ML20197F914

Weekly Info Rept for Wk Ending 971212

ML20197F914
Person / Time
Issue date:	12/18/1997
From:	Blaha J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:
References
SECY-97-292, SECY-97-292-C, WIR-971212, NUDOCS 9712300323
Download: ML20197F914 (28)

Text

._ ._

e o u December 18. 1997 SECY9Z:222 enc: The commissioners  :

Erom: James L. Blaha. Assistant for Operations. Office of the EDO l Subiect: WEEKLY'INFORMATION REPORT WEEK ENDING_ DECEMBER 12, 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*  ;

Human Resources 1 Small Business & Civil Rights J* ,

Enforcement K*  !

State Programs L*

Pubile Affairs M i International Programs N Office of the Secretary 0 Region ! P Region !! P Region 111 P Region IV P Executive Director for Operations 0 Congressional Affairs R*

• No input this week. W es 300075- aames t. Blana Assistant for Operations. OED0 t

Contact:

M.-Leach. OEDO DNLl/ '

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UNITED STATE 8 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20066 INFORMATION REPORT December 18. 1997 SECY 97 292 Ear: The Commissioners

[tos: James L. Blaha. Assistant for Operations, Office of the E00 Sub.iect : WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 12, 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*

Human Resources I Small Business & Civil Rights J*

Enforcument 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 0 Congressional Affairs R*

• No input this week.

StN' J s L. Blaha sistant for Operations. OE00

Contact:

l H. Leach, OEDO l

e l

i l' Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation items of Interest Week Ending December 12, 1997 South Texas Project. Unit 2 Houston Light and Power Company (HL&P). the licensee for South Texas Project Unit 2 (STP-2). briefed the staff on HL&P's plans to sutait a license amendment request to im)lement a 3.0 volt Interim Plugging Criteria (IPC) for steam generator (SG) tu)e repair. The amendment is similar to the 3.0 volt IPC amendment previously approved at Braidwood Unit I and Byron Unit 1. At those plants, SG tubes were ex)anded at the tube support plates (TSPs) to

" lock' the TSPs in ) lace and t1us justify a higher voltage re) air limit than allowed in Generic _etter 95-05 due to negligible burst proba)111ty and reduced leaktge during accident conditions. Experience from the last SG tube eddy current inspection at Braidwood Unit I resulted in the identification of a voltage dependent growth rate that resulted in nonconservative predictions of the end of cycle (EOC) conditions. This issue needs to be addressed to er.sure that nonconservative predictions of E0C leakage would not occur at STP 2. Degradation at the top of the tubesheet (TTS) in the form of ircumferential cracking due to outside diameter stress corrosion cracking .

(ODSCC) was also identified in the locked tubes at Braidwood Unit 1. HL&P proposes severing and subsequently sleeving the locked tubes at the 1TS to eliminate residual stresses from the expansion process, thus reducing the likelihood of ODSCC. In addition, the licensee proposed changes from the Braidwood and Byron 3.0 voit amendment in the following areas: the bounding leakage assigned to indications restrained from burst. the inspection program for the locked tube expansions, and the safety factor for the thermal hydraulics analysis. In light of the number of difficult issues involved in this review. the staff indicated its evaluation of the 3.0 volt IPC at STP-2 will need to stand alone, and the differences from the Braidwood and Byron 3.0 volt IPC discussed above will require an in depth review. The licensee plans to submit the 3.0 volt amendment in its entirety in March 1998 for implementation in Fall 1998. The staff expressed its concern regarding the proposed schedule given the complexity and extent of the review.

Calvert Cliffs On December B. 1997. Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) company representatives presented to the Probabilistic Safety Assessment Branch (SPSB) staff an overview of the Calvert Cliffs' Level 1 (plus external events) probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Mr. Bruce Mrowca. supervisor of the Calvert Clif fs' reliability unit led the discussion. Attendees included staff members from the Offices of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR). Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), Region 1 (Resident Inspector and SRA), and Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). Based on the most recent update, BGE estimated the Calvert Cliffs' core damage frequency (C0F) (which now includes external events) to be 3E-4 for Unit 1 and 4E-4 for Unit 2. Although the PRA estimated a relatively high CDF. there appeared to be significant plant features and modeling assumptions that tended to both justify and differentiate the Calvert Cliffs PRA from other licensee PRAs. The staff plans to continue to interact with BGE to better understand their PRA model and associated insights. According to DECEMBER 12, 1997 ENCLOSURE A l

Mr. Hrosca. the CE Owners Group also started to review the model to obtain a better understanding.

DC Cook Use of leak-Before Break On Friday. December 5. 1997. members of the NRR staff from the Containment Systems and Severe Accident Branch (SCSB) and the Materials and Chemical f Engineering Branch (EMCB) and Region 111 participated in a conference call with representatives of American Electric Power, the licensee for the DC Cook Units 1 and 2. The )ur leak-before break (L3B)inpose orderoftothe callthe show was to discuss operability of the ap)lication tie ECCS and of safety related containment spray systems at DC Cook during a design basis loss of coolant accident. General Design Criterion 4 states that dynamic ,

effects associated with pipe ruptures may be excluded from the design basis.

