Friday, May 29, 2020

NRC Names New Senior Resident Inspector at Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: I-20-008 May 27, 2020
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331

NRC Names New Senior Resident Inspector at Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant

Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials in King of Prussia, Pa., have selected Scott Rutenkroger as the new senior resident inspector at the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant. The two-unit site is operated by Exelon Nuclear and is located in Delta, Pa.

Most recently, Rutenkroger was the senior resident inspector at the Limerick nuclear power plant in Limerick, Pa. He previously served as the senior resident inspector at Vermont Yankee in Vernon, Vt., and as a resident inspector at the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear plant in Scriba, N.Y.

Rutenkroger joined the NRC’s Region IV office in Arlington, Texas, in June 2004 as a reactor inspector. He is a graduate of the NRC’s Nuclear Safety Professional Development Program, a two-year training program that provides a broad and a specialized perspective of NRC activities. He earned a doctorate in electrical engineering, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nuclear engineering, from the University of Missouri-Rolla.

Each U.S. commercial nuclear power plant has at least two NRC resident inspectors. Rutenkroger joins resident inspector Peter Boguszewski, serving as the agency’s eyes and ears at the facility, conducting inspections, monitoring significant work projects and interacting with plant workers and the public.

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Robert J. Feitel Sworn in Today as New NRC Inspector General

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 20-029 May 27, 2020
CONTACT: Office of the Inspector General, 301-415-0532

Robert J. Feitel Sworn in Today as New NRC Inspector General

Robert J. Feitel was sworn in today by Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Kristine L. Svinicki as the agency’s new Inspector General. Feitel replaces Hubert T. Bell, who retired in 2019.

Feitel most recently served as a trial attorney and advisor to the Attorney General in the Capital Case Section at the Department of Justice. Prior to that position, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Virginia. He also held important detail assignments to the President’s Executive Order Task Force for the Review of Guantanamo Bay Detainees and the National Security Division’s Office of Intelligence, Counter-Terrorism Unit.

Feitel began his career as a law clerk to the Honorable Stephen M. Waldron, Circuit Court for Harford County, Maryland. He entered the private practice of law with the firm of Carr, Goodson and Lee, P.C., in Washington, D.C., where he focused on product liability defense and professional malpractice defense litigation. He later joined the FBI’s Office of the General Counsel, where he managed contract and tort litigation, legal forfeiture matters, and advised the Chief Division Counsel for all FBI field offices nationwide, until becoming a federal prosecutor in 2002.

Feitel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.

​​​​​​​20-029.pdf

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

NRC Schedules Webinar to Discuss 2019 Safety Performance at Pennsylvania and Maryland Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: I-20-008 May 27, 2020
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331

NRC Schedules Webinar to Discuss 2019 Safety Performance at Pennsylvania and Maryland Nuclear Power Plants

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public webinar on June 18 to discuss the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance at nuclear power plants in Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Beaver Valley 1 & 2, in Shippingport, Pa., are operated by Energy Harbor Nuclear; and Susquehanna 1 & 2, in Salem Township, Pa., are operated by Talen Energy. Limerick 1 & 2, in Limerick, Pa.; Peach Bottom 2 & 3, in Delta, Pa.; and Calvert Cliffs 1 and 2, in Lusby, Md., are operated by Exelon Nuclear.

The purpose of the webinar is to provide information regarding the plants’ safety performance in 2019 and the NRC’s oversight activities at the facilities. The online meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Participants will be able to view slides prepared by NRC staff and ask questions either orally or in writing via a web page established to host the session. Advance online registration is required to participate.

Beaver Valley, Calvert Cliffs, Limerick, Peach Bottom and Susquehanna operated safely in 2019, with the inspection findings and performance indicators for each unit assessed as green, or of very low safety significance, at the end of the year. As a result, each plant in 2020 will receive the normal level of oversight, which entails thousands of hours of inspection each year.

The NRC Reactor Oversight Process uses color-coded inspection findings and indicators to describe plant performance. The colors start at green and increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. Inspection findings or performance indicators with more than very low safety significance trigger increased NRC oversight.

Inspections are performed by NRC resident inspectors assigned to each of the plants and specialists from the agency’s Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa.

The annual assessment letters for the plants, as well as the webinar notice, are available on the NRC website. Current plant performance indicators for all of the units are also available on the website and are updated on a quarterly basis.

20-008.i.pdf

DEP v. TMI-2 Solutions

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units 2 and 3 - Operator Licensing Examination Approval

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units 2 and 3 - Operator Licensing Examination Approval

ADAMS Accession No.  ML20147A166

Exam.pdf

Friday, May 22, 2020

NRC to Hold Virtual Meeting to Discuss 2019 Performance of Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: I-20-007 May 21, 2020
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331

NRC to Hold Virtual Meeting to Discuss

2019 Performance of Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will discuss the 2019 safety performance of the Salem Units 1 and 2 and Hope Creek nuclear power plants during a virtual meeting scheduled for June 10.

Salem Units 1 and 2, and Hope Creek are located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, N.J., and operated by PSEG Nuclear LLC.

The session will begin at 5:30 p.m. Online registration is required to participate. After registering, a confirmation email will be sent with details for joining the meeting. To hear the presentation, those interested must register to obtain the phone call-in number.

