ML21117A383
| ML21117A383 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07003103 |
| Issue date: | 04/26/2021 |
| From: | Robert Williams NRC/RGN-II/DFFI |
| To: | Cowne S Louisiana Energy Services, URENCO USA |
| References | |
| IR 2021001 | |
| Download: ML21117A383 (3) | |
Text
April 26, 2021 Mr. Stephen Cowne Chief Nuclear Officer and Compliance Manager LOUISIANA ENERGY SERVICES (LES) dba URENCO USA (UUSA)
URENCO USA P.O. Box 1789 Eunice, NM 88231
SUBJECT:
URENCO USA (UUSA) - INTEGRATED INSPECTION REPORT 07003103/2021001
Dear Mr. Cowne:
This letter refers to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection oversight activities conducted from January 1 to March 31, 2021, for the Urenco USA (UUSA) facility in Eunice, NM. During this period, the NRC did not conduct any onsite inspection activities at your site.
Specifically, the inspection originally scheduled for the week of February 8th, 2020 was rescheduled to a date later in this calendar year due to the public health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on January 31, 2020 (as renewed on April 21, 2020, July 23, 2020, October 2, 2020, January 7, 2021 and April 21, 2021), and the National Emergency declared by the President of the United States of March 13, 2020 (and continued on February 24, 2021), regarding the public health risks of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.
On March 19, 2020, the NRC transitioned into a mandatory telework posture for all staff consistent with social distancing and travel recommendations issued to federal agencies.
Consequently, the NRC Region II staff continues to evaluate how to best conduct inspections while balancing determinations of reasonable assurance of adequate protection and ensuring the health and safety of inspectors and the public at large.
The inspectors implemented measures during the inspection period to support the determination of reasonable assurance that the public and the environment will be adequately protected from the hazards related to the operation of your facility. These compensatory measures included activities such as supplemental reviews of licensee-submitted reports (e.g. effluent reports, plant modification reports, and chances to the Integrated Safety Analysis Summary) and increased communications with your staff to discuss the status of plant operation.
The compensatory measures did not constitute direct inspection and were intended to address the impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency on the agencys routine oversight program, particularly on the continuous engagement with your facility via periodic site visits and in-person interactions. These proactive actions were taken to obtain additional insights into the safe operation of the facility during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The NRC will continue evaluating the guidelines and recommendations from federal and state authorities, along with the conditions of your facility, to determine how to best conduct inspections until normality can be achieved. In the interim, the NRC plans to continue to maintain compensatory measures and frequent communications with your staff to discuss regulatory compliance matters and gather information to inform the decisions about future inspections.
No violations of more than minor significance were identified during the inspection period covered in this letter.
In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 2.390 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice and Procedure," a copy of this letter and enclosure will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
If you have any questions, please contact Brannen Adkins of my staff at (404) 997-4620.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Robert E. Williams, Jr., Chief Projects Branch 1 Division of Fuel Facility Inspection Docket No. 07003103 License No. SNM-2010 cc: Distribution via LISTSERV
ML21117A383 x Non-Sensitive x Publicly Available x SUNSI Review Sensitive Non-Publicly Available OFFICE RII: DFFI/PB1 RII: DFFI/PB1 RII: DFFI/PB1 NAME L. Cooke B. Adkins R. Williams DATE 3/22/2021 3/22/2021 4/26/2021