NRC TO HOLD REGULATORY CONFERENCE
WITH ENERGY NORTHWEST

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a regulatory conference with officials of Energy Northwest, operator of the Columbia Generating Station nuclear power plant near Richland, Wash., on Monday, November 26. Conferees will discuss a "yellow" inspection finding involving Energy Northwest's emergency preparedness plan.

The meeting, which is open to public observation, will begin at 8:30 a.m. in NRC Region IV offices in Arlington, Texas. NRC officials will be available after the meeting to answer questions.

The NRC will discuss with Energy Northwest an inspection finding with a preliminary determination of "yellow," meaning it may have substantial safety significance. The finding was identified in an inspection from July 23 to September 24 and involves the apparent failure to include several private businesses operating on the property at Columbia Generating Station in site emergency plans. This oversight could have prevented people working at these businesses from being notified promptly, included in protective actions or provided with radiological monitoring in the event of a plant accident releasing radioactive material. The inspection finding also may be a violation of NRC safety requirements.

The NRC evaluates regulatory performance at commercial nuclear power plants with a color coded significance determination process which classifies regulatory findings as being in one of four color categories: green, white, yellow, or red in increasing order of regulatory safety significance.

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