Confirmatory Order (Effective Immediately), 59995-59997 [E9-27792]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 222 / Thursday, November 19, 2009 / Notices
Submit written comments by regular
mail to the National Transportation
Safety Board, 490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW.,
Washington, DC 20594. Attn: MD–6
Strategic Management.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Agency contact, Eric Fielding, Associate
Managing Director, Strategic
Management; National Transportation
Safety Board, 490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW.,
Washington, DC 20594, 202–314–6017.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
*
*
*
*
*
Candi R. Bing,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9–27724 Filed 11–18–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7533–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2009–0505; Docket No. 050–00255;
License No. DPR–20; EA–09–060]
Confirmatory Order (Effective
Immediately)
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.,
Palisades Nuclear Plant, 27780 Blue
Star Memorial Highway, Covert, MI
49043–9530.
I
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
(Licensee or Entergy) is the holder of
Reactor Operating License No. DPR–20
issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC or Commission)
pursuant to 10 CFR Part 50 on March
24, 1971. The license authorizes the
operation of the Palisades Nuclear Plant
in accordance with conditions specified
therein.
This Confirmatory Order is the result
of an agreement reached during an
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
mediation session conducted on
September 15, 2009.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
II
On May 22, 2008, the NRC completed
a security baseline inspection at the
Palisades Nuclear Plant. The inspection
covered one or more of the key
attributes of the security cornerstone of
the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process. As
a result of the inspection observations,
the NRC Office of Investigations (OI)
initiated an investigation (OI Case No.
3–2008–020). Based on the evidence
developed during the inspection and
investigation, the NRC identified a
violation of 10 CFR 50.9 for inaccurate
and incomplete information. This
violation is described in the separate
Notice of Violation, included as
Enclosure 3 to the transmittal letter.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
15:22 Nov 18, 2009
Jkt 220001
(Because the Notice of Violation
contains Security-Related information,
it is not being made publicly available.)
The results of the investigation were
sent to Entergy in a letter dated July 14,
2009. This letter offered Entergy the
opportunity to either participate in ADR
mediation or to attend a Predecisional
Enforcement Conference. On July 28,
2009, the NRC and Entergy agreed to
mediate. On September 15, 2009, the
NRC and Entergy participated in an
ADR session mediated by a professional
mediator, arranged through Cornell
University’s Institute on Conflict
Resolution. As used by the NRC, ADR
is a process in which a neutral mediator
with no decision-making authority
assists the parties in reaching an
agreement on resolving any differences
regarding the dispute. This
Confirmatory Order is issued pursuant
to the agreement reached during the
ADR process.
III
During the September 15, 2009, ADR
session, a preliminary settlement
agreement was reached. The elements of
the agreement consisted of the
following:
1. Entergy will publish the corrective
actions set forth in this Confirmatory
Order to the Entergy fleet nuclear
workforce, via Inside Entergy, within
one month of the issuance of the
Confirmatory Order. Entergy will
provide a copy of the publication to the
Regional Administrator, Region III,
within one month of publication of the
article.
2. Entergy agrees to develop and
implement a formal process, within the
current Corrective Action Program
(CAP), that ensures that Safeguards and
Security-Related information, which
would otherwise not be contained in the
CAP, is processed in an auditable
manner, consistent with Entergy’s
existing CAP. Entergy will develop and
implement this process within 6 months
of the date of the Confirmatory Order
and will provide a description of these
program changes to the Regional
Administrator, Region III, within one
month of their implementation.
Entergy will complete training for
those personnel with Safeguards access
on the program described above within
90 days of the effective date of the
procedure or process described above.
3. Entergy will provide training to
Entergy’s nuclear workforce on the
sensitivity and importance of providing
complete and accurate information to
the NRC. This training will be
completed within 1 year of the date of
the issuance of the Confirmatory Order.
Entergy will tailor the training, as
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
59995
appropriate, to reflect the level of the
individuals within the organization and
their specific responsibilities for
communicating with the NRC. Entergy
will maintain auditable records of the
training and will provide notification to
the Regional Administrator, Region III,
within one month of completion of the
training.
