nevada, was also attended by representatives of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board: Clark County, Nevada: Nye County, Nevada: and the State of Nevada. Topics discussed included the status and resolution of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's open items: the DOE OA consolidation effort: proposed revisions to the DOE top tier 0A document: data qualification: DOE responses to the recent independent management assessment of the QA organization: 0A oversight functions of the State of Nevada and the NRC: applicability of requirements in 10 CFR Part 21:
" graded" 0A approach efforts applied to structures, systems, and components and; proposed revisions to the list of structures, systems, and components.
The discussions also included DOE's request for formal clarification of NRC's 10 CFR Part 21 requirements: proposed modifications to DOE's approach to data qualification to resolve NRC staff concerns; proposed modifications to DOE's OA trending program in response to NRC concerns; and reducing items on the G-list through the " graded" 0A approach. Resolution of NRC concerns on data cualification and the DOE 0A trending program depends upon DOE submittal of cocuments implementing the approach discussed at the May 12 meeting.
Sealed Source and Device Vendor Workshoo On May 8. 1997. members of the Medical. Academic, and Commercial Use Safety Branch conducted a workshop on the application and review process for safety evaluation and registration of sealed sources and devices containing sealed sources. Registration certificates, based on the safety evaluations, are used as the basis for licensing the possession and use of the products. About 65 Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Agreement State vendor personnel attended the one-day workshop, which was held at NRC Headquarters. The workshop provided information and guidance in preparing a complete and succinct application to those who prepare applications for safety evaluation and registration of sealed sources and devices, so that review times may be minimized. The workshop concentrated on the types of information to be included in applications, the regulations that must be addressed, and available guidance that may be of assistance when preparing an application.
NRC staff discussed the NRC review and approval process. Specific topics included review of sealed sources and devices intended for use by specific and general licensees, and products intended for use by persons exempt from licensing requirements in a wide range of commercial and industrial applications. Feedback from workshop participants has been positive.
MAY 16, 1997 ENCLOSURE B
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D Presentation at the American Colleae of Cardioloav On May 9.1997, a representative from the Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, made a presentation on "Recent Advances in Clinical Nuclear Cardiology" at the American College of Cardiology symposium. Information on Nuclear Regulatory Commission physician licensing and physician training and experience requirements was provided to symposium participants. In addition, information was provided regarding Commission direction to staff regarding revision of 10 CFR Part 35. Some symposium participants provided comments to NRC regarding the need to reduce the training required for nuclear cardiologists to become authorized users and on the need to eliminate or reduce the number of prescriptive requirements for low risk nuclear cardiology procedures.
Meetina with Deoartment of the Army i
On May 13. 1997, senior management representatives from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS). Region I. and Region III met with the
! Chief of Staff U.S. Army Materiel Command, and other representatives from the U.S. Army, in Alexandria. Virginia, to discuss Nuclear Regulatory Commission concerns regarding the Department of the Army's commodity materials licenses.
NRC representatives discussed, in general terms, inspection findings and recent incidents related to the following subjects: (1) command and authority for oversight: (2) accountability and control of licensed material: (3) l communication between the organizations possessing the licenses and facilities l
l using the licensed material: (4) training of individuals: and (5) reporting of l incidents. The Army agreed to address these areas and is taking action to correct them. The actions under consideration include: (1) combining the Army's 12 commodities licenses into fewer licenses--if not into a single license: (2) improving their inventory tracking database for commodities: (3) creating a Department-level Radiation Safety Director and Radiation Safety Committee: (4) enhancing and emphasizing their training program; and (5) establishing an enhanced and automated mechanism for reporting incidents. The Army is currently undergoing a comprehensive independent audit of its program, which is being performed in accordance with a Confirmatory Order issued by Region III. The findings and recommendations of this audit will be .
incorporated into the Army's corrective actions. Future meetings will be scheduled to discuss the scope and status of implementing the corrective actions.
Qperational Assessment at Fort St. Vrain Indeoendent Soent Fuel Storace Installation On May 12. 1997, a Spent Fuel Project Office team to assess the operational readiness of Department of Energy-Idaho (DOE-ID) to manage and operate the Fort St. Vrain independent spent fuel storage installation arrived at the
< site. Last December. DOE-ID submitted a license transfer application to
- assume licensed responsibilities for the facility from the Public Service Company of Colorado. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission team will also visit the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory to assess DOE-ID oversight of the facility from a remote location. Region IV is also participating in the assessment effort.
