ML20236T172

Discusses OI Repts 1-96-007,1-96-014,1-96-034 & 1-96-048 Re Multiple Neut Employees.Investigations Initiated to Determine If Employment of Individuals Was Terminated on 960111 for Raising Safety Issues

ML20236T172
Person / Time
Site:	Millstone, Haddam Neck  File:Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Co icon.png
Issue date:	07/20/1998
From:	Lanning W NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:	Bowling M, Loftus P NORTHEAST NUCLEAR ENERGY CO.
References
EA-97-564, NUDOCS 9807280001
Download: ML20236T172 (3)

Text

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EU-m, .0423 July 20,1998 EA 97-564 l

Mr. M. L. Bowling, Recovery Officer - Technical Services C

I. /o Ms. Patricia Loftus, Director - Regulatory Affairs for Millstone Station . .

j NORTHEAST NUCLEAR ENERGY COMPANY L  : P.O. Box 128 Waterford, CT 06385 I

SUBJECT:

NRC OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIONS REPORTS 1-96-007, 1-96-014, 1-96-034, 1 AND 1-96-048

Dear Mr. Bowling:

This letter refers to several investigations conducted at the Millstone Nuclear Power Station and the Haddam Neck Plant by the NRC Office of Investigations (01) Field Office, Region 1.

These investigations, conceming multiple Northeast Utilities (NU) employees, were initiated to determine whether the employment of those individuals was terminated by NU on January  ;

11,1996, in retaliation for having engaged in protected activity by raising safety issues. 1 A comprehensive review of NU's workforce reduction process, as it applied to employees who

, had previously engaged in protected activities, was conducted by the NRC, including a review of the "Workforce Reduction Matrices" and the " General Release and Covenant Not to Sue."

The "Workforce Reduction Matrices" were used to rank employees by department, in order to  ;

select the lowest ranking employees for termination. The " General Release and Covenant . 1 Not to Sue" was offered to the terminated employees as part of a severance package, if they chose to sign it. Based upon its review of this matter, the NRC staff concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations of discrimination. )'- ,

1

. Additionally, we have concluded that the " General Release and Covenant Not to Sue" did not  ;

violate 10 CFR 50.7(f) and was otherwise not objectionable insofar as the NRC's primary

- interests were concemed.

h/ J In a related matter, we note that you have initiated actions to address the NRC Order dated '

. October 26,1996, to establish a " safety mnscious work environment" program, strengthen l leadership skills, and foster a team-building relationship between management and the

.workforce to preclude future actual or perceived incidents of the type that prompted these investigations.

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t, Mr. M. L. Bowling 2

. No reply to this letter is necessary. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of

( ' Practice " a copy of this letter will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR).

l l Sincerely, ORIGINAL SIGNED BY:

l Wayne D. Lanning Deputy Director of Inspections Millstone Special Projects Office - NRR I

Docket Nos. 50-213; 50-245; 50-336; 50-423 License Nos. DPR-61; DPR-21; DPR-65; NFP-49 cc:

B. Kenyon, President and Chief Executive Officer - Nuclear Group M. H. Brothers, Vice President - Operations

_J. McElwain, Recovery Officer - Millstone Unit 2 J. Streeter, Recovery Officer - Nuclear Oversight P. Hinnenkamp, Director - Unit 3 J. A. Price, Director - Unit 2 D. Amerine, Vice President - Human Services E. Harkness, Director, Unit 1 Operations J. Althouse, Manager - Nuclear Training Assessment Grono F. C. Rothen, Vice President, Work Services J. Cantrell, Director - Nuclear Training (CT)

S. J. Sherman, Audits and Evaluation L. M. Cuoco, Esquire J. R. Egan, Esquire V. Juliano, Waterford Library J. Buckingham, Department of Public Utility Control  !

S. B. Comley, We The People State of Connecticut SLO Designee

' D. Katz, Citizens Awareness Network (CAN) .

R. Bassilakis, CAN J. M. Block, Attomey, CAN S. P. Luxton, Citizens Regulatory Commission (CRC)

Representative T. Concannon i E. Woollacott, Co-Chairman, NEAC I Mr. R. A. Mellor, VP, Operations and Decommissioning D. Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer T. Bennet, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer G. Bouchard, Unit Director J. Haseltine, Engineering Director G. van Noordennen, Licensing Manager J. Ritsher, CYAPCO Counsel J. Brooks, CT Attomey General Office l K. Ainsworth, Town of Haddam l

i 9

~

Mr. M. L. Bowling 3 Distribution:

Region i Docket Room (with copy of concurrences)

Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)

PUBLIC FILE CENTER, NRR (with Oriainal concurrences)

SPO Secretarial File, Region i B. Jones, PIMB/ DISP W. Lanning, Deputy Director of Inspections, SPO, RI D. Screnci, PAO W. Travers, Director, SPO, NRR B. Letts, 01, RI D. Holody, ORA T. Walker, ORA -

B. Fewell, ORA D. Vito, SAC J. White, DRS J. Nick, DNMS R. Bellamy, DNMS l Distribution: (VIA E-MAIL)

J. Andersen, PM, SPO, NRR M. Callahan, OCA R. Correia, NRR B. McCabe, OEDO S. Dembek, PM, SPO, NRR E. Imbro, Deputy Director of ICAVP Oversight, SPO, NRR  !

D. Mcdonald, PM, SPO, NRR

' P. McKee, Deputy Director of Licensing, SPO, NRR ,

H. Pastis, SPO, NRR S. Reynolds, Chief, ICAVP Oversight, SPO, NRR  ;

D. Screnci, PAO Inspection Program Branch (IPAS)

J. Lieberman, OE (OEMAIL)

L. Rafky, OGC K. Kennedy, OEDC S. Weiss, NRR, DRPM, PDND T. Fredrichs, PM, NRR R. Correia, NRR F. Talbot. NRR DOCDESK OOCUMENT NAME: G:\ BRANCH 6\JAN96.A T3 receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box: "C" = Copy w thout attachment / enclosure T = Copy with attachment / enclosure *N"

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DATE 6/29/98 98 /9 '7/ ~? /98 W /~//98 mamammunes sumammmmmmmageW uma num summmmmmmmmmun siin seim OFFICE OE F A h OGC pl N SP NAME JLiebermaW 76,N4'r$ FAF,,AhTTraVrs 7 / 7 /98 C'"

DATE 7 / 4 /98 / //$

OFFICIAL PgCORD DOPY i

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