4. Entergy will assess its succession
planning process with respect to how
that process addresses unanticipated,
short-term personnel losses in key
positions. Entergy will complete this
assessment, and will develop corrective
actions, as appropriate, within 6 months
of the date of the issuance of the
Confirmatory Order. Entergy will
provide the results of this assessment to
the Regional Administrator, Region III,
within one month of its completion.
5. An Entergy executive will meet
with the three NRC Regional
Administrators for the regions in which
Entergy owns and operates plants, to
share and discuss the results of the
safety culture workplace survey
conducted at each Entergy nuclear plant
in 2009. Subject to the schedules of the
Entergy and NRC executive participants,
Entergy will seek to have these meetings
conducted by March 31, 2010.
6. Entergy will provide a lessonslearned presentation to the Regional
Utility Groups for the NRC Regions in
which Entergy operates nuclear
facilities within 1 year of the date of the
issuance of the Confirmatory Order.
That lessons-learned presentation will
address the events which gave rise to
the Confirmatory Order and the
corrective actions taken. Entergy will
provide a copy of the proposed
presentation to the Regional
Administrator, Region III, for review
prior to the presentation.
7. The NRC agrees to cite Entergy for
a single violation of 10 CFR 50.9,
associated with incomplete and
inaccurate information, based
exclusively on the information
contained in Condition Reports CR–
PLP–2007–05448 and CR–PLP–2007–
05758 and the February 5, 2008, verbal
communications with the NRC. The
NRC will not assign a Severity Level to
the violation and will not issue a civil
penalty for the violation.
8. Entergy, by signing the Agreement
in Principle, makes no admission that
any employee or former employee
deliberately violated any NRC
requirements and that this agreement is
settlement of a disputed claim in order
to avoid further action by the NRC.
On October 13, 2009, Entergy
consented to issuing this Order with the
commitments, as described in Section V
below. Entergy further agreed that this
E:\FR\FM\19NON1.SGM
19NON1
59996
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 222 / Thursday, November 19, 2009 / Notices
Order is to be effective upon issuance
and that it has waived its right to a
hearing.
IV
Since Entergy has agreed to take
additional actions to address NRC
concerns, as set forth in Item III above,
the NRC has concluded that its concerns
can be resolved through issuance of this
Order.
I find that Entergy’s commitments as
set forth in Section V are acceptable and
necessary and conclude that with these
commitments the public health and
safety are reasonably assured. In view of
the foregoing, I have determined that
public health and safety require that
Entergy’s commitments be confirmed by
this Order. Based on the above, and
Entergy’s consent, this Order is
immediately effective upon issuance.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
V
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections
104, 161b, 161i, 161o, 182 and 186 of
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended, and the Commission’s
regulations in 10 CFR 2.202 and 10 CFR
Part 50, it is hereby ordered, effective
immediately:
1. Entergy shall publish the corrective
actions set forth in this Confirmatory
Order to the Entergy fleet nuclear
workforce, via Inside Entergy, within
one month of the issuance of the
Confirmatory Order. Entergy shall
provide a copy of the publication to the
Regional Administrator, Region III,
within one month of publication of the
article.
2. Entergy shall develop and
implement a formal process, within the
current Corrective Action Program
(CAP), that ensures that Safeguards and
Security-Related information, which
would otherwise not be contained in the
CAP, is processed in an auditable
manner, consistent with Entergy’s
existing CAP. Entergy shall develop and
implement this process at all of
Entergy’s licensed facilities within 6
months of the date of the Confirmatory
Order and shall provide a description of
these program changes to the Regional
Administrator, Region III, within one
month of their implementation.
Entergy shall complete training for
those personnel with Safeguards access
on the program described above within
90 days of the effective date of the
procedure or process described above.