The licensee informed the staff that it intended to include debris generation caused by the ruptured pipe as a dynamic effect. The safety concern is that the debris might block the ECCS sump and prevent adequate recirculation flow of coolant to the reactor core. ,

In addition, the Westinghouse Owners Group (WOG), in a letter dated November 25. 1997. requested that "the provisions provided by GDC 4 ... be made part of other related federal regulations." The letter goes on to state:

"As such, dynamic effects of a pipe break would not be considered as a debris generation source or as a coatings removal mechanism."

Representatives of SCSB, Reactor Systems Branch (SRXB) and Region 111 responded to the licensee on December 8, 1997. The licensee was told that the staff considers it inappropriate to define debris generation as a dynamic effect in order to take credit for leak before-break. The licensee agreed not to pursue this approach.

While, the DC Cook licensing basis does not include an explicit debris generation assumption for ECCS performance, the licensee is taking action to remove a large amount of fibrous insulation and degraded coatings from the containment. The licensee has also determined that the available flow area of the sump screen is much smaller than it was originally thought to be. The staf f is continuing to discuss this issue with the licensee.

SCSB is preparing a reply tu tne WOG on their generic LBB position.

Workshoo on Generic Letter 96-06 The Plant Systems Branch (SPLB) coordinated (and >articipated in) the joint NRC/ Industry workshop on GL 96 06. " Assurance of Equipment Operability and Containment Integrity During Design Basis Accident Conditions " that was held at the Gaithersburg Harriott on December 4, 1997. The workshop was attended by about 90 people, and was a good exchange of information between NRC and industry. Presentations were made by the SPLB the Materials and Chemical Engineering Branch (EMEB). the Nuclear Energy Institue (NEI). and the licensee representatives. The morning session of the workshop-focused on the waterhammer and two-phase flow issues, while the afternoon session focused on therma? overpressurization of piping systems that penetrate containment. The

~DECEMBFR 12, 1997 ENCLOSURE A 4

I

.staffdiscussedthestatusofongoingreviewefforts,discussedfindin!

lessons learned, and answered questirns from the industry. The staff sand lso  !

discussed Supplement 1 to GL 96 06 (issued on November 13. 1997) and  !

' Revision 1 to GL 91 18 (issued on October 8. 1997) regarding schedular considerations, corrective actions, and unresolved safety question (US0) considerations.

The workshop participants appeared to be very interested in the presentations  !

in general and were especially interested in the discussions concerning GL 91-  !

18 and USQ considerations, reasons that are (and are not) acceptable for  !

-delaying final resolution of the GL 96 06 issues (as allowed by Supplement 1  !

of GL 96 06). use of the ASME Code Appendix F criteria for permanent ';

resolution of the thermal overpressurization issue, content and schedule

-information about RAls that will be issued by the NRC, and the overall  ;

schedule for completing review of the GL 96 06 issues. The staff indicated that RAls should be issued by the end of the first quarter of 1998, and the GL 96 06 reviews are currently-scheduled to be completed by December 31, 1999.

. industry participants complained about the GL 91-18 restriction thet limits  ;

use of the ASME Code Appendix F eriteria for interim operability I determinations of degraded piping and pipe supports to the next refueling .

outage. Supplement 1 to GL 96 06 makes an exception to the guidance contained i in GL 91-18 and allows licensees to credit the Appendix F criteria beyond the e next outage'(if justified), and workshop participants felt that this exception should be the rule rather than the exception. Some participants also thought that it would be better to address any additional waterhammer concerns that ar? not specifically related to the containment fan coolers in a new generic letter instead of in another supplement to GL 96-06 so the books could be-closed on the GL 96 06 issues. The main criticism of the NRC that was voiced  !

during the workshop was the staff's issuance of GL 96 06 in September 1996 ,

without first seeking public comments.  ;

Beth Wetzel, the lead PH for GL 96 06 will issue a meeting summary within the next few weekt The summary will include a list of questions and answers, and the presen # N1 handouts will be included as an attachment.

CallawayAxial0ffsetAnomalvUodate The last two flux maps at Callawa have shown slight increases in shutdown f margin indicating that the axial offset anomaly is starting-to heal. Axial offset is now positive and increasing. Calculations bounding the effect of raising the power to 75 3ercent predict a loss of less than 100pcm. Presantly 1

the shutdown' margin is a)out 1845 (the TS limit is 1300). The licensee

• increased power to 72 percent on December 9. 1997. A flux map will be taken after the core stabilizes ()robably 12/12/97). The data will be analyzed and shutdown margin calculated )efore power is raised beyond 72 percent. The-licensee has indicated that power will be raised very slowly, with evaluations t of shutdown margin based on flux maps. A COLR revision will be needed before  !

_ power is raised above 75 percent. -All Tech Specs continue to be met. SRXB i will-continue to monitor the progress.

o' LDECEM8ER12,1997J ENCLOSURE A ,

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9 Enteray Nuclear. Inc. and Duke Enoineerina l l

Entergy Nuclear. Duke Engineering Agree to Partner On December 9. 1997. Entergy Nuclear and Duke Engineering & Services announced that they will partner to offer management and engineering services to the nuclear industry. They announced that this agreement sets the stage for the two companies to make joint proposals to manage and operate nuclear plants by other utilities.

