SECY-23-0084, Weekly Information Report Week Ending September 15, 2023

SECY-23-0084: Weekly Information Report Week Ending September 15, 2023

ML23264A858
Person / Time
Issue date:	09/25/2023
From:	Marissa Bailey NRC/EDO/AO
To:	Commissioners NRC/OCM
References
SECY-23-0084
Download: ML23264A858 (14)

Text

_____________________

INFORMATION REPORT SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 SECY-23-0084 FOR:

The Commissioners FROM:

Marissa G. Bailey Assistant for Operations Office of the Executive Director for Operations

SUBJECT:

WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 CONTENTS Enclosure Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer A

Office of the Chief Information Officer B

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation C

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards D

Office of Administration E

Office of Enforcement F

Office of the Secretary G

Matthew Meyer for Marissa G. Bailey Assistant for Operations, OEDO CONTACT: John R. Jolicoeur, OEDO 301-415-1642 Meyer, Matthew signing on behalf of Bailey, Marissa on 09/25/23

ML23264A858 OFFICE OEDO OEDO/AO NAME JJolicoeur MMeyer for MBailey DATE 9/22/2023 9/25/2023

Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer Items of Interest Week Ending September 15, 2023 ARRIVALS NONE RETIREMENTS NONE DEPARTURES HARVEY, EDWARD F HEALTH PHYSICIST RES WEST, STEPHANIE R PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER (SOCIAL MEDIA)

OPA SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE A

Office of the Chief Information Officer Items of Interest Week Ending September 15, 2023 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) Requests and Appeals Received During the Period of September 11 - September 15, as submitted by requester Tracking Number Requesters Name Requesters Organization Request Description Received Date FOIA-2023-000207 Brown, Ann Center for Biological Diversity Records from the NRC NMSS/REFS/ELRB from June 16, 2022 to the date that the search is conducted that document the consultation or reinitiated consultation under the ESA on the potential impacts to endangered and threatened species and their critical habitat for NRC's licensing renewal for Turkey Point Units 3 and 4.

09/11/2023 FOIA-2023-000208

Miranda, Samuel n/a Requester is seeking that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) produce a copy of all the comments that the NRCs Office of the Inspector General (OIG) received regarding the audit report the OIG issued on August 12, 2022, entitled Audit of the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions Drop-In Meeting Policies and Procedures (OIG-22-A-12, ADAMS No. ML22266A058).

These are comments that are submitted to OIG via a link, listed on the last page of OIG-22-A-12, to Audit.Comments@nrc.gov.

09/11/2023 FOIA-2023-000209

Miranda, Samuel n/a Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552), requester is seeking the application(s) it received from Constellation and/or Exelon for authorization to raise the licensed power level of four of its nuclear power plants, all of which are sited in Illinois.

This power uprating, amounting to about 135 Mwe, was announced on 22 February 2023 by Constellation (see https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Reprieved-Illinois-plants-to-be-uprated). Constellation claims that the increase in power could begin by 2026 and completed by 2029. The affected nuclear power plants are: 1. Byron Station, Unit 1, Renewed License No. NPF-37, Docket Number: 05000454 2. Byron Station, Unit 2, Renewed License No. NPF-66, Docket Number: 05000455 3. Braidwood Station, Unit 1, Renewed License No. NPF-72, 09/11/2023 SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE B

Tracking Number Requesters Name Requesters Organization Request Description Received Date FOIA-2023-000209 (continued)

Docket Number: 05000456 4. Braidwood Station, Unit 2, Renewed License No. NPF-77, Docket Number: 05000457 FOIA-2023-000210

Ewing, Nikolai I would like to know the dollar amount of tax revenue generated by the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in the Calendar fiscal year 2019. News sources discussed how much the plant earned in earlier years but not in 2019.