3. Entergy shall provide training to
Entergy’s nuclear workforce on the
sensitivity and importance of providing
complete and accurate information to
the NRC. This training shall be
completed at all of Entergy’s licensed
facilities within 1 year of the date of the
VerDate Nov<24>2008
15:22 Nov 18, 2009
Jkt 220001
issuance of the Confirmatory Order.
Entergy shall tailor the training, as
appropriate, to reflect the level of the
individuals within the organization and
their specific responsibilities for
communicating with the NRC. Entergy
shall maintain auditable records of the
training and shall provide notification
to the Regional Administrator, Region
III, within one month of completion of
the training.
4. Entergy shall assess its succession
planning process with respect to how
that process addresses unanticipated,
short-term personnel losses in key
positions. Entergy shall complete this
assessment for all of Entergy’s licensed
facilities, and shall develop corrective
actions, as appropriate, within 6 months
of the date of the issuance of the
Confirmatory Order. Entergy shall
provide the results of this assessment to
the Regional Administrator, Region III,
within one month of its completion.
5. An Entergy executive shall meet
with the three NRC Regional
Administrators for the regions in which
Entergy owns and operates plants, to
share and discuss the results of the
safety culture workplace survey
conducted at each Entergy nuclear plant
in 2009. Subject to the schedules of the
Entergy and NRC executive participants,
Entergy shall seek to have these
meetings conducted by March 31, 2010.
6. Entergy shall provide a lessonslearned presentation to the Regional
Utility Groups for the NRC Regions in
which Entergy operates nuclear
facilities within 1 year of the date of the
issuance of the Confirmatory Order.
That lessons-learned presentation shall
address the events which gave rise to
the Confirmatory Order and the
corrective actions taken. Entergy shall
provide a copy of the proposed
presentation to the Regional
Administrator, Region III, for review
prior to the presentation.
The Regional Administrator, NRC
Region III, may, in writing, relax or
rescind any of the above conditions
upon demonstration by Entergy of good
cause.
VI
Any person adversely affected by this
Confirmatory Order, other than Entergy,
may request a hearing within 20 days of
the Confirmatory Order’s publication in
the Federal Register. Where good cause
is shown, consideration will be given to
extending the time to request a hearing.
A request for extension of time must
be directed to the Director, Office of
Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001, and include a statement of good
cause for the extension.
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Frm 00039
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
A request for a hearing must be filed
in accordance with the NRC E-Filing
rule, which the NRC promulgated in
August 28, 2007, (72 FR 49139). The EFiling process requires participants to
submit and serve documents over the
Internet or, in some cases, to mail copies
on electronic optical storage media.
Participants may not submit paper
copies of their filings unless they seek
a waiver in accordance with the
procedures described below.
To comply with the procedural
requirements associated with E-Filing,
at least five days prior to the filing
deadline the requestor must contact the
Office of the Secretary by e-mail at
hearingdocket@nrc.gov, or by calling
(301) 415–1677, to request: (1) A digital
ID certificate, which allows the
participant (or its counsel or
representative) to digitally sign
documents and access the E-Submittal
server for any NRC proceeding in which
it is participating; and/or (2) creation of
an electronic docket for the proceeding
(even in instances when the requestor
(or its counsel or representative) already
holds a NRC-issued digital ID
certificate). Each requestor will need to
download the Workplace Forms ViewerJ
to access the Electronic Information
Exchange (EIE), a component of the EFiling system. The Workplace Forms
ViewerTM is free and is available at
https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/esubmittals/install-viewer.html.
Information about applying for a digital
ID certificate also is available on NRC’s
public Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/
site-help/e-submittals/applycertificates.html.
