[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 9, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65162-65164]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29325]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[IA-09-025; NRC-2009-0548]
In the Matter of Daniel Culver; Order Prohibiting Involvement in
NRC-Licensed Activities
I
Daniel Culver (Mr. Culver) was previously employed as a maintenance
supervisor at Exelon Generating Company, LLC's (Exelon or licensee)
Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station (Peach Bottom or the facility).
Exelon holds License Nos. DPR-44 and DPR-56 issued by the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) pursuant to 10 CFR Part 50 on
October 25, 1973, and July 2, 1974, respectively. The license
authorizes the operation of Peach Bottom Units 2 and 3 in accordance
with the conditions specified therein. The facility is located on the
licensee's site in Delta, Pennsylvania. Mr. Culver worked for Exelon
from June 11, 2007, to July 29, 2008.
II
In a letter dated June 5, 2009, the NRC provided Mr. Culver the
results of an investigation initiated by the NRC Office of
Investigations (OI). The letter informed Mr. Culver that the NRC was
considering escalated enforcement action against him for an apparent
violation due to his failure to provide complete and accurate
information to Exelon when completing a Personal History Questionnaire
(PHQ) for unescorted access to Peach Bottom. Specifically, the NRC
determined that Mr. Culver had deliberately provided incomplete and
inaccurate information regarding: (1) The character of his military
service, (2) his history of conduct in the military, and (3) the nature
of his military discharge. The NRC offered Mr. Culver a choice to
attend a Predecisional Enforcement Conference (PEC) or to request
Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) to resolve any disagreement over:
(1) whether a violation occurred, and (2) the appropriate enforcement
action. At his request, a PEC was held between Mr. Culver and the NRC
on July 17, 2009. During the PEC, Mr. Culver presented information
about the reasons he failed to provide certain information on the PHQ
and why he did not believe he acted deliberately:
(1) The character of his military service--Mr. Culver listed his US
Navy (USN) rank as Machinist Mate 1 (MM1) on the PHQ, however, the NRC
investigation identified that he had served as a MM2 and had been
demoted to a MM3 prior to his discharge, as a result of a non-judicial
punishment (NJP) related to a misconduct incident. At the PEC, Mr.
Culver stated that listing his naval rank as MM1 was a typographical
error, and the result of attempting to complete the PHQ and other in-
processing paperwork quickly so as to begin working.
(2) His history of conduct in the military--Mr. Culver was subject
to an NJP during his USN service; however, the NRC investigation
identified that he failed to report the NJP as required on the PHQ,
even though the PHQ specifies that all arrests, including NJPs, must be
listed. At the PEC, Mr. Culver stated that he had read on the PHQ that
he was required to report all arrests, but had failed to read the
subsequent explanation of the circumstances that constitute an arrest,
including NJP. Therefore, he failed to recognize that the NJP had to be
disclosed. He also stated that he had received counsel in the USN that
he did not have to disclose the NJP unless he applied for a government
job.
(3) The nature of his military discharge--Mr. Culver was released
from the USN under a ``General Discharge, Under Honorable Conditions,''
however, the NRC investigation identified that he listed his discharge
type on the PHQ as ``Honorable.'' At the PEC, Mr. Culver stated that,
in his previous experience with applying for jobs, potential employers
asked him to only state if he had received either an Honorable or a
Dishonorable discharge because most did not understand the distinction
with a General discharge. Consequently, on the Exelon PHQ, he listed
his discharge as ``Honorable,'' which he felt to be the closest fit to
``General.''
During the PEC, Mr. Culver also discussed certain information in
the Application for Employment with Exelon that he submitted on April
12, 2007. Specifically, Mr. Culver provided information regarding why
he listed a certain individual as his supervisor on the employment
application, even though that individual was not Mr. Culver's
supervisor at the time he submitted his application.
[[Page 65163]]
III
The NRC has concluded that Mr. Culver violated 10 CFR 50.5(a)(2),
by deliberately submitting to a licensee (Exelon) information that he
knew to be incomplete or inaccurate in some respect material to the
NRC. The NRC concluded that Mr. Culver's actions were deliberate in
that his stated reasons for providing the inaccurate information did
not comport with the evidence gathered during the OI investigation:
(1) The character of his military service--Mr. Culver stated that
listing his naval rank as MM1 was a typographical error; however, he
completed the PHQ by hand. Additionally, the NRC investigation
identified that Mr. Culver's Exelon job application and submitted
resume also did not accurately reflect his MM3 naval rank. At the PEC,
Mr. Culver informed the NRC that he had subsequently provided Exelon a
corrected copy of his resume. However, based on the evidence obtained
during the OI investigation, the NRC concluded that Exelon was provided
no such correction.