ENCLOSURE B MAY 16. 1997
e Meetina with Transnuclear. Inc. on Revisina the TN-32 Desian On May 8.1997. staff from the Spent Fuel Project Office met with representatives of Transnuclear. Inc. (TN) to discuss their plans to submit several amendments to the topical report for the TN-32 spent fuel storage cask. This cask is designed to hold 32 pressurized water reactor assemblies.
The amendments will seek approval to store higher burnup and enrichment fuel in the TN-32, and approval of a lengthened design to hold longer assemblies with control rods. Moreover. TN plans to submit a design for a new basket that will hold 68 boiling water reactor fuel assemblies. Either simultaneous with the amendment for higher burnup and enrichment or soon thereafter. TN will request approval of the TN-32 under Subpart K of 10 CFR Part 72. This approval would allow the cask to be used under the general license for dry spent fuel storage that is granted to all power reactors licensed under 10 CFR Part 50. Use of the TN-32 is presently restricted to those sites that have a separate Part 72 license for an independent spent fuel storage installation.
Except for the amendment requesting a lengthened TN-32 design. TN expects to provide NRC all of the submittals before the end of fiscal year 1997.
!jgetina with VECTRA Technoloaies Inc.
On May 9. 1997. Spent Fuel Project Office staff met with VECTRA Technologies Inc. (VECTRA), to discuss VECTRA's April 10. 1997 response to a Demand for Information (Demand). The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the Demand to VECTRA on January 13. 1997, in response to numerous deficiencies in VECTRA's Quality Assurance (QA) Program that were identified during NRC inspections between June 1995 and December 1996. Performance Improvement International (PII) performed an independent assessmer.t of VECTRA's OA Program and design change and control process in response to client and NRC concerns. The assessment and follow up corrective actions were presented by PII at the May 9 meeting. VECTRA addressed the implementation status of the corrective actions and stated that the self-imposed work stoppage would not be lifted until all restart issues were resolved. The NRC staff is continuing its review of VECTRA's written response to the Demand. The staff has requested further information from VECTRA to support the conclusions discussed in its response.
No decision on the adequacy of VECTRA's response will be made until all information has been received. At the conclusion of the meeting. NRC staff stated their intention to perform an inspection of VECTRA's corrective actions prior to restart of fabrication activities.
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ENCLOSURE B MAY 16. 1997
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Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data l Items of Interest Week Ending May 16. 1997 Turkey Point Exercise Incident Res)onse Division (IRD) staff participated in the Turkey Point ;
l exercise on iay 13. 1997 along with (Region II. Florida Power and Electric.
t and the State of Florida. Chairman Jackson headed the Executive Team and Luis Reyes headed the Site Team.
Two IRD staff members attended the Turkey Point exercise on site to brief the regional site team, the licensee, and the State on ingestion pathway response. 1 They also played in the ingestion phase of the exercise as part of the ,
ingestion team on May 14.
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PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATIONS (PNs) ]
- a. PNO-I-97-028. Private Home. TRITIUM UPDATE FROM BROKEN EXIT SIGN.
- b. PNO-III-97-040. Syncor International Corporation. CONTAMINATION EXCEEDING LIMITS IDENTIFIED ON EMPTY RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL PACKAGES. !
i c. PNO-III-97-041, Good Samaritan Hospital. CONTAMINATED PACKAGE EXCEEDS NRC l REQUIREMENTS. ,
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- d. PNO-III-97-042. Michigan Electric Company (Cook 2). REACTOR SHUTDOWN TO l REPAIR EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATOR VOLTAuE REGULATOR. l l
- e. PNO-III-97-043. Northern States Power Company (Monticello 1). SHUTDOWN TO l REPLACE TORUS STRAINERS ON ECCS SUCTION LINES.
- f. PNO-IV-97-026A. Entergy 0)erations. Inc. (River Bend 1). SHUTDOWN GREATER THAN 72 HOURS AFTER MANUA_ SCRAM - UPDATE.