This agreement is the first of its kind between the two cotapanies, both of which are non regulated entities of major U.S. utilities. The association of the two companies was stated to provide a broad range of management.

technical, and engineering support for nuclear plant opportunities.  :

Duke Engineering & Services is an independent operated business unit of Duke Energy Corporation and has performed work at 90 percent.of U.S. commercial nuclear plants. Entergy Nuclear. Inc. was formed in February 1997 to provide management services to non Entergy owned nuuear plants for nuclear plant operations and decommissioning. It is )roviding management services for the decommissioning activities at Maine fancee nuclear plant.

Prairie Island Nuclear Generatina Plent On December 5. 1997. Jim Howard the CEO of Northern States Power Company (NSP). announced that the company would not seek approval from the Minnesota Legislature to 90 beyond 17 spent fuel dry storage casks at Prairie Island during the 1998 legislative session. The Minnesota state legislature enacted a bill that limits the total number of spent fuel dry storage casks to 17 at Prairie Island. The licensee has elected to delay its pursuit of legislative action until some of the other spent fuel storage initiatives are resolved, including the US Waste Policy Act of 1997 in the US Congress, the industry's legal actions against the Department of Energy and the private fuel storage initiative in Utah.

NSP currently has 7 TN-40 casks loaded and 5 more on order. The licensee has

, determined that 17 casks will allow operation of both units until 2007. The Prairie Island Units 1 and 2 licenses expire in 2013 and 2014. respectively.

Mr. Hward informed NSP employees that his decision in no way implies that NSP intends to cease o>erations in 2007 at Prairie Island. NSP management has just elected to tace a wait-and-see attitude with respect to spent fuel storage casks.

McGuire Nuclear Station. Unit 2 On December 4. 1997, the licensee discovered indications of potential tampering with the upper and lower personnel air lock seals. The air lock design incorporates two inflatable seals per door, for a total of four seals per air lock. The damage was identified during the performance of required testing of the air lock seal integrity to support restart of the unit. A sharp instrument was used to damage the seals. The licensee determined, and the residents confirmed, that all of the eight seals had been cut. No DECEMBER 12, 1997 ENCLOSURE A l

t

I additional indications of tampering were identified. Currently, this unit is t shut down to replace the steam generators and undertake refueling. l t

During a conference call. Duke Power stated that the re>orted tampering is being investigated, including the )ossibility this may >e related to a work-force reduction announcement. WalLdowns of plant systems conducted prior to the tampering event also identified mispositioned valves. The licensee ,

intends to re) lace the seals, re check valve sositioning in the affected systems, and las increased security. Also, t1e licensee has concluded that all of the identified defects would have been self-revealing during testing.

The residents will perform additional inspections prior to Unit 2 restart.

Also, on December 5.1997, a regional security inspector arrived at the site .

to further review the licensee's investigation and assess compliance with applicable reportability requirements. NRR. NMSS, and RGN-Il plan to have additional discussions after the completion of the RGN Il inspection.

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DECEMBER 12. 1997- ENCLOSURE A

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Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Items of Interest Week Ending December 12, 1997 Reaulatory Guide Publication Regu1atory Guide D-3013, " Nuclear Criticality Safety Standards for Fuel and Materfal Facf ?f ties." will be published in the Federal Reaister next week.

The Draft Regulatory Guida consolidates 10 Regulatory Guides endorsing the ANSI /ANS 8 National Technical Standards on Nuclear Criticality Safety. The period of review will be 90 days.

Meetina with Sierra Nuclear Corocration and Ventilated St_qtaae Cask-24 Owners GC E On December 4, 1997, a meeting was held between representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Sierra Nuclear Corporation (SNC), and the Ventilated Storage Cask (VSC-24) Owners Group. The meeting was held at the request of the Owners Group to allow it and SNC the opportunity to: (1) discuss the mission of the Owners Grouo and explain how the Grouo will add a cohesiveness to resolving current VSC-24 issues: (2) update NRC on the status of resolving the Confirmatory Action Letters issued to the above three utilities and SNC:

(3) provide site-specific status for all three utilities and outline future VSC-24 loading needs: (4) discuss the feasibility of performing ultrasonic testing (UT) on the VSC-24 multi-assembly sealed basket closure weld: and, (5) discuss specific technical issues associated with performing the UT.

At the meeting, the Owners Group and SNC made several commitments to NRC to resolve the stoff's concerns with the UT qualification process and flaw acceptance criteria. The S ent Fuel Project Office will document these commitments in a letter to NC.

Nuclear Reaulatory Commission Staff issuance of the Safety Evaluation Report for the Crownooint Uranium Solution Minina Pro.iect On December 4. 1997 Division of Waste Management (DWM) staff issued its Safety Evaluation Report (SER) for Hydro Resources. Inc.'s (HRI's) proposed Crownpoint Uranium Solution Mining Project at Crownpoint, New Mexico. The SER documents the DWM safety review of the project. The SER and the Crownpoint Uranium Mining Project Final F.nvironmental Impact Statement (FEIS) dated Februarf 1997 (nUREG-1508), provide the bases for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision to issue a 10 CFR Part 40 source material license to HRI. The staff will issue a license to HRI 30 days from issuance of the SER.

The license will authorize HRI to construct and operate in situ leach (ISL) mining facilities at the Crownpoint Project for a period of five years. In preparing the SER, the NRC staff reviewed HRI's license application submittals and its Consolidated Operations Plan, Revision 2.0 (dated August 15, 1997),

against the ap)licable regulations in 10 CFR Parts 19, 20, 40, and 71. The SER supports t1e Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff's finding that issuing the license to HRI ull be in accordance with the aforementioned regulations, and with al' a]plicule safety requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. Tiere are currently seven petitions for leave to intervene that DECEMBER 12, 1997 ENCLOSURE B

the Presiding Officer-has been holding in abeyance pending the results of the staff's review.