Once a requestor has obtained a
digital ID certificate, had a docket
created, and downloaded the EIE
viewer, it can then submit a request for
a hearing through EIE. Submissions
should be in Portable Document Format
(PDF) in accordance with NRC guidance
available on the NRC public Web site at
https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/esubmittals.html. A filing is considered
complete at the time the filer submits its
document through EIE. To be timely,
electronic filings must be submitted to
the EIE system no later than 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Time on the due date. Upon
receipt of a transmission, the E-Filing
system time-stamps the document and
sends the submitter an e-mail notice
confirming receipt of the document. The
EIE system also distributes an e-mail
notice that provides access to the
document to the NRC Office of the
General Counsel and any others who
have advised the Office of the Secretary
that they wish to participate in the
proceeding, so that the filer need not
serve the document on those
E:\FR\FM\19NON1.SGM
19NON1
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 222 / Thursday, November 19, 2009 / Notices
participants separately. Therefore, any
others who wish to participate in the
proceeding (or their counsel or
representative) must apply for and
receive a digital ID certificate before a
hearing request is filed so that they may
obtain access to the document via the EFiling system.
A person filing electronically using
the agency’s adjudicatory e-filing system
may seek assistance through the
‘‘Contact Us’’ link located on the NRC
Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/sitehelp/e-submittals.html or by calling the
NRC Meta-System Help Desk, which is
available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.,
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday,
excluding government holidays. The
Meta-System Help Desk can be
contacted by telephone at 1–866–672–
7640 or by e-mail at
MSHD.Resource@nrc.gov.
Participants who believe that they
have good cause for not submitting
documents electronically must file a
motion, in accordance with 10 CFR.
2.302(g), with their initial paper filing
requesting authorization to continue to
submit documents in paper format.
Such filings must be submitted by: (1)
First class mail addressed to the Office
of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001, Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or
(2) courier, express mail, or expedited
delivery service to the Office of the
Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland 20852, Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff.
Participants filing a document in this
manner are responsible for serving the
document on all other participants.
Filing is considered complete by firstclass mail as of the time of deposit in
the mail, or by courier, express mail, or
expedited delivery service upon
depositing the document with the
provider of the service.
Documents submitted in adjudicatory
proceedings will appear in NRC’s
electronic hearing docket which is
available to the public at https://
ehd.nrc.gov/EHD_Proceeding/home.asp,
unless excluded pursuant to an order of
the Commission, an Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board, or a Presiding Officer.
Participants are requested not to include
personal privacy information, such as
social security numbers, home
addresses, or home phone numbers in
their filings. With respect to copyrighted
works, except for limited excerpts that
serve the purpose of the adjudicatory
filings and would constitute a Fair Use
application, participants are requested
not to include copyrighted materials in
their works.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
15:22 Nov 18, 2009
Jkt 220001
If a person other than Entergy requests
a hearing, that person shall set forth
with particularity the manner in which
his interest is adversely affected by this
Order and shall address the criteria set
forth in 10 CFR 2.309(d) and (f).
If the hearing is requested by a person
whose interest is adversely affected, the
Commission will issue an Order
designating the time and place of any
hearing. If a hearing is held, the issue to
be considered at such hearing shall be
whether this Confirmatory Order should
be sustained.
In the absence of any request for
hearing, or written approval of an
extension of time in which to request a
hearing, the provisions specified in
Section V above shall be final 20 days
from the date this Order is published in
the Federal Register without further
order or proceedings. If an extension of
time for requesting a hearing has been
approved, the provisions specified in
Section V shall be final when the
extension expires, if a hearing request
has not been received.
A request for hearing shall not stay
the immediate effectiveness of this
order.
Dated this 10th day of November 2009.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
Mark A. Satorius,
Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. E9–27792 Filed 11–18–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. PI2010–1; Order No. 335]
Inquiry Into Suspended Post Offices
Postal Regulatory Commission.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Commission is
establishing a docket to address Postal
Service practices related to suspension
of post offices. It invites comments from
the public on this topic.
DATES: 1. Comments are due: January
15, 2010. 2. Reply comments are due:
February 16, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments
electronically via the Commission’s
Filing Online system at https://
www.prc.gov. Commenters who cannot
submit their views electronically should
contact the person identified FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by
telephone for advice on alternatives to
electronic filing.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Stephen L. Sharfman, General Counsel,
202–789–6820 or
stephen.sharfman@prc.gov.