MAY 16. 1997 ENCLOSURE D
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Office of Administration Items of Interest Week Ending May 16. 1997 Procurement Reform On May 13th. Mary Lynn Scott of the Division of Contracts and Property Management participated in a panel presentation for the Small Agency Council on the subject of implementing procurement reform. Other panel members were Mark Flynn. Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB). and Christine Makris Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The development and progress of NRC's Procurement Reinvention Laboratory was discussed, as were actions taken by DNFSB and FEMA to implement reforms as a means of achieving agency mission objectives in an efficient and economical manner. The panel emphasized the importance of procurement reforms in providing Contracting Officers with greater flexioility in making procurement decisions.
U.S. Enrichment Corocratior, (USEC)
Staff from the Division of Facilities and Security (DFS) and IRM completed a security review of USEC's Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The review team inspected against USEC's approved )lan to protect classified matter at the Paducah
- plant. An exit meeting Jetween USEC and senior DFS management was held on May 9. 1997. DFS staff also attended an NRC/USEC periodic status meeting at USEC headquarters on May 15. 1997.
Facility Manaaement Contract - NRC Headauarters The NRC facility management contractor (TECOM) has hired a new Facilities Manager. Mr. Roosevelt Dailey. Mr. Dailey re)orted to his new position on May 15. 1997, and is scheduled to meet with t1e Deputy. Executive Director for Management Services during the week of May 19. 1997.
RULES ACTIVITY
- Reauirements for Shiocina Packaaes Used To Transport Vitrified High-level Waste (Part 71)
A proposed rule that would amend regulations applicable to ship)ing packages used to transport vitrified high-level radioactive waste was pu)lished in the
! Federal Register on May 8. 1997 (62 FR 25146). The propo;ed amendment would remove canisters of vitrified high-level waste containing plutonium from the i packaging requirement for double containment. The comment period for this proposed rule closes July 22, 1997.
Standard Desian Certification for the U.S Advanced Boilina Water Reactor Desian (Part 52)
A final rule that certifies the U.S. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) design was -)ublished in the Federal Register on May 12. 1997 (62 FR 25800).
Approving t1is design through rulemaking allows applicants for a combined license who intend to construct and operate the US ABWR design to do so by i
MAY 16. 1997 ENCLOSURE F l
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a)propriately referencing this regulation. The applicant for certification of tais design was GE Nuclear Energy. This final rule becomes effective on June 11, 1997.
Informal Small Entity Guidance (Part 2)
A final rule which amends NRC's regulations to provide a method for small entities to contact the NRC for assistance in interpreting or complying with regulatory requirements was published in the Federal Register on May 13. 1997 (62 FR 26219). The final rule describes how the NRC will assist small entities licensed by the NRC as required by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act.
Environmental Reoort - Materials licenses (Part 51)
A direct final rule amending the regulations concerning environmental protection requirements applicable to NRC's domestic licensing and regulatory functions was published in the Federal Register on May 14, 1997 (62 FR 26730).
The final rule eliminates the requirement that an environmental report be submitted by uranium mill licensees at the time of license termination because it is an unnecessary and outdated reporting requirement. The final rule becomes effective July 14, 1997.
The companion proposed rule to this direct final rule was published in the Federal Register on May 14. 1997 (62 FR 26733). The comment period closes June 13. 1997.
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- Chief Information Officer l Items of Interest Week Ending May 16. 1997 ,
- Sianificant FOIA/PA Reouests Received durina the 5-Day Period of May 9.1997 -
May 15. 1997:
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- i j 01 report regarding case number II-96-A-0016. (FOIA/PA-97-165) l Beaver Valley, regulatory requirements for audits of technical specifications activities. (FOIA/PA-97-166) j 1
- ' OI report on 6/95 contamination incident at NIH. (F01A/PA-97-167)
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Inspection reports relating to license no. 52-10270-01. Damas Hospital in j Ponce. PR. (F01A/PA-97-168)
OI report no. 2-96-027. (F01A/PA-97-169) t
! Medical misuse, misadministration, and/or incorrect treatment of radiation.
(F01A/PA-97-170)
Plant Issues Matrix for named Commonwealth Edison sites. (FOIA/PA-97-171)
Emergency response plans for named Commonwealth Edison operated sites. '
(F01A/PA-97-172)
Sequoyah Fuels Corp. 1987 report. Analysis and Improvements in Handling Procedures for Product Cylinders Containing Liquid UF6. (F01A/PA-97-173)
Millstone. NRC Task Force report on layoffs. (F01A/PA-97-174)
Millstone. SECY-97-036. " Lessons Learned Report Part 2 Policy Issues."
