Press Release-I-97-137, NRC, Defense Agency to Discuss Apparent Violation at Depot

Press Release-I-97-137, NRC, Defense Agency to Discuss Apparent Violation at Depot

ML003710706
Person / Time
Issue date:	10/20/1997
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
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Category:Press Release
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Press Release-I-97-137
Download: ML003710706 (1)

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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19401 Phone: 610/337-5330 Fax: 610/337-5241 Internet: dps@nrc.gov or nas@nrc.gov I-97-137 October 20, 1997

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Diane Screnci FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Neil A. Sheehan NRC, DEFENSE AGENCY TO DISCUSS APPARENT VIOLATION AT DEPOT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with officials of the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency on Wednesday, October 22, to discuss an apparent violation of NRC requirements at the Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, Pa.

The predecisional enforcement conference will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Division of Nuclear Materials Safety conference room at the NRC Region 1 office in King of Prussia, Pa. It will be open to the public for observation.

During an inspection conducted at the Army depot in September, NRC staff identified an apparent failure to secure from unauthorized removal or access, or maintain constant surveillance of, licensed radioactive materials in a controlled or unrestricted area. The inspection was initiated after seven 3-curie tritium sources were determined to be missing from a storage area at the depot in late August. The sources were later found at the residence of a depot employee.

The decision to hold a predecisional enforcement conference does not mean that the NRC has determined a violation has occurred or that enforcement action will be taken. Rather, the purpose is to discuss apparent violations, their causes and safety significance; to provide the licensee with an opportunity to point out any errors that may have been made in the NRC inspection report; and to enable the licensee to outline its proposed corrective action.

No decision on the apparent violations will be made at this conference. That decision will be made by NRC officials at a later time.