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
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59997
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
II. Public Representative
III. Ordering Paragraphs
I. Background
Order No. 319 concluded Docket No.
A2009–1, Appeal of the Hacker Valley,
West Virginia Post Office Closing.1
During that proceeding, information
came to light that convinced the
Commission that further inquiry and
analysis was necessary. On August 14,
2009, the Postal Service filed with the
Commission its response to Commission
Information Request No. 1, questions 1
through 13 (CIR No. 1).2 The
Commission concerns arose as a result
of the responses to questions 6 through
9. The Commission gathers from the
Postal Service’s responses that 97 post
offices have been suspended due to
lease expiration during the past 5 years
and most of them remain suspended.
Response to CIR No. 1 at 8. The
Commission initiates this public inquiry
to develop further information on the
status of these suspended offices and
the Postal Service practice of
suspending offices for extended periods
without affording the public the rights
guaranteed by 39 U.S.C. 404(d). The
Commission seeks input from the public
on this matter.
In CIR No. 1, questions 6 through 9,
the Commission sought information
pertaining to post offices suspended
during the last 5 years due to lease
expirations. The Postal Service’s
response to CIR No. 1, question 6,
informs the Commission that 97 offices
have been suspended from 2004 to
2009. Id. The response includes a list
naming each of the 97 offices, their ZIP
Codes, and date of suspension. In CIR
No. 1, question 7, the Commission asks
how many of the suspended post offices
were subsequently closed. The Postal
Service responds that 25 of the 97
offices were subsequently closed and
provides another list adding a column
providing the close date. Id. at 12. CIR
No. 1, question 8, seeks to know how
many of the suspended post offices were
reopened. The Postal Service states that
2 of the 97 offices have been reopened.
Id. at 14. CIR No. 1, question 9, asks
how many of the suspended offices are
pending closure. The Postal Service
reported that the closure process had
been initiated for five offices. Id. at 15.
Based on these responses, the
Commission establishes that 65 post
1 Docket No. A2009–1, Order on Appeal of Hacker
Valley, West Virginia Post Office Closing, October
19, 2009 (Order No. 319).
2 Response of the United States Postal Service to
Commission Information Request No. 1, August 14,
2009 (Response).
E:\FR\FM\19NON1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 222 (Thursday, November 19, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59995-59997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27792]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2009-0505; Docket No. 050-00255; License No. DPR-20; EA-09-060]
Confirmatory Order (Effective Immediately)
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., Palisades Nuclear Plant, 27780 Blue
Star Memorial Highway, Covert, MI 49043-9530.
I
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Licensee or Entergy) is the
holder of Reactor Operating License No. DPR-20 issued by the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) pursuant to 10 CFR
Part 50 on March 24, 1971. The license authorizes the operation of the
Palisades Nuclear Plant in accordance with conditions specified
therein.
This Confirmatory Order is the result of an agreement reached
during an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mediation session
conducted on September 15, 2009.
II
On May 22, 2008, the NRC completed a security baseline inspection
at the Palisades Nuclear Plant. The inspection covered one or more of
the key attributes of the security cornerstone of the NRC's Reactor
Oversight Process. As a result of the inspection observations, the NRC
Office of Investigations (OI) initiated an investigation (OI Case No.
3-2008-020). Based on the evidence developed during the inspection and
investigation, the NRC identified a violation of 10 CFR 50.9 for
inaccurate and incomplete information. This violation is described in
the separate Notice of Violation, included as Enclosure 3 to the
transmittal letter. (Because the Notice of Violation contains Security-
Related information, it is not being made publicly available.)
The results of the investigation were sent to Entergy in a letter
dated July 14, 2009. This letter offered Entergy the opportunity to
either participate in ADR mediation or to attend a Predecisional
Enforcement Conference. On July 28, 2009, the NRC and Entergy agreed to
mediate. On September 15, 2009, the NRC and Entergy participated in an
ADR session mediated by a professional mediator, arranged through
Cornell University's Institute on Conflict Resolution. As used by the
NRC, ADR is a process in which a neutral mediator with no decision-
making authority assists the parties in reaching an agreement on
resolving any differences regarding the dispute. This Confirmatory
Order is issued pursuant to the agreement reached during the ADR
process.