Notice to Envirocare on its Emolovee Protection Policies On December 8.1997. the Director of the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards notified Envirocare of Utah. Inc. (Envirocare) that its com)any policies are inconsistent with the employee protectico provisions of t1e statutory requirements of Section 211 of the Enem borganization Act and the regulatory requirements of 10 CFR 40.7. The Nuc c., 'egulatory Commission's letter to Envirocare indicates, among other conceim, that the com)any's policies are limited in scope. since its employees are protected w1en raising alleged violations of state or federal environmental laws but are not afforded the same protection when raising nuclear safety concerns. Additionally, the staff stated in the letter that Envirocare's policies should be cmended to indicate that: (1) employees are permitted to bypass company management and refer their concerns directly to government _ officials and (2) that employees

.are free to bring their concerr.s. whether " substantial" or not to the attention of federal regulatory officials. Envirocare is requested to amend its employee protection policies in order to be consistent with both statutory and regulatory requirements and to submit the amended policies to NRC for review no later than January 8. 1998.

Multi-Aaency Radiation Laboratory Protocols Manual Workaroun Meetina On December 8-10. 1997, the Division of Waste Management (DWM) staff hosted the 10th Multi-Agency Radiation Laboratory Protocols (MARLAP) workgroup meeting to discuss and develo) a multi-agency guidance manual on radioanalytical work. The MARLAP workgroup is comprised of re)resentatives from Federal Agencies (e.g.. Environmental Protection Agency. Jepartment of Energy. Department of Defense. Department of Commerce. Department of the Interior, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission) as well as Agreement State Representatives (e.g.. State of Kentucky and State of California). The purpose is to promote consistency in radioanalyti:'l protocols, provide criteria for assessment of radioanalytical results, evaluation of radioanalytical laboratories, and promotion of high quality radioanalytical work. Over 25 participants attended the meeting. The meeting focused on several issues including: sample preparation and preservation nuclear counting instrumentation, radiochemical separation, evaluation of radiological laboratories, radiochemical data validation, measurement statistics quality assuranceprojectplans.contractinglaboratoryservices,andquality assurance / quality control. The MARLAP workgroup target is to issue a first draft MARLAP document for / Ancy review by June 1998 and a revised version for public review by October 1998.

Radioloaical Society of North America Meetina On December 2.1997, a management representative from the Division "

Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety 3rovided a presentation about the ongoing comprehensive revision cf 10 C:R Part 35 during the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. This precentation was the same as that being provided to approximately fourteen professional societies as part DECEMBER 12, 1997 ENCLOSURE B

of the staff's effort to solicit industry input about the revision. During the presentation, attendees were provided with an overview of-the rulemaking

-effort and were afforded an opportunity to actively discuss the-Part 35 Working Group Cross Cutting Issues and the various alternatives under consideration for their solution.- A large number of attendees o)ted to provide comments or ask questions. Among the various comments t1ere appeared

'to be agreement ~~on the following issues: (a) medical institutions should continue to be required to have a Radiation Safety Committee to include diagnostic use only partici) ants: (b) the requirement for a Quality Management Program was not necessary.10 wever, the basic requirements to use a written directive, redundantly identify

. dose required seemed reasonable: patients, and (c) Board certified and physicians verify doseshould delivery not compared be iequired to take an examination demonstrating competency in radiation safety matters as their certification process adecuately addressed this issue.

Several attendees commented positively about the buclear Regulatory

. Commission's efforts to solicit input and keep the regulated industry informed about the ongoing revision of Part 35.

4 DECEMBER 12. 1997 ENCLOSURE B

1 Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Items of Interest .

Week Ending December 12. 1997 Reactor PresLre Vessel Lower Head Failure Exoeriments at Sandia National ,

_aboratories The lower head of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) can be: subject to

-significant thermal and pressure loads in the late phases of core melting during a severe accident. An understanding of the mode, timing, and size of

-lower head failure is important in the evaluation of the consequences of a severe accident because it defines the initial conditions for many of the subsequent challenges to containment integrity. A series of tests to understand the nature of RPV lower head failure are being conducted by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The 6th test (I HF-6) in the series was conducted successfully-at SNL on December 5, 1997. The vessel failure occurred near the vessel bottom center. Data from these experiments will be used in developing and validating analytical models of RPV lower head failure.

Meetino with Nuclear Enerov Institute on Risk-Informed Reculation-The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) has proposed a program whereby a full-scope PRA will be used. in conjunction with information on plant resource allocations, to better allocate expenditures to the most risk-sigr.ificant aspects of plant design and operations. On November 24, 1997. NRC staff members met with representatives of NEI and the licensee for Arkansas Nuclear One (AN0) i.o discuss this program. The purpose for the meeting was to discuss the general approach developed by NEI as a) plied to the specific risk-informed licensing basis change being proposed by A40. The next meeting with NEI is scheduled for December 15, 1997, to discuss specific aspects of the proposed NEI process.

