NRC Sets Enforcement Conference on Apparent Violations of NRC Radiation Protection Requirements at Zion Station

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	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532
	CONTACT:	Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov
		Angela Dauginas (630) 829-9662/e-mail: opa3@nrc.gov

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NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: RIII-97-30

March 17, 1997

NRC SETS ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE ON APPARENT VIOLATIONS
OF NRC RADIATION PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS AT ZION STATION

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet March 19 with representatives of Commonwealth Edison Company for a predecisional enforcement conference on apparent violations at the Zion Nuclear Power Station. The facility is at Zion, Illinois.

The meeting will be at 1 p.m. in the Third Floor Conference Room of the NRC Region III Office, 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois. The meeting is open to public observation.

The meeting will focus on apparent violations of NRC shipping and radiation protection requirements which were identified during an NRC inspection in December and January.

The apparent violations include: using an outdated shipping procedure for radioactive materials; shipping radioactive material that exceeded radiation limits for that type of shipment; failing to measure representative samples of water treatment resins; failing to train two individuals adequately in procedures for shipping radioactive material; and removing equipment from a radiologically controlled area without surveying it first for contamination.

The decision to hold an enforcement conference does not mean the NRC has determined that 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 an opportunity to point out any errors that may have been made in the NRC inspection report; and to enable the company to outline its proposed corrective actions.

No decisions on the apparent violations or any contemplated enforcement action, such as a fine, will be made at this conference. Those decisions will be made by senior NRC officials at a later date.