III
During the September 15, 2009, ADR session, a preliminary
settlement agreement was reached. The elements of the agreement
consisted of the following:
1. Entergy will publish the corrective actions set forth in this
Confirmatory Order to the Entergy fleet nuclear workforce, via Inside
Entergy, within one month of the issuance of the Confirmatory Order.
Entergy will provide a copy of the publication to the Regional
Administrator, Region III, within one month of publication of the
article.
2. Entergy agrees to develop and implement a formal process, within
the current Corrective Action Program (CAP), that ensures that
Safeguards and Security-Related information, which would otherwise not
be contained in the CAP, is processed in an auditable manner,
consistent with Entergy's existing CAP. Entergy will develop and
implement this process within 6 months of the date of the Confirmatory
Order and will provide a description of these program changes to the
Regional Administrator, Region III, within one month of their
implementation.
Entergy will complete training for those personnel with Safeguards
access on the program described above within 90 days of the effective
date of the procedure or process described above.
3. Entergy will provide training to Entergy's nuclear workforce on
the sensitivity and importance of providing complete and accurate
information to the NRC. This training will be completed within 1 year
of the date of the issuance of the Confirmatory Order. Entergy will
tailor the training, as appropriate, to reflect the level of the
individuals within the organization and their specific responsibilities
for communicating with the NRC. Entergy will maintain auditable records
of the training and will provide notification to the Regional
Administrator, Region III, within one month of completion of the
training.
4. Entergy will assess its succession planning process with respect
to how that process addresses unanticipated, short-term personnel
losses in key positions. Entergy will complete this assessment, and
will develop corrective actions, as appropriate, within 6 months of the
date of the issuance of the Confirmatory Order. Entergy will provide
the results of this assessment to the Regional Administrator, Region
III, within one month of its completion.
5. An Entergy executive will meet with the three NRC Regional
Administrators for the regions in which Entergy owns and operates
plants, to share and discuss the results of the safety culture
workplace survey conducted at each Entergy nuclear plant in 2009.
Subject to the schedules of the Entergy and NRC executive participants,
Entergy will seek to have these meetings conducted by March 31, 2010.
6. Entergy will provide a lessons-learned presentation to the
Regional Utility Groups for the NRC Regions in which Entergy operates
nuclear facilities within 1 year of the date of the issuance of the
Confirmatory Order. That lessons-learned presentation will address the
events which gave rise to the Confirmatory Order and the corrective
actions taken. Entergy will provide a copy of the proposed presentation
to the Regional Administrator, Region III, for review prior to the
presentation.
7. The NRC agrees to cite Entergy for a single violation of 10 CFR
50.9, associated with incomplete and inaccurate information, based
exclusively on the information contained in Condition Reports CR-PLP-
2007-05448 and CR-PLP-2007-05758 and the February 5, 2008, verbal
communications with the NRC. The NRC will not assign a Severity Level
to the violation and will not issue a civil penalty for the violation.
8. Entergy, by signing the Agreement in Principle, makes no
admission that any employee or former employee deliberately violated
any NRC requirements and that this agreement is settlement of a
disputed claim in order to avoid further action by the NRC.
On October 13, 2009, Entergy consented to issuing this Order with
the commitments, as described in Section V below. Entergy further
agreed that this
[[Page 59996]]
Order is to be effective upon issuance and that it has waived its right
to a hearing.
IV
Since Entergy has agreed to take additional actions to address NRC
concerns, as set forth in Item III above, the NRC has concluded that
its concerns can be resolved through issuance of this Order.