DECEMBER 12, 1997 ENCLOSURE C

Office for_ Analysis and-Evaluation of Operational Data Items of Interest Week Ending December 12, 1997 Reactor Safety Course

.A Perspectives on Reactor Safety Course (R-800) was presented in Region I December 8-12, 1997. This was the last course presentation under the present-

. contract, Major areas of discussion were: Historical Perspectives. Accident Sequences,. Accident Progression in the Reactor Vessel Accident Progression in the Containment, and Accident Consequences and Emergency Plans. Sixteen people from Region I and two from Region III attended.

A special presentation of the PRA for Technical Managers Course (P-107) was conducted for Commissioner McGaffigan and Commission staff December 8-10.

1997. The course introduced PRA concepts including reactor and non-reactor applications. The course included an introduction to PRA methods used in system modeling, accident progression analysis, accident consequence analysis, and performance assessment, In addition to furnishing a discussion of the mechanics, strengths, weaknesses, and limitations U a PRA, the course provided information on advanced training available to the technical staff, the current agency policy on the use of PRA, information on how the agency has used PRA in making decisions, and the value of and methods for using PRA to get the most benefit from evailable resources. The course also discussed agency applications of PRA methodology including the new risk-informed Regulatory Guides and Standard Review Plans Performance Assessment for Yucca Mountain, and the Integrated Assessment for Materials applications. NRR, RES, and NMSS managers and staff supported this special course presentation, A spcial Examination Techniques Course (G-107) was presented at the TTC Dece.nber 8-12, 1997. This course was added to the schedule in response to a request by the Chief Operator Licensing Branch, NRR. This additional course was necessary because of-staff turnover and a proposed change in the operator licensing program.- Consequently, NRR is taking measures to ensure that sufficient NRC examiners are trained and certified to review, ap3 rove, and administer the licensing examinations that will be prepared by tie licensees.

Attendees were from Region II, Region III, and NRR.

Meetina with DOE AE00 management and staff met with representatives of the Department of Energy Headquarters and Nevada Operations to discuss issues. pertaining to the Aerial Measuring System (AMS), and the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) course currently under contract review. They also discussed FRMAC's participation in exercises and AMS deployment in actual events.

PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATIONS

1. PNO-I-97-074. Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Co. (Haddam Neck 1),

CONNECTICUT YANKEE SENIOR MANAGEMENT RESTRUCTURING DECEMBER 12. 1997 ENCLOSURE D

2. PNO-I-97-075. Mas Inspection. Inc. RADIOGRAPHY SOURCE DISCONNECT AT A TEMPORARY JOBSITE

3. PN0-1-97-075A, Mqs Inspection. Inc., RADIOGRAPHY SOURCE DISCONNECT AT A TEMPORARY JOBSITE (UPDATE)

DECEMBER 12, 1997 ENCLOSURE D

4 Office of Administration

-Items of Interest Week Ending December 12, 1997 Contract Awards Contract No. NRC-10-98 144 entitled. Medical Review Officer (MRO) Services" was awarded to Rodney V. Burbach M.D., P.C. The fixed price / requirements type contract in the amount of $33.961.90 is effective December 15. 1997, through December 14, 1999. This procurement was completed in 7 weeks. Award was made using the following streamlining initiatives: electronic transmittal of S0W, use of commercial product description, and reduced proposal preparation time.

On December 5,1997, a fixed price requirements contract was awarded to Kelly

& DeWitt. Inc., under a small business set-aside, entitled "NRC Issuances and Indexes." The contractor is responsible for the preparation of a camera-quality copy and an electronic version of the monthly issuances, including quarterly and semi-annual indexes, and a six-month hardbound edition of the NRC Issuances and Indexes. The contract award amount is $316.662.58

- and the period of performance is December 7, 1997, through December 6, 2002.

The streamlining initiatives utilized included: deadline was set for proposer's questions, proposal preparation time was reduced, the number of pages in an offeror's proposal was limited, and foldouts / sales brochures were prohibited.

Trainino for Acauisition Personnel W lecember 9 and December 12, 1997, the Division of Contracts and Property Management (DCPM) sponwred two separate all day training sessions for the acquisition professional. The first session, held December 9, 1997. was attended by DCPM and OGC staff. This training session focused on the rewrite of Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 15. The major purpose of the rewrite is to improve the efficiency of the competitive negotiation process. A

- secondary purpose of the rewrite is to improve communication between the contracting 3arties during the negotiation process. The course was taught by Ralph C. Nas1 Jr. . Professor Emeritus of Law at George Washington University's National Law Center. Professor Nash, a widely respected authority on this subject, has been actively engaged in Government contracting as an administrator, attorney, educator. and author for over 35 years.

The second training session, held December 12, 1997, covered the subject.

"Research for the Acquisition Professional". The_ training session, attended by DCPM staff.-featured lecture, discussion, and hands-on exercises for conducting research on the Internet. The course included a brief introduction

- to the Internet and an introduction to various Internet sites -- government and private industry -- which could be accessed to obtain information of

- importance to the-acquisition professional. At the completion of the course.

attendees used the Internet to identify and bcate acquisition information materials and sources, as well as to access a variety of sources of infon1ation to support market research.

DECEMBER 12. 1997 ENCLOSURE F

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- OWFNRestack(

-The 16th floor Restack phase is progressing on schedule which will allow SECY,1 EDO staf f, OCA staff, and the Director. OIP to move to thei16th floor'- -

beginning. January 8.-1998.- On December 10.:--1997. members of the ADM Project =

Team met with rearesentatives of the carpet manufacturer.:the carpet

' installer, and tie general contractor to discuss. concerns over the appearance:

-of the; installed carpet.-The manufacturer has sent out several-carpet tiles-to be tested and is confident that a-remedy will be found which will-not interfere with the scheduled move date.

