ML23293A061

Letter to the Honorable Marcy Kaptur, from Chair Hanson Responds to Letter Regarding Follow Up on Concerns Raised by Union Representatives During the June Visit to the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant

ML23293A061
Person / Time
Site:	Davis Besse
Issue date:	11/01/2023
From:	Christopher Hanson NRC/Chairman
To:	Kaptur M US Congress, US HR (House of Representatives)
Shared Package
ML23272A216	List: ML23293A061
References
LTR-23-0229, CORR-23-0085
Download: ML23293A061 (1)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON , O.C. 20555-0001 CHAIR November 1, 2023 The Honorable Marcy Kaptur United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Kaptur:

On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter dated September 29, 2023, concerning the safety conscious work environment (SCWE) at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Plant (Davis-Besse), including reports of security guard understaffing, and low morale at the site. Specifically, you inquired whether an investigation by the NRC of the owner-operator of Davis-Besse was warranted to determine if the actions of the Energy Harbor executive leadership team have undermined safety culture and contributed to the development of a chilled work environment at the plant.

The NRC implements a comprehensive oversight program to assess compliance with federal safety and security regulations at nuclear plants. In addition, under the NRC's long-standing SCWE policy, licensees are expected to maintain a work environment in which workers feel free to raise nuclear safety and security concerns without fear of retaliation. Any concerns raised with the potential to affect an NRC-regulated activity, regardless of origin are addressed through the NRC's Allegation Program.

The NRC's security oversight program evaluates licensee compliance with numerous security regulations, including those governing the staffing of required security positions and work hour limits. Through this program and other NRC oversight efforts, the NRC is aware of concerns related to staffing levels and work hours of security positions at Davis-Besse. The NRC thoroughly evaluated these concerns and determined that Davis-Besse continues to meet the staffing requirements of its security plan and NRC security regulations.

A routine problem identification and resolution (Pl&R) inspection was conducted at Davis-Besse in July 2023. Through this inspection, which included individual and group interviews with licensee staff from several departments at the plant, the inspection team concluded that although morale appeared to be low in several departments due to resource issues, there was no evidence of challenges to the SCWE at Davis-Besse. The NRC will continue to evaluate Davis-Besse's compliance with security regulations and monitor the SCWE under the NRC's Reactor Oversight Process, including biennial Pl&R inspections, and ongoing engagement with Davis-Besse site personnel on these matters. Additionally, the NRC will continuously monitor and evaluate any concerns related to NRC regulated activities raised through the NRC's Allegation Program.

2 I appreciate your letter and continued interest in the NRC's oversight at Davis-Besse. If you have questions or need more information, please contact me, or have your staff contact Eugene Dacus, Director of the Office of Congressional Affairs , at 301-415-1776 .

Sincerely, C_Q,;;:::., c.____\ . ~

Christopher T. Hanson