(2) His history of misconduct in the military--Mr. Culver stated
that he had failed to recognize that his NJP had to be disclosed, along
with any arrests, on the PHQ. However, the PHQ provided an explanation
of what constituted an arrest, which included military NJP.
Additionally, the NRC considered that Mr. Culver had served in the USN
for more than four years and, as such, should have been aware of the
consequences of his NJP.
(3) The nature of his military discharge--Mr. Culver stated that he
had listed his discharge on the PHQ as ``Honorable'' because he had
expected that Exelon, like other previous potential employers, was only
interested in knowing if his discharge was ``Honorable'' or
``Dishonorable.'' However, the NRC investigation identified that the
PHQ requested that an applicant list the ``Type of Discharge'' and did
not limit the options to only ``Honorable'' or ``Dishonorable.''
Additionally, the PHQ provided additional space for the applicant to
provide additional information ``if TYPE of Discharge is anything BUT
`Honorable.' ''
Additionally, the NRC has concluded that Mr. Culver provided
incomplete information on the employment application he submitted to
Exelon on April 12, 2007. Specifically, Mr. Culver cited his USN
service under ``Employment History,'' and listed a particular Leading
Petty Officer as his supervisor. However, the NRC has determined that
this individual only temporarily acted as Leading Petty Officer while
Mr. Culver and he served together, and that the individual was not Mr.
Culver's supervisor at the time of his application for employment with
Exelon. Further, when Exelon's background investigation contractor
contacted the individual to verify Mr. Culver's service, the individual
stated that Mr. Culver was eligible for re-enlistment and did not have
a history of disciplinary action. However, Mr. Culver had received the
NJP and, as a result, was not eligible to re-enlist. The NRC concludes
that Mr. Culver provided incomplete information in his application when
he failed to identify his current supervisor and instead listed as his
supervisor an individual under whom he served on only an interim basis.
This individual did not state that he was aware Mr. Culver had received
disciplinary action that rendered him ineligible to re-enlist in the
USN, information that should have been known to any individual in the
USN who was actually supervising Mr. Culver.
10 CFR 73.56(b)(1) requires, in part, that licensees establish and
maintain an access authorization program granting individuals
unescorted access to protected and vital areas with the objective of
providing high assurance that individuals granted unescorted access are
trustworthy and reliable. Mr. Culver's deliberate submittal of
incomplete and inaccurate information regarding his military service
impacted Exelon's ability to determine his suitability for unescorted
access to Peach Bottom.
As a result, I do not have the necessary assurance that Mr. Culver,
should he engage in NRC-licensed activities under any other NRC
license, would perform NRC-licensed activities safely and in accordance
with NRC requirements. Therefore, the public health, safety, and
interest require that Mr. Culver be prohibited from any involvement in
NRC-licensed activities for a period of three years from the date of
this Order.
IV
Accordingly, pursuant to sections 103, 161b, 161i, 182 and 186 of
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the Commission's
regulations in 10 CFR 2.202, 10 CFR 30.10, and 10 CFR 150.20, it is
hereby ordered that:
1. Daniel Culver is prohibited for three years from the date of
this Order from engaging in activities licensed by the NRC. Activities
licensed by the NRC are those activities licensees are authorized to
conduct pursuant to a specific or general license issued by the NRC,
including, but not limited to, those activities of Agreement State
licensees conducted pursuant to the authority granted by 10 CFR 150.20.
2. If Daniel Culver is currently involved with another licensee in
NRC-licensed activities, he must immediately cease those activities,
and inform the NRC of the name, address, and telephone number of the
employer, and provide a copy of this order to the employer.
3. Daniel Culver shall, within 20 days following acceptance of his
first employment offer involving NRC-licensed activities or his
becoming involved in NRC-licensed activities, as defined in Paragraph
IV.1 above, provide notice to the Director, Office of Enforcement, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, of the name