~ CCTV Cameras Cabling;for the new~ outdoor cameras is in the process of being installed. A few ~ additional-cameras are being added and black and white cameras are bein replaced with color cameras / monitors throughout-the White l Flint complex as g 1part of the NRC Headquarters final phase of physical security upgrades.

h D -Activity .

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The Rulesfand Directives Branch (RDB) provided-assistance in-the preparation .

.of a document withdrawing-a ' direct final rule published October 17.1997 (62 -

FR 53933). concerning the incorporation by reference of-the most recent

+

version of a national consensus standard for power, instrumentation, and control--portions of safety systems in nuclear power plants. The direct. final rule is'being withdrawn because the NRC received significant adverse comment on this= action. The direct final--rule must be withdrawn before the effective date that was specified in the direct final rule when it was originally published.

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Chief Information Officer Items of Interest Week Ending December 12. 1997 3reedom of Information and Privacy Act Recuests Received durina the 5-Day

)eriod of December 5-11. 1997:

Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel Div., SC. audits or visits since 1/1/96.

(FOIA/PA-97-471)

MLTS database portable gauge licensees on diskette. (FOIA/PA-97-472)

Susquehanni power plant, latest 01 report and exhibits. (F01A/PA-97-473)

Schlumberger Lompany ' violations for past 3 years. (F01A/PA-97-474)

Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corp., form AEC-592 (identifies areas of license non-compliance). (FOIA/PA-97-475)

Vacancy Announcement R9758016. Sr. Fuel Facility Project-Inspector.

(F01A/PA 97-476)

Diablo Canyon allegation RIV-95 A-0067, pressurized safety valve.

(F0lA/PA-97-477)-

IMPAC listing. (FOIA/PA-97-478)

DECEMBER 12, 1997 ENCLOSURE G

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E Office of Human Resources-JItems of/ Interest .'

Week Ending December 12, 1997 t

Workshoo on Controllina Your Personal Finances Held - -

On December 3:and:10,1997.:the NRC Employee Assistance Prgram sponsored a- .

-workshop; " Controlling Your Personal Finances.".'More_than 80 em)loyees-attended-the two sessions. - Judy McCoid ' Education Directcr of-tie Consumer i

Credit Counseling _ Service (CCCS).1gave a talk on_ budgeting:and debt management, which included discussions on_how to strengthen financial-security. plan a realistic budget, obtain credit and maintain a good-credit record. choose the best credit cards, and get copies of and: interpret credit .

' reports.

CCCS is a non-profit financial _ counseling service dedicated to helping people ilearnito live within their budgets and pay off-their debts. Services offered-  !

by CCCS include free professional-money management advice, a debt repayment Lplan. mortgage counseling, and viable alternatives to personal bankruptcy.

Arrivals None.

Retirements-POTTER. John TECHNICAL ASSISTANT (PFT) RII URYC. Bruno DIRECTOR. EICS (PFT) RII'

{ Departures  ;

KENNEDY; Janet PROJECT MANAGER (PFT) NRR L

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Office of Public Affairs  !

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Items of. Interest: - .

. Week Enaing December 12?1997- a

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Media' Ihterest -.-

Several newspapers interviewed Chairman Jackson on a telephone, conference call ,

regarding the proposed $2.1M fine against Millstone.

Nine reporters: attended a special evaluation' team exit meeting.at Clinton. ,

School Volunteers'Proaram-Ron Hernan and Tom Fredrichs. NRR. Ed Halman ADM. Martie Lopez-Nagle.- OIG. . ,

and Bob Miller.1ADM. visited Westland M.S. to talk about-their careers in-

. electrical engimering, chemistry.-business. personnel. and photography.

Charlotte Abrams. NMSS, talked about rocks and geology with students at 4 Charles Drew E.S.

Bret Leslie. NMSS talked about' geology with students at Whetstone E.S.

t Press Releases Headquarters:

.97-180' NRC Proposes'$2.1 Million in Fines for Violations at Millstone-Station 97-181 Note to Editors: ACRS Meeting January 23 97-182- Note to Editors: ACRS Meeting January 20 Regions:-

I~-97-155- NRC, Pennsylvania Firm to Discuss Apparent Violations Involving Radiation Safety Program on December 12 I-97-157- NRC, PP&L to Discuss Apparent Violations at Susquehanna Plant 97-85 NRC Staff Proposes $55.000 Fine Against Sequoyah Nuclear Power P1 ant i :11-97-86 NRC Staff to Hold Predecisional Enforcement Conference With CP&L to: Discuss Regulatory Concerns at Brunswick

^

II-97-87J NRC Staff > Plans. Performance Review Meeting At Framatome Facility in Lynchburg. Virginia '

, 3I11-97-106- NRC: Staff to Meet-With American Electric Power Company to

, Discuss the D.C. Cook Plant's Readiness to Restart

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DECEMBER:12, 1997 ENCLOSURE M

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'Ill-97-107; NRC Staff Proposes $55,000 Fine Against U'S.. Enrichment-Corporation for Security Violations ~at- Paducah Plant'