09/12/2023 FOIA-2023-000211

Marrero, Elliot Purdue University NUREG/CR-4880: Characterization of irradiated current-practice welds and A533 Grade B Class 1 plate for nuclear pressure vessel service: Volume 2 NUREG/CR-4086:

Tensile Properties of Irradiated Nuclear Grade Pressure Vessel Welds for the Third HSST Irradiation Serie 09/13/2023 FOIA-2023-000212

Emerson, Jasmyne Purdue University I am requesting access to NUREG/CR-1158:

Tensile Properties of Irradiated and Unirradiated Welds of A533 Steel Plate and A508 Forgings.

09/13/2023 FOIA-2023-000213

Emerson, Jasmyne Purdue University I am requesting access to NUREG/CR-3978:

Tensile Properties of Irradiated Nuclear Grade Pressure Vessel Plate and Welds for the Fourth HSST Irradiation Series.

09/13/2023 FOIA-2023-000214

Emerson, Jasmyne Purdue University I am requesting access to NUREG/CR-4880:

Characterization of Irradiated Current-Practice Welds and A533 Grade B Class 1 Plate for Nuclear Pressure Vessel Service.

09/13/2023 FOIA-2023-000215 Lauritzen, Kristen Holland and Hart Requester is seeking the following: (i) meetings referenced by Bill von Till, the Chief of the NRCs Uranium Recovery and Materials Decommissioning Branch, in the New Mexico Legislature Radioactive and Hazardous Committee Meeting of November 14, 2022, regarding the Homestake Mining Company of California (Homestake) Grants, New Mexico former uranium processing facility (a.k.a., the Grants Reclamation Project and hereinafter Grants) and characterized as involving community outreach; (ii) any meetings or communications between any NRC personnel and the Bluewater Valley Downstream Alliance (BVDA), the Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment (MASE), or any of their members or 09/14/2023 SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE B

Tracking Number Requesters Name Requesters Organization Request Description Received Date FOIA-2023-000215 (continued) representatives, in which Grants or Homestake were discussed and for which NRC did not provide public notice and/or an opportunity for the public to participate; or (iii) any non-public or closed meetings or communications between any NRC personnel and any third parties other than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), or New Mexico or its agencies or representatives, regarding Grants or Homestake.

FOIA-2023-000216 Aamot, Colin Copies of all FOIA appeal logs by year (calendar years 2010 to present). Copies of all Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request and appeal logs by year (calendar years 2010 to present). A copy of all opened or closed Inspection General Investigations (OIG) for calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Copies of the Congressional Correspondence Control logs (or similar control logs containing logs of all Congressional correspondence) for calendar years 2010 to present 09/15/2023 FOIA-2023-000217 Aamot, Colin Copies of all OGE Form 202 (Conflict of Interest Referral) generated within or by the agency or submitted to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) from January 1, 2021 to present. Copies of all Copies of all OGE Form 278e (Public Financial Disclosures) or OGE Form 278-T (Periodic Transation Reports) generated within or by the agency or submitted to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) from January 1, 2021 to present 09/15/2023 FOIA-2023-000218 Aamot, Colin Records sufficient to identify all employees who entered into a position at the agency as a Political Appointee since January 20, 2021, to the date this records request is processed, and the title or position of each employee (to the extent that individuals have held multiple positions during this time period, identify each title or position and the time period it was held). Records sufficient to identify all career employees who, between January 20, 2021, and the date 09/15/2023 SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE B

Tracking Number Requesters Name Requesters Organization Request Description Received Date FOIA-2023-000218 (continued) this records request is processed, have been detailed to 1) a position eligible to be filled by a Political Appointee, or 2) a new position through coordination or consultation with either the White House Liaison or Presidential Personnel Office; the title or position of each employee while on detail; and each employees originating agency or component, and prior title. For each individual identified in response to Requests 1 and 2 provide: 1. The resume provided by the individual to the agency in connection with determining the appropriate salary for the individual, or if that is not available, a recent resume contained within the agencys records. I no objection to the redaction of employees contact information, such as email, address, phone numbers etc.; however, prior employment, education, and descriptions of such experiences are not exempt and should be produced. 2. Any waivers issued to the individual pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 208(b).