I find that Entergy's commitments as set forth in Section V are
acceptable and necessary and conclude that with these commitments the
public health and safety are reasonably assured. In view of the
foregoing, I have determined that public health and safety require that
Entergy's commitments be confirmed by this Order. Based on the above,
and Entergy's consent, this Order is immediately effective upon
issuance.
V
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 104, 161b, 161i, 161o, 182 and
186 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the Commission's
regulations in 10 CFR 2.202 and 10 CFR Part 50, it is hereby ordered,
effective immediately:
1. Entergy shall publish the corrective actions set forth in this
Confirmatory Order to the Entergy fleet nuclear workforce, via Inside
Entergy, within one month of the issuance of the Confirmatory Order.
Entergy shall provide a copy of the publication to the Regional
Administrator, Region III, within one month of publication of the
article.
2. Entergy shall develop and implement a formal process, within the
current Corrective Action Program (CAP), that ensures that Safeguards
and Security-Related information, which would otherwise not be
contained in the CAP, is processed in an auditable manner, consistent
with Entergy's existing CAP. Entergy shall develop and implement this
process at all of Entergy's licensed facilities within 6 months of the
date of the Confirmatory Order and shall provide a description of these
program changes to the Regional Administrator, Region III, within one
month of their implementation.
Entergy shall complete training for those personnel with Safeguards
access on the program described above within 90 days of the effective
date of the procedure or process described above.
3. Entergy shall provide training to Entergy's nuclear workforce on
the sensitivity and importance of providing complete and accurate
information to the NRC. This training shall be completed at all of
Entergy's licensed facilities within 1 year of the date of the issuance
of the Confirmatory Order. Entergy shall tailor the training, as
appropriate, to reflect the level of the individuals within the
organization and their specific responsibilities for communicating with
the NRC. Entergy shall maintain auditable records of the training and
shall provide notification to the Regional Administrator, Region III,
within one month of completion of the training.
4. Entergy shall assess its succession planning process with
respect to how that process addresses unanticipated, short-term
personnel losses in key positions. Entergy shall complete this
assessment for all of Entergy's licensed facilities, and shall develop
corrective actions, as appropriate, within 6 months of the date of the
issuance of the Confirmatory Order. Entergy shall provide the results
of this assessment to the Regional Administrator, Region III, within
one month of its completion.
5. An Entergy executive shall meet with the three NRC Regional
Administrators for the regions in which Entergy owns and operates
plants, to share and discuss the results of the safety culture
workplace survey conducted at each Entergy nuclear plant in 2009.
Subject to the schedules of the Entergy and NRC executive participants,
Entergy shall seek to have these meetings conducted by March 31, 2010.
6. Entergy shall provide a lessons-learned presentation to the
Regional Utility Groups for the NRC Regions in which Entergy operates
nuclear facilities within 1 year of the date of the issuance of the
Confirmatory Order. That lessons-learned presentation shall address the
events which gave rise to the Confirmatory Order and the corrective
actions taken. Entergy shall provide a copy of the proposed
presentation to the Regional Administrator, Region III, for review
prior to the presentation.
The Regional Administrator, NRC Region III, may, in writing, relax
or rescind any of the above conditions upon demonstration by Entergy of
good cause.
VI
Any person adversely affected by this Confirmatory Order, other
than Entergy, may request a hearing within 20 days of the Confirmatory
Order's publication in the Federal Register. Where good cause is shown,
consideration will be given to extending the time to request a hearing.
A request for extension of time must be directed to the Director,
Office of Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001, and include a statement of good cause for the extension.
A request for a hearing must be filed in accordance with the NRC E-
Filing rule, which the NRC promulgated in August 28, 2007, (72 FR
49139). The E-Filing process requires participants to submit and serve
documents over the Internet or, in some cases, to mail copies on
electronic optical storage media. Participants may not submit paper
copies of their filings unless they seek a waiver in accordance with
the procedures described below.