NRC staff responsible for plant inspection and oversight will participate, including the resident inspectors based full-time at the site.

Salem and Hope Creek operated safely during 2019. At the conclusion of 2019, all inspection findings and performance indicators for the plants were green, or of very low safety significance. As a result, the plants will receive the normal level of oversight in 2020, which entails thousands of hours of inspection each year.

The NRC Reactor Oversight Process uses color-coded inspection findings and indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start at green and increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. Inspection findings or performance indicators with more than very low safety significance trigger increased NRC oversight.

Inspections are performed by two NRC resident inspectors assigned to Salem and Hope Creek, respectively, and specialist inspectors from the Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa.

The annual assessment letter for the Salem units and Hope Creek, as well as the meeting notice, are available on the NRC website. Current performance information for Salem Unit 1Unit 2 and Hope Creek is also available and updated quarterly.

NRC Goes Virtual for 2020 Vendor Oversight Workshop

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 20-028 May 21, 2020
CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200

NRC Goes Virtual for 2020 Vendor Oversight Workshop

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold its seventh Workshop on Vendor Oversight using teleconferencing tools to maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The workshop will run from June 23-25, with presentations starting at 10 a.m. and concluding at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time each day. Those interested in attending the workshop should pre-register by the close of business on June 2. Registration requests after the deadline will be considered subject to webinar capacity.

The workshop will feature discussions between NRC staff, regulated utilities, nuclear power plant component vendors and other interested stakeholders. This year’s workshop topics will include component defect reporting guidance (Regulatory Guide 1.234), international vendor inspections, complying with quality assurance requirements by using codes and quality standards, commercial- grade dedication, and controlling a commercial item under a quality assurance program. Expected presenters will include NRC staff, international regulators, the Electric Power Research Institute, Luminant Power, Paragon, Sargent & Lundy, Curtiss Wright, and NuSource. NRC staff will be available at the end of each workshop session for additional discussions.

Members of the public who believe they need reasonable accommodations to participate in the workshop should contact Toni Sakadales by June 2, via e-mail at antoinette.sakadales@nrc.gov or via phone at (301) 415-6441. The NRC will consider requests for reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.
​​​​​​​

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 – Partial Exemption from Certain Record Retention Requirements (EPID L-2019-LLE-0018)

SUBJECT: Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 – Partial Exemption from Certain Record Retention Requirements (EPID L-2019-LLE-0018)

ADAMS Accession Nos.:
LETTER:  ML20107J648
ThreeMileIsland_ML20107J648.pdf

EXEMPTION:  ML20107J698

Letter and Enclosure to Vice President Michael R. Pence from Chairman Svinicki

Dear COVID Strategist Letter Writers,

Docketed into ADAMS today 5/20/2020

Zip of two
ML20114E268
https://adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov/webSearch2/main.jsp?AccessionNumber=ML20114E268

05/18/20 Letter and Enclosure to Vice President Michael R. Pence from Chairman Svinicki re: Provides Overview of Measures NRC has taken during the ongoing COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

N2
Michael J. Keegan
Don't Waste Michigan

2020/05/14 NRR E-mail Capture - Exelon Generation Company, LLC - Request for Additional Information Regarding Request to Extend Safety Relief Valve Test Interval

2020/05/14 NRR E-mail Capture - Exelon Generation Company, LLC - Request for Additional Information Regarding Request to Extend Safety Relief Valve Test Interval

ADAMS Accession No. ML20135H197

ML20135H197.pdf

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

JUNE 18 -- NRC Virtual Meeting to Discuss 2019 Safety Performance of Maryland and Pennsylvania Nuclear Power Plants

Licensees:                  Energy Harbor Nuclear Corporation
Exelon Generation Company, LLC
Susquehanna Nuclear, LLC

Facilities:                   Beaver Valley Power Station (Beaver Valley), Units 1 and 2
Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (Calvert Cliffs), Units 1 and 2
Limerick Nuclear Generating Station (Limerick), Units 1 and 2
Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station (Peach Bottom), Units 2 and 3
Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (Susquehanna), Units 1 and 2

Date/ Time:                Thursday, June 18, 2020
5:30 p.m.

Location:                    Webinar (advance registration required)

Purpose:                      The NRC staff will host a webinar to present the NRC’s assessment of
safety performance at Beaver Valley, Calvert Cliffs, Limerick, Peach
Bottom, and Susquehanna for 2019, as described in the 2019 annual
assessment letters. Following the presentation, the NRC will respond to
questions specific to the safety performance of the stations and the
NRC’s role in ensuring safe plant operations.


Action Matrix by Column

Licensee Response

(Baseline Inspection)
Regulatory
Response

(Response at
Regional Level)
Degraded Performance

(Response at Regional Level)
Multiple/Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone Column

(Response at Agency Level)
Unacceptable Performance

(Response at Agency Level)
Arkansas Nuclear 1Browns Ferry 1


Arkansas Nuclear 2Browns Ferry 2


Beaver Valley 1Browns Ferry 3


Beaver Valley 2Vogtle 1


Braidwood 1Vogtle 2


Braidwood 2



Brunswick 1



Brunswick 2



Byron 1



Byron 2



Callaway



Calvert Cliffs 1



Calvert Cliffs 2



Catawba 1



Catawba 2



Clinton