3. Any authorizations for the individual issued pursuant to 5 C.F.R. § 2635.502. 4.

Any Ethics Pledge waivers, issued pursuant to Section 3 of Executive Order 13989 and Office of Government Ethics Legal Advisory 21-04, received by the individual. 5. Any ethics agreement executed by the individual; any Certification of Ethics Agreement Compliance; and any records relating to any violation by an individual of his or her ethics agreement. 6. Records reflecting any recusal determination made or issued for the individual. 7. Copies of any SF-50 forms for the individual reflecting any change in position, title, or salary, including when the employee starts or leaves a position. 8. Completed Ethics Pledge for each individual. Definitions For the purposes of this request, Political Appointee means any person who isemployed by the Department who is: 1)

Presidentially Appointed and Senate Confirmed (PAS); 2) Presidentially Appointed (PA); 3) in a non-career Senior SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE B

Tracking Number Requesters Name Requesters Organization Request Description Received Date FOIA-2023-000218 (continued)

Executive Service (SES) position; 5) a career SES but has been detailed to a leadership or political position since January 20, 2021, 6) a Schedule C employee; 7) in an administratively determined position; 8) in a position that was filled by coordination with, or through, the White House Liaison or Presidential Personnel Office (PPO) or 9) a Special Government Employee (SGE). To the extent an SGE is not a Political Appointee or an actual employee any request or reference to a political appointee or employee should be read to mean Political Appointee or SGE.

FOIA-2023-000219 Aamot, Colin Documents and data sufficient to account for the monthly occupancy or vacancy rates for the agency's five largest buildings (measured by square footage) from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022. A copy of all agencies telework policies or directives that were in place due to COVID-19 and/or the pandemic between 1 January 2020 and April 1, 2023.

09/15/2023 FOIA-2023-000220 Aamot, Colin I request records and documents sufficient (list, spreadsheet, or database) to account for of all contracts or grants referred for investigation, review, inquiry, or Office of the Inspector General (OIG) scrutiny due to potential, alleged, or confirmed fraud, waste, or abuse (FWA) from 2017 to present, including company details, contract specifics, and documentation of the referral process.

09/15/2023 FOIA-2023-000221 Aamot, Colin I respectfully request the following: A copy of all internal policy documents, memorandums or guidance pertaining to FOIA processing and procedures, FOIA Appeal processing and procedures, and Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) processing Policy and Procedures between 2018 and present. Please include any and all documents relating to steps the agency takes when processing or deconflicting with other agencies when processing FOIA requests, Appeals, or MDR requests.

09/15/2023 SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE B

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Items of Interest Week Ending September 15, 2023 NRC Staff held a Public Information Meeting to Discuss the Draft White Paper, Micro-Reactor Licensing and Deployment Considerations: Fuel Loading and Operational Testing at a Factory On September 11, 2023, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) hosted a public meeting on the draft white paper, Micro-Reactor Licensing and Deployment Considerations:

Fuel Loading and Operational Testing at a Factory (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML23236A598 and ML23236A597), which discusses considerations for licensing fuel loading and operational testing for micro-reactors at a factory and related topics. Over 200 stakeholders participated in the meeting, including industry groups, developers, news organizations, and Congressional staff. Stakeholders shared positive feedback with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff for its transformational and creative thinking in the paper and expressed a desire for ongoing engagement on micro-reactor topics. The feedback received at this meeting will inform the final development of a related notation vote paper.

NRR Hosted Public Risk Forum to Engage Stakeholders on Leveraging Risk-Informed Decision-Making On September 12, 2023, NRR staff hosted NRCs 2023 Risk Forum (ML23254A388). Over 400 stakeholders participated in the meeting, including experts from NASA, FAA, and multiple industry groups and utilities. Stakeholders also highlighted the successes of leveraging RIDM to make safety improvements at nuclear power plants; explored the many facets of managing the various kinds of uncertainty; and applying risk-informed principles to the licensing of operating, new, and advanced reactors. The feedback received at this meeting will inform and further the development and use of RIDM at the NRC.