(F01A/PA-97-17.5)
St. Lucie, drug testing summaries. 1995-1996. (F01A/PA-97-176)
Check valve defects / failures 1985 incident at San Onofre. (F01A/PA-97-177)
Communications with any Commonwealth Edison Board of Director member since i 1
1990. (F01A/PA-97-178)
MAY 16. 1997 ENCLOSURE G
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-Office of Personnel Items of Interest Week Ending May 16. 1997 Combined Federal Camoaian (CFC) Meetina Attended On May 15, 1997, Gloria Corbitt attended a meeting of the Local Federal '
Coordinating Committee for CFC of the National Capital Area at the Department of Health and Human Services Building. Topics discussed included the selection of organizations approved as qualified charities and an update on ;
this year's campaign.
Arrivals ,
NONE Retirements MARSHALL. Brenda SECRETARY (OA) (OPFT) NRR Deoartures MANNAI. David RESICENT INSPECTOR (PFT) RI l
TWIGG. Ricky RESIDENT INSPECTOR (PFT) RIII I
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ENCLOSURE I MAY 16. 1997
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Office of Public Affairs i Items of Interest Week Ending May 16. 1997 Media Interest '
Region I had several calls about the teenager who ingested tritium from an
" exit" sign and the Haddam Neck proposed civil penalty. :
Region III handled calls on both the Clinton and Point Beach planned restarts '
after long outages, and on fire protection issues at Braidwood.
i School Volunteers Proaram NRC hosted winners of the Special Science Fair Awards from the Montgomery Area l
Science Fair. Students displayed their projects for Vernon the Commission and other Hodge. Ronaldo NRC employees. Judges who participated included: '
Jenkins. George Hubbard. Tommy Le. Ramin Assa. David Matthews. NRR: Prasad Kadambi John Craig, RES: Mysore Natarja and Heather Astwood. NMSS.
Press Releases Headouarters:
Note to Editors: ACRS Meeting 97-075 97-076 NRC Certifies GE Nuclear Energy's Advanced Boiling Water i Reactor Design i
97-077 Note to Editors: ACRS Reports on design basis verification.
proposed final policy on economic deregulation policy on l-stockpiling of potassium iodide i
97-078 NRC Establishes Special Assistance to Small Businesses97-079 NRC Sends Letters to Sierra Nuclear. Three Utilities on Spent Fuel Storage Cask Welding Problems Paio.as; L
I-97 52 NRC Proposes $650.000 Civil Penalty for Northeast Utilities for Alleged Violations at Haddam Neck Nuclear Power Plant I-97-53 Limerick Rated " Superior" in Three Areas. " Good" in Fourth Area of Latest NRC Assessment ,
I-97-54 NRC Staff Advises New Jersey in Response to Ingestion of Radioactive Material by 16-Year Old Union Boy II-9;-J9 NRC Schedules Meeting With Duke Power to Discuss the Restart .
of Oconee Units 2 and 3 ENCLOSURE M MAY 16. 1997 ;
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11-97-40 NRC Staff to Hold Predecisional Enforcement Conference to Discuss Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant Concerns With Florida Power IV-97-29 NRC Proposes to Fine Entergy $55,000 for Violations at Waterford 3 Nuclear Power Plant t
IV-97-30 Wolf Creek Rated ' Good' in Three Areas Acceptable in Fourth I in NRC Assessment Report !
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l MAY 16, 1997 ENCLOSURE M
l Office of International Programs Items of Interest Week Ending May 16, 1997
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Foreian Visitors ;
Messrs. Dr. John Amuasi. Executive Secretary of the Ghanaian Atomic Energy Commission, Augustine Kyere. Director of the National Nuclear Research Institute of Ghana, and Cyril Shandorf. Director and Chief Radiation '
Protection Officer of the Radiation Board of Ghana, met with Chairman Jackson ;
and Commissioners Rogers and Dicus on May 12. The three visitors were on a tour of various nuclear installations, US government agencies, and meetings in !
the US to familiarize themselves with the regulatory process and practice in i the areas of nuclear medicine and radiation protection.
l Discussions with the Chairman centered on the possibilities for cooperation between NRC and Ghanaian entities, as they develop their regulatory ,
capabilities, with Commissioner Rogers on legal and technical aspects of the i regulatory process and waste management, and with Commissioner Dicus on nuclear medicine applications in Ghana, waste management, and cooperation with the IAEA, The Ghanaian visitors also met with NMSS and were given an introduction to the NRC's regulatory process for medical facilities and radiation protection guidelines.