To comply with the procedural requirements associated with E-
Filing, at least five days prior to the filing deadline the requestor
must contact the Office of the Secretary by e-mail at
hearingdocket@nrc.gov, or by calling (301) 415-1677, to request: (1) A
digital ID certificate, which allows the participant (or its counsel or
representative) to digitally sign documents and access the E-Submittal
server for any NRC proceeding in which it is participating; and/or (2)
creation of an electronic docket for the proceeding (even in instances
when the requestor (or its counsel or representative) already holds a
NRC-issued digital ID certificate). Each requestor will need to
download the Workplace Forms ViewerJ to access the Electronic
Information Exchange (EIE), a component of the E-Filing system. The
Workplace Forms ViewerTM is free and is available at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/install-viewer.html. Information
about applying for a digital ID certificate also is available on NRC's
public Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/apply-certificates.html.
Once a requestor has obtained a digital ID certificate, had a
docket created, and downloaded the EIE viewer, it can then submit a
request for a hearing through EIE. Submissions should be in Portable
Document Format (PDF) in accordance with NRC guidance available on the
NRC public Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html.
A filing is considered complete at the time the filer submits its
document through EIE. To be timely, electronic filings must be
submitted to the EIE system no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on
the due date. Upon receipt of a transmission, the E-Filing system time-
stamps the document and sends the submitter an e-mail notice confirming
receipt of the document. The EIE system also distributes an e-mail
notice that provides access to the document to the NRC Office of the
General Counsel and any others who have advised the Office of the
Secretary that they wish to participate in the proceeding, so that the
filer need not serve the document on those
[[Page 59997]]
participants separately. Therefore, any others who wish to participate
in the proceeding (or their counsel or representative) must apply for
and receive a digital ID certificate before a hearing request is filed
so that they may obtain access to the document via the E-Filing system.
A person filing electronically using the agency's adjudicatory e-
filing system may seek assistance through the ``Contact Us'' link
located on the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html or by calling the NRC Meta-System Help Desk, which is
available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through
Friday, excluding government holidays. The Meta-System Help Desk can be
contacted by telephone at 1-866-672-7640 or by e-mail at
MSHD.Resource@nrc.gov.
Participants who believe that they have good cause for not
submitting documents electronically must file a motion, in accordance
with 10 CFR. 2.302(g), with their initial paper filing requesting
authorization to continue to submit documents in paper format. Such
filings must be submitted by: (1) First class mail addressed to the
Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemaking and
Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or expedited
delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852,
Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff. Participants filing a
document in this manner are responsible for serving the document on all
other participants. Filing is considered complete by first-class mail
as of the time of deposit in the mail, or by courier, express mail, or
expedited delivery service upon depositing the document with the
provider of the service.
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in
NRC's electronic hearing docket which is available to the public at
https://ehd.nrc.gov/EHD_Proceeding/home.asp, unless excluded pursuant
to an order of the Commission, an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, or
a Presiding Officer. Participants are requested not to include personal
privacy information, such as social security numbers, home addresses,
or home phone numbers in their filings. With respect to copyrighted
works, except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of the
adjudicatory filings and would constitute a Fair Use application,
participants are requested not to include copyrighted materials in
their works.
If a person other than Entergy requests a hearing, that person
shall set forth with particularity the manner in which his interest is
adversely affected by this Order and shall address the criteria set
forth in 10 CFR 2.309(d) and (f).
If the hearing is requested by a person whose interest is adversely
affected, the Commission will issue an Order designating the time and
place of any hearing. If a hearing is held, the issue to be considered
at such hearing shall be whether this Confirmatory Order should be
sustained.
In the absence of any request for hearing, or written approval of
an extension of time in which to request a hearing, the provisions
specified in Section V above shall be final 20 days from the date this
Order is published in the Federal Register without further order or
proceedings. If an extension of time for requesting a hearing has been
approved, the provisions specified in Section V shall be final when the
extension expires, if a hearing request has not been received.
A request for hearing shall not stay the immediate effectiveness of
this order.
Dated this 10th day of November 2009.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mark A. Satorius,
Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. E9-27792 Filed 11-18-09; 8:45 am]
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