~ 't 111 97-108 NRC Staff to Meet With' Consumers Energy Co.-to Discuss  :

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Apparent Violaticas at Palisades Nuclear Plant -  ;

IV-97 MeetingScheduled-to-AddressPilot_Progamfor-NRC_ Oversight  ;

= at-DOE-s Berkeley Laboratory

=IV-97-76;

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NRCD University of South Dakota to Discuss Apparent -

Violations-in Handling of. Radioactive Materials-s

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-- Office of# International Programs -

-Items of Interest t LWeek Ending December 12i-1997-

~~ IAEA' Vacancy Notices

.The following notices from the' International Atomic Energy Agency have been: C,

. posted'on NRC bulletin boards:

-P 5 -Section Head' -

97/076-Safeguards P 5 Section Head- 97/C.3 Safeguards-

0-1-1 Director- .

97/071 -

.= Technical _Co-operation '

P-5; Unit Head.-. Project Mgmt. & Support for Support Div. . 97/073-

. Safeguards:

P-5 -Unit Head.' Project Mgmt. & Support for Oper. Div. 97/074- '

-Safeguards

P-4 Budget & Finance Officer 97/075

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-Safeguards P-4 tSafeguards Analyst 97/078

. Safeguards P-3 Management Analyst 97/079 ,

1 Administration 0-1 Director.- 97/080 Safeguards-

-P'4; Research Reactor Specialist 97/081-e -

.Research and Isotopes P-3 -Supervisor. Radiometry Group : 97/082 Research and. Isotopes P-3 : Reactor-Engineer . 97/083 j- ' Nuclear Energy-_

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.P-4 . Regional Manager for Radiation & Waste Safety 97/801

-Technical . Co-operation'.

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DECEMBER 112. ,1997-

ENCLOSURE N

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,- l Visit of Dr. Roaer Clarke. Director. U.K. National Radioloaical Protection Board (NRPB) and Chairman of the International Commission on Radioloaical l

)rotection-(ICRP1 Dr.= Reger H. Clarke visited the Commission on December 11. 1997. The purpose- t of his visit was to discuss his views on-1) release of two ICRP Publications- .

Policy for Waste Disposal and Dose Limit for Intakes of Radionuclides of.

Workers. 2) adoption of Publication 60 in the U.S., 3): threshold controversy,

• and 4) ICRP future program of work. While here, he also discussed with_the-Commission che issue of how to effectively communicate-the-concept of " risk" to-the_public.  ;

Annual Proaram Review Meetina with Gosatomnadzor. the Russian Nuclear Reaulator. December 8-12. 1997

.During_the week of December 8-12.-1997, representatives of the Russian Federal

. Authority on Nuclear and Radiction Safety (Gosatomnadzor - GAN) including Alexander 1Gutsalov. First Deputy Chairman: Alexander Matveev. Director.- '

Scientific and Technical Department: Andrei Vistgof. Director. Inter-Regional '

'Infonnation Center: and Irina Sokolova. International Relations Officer.

visited the NRC-during the period December 8-12, 1997.

Durirg their visit. the representatives met with Chairman Jackson and the Commissioners,-the Executive Director for Operations.-and appropriate members ,

. of the NRC staff. This was the sixth annual meeting between the two agencies. -

the purpose of which was to review program results and accomplishments since the last meeting in February 1997, to reaffirm or revise previous program-commitments, and to consider proposals for future activities ~under the

" Lisbon" program. The NRC agreed to support the program efforts-described in the Memorandum of Meeting signed on December 12 by Acting Executive Director for _0perations Hugh Thompson and First-Deputy Chairman of GAN.

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Office of the Secretary items of Interest Week Ending December 12, 1997 Decision Documents Released to the Public Document Date Subject

1. SECY 97-263 11/4/97 Request by New Mexico to Relinquish Authority for Sealed Source and Device Evaluation and Approval

- SRM on 97 263 12/2/97 (same)

- Commission Voting 12/2/97 (same)

Record on 97-263

2. SECY-97-241 10/17/97 Redelegation of Authority

- SRM on 97-241 12/2/97 (same)

- Commission Voting 12/2/97 (same)

Record on 97-241

3. SFCY-97-273 11/26/97 Staff Requirements - SECY-96-221 -

" Improving NRC's Control Over. and Licensees' Accountability for.

Generally and Specifically Licensed Devices 1 Information Papers Released to the Public

1. SECY-97-267 11/13/97 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending November 7 1997

2. SECY-97-272 11/26/97 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending November 21. 1997

3. SECY-97-277 12/4/97 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending November 28, 1997

4. SECY-97-280 12/3/97 Proposed NRC Generic Letter. " Steam Generator Tube Inspection Techniques"

5. SECY-97-282 12/3/97 Results of the Staff's Evaluation of Ongoing Feedback from Licensees on the Impact of NRC's Activities on Licensees' Operations

6. SECY-97-283 -12/4/97~ Recovery of Millstone Nuclear Power Station

. DECEMBER 12. 1997 ENCLOSURE O J

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4 Memorandum Released to the Public ,

1. M971029B 12/11/97 Staff Requirements - SECY-97-242 -

Update on the Site Decommissioning Management Plan and Briefing on Site Decommissioning Management Plan (SDMP).