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Region 1 ltems of Interest Week Ending May 16, 1997 Predecisional Enforcement Conference With'Cartier; INC.
On May 15. 1997. Region I conducted a predecisional enforcement conference with Cartier. Inc. During an inspection on March 12, 1997, an apparent violation was identified concerning the distribution of tritium time)ieces by Cartier since 1985 without an NRC license, The licensee described t1e events surrounding the occurrence of the violation and the corrective actions taken,
' Corrective actions included ceasing distribution of the watches to their suppliers and recalling watches from their own stores. The licensee stated that they had not been aware of NRC requirements until 1996, at which time they applied for an NRC license. NMSS issued a distribution license to Cartier on April 29, 1997. Enforcement action is pending.
Hacerstcwn Construction Services Enforcement Conference A predecisional enforcement conference was held on May 16. 1997 at the Region I office with representatives of Hagerstown Construction Services to discuss the apparent violations identified during an inspection conducted on- April 17 :
and 18. 1997. The conference focused on the general licensee's failure to file for reciprocity with the NRC from 1994 through April 1997 when the licensee had prior knowledge of this requirement, as demonstrated by their May 1993 reciprocity application to Region I. The conference attendees discussed ,
the root causes of the violations and correction actions taken. Enforcement action is pending.
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l Region II
! Items of Interest Week Ending May 16. 1997 ;
Ouarterly Press Conference The Region II Quarterly Press Conference, held in Miami, Florida, on Monday, May 12, was superseded by media interest in a tornado / waters)out which hit ,
downtown Miami end its environs less than an hour before. T1e conference was .
organized to discuss NRC hurricane emergency response and to show related equipment in the city for an emergency exercise at Turkey Point the next day.
Florida Power and Liaht - Turkey Poini The Agency partici3ated in an Emergency Preparedness Exercise at the licensee's Turkey Point nuclear power plant. Representatives from the State ;
of Florida and the counties surrounding the plant also participated. The exercise involved the activation of the Headquarters' Operations and Region II I incident response centers. The NRC site team. made up'of Regional and :
Headquarters personnel, participated in the two day exercise, which included long ter:n and ingestion pathway responses. The exercise was evaluated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Duke Power Comnany - Oconee On May 16. 1997, the Regional Administrator and NRC managers and staff held a meeting with licensee representatives at the Oconee facility. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the restart readiness of Units 2 and 3 with respect t to the High Pressure Injection (HPI) nozzle cracking concern and degradation of the Unit 3 HPI system. As indicated in the May 5.1997. Confirmation of Action Letter this meeting was a prerequisite to obtaining NRC concurrence to !
l restart either unit. The meeting was open to the public and served as the pablic exit on the findings from the NRC Augmented Inspection Team's review of the Unit 3 HPI degradation problem. l i
l Tennessee Valley Authority The bimonthly meeting with Sequoyah Management was conducted in Region II on '
May 14. The licensee discussed material condition improvements made during the recent Unit I refueling outage which included several reliability modifications, workaround and control room deficiency corrections. The licensee continued to acknowledge problems with adequacy of corrective action and discussed efforts to evaluate effectiveness of corrective actions for ;
previous issues.
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Region III Items of Interest Week Ending May 16. 1997 i
Wisconsin Enerav Comoany and Northern States Power Comoany - Mercer Terminated On May 16, 1997. Wisconsin Energy Company and Northern States Power Company announced they were terminating their plans for a proposed merger of the two companies into a new company. Primergy Corporation. A May 14 decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had remanded the case to an FERC settlement judge for further negotiations, including the possible sale of some generating facilities and other actions.
The utilities attributed their decision to changing regulatory policies on mergers and to further regulatory delays as a result of the FERC decision.
The proposed merger had been announced May 1. 1997.
Manaaement Meetina with Illinois Power ComDany - Clinton Restart Status On May 15, 1997, a management meeting was conducted in the Region III Office.
