ML25336A088
| ML25336A088 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05562822 (SOP-502686-1) |
| Issue date: | 01/27/2026 |
| From: | Patricia Vossmar NRC/RGN-IV/DORS |
| To: | Christopher M - No Known Affiliation |
| References | |
| EAI-RIV-2025-0233 4-2024-001 | |
| Download: ML25336A088 (0) | |
Text
January 27, 2026 EAI-RIV-2025-0233 Mr. Mark Christopher
[NOTE: HOME ADDRESS DELETED UNDER 10 CFR 2.390(a)]
SUBJECT:
NOTICE OF VIOLATION, NRC INVESTIGATION REPORT 4-2024-001
Dear Mr. Christopher:
This letter refers to the investigation completed on September 25, 2024, by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Investigations regarding your activities at River Bend Station (RBS). The purpose of the investigation was to determine whether you, a licensed senior reactor operator (SRO) willfully stood watch as the Control Room Supervisor while unqualified for three days. A factual summary of the investigation, as it pertains to your actions, is provided as Enclosure 1.
Based on the information developed during the investigation, the NRC concluded that your actions did not constitute deliberate misconduct. However, you failed to meet the conditions of your operator license as required by 10 CFR 55.53 and failed to maintain a license in an active status while performing the functions of Control Room Supervisor.
The NRC has determined that a violation of NRC requirements occurred as a result of your actions. The violation was evaluated in accordance with the NRC Enforcement Policy. The current Enforcement Policy is included on the NRCs website at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/enforcement/enforce-pol.html. The violation is cited in Enclosure 2, Notice of Violation (Notice).
The violation involved your failure to maintain your license in an active status by actively performing the functions of a senior operator on a minimum of seven 8-hour shifts or five 12-hour shifts during a calendar quarter. Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 55.53(e) requires, in part, that if a licensee has not been actively performing the functions of a senior operator, the licensee may not resume activities authorized by a license issued under 10 CFR Part 55 except as permitted by 10 CFR 55.53(f). To maintain active status, the licensee shall actively perform the functions of an operator or senior operator on a minimum of seven 8-hour or five 12-hour shifts per calendar quarter.
You assumed the duties of Control Room Supervisor on July 9, 2023, however, you had performed the functions of a senior operator on only four 12-hour shifts in the previous quarter, as well as a portion of a fifth 12-hour shift. As a result, you performed the functions of Control Room Supervisor with an inactive license.
M. Christopher 2
This violation is normally categorized in accordance with the NRC Enforcement Policy at Severity Level III (see section 6.4.c of the NRC Enforcement Policy). However, the staff determined that the significance of this violation was Severity Level IV because you: (1) had fully completed four of the five 12-hour shifts required to maintain active status and a substantial portion of a fifth shift; and (2) did not cause consequential errors while acting as Control Room Supervisor.
The NRC has concluded that you are not required to respond to this letter. However, should you choose to respond to this letter, please follow the instructions specified in the enclosed Notice.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRCs Agency Rules of Practice and Procedure, a copy of this letter, its enclosures, and your response, if you choose to provide one, will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or the NRCs ADAMS, accessible from the NRCs website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. In accordance with the NRC Enforcement Manual, this letter and its enclosures will not be made public until 45 days after the date of this letter.
In addition, this letter will be maintained by the Office of Enforcement in an NRC Privacy Act system of records, NRC-3, Enforcement Actions Against Individuals. This system, which is not publicly accessible, includes all records pertaining to individuals who are being or have been considered for enforcement action, whether such action was taken or not. The NRC-3 system notice, which provides detailed information about this system of records, can be accessed from the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/foia/privacy-systems.html. Finally, a copy of this letter will be placed in your 10 CFR Part 55 docket file.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, you may contact Austin Roberts, Enforcement Specialist, at (817) 200-1209.
Sincerely, Patricia J. Vossmar, Acting Director Division of Operating Reactor Safety Region IV Docket No. 55-62822 License No. SOP-502686-1
Enclosures:
- 1. Factual Summary
- 2. Notice of Violation Signed by Vossmar, Patricia on 01/27/26
ML25336A088 SUNSI Review:
ADAMS:
Non-Publicly Available Non-Sensitive Keyword:
Yes No Publicly Available Sensitive RGN4-001 OFFICE ES:ACES SOE:DORS/OB C:DORS/PBC TL:ACES RC D:DORS NAME ARoberts TFarina DDodson BAlferink DCylkowski PVossmar SIGNATURE
/RA/
/RA/
/RA/
/RA/
/RA/
/RA/
DATE 12/02/25 12/03/25 12/10/25 12/03/25 12/03/25 01/27/26 FACTUAL
SUMMARY
OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIONS REPORT 4-2024-001 On October 18, 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Investigations (OI), Region IV, initiated an investigation to determine if you, a licensed senior reactor operator employed by Entergy (facility licensee) at River Bend Station (RBS) willfully stood watch as the Control Room Supervisor while unqualified for three days. The investigation was completed on September 25, 2024.