Wednesday. October 29,1997 Commission Corresoondence Released to the Public No Commission correspondence was released this week Federal Reaister Notices Issued

1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards: Subcommittee on Human Factors:

Notice of Meeting on January 20, 1998

2. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards: Subcommittee on Plant License Renewal: Notice of Meeting on January 23. 1998

3. Receipt of an Amended Petition for Rulemaking: Peter G. Crane DECEMBER 12, 1997 ENCLOSURE O

s Region I' Items of Interest Week Ending December 12, 1997 PECO Enerav Comoany - Peach Bottom Unit 1-On December-4. 1997, the NRC Region I Project Manager and the Peach Bottom site Senior Resident Inspector toured the Peach Bottom Unit 1 Reactor. Peach Bottom Unit I was a High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor which operated from 1964 until 1972, when the reactor was shut down. The fuel was off loaded and all liquids were shipped for disposal in 1974. Unit I currently is in safe storage and is scheduled to be decommissioned, along with Units 2 and 3. after the licenses for Units 2 and 3 are due to expire in 2015. The tour included the waste handling building, the refueling platform, the turbine building, and the primary containment. The tour was performed to become familiar with and to assess the activities which may be required to fully decommission the facility. The Project Manager also performed a preliminary evaluation of the complexity of the radiological surveys required to provide the necessary information to demonstrate that residual radioactivity levels satisfy the criteria for license termination.

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Region-II .

- - - . Items of_ Interest- .

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-WeekLEnding December 12.11997' '

t ANS Conference-

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On-December 8-10 -1997.1there'was a-Utility /NRCIInterface: Workshop at the-Atlanta Marriott Northwest in Atlanta, Georgia. The workshop was well -

-dttended by-Region II' Utility senior managers --Region II managers, and NRC' senior managers. Approximately 90 participants discussed. topics such as .

L enforcement,= allegations, risk informed regulation,:and the Year 2000 computer '

issuer

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Carolina Power and Liaht Comoany --Harris

-i Representatives from' Carolina Power and Light Company were in the Regional. .

4 Office to-attend a Harris Self-Assessment presentation. - The licensee-discussed overall-~ plant performance, organizational initiatives and strengths '

and challenges in each functional area. The Harris 'SALP period ends

January 17,-1998,

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c Region III Items of Interest Week Ending December 12, 1997 .

Soecial inspection Team at Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant

'On December 8, 1997. NRC-staff commenced a special inspection at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The inspection reviewed the corrective actions taken by the U.S. Enrichment Corporation to the problems identified-

-over the last six months with the Nuclear Criticality Safety Controls Program.

Clinton Nuclear Power Plant - Soecial Evaluation Team Public Exit On December 11, 1997, a Jublic exit meeting was held at the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant to present tie findings of NRC s Special Evaluation Team. The team monitored Illinois Power Company's Integrated Safety Assessment and, in addition, performed an independent review of the )lant's performance. The 10-member team was headed by Kenneth Perkins, Jr. , w1o is Director of the NRC's Field Office in Walnut Creek, California.

The NRC team observed the work of the utility assessment at the Clinton site September 24-October 3. Its independent onsite follow up took place October 20-31. The wri'. ten report of the NRC team's findings will be issued in late December.

DECEMBER 12 1997 ENCLOSURE-P

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' Region IV Items of Interest Week Ending December 12. 1997 Pre-Decisional Enforcement Conference with South Texas Pro.iect On Monday. December 8. the Regional Administrator and members of the Region IV and NRR staffs met with representatives of the South Texas Project to conduct a predecisional enforcement conference. The purpose of the pre-decisional enforcement conference was to discuss seven apparent violations: one related

-to corrective action, five related to design control, and one related to 10 CFR 50.59 safety evaluations.

Chairman Jackson Visit to Reaion IV (Arlinoton) Office On December 10. 1997. Chairman Jackson visited Region IV accompanied by members of her personal staff. The Chairman met with regional management and small groups of the regional staff. The groups represented all aspects of regional operations, including both resident and region-based inspectors, as well as the investigative and administrative staff.

Reaion IV Resident Insoector Countercart Meetina The semi-annual Resident Inspector Counterpart Meeting was held in the Region IV offices on December 10-12, 19.97. The Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), was the keynote speaker for the meeting. The meeting agenda included presentations by NRR management and staff concerning topics of current interest, including the recent changes to Generic Letter 91-18 the current application of 10CFR50.59. recent PRA initiatives, and an u)date on the application of the maintenance rule. The agenda included a wor (shop to improve inspection of plant material condition. In addition. two outside speakers representing Texas Utilities Electric Company and the Texas Independent System Operator presented information concerning grid reliability and stability in a deregulated electricity market.

DECEMBER 12. 1997 ENCLOSURE P

Office of the Executive Director for Operations items of Interest Week Ending December 12.~ 1997 Office of Small Business and Civil Richts ProDosed Rule Sianed by EDO in.accordance with'the rulemaking authority delegated.to the Executive .

Director for Operations (ED0). a 3roposed joint rule promulgated by the U.S.

~ Department of Justice was signed )y the EDO on December 9. 1997, that would amend the NRC regulations at 10 CFR Part 4 to implement the provisions of Title IX of the-Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX prohibits

. discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities receiving or benefitting from Federal financial assistance. The Office of Small. Business and Civil Rights is responsible for Title IX 1mplementation oversight.

s DECEMBER 12 1997 ENCLOSURE O

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