Lisle. Illinois, between management representatives from Illinois Power and members of the NRC staff to discuss the Clinton Power Station's restart activities. During the meeting. Illinois Power Company staff discussed the status of the restart items. There were a total of 55 restart action plan items and 44 of the action items have been completed. Current startup restraints include: circuit breaker inspection and refurbishment and open condition reports. Illinois Power will submit reports on the remaining restart action items to NRC Region III by May 28, 1997.
Predecisional Enforcement Conference with Commonwealth Edison - Braidwood On May 14. 1997, a 3redecisional enforcement conference was conducted in the Region III Office. _ isle Illinois, between management representatives from Commonwealth Edison Company and members of the NRC staff. The enforcement conference reviewed apparent fire protection violations at the Braidwood Station. The violations were initially identified by the utility in mid-1996.
They included roll-up doors which did not meet the specified three-hour rating as fire doors and several instances of' inadequate separation of electrical !
cables in parallel portions of safety systems. j Predecisional Enforcement Conference with Illinois Power Company - Clinton l l
On May 15, 1997, a aredecisional enforcement conference was conducted in the l Region III Office. _ isle. Illinois, between management representatives from '
Illinois Power Company and members of the NRC staff. The enforcement conference covered apparent violations of NRC requirements in the utility's i
failure to take prompt and appropriate corrective action to address recurring i examples of degraded lubricants on several types of circuit breakers. The '
lubrication problem resulted in the binding of various breaker components and
, the failure of safety-related and critical non-safety-related circuit breakers i
during testing and during operation. The degraded lubrication problem
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resulted from inadequate breaker preventative maintenance and the use of unapproved lubricants.
Manaaement Meetina with Commonwealth Edison Comoany - Dresden ,
i On May 12. 1997, a routine monthly meeting was conducted at the Dresden Nuclear Power Station Training Center between management representatives from Commonwealth Edison Company (Comed) and members of the NRC staff to discuss the status of various actions being conducted by Comed in response to NRC's t November 1996 Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL). The CAL was the result of concerns that last fall's Independent Safety Inspection of Dresden identified with the Dresden Station's engineering activities and control of design calculations. l Maintenance Team Insoection Exit Meetina - Dresden f On May 12. 1997, a maintenance team inspection exit meeting was held at the Dresden Nuclear Power Station Training Center to discuss the preliminary findings of a two-week onsite team inspection held at the plant as a follow-up to last fall's Independent Safety Inspection of Dresden. The inspection identified issues in procedural adherence, work control, and engineering support.
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Region IV Items of Interest Week Ending May 16, 1997 Talk at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory On May 15. 1997, the Walnut Creek Field Office Technical Assistant talked on NRC experience with performance-based inspection to a swall group of University of California and DOE personnel at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The discussion was requested by the University of California in connection with ongoing efforts to improve performance.
Manaaement Meetina with Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD)
The Regional Administrator and members of the staff met with representatives of NPPD (Cooper Nuclear Station) to discuss management of emergent issues and measures that they plan to use to monitor engineering performance. The meeting was the first in a series of planned bimonthly meetings with NPPD and was open to public observation. ,
1 Wolf Creek Nuclear Ooeratina Corooration (WCNOC) Auxiliary Feedwater System i Meetina Regional Administrator and members of the Region IV and NRR staffs conducted a l management meeting with WCNOC managers from the Wolf Creek Generating Station on May 15. 1997. During the meeting, the licensee discussed the violations l identified in Inspection Report 97-04 related to the Auxiliary Feedwater i System. The licensee also discussed their broader scope corrective actions for these violations and the current condition of the Auxiliary Feedwater System.
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. o Office of Congressional Affairs .
Items of Interest Week Ending May 16. 1997 CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SCHEDULE. No. 18 OCA DATE-CONTACT & TIME- WITNESS ~- SUBJECT' COMMITTEE'
' PLACE-mmmmmmmmmmmmmm-Gerke 05/22 9:30 TBA Financial Implications of Senators Murkowski/ Bumpers 216 HSOB Restructuring the Electric Energy & Natural Resources Utility Industry Gerke 06/12 9:30 TBA Benefits and Risks of Senators Murkowski/ Bumpers 216 HSOB Restructuring to Consumers Energy & Natural Resources and Communities MAY 16. 1997 ENCLOSURE R
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