On July 9, 2023, you attempted to sign in as the Control Room Supervisor (CRS) in the Electronic Shift Operations Management System (eSOMs), but eSOMs notified you that you were not qualified to take the position. In your testimony to OI, you stated that you knew it was the start of the calendar quarter, and you had made a point to complete five required 12-hour shifts in June 2023, as required by 10 CFR 55.53(e) to maintain your qualification in active status. You checked your information in the My Learning System and saw five entries, which you interpreted as five complete 12-hour watches. However, the fifth watch, which you stood on June 8, 2023, was not completed since you were relieved early.
Due to historical problems with eSOMs, you believed the eSOMs notification to be a system error and did not realize that the system in fact operated correctly in identifying that you were not qualified to stand watch as CRS. On July 9, 2023, you left a message for the senior operations specialist requesting help resolving the eSOMs issue. Meanwhile, on July 9, 10, and 11, 2023, you arranged with two other qualified CRS that they would sign into eSOMs as CRS, while you would actually perform the CRS duties while signed in as Shift Technical Advisor.
On August 30, 2023, RBS management notified the NRC that they had completed an internal investigation after becoming aware of this matter, and that they had suspended your qualifications.
NOTICE OF VIOLATION Docket No. 55-62822 License No. SOP-502686-1 EAI-RIV-2025-0233 During an NRC investigation completed on September 25, 2024, a violation of NRC requirements was identified. In accordance with the NRC Enforcement Policy, the violation is listed below:
Operator License No. SOP-502686-1 states, in part, that the license is subject to the provisions of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 55.53, Conditions of Licenses, with the same force and effect as if fully set forth herein.
10 CFR 55.53(d) requires, in part, that the license is subject to, and the licensee shall observe, all applicable rules, regulations, and orders of the Commission.
10 CFR 55.53(e) requires, in part, that if a licensee has not been actively performing the functions of an operator or senior operator, the licensee may not resume activities authorized by a license issued under Part 55 except as permitted by 10 CFR 55.53(f). To maintain active status, the licensee shall actively perform the functions of an operator or senior operator on a minimum of seven 8-hour or five 12-hour shifts per calendar quarter.
Contrary to the above, from July 9 to July 11, 2023, you resumed activities authorized by a license issued under Part 55 and had not maintained active status by actively performing the functions of an operator or senior operator on a minimum of five 12-hour shifts in the previous calendar quarter. Specifically, you failed to maintain an active status by actively performing the functions of a senior operator on a minimum of five 12-hour shifts during the second quarter of 2023 and subsequently assumed the duties of the Control Room Supervisor on July 9, 10, and 11, 2023, while not maintaining an active license.
This is a Severity Level IV violation (NRC Enforcement Policy, Section 2.2.1.d).
The NRC has concluded that you are not required to respond to this letter. However, you are required to submit a written statement or explanation pursuant to 10 CFR 2.201 if the description therein does not accurately reflect your position. In that case, or if you choose to respond, clearly mark your response as a Reply to a Notice of Violation; EAI-RIV-2025-0233 and send it to the Director, Division of Operating Reactor Safety, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region IV, 1600 E. Lamar Blvd., Arlington, TX 76011-4511, and email it to R4Enforcement@nrc.gov within 30 days of the date of the letter transmitting this Notice of Violation.
If you contest this enforcement action, you should also provide a copy of your response, with the basis for your denial, to the Director, Office of Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001 within 30 days of the date of the letter transmitting this Notice.
If you choose to respond, your response will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room and in the NRCs Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), accessible at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
E2-2 To the extent possible, your response should not include any personal privacy information so that it can be made available to the public without redaction.
If personal privacy information is necessary to provide an acceptable response, then please provide a bracketed copy of your response that identifies the information that should be protected and a redacted copy of your response that deletes such information. If you request withholding of such material, you must specifically identify the portions of your response that you seek to have withheld and provide in detail the basis for your claim of withholding (e.g.,
explain why the disclosure of information will create an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy).
Dated this 27th day of January 2026