BWX Technologies, Inc. Awarded Contract to Wyoming Energy Authority to Assess Possible Deployment of Microreactors in the State On September 12, 2023, BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) announced that it has entered into a contract with the Wyoming Energy Authority to assess possible deployment of its BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor (BANR) technology at various locations in the state. BWXT has indicated that a revised regulatory engagement plan will likely be submitted to the NRC in mid-2024 to reflect additional licensing activities that would be required for future deployment of the BANR in Wyoming. The NRC staff is currently supporting pre-application engagements with BWXT in support of the design and licensing of the BANR.

Department of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office Announced that a Contract was Awarded to X-Energy to Develop an Enhanced Engineering Design for a Transportable Micro Nuclear Reactor On September 13, 2023, the Department of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) announced that a contract option was awarded to X-energy to develop an enhanced engineering design for a transportable micro nuclear reactor under Project Pele. SCO stated that this contract option for one year of work by X-energy will not result in a completed SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE C

engineering design, but will allow a thorough analysis of design options, leading to a preliminary engineering design and initiation of a regulatory preapplication process.

NRC Staff Held Public Observation Meeting with Pacific Gas & Electric to Discuss Preparation of Initial License Renewal Application for Diablo Canyon Power Plant, Units 1 and 2 On September 13, 2023, the NRC staff held a hybrid (in-person/Microsoft Teams) pre-application meeting at headquarters with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) (ML23249A159). The staff provided an overview of the license renewal process for both the safety and environmental reviews for Diablo Canyon, Units 1 and 2. The meeting drew over 130 attendees including local, state, and congressional officials along with local native Tribes. Representatives from PG&E presented background information on the previously submitted and withdrawn application along with details of contents within the forthcoming application (ML23255A001) to be submitted no later than December 31, 2023, per the requirements of the exemption for timely renewal. Public comments focused on inclusion of local native Tribes within the license renewal process.

NRC Staff Hosted Public Information Meeting to Discuss the Proposed Path Forward for Industrys Use of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard 603-2018, Criteria for Safety Systems On September 14, 2023, the NRC staff hosted a public meeting to discuss the proposed path forward for industrys use of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard (IEEE Std.) 603-2018, Criteria for Safety Systems. IEEE Std. 603-2018 provides opportunities to leverage technology advancements for satisfying the Commission's regulations with respect to the design, reliability, qualification, and testability of Instrumentation & Controls (I&C) systems (e.g., new and advanced designs). The path forward includes an objective of providing industry with the regulatory confidence to use the 2018 version of the standard for the development of safety related I&C systems. To satisfy this objective, the NRC staff identified three options that were discussed during the public meeting including a revision to an existing regulatory guide, a rulemaking activity, and a generic communication to summarize the licensing pathway in satisfying the current requirements in 10 CFR 50.55a(h) (i.e., IEEE Std. 603-1991) when using either the 2018 version of the IEEE 603 Std. or a different standard.

NRC Staff Informed Abilene Christian University of Potential Updates to the Construction Permit Application Technical Review Schedule On September 14, 2023, the NRC staff issued a letter to inform Abilene Christian University (ACU) of the potential for changes to the review schedule for the construction permit application for ACUs Molten Salt Research Reactor (ML23249A095). The NRC staff and ACU remain engaged to resolve several technical topics necessary for the review of the preliminary safety analysis report (PSAR) and the development of the safety evaluation. The additional time required to address these topics and for ACU to provide the necessary information has resulted in missed interim schedule milestones. The NRC staff plans to issue a revised schedule once it has sufficient information on the resolution of the technical items and the submittal of a revised PSAR by ACU.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE C

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Items of Interest Week Ending September 15, 2023 NMSS Staff Held Public Meeting on High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium Program On September 7, 2023, the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards and Region II staff conducted a hybrid public meeting in Piketon, Ohio to discuss the status of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissions (NRC) licensing and oversight activities related to the High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) demonstration program being conducted at the American Centrifuge Plant, which Centrus Energy Corp.s subsidiary, American Centrifuge Operating, LLC, leases from the Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE also participated in the meeting by providing an overview of its plans and activities related to the HALEU demonstration program. Following the DOE and NRC presentations, NRC and DOE staff answered questions from members of the public.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE D

Office of Administration Items of Interest Week Ending September 15, 2023 Dell Laptops and Peripherals On September 13, 2023, contract number 47QTCA19D00ML/31310023F0133 was awarded to MCP Computer Products, Inc. in San Marcos, CA. The purpose of this contract is to purchase Dell laptops and accessories. The period of performance is from September 15, 2023, through September 14, 2027, with no option periods. The total potential value of the contract can be up to $2,445,987.30.

Dell PowerEdge Servers and Accessories On September 13, 2023, contract number NNG15SD12B/31310023F0135 was awarded to CTG Federal LLC in Port Saint Lucie, FL. The purpose of this contract is to purchase Dell PowerEdge servers, accessories, and maintenance support agreements to refresh the Safeguards Information Local Area Network and Electronic Safe environment. The period of performance is from September 15, 2023, through September 14, 2028, with no option periods. The total potential value of the contract can be up to $548,829.92.

Platts Electronic Newsletters On September 12, 2023, contract number 31310023D0019 was awarded to the SP Global, Inc.

in New York, NY. The purpose of this contract is to obtain access to Platts Electronic Newsletters, including Inside NRC, Nuclear Fuel, Nuclear News Flashes, and Nucleonics Week. The period of performance is from December 21, 2023, through December 20, 2024, with no option periods. The total potential value of the contract can be up to $547,203.00.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE E

Office of Enforcement Items of Interest Week Ending September 15, 2023 DPO-2022-001, Licensee's Non-Compliance with 10 CFR 30.36(g)(1) as Documented in the University of Missouri Inspection Report On August 3, 2023, the Regional Administrator (RA), Region III (RIII) issued a formal decision on a Differing Professional Opinion (DPO) submitted September 29, 2022, involving a disagreement on a decommissioning issue in accordance with 10 CFR 30.36. The DPO stated that the RIII position that no violation occurred by University of Missouri for the work completed at Picard Hall in the summer of 2020 was incorrect. The DPO asserted past non-concurrence evaluations also got this wrong and that a violation occurred, even though the licensees contractor had applied for, and was granted, reciprocity to work in Missouri. On June 26, 2023, an Ad Hoc Panel (Panel) provided the results of its independent review of the DPO to the RA.

The DPO Panel agreed with the submitter and concluded that the contractor acting under the license for University of Missouri conducted decommissioning activities without prior NRC approval of a decommissioning plan or procedures, contrary to the requirements of 10 CFR 30.36(g). The RAs decision directed a low-level violation (Severity Level IV) be issued and noted the licensee and the contractor may have believed that the reciprocity approval also approved the work. The RA is recommending an enforcement panel convene to determine if enforcement discretion is warranted. Additionally, the panel noted, and the RA agreed, that some program elements should be reviewed to prevent this from occurring in the future. The publicly available DPO case file can be located at Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML23241A992.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE F

Office of the Secretary Items of Interest Week Ending September 15, 2023 Document Released to Public Date of Document Subject Decision Documents 1.

None Information 1.

SECY-23-0079 09/11/23 Weekly Information Report Week Ending September 1, 2023 2.

SECY-23-0077 08/31/23 Annual Report on the Review Activities of the Committee to Review Generic Requirements Memoranda 1.

Staff Requirements Memorandum M230911 09/11/23 Affirmation Session - SECY-23-0066: United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (Export of 93.20%

Enriched Uranium) (Petition Seeking Leave to Intervene and Request for Hearing) 2.

Staff Requirements Memorandum M230912 09/14/23 NRC All Employees Meeting Commission Correspondence 1.

None.

Federal Register Notices Issued 1.

709th Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards - October 3-6, 2023 SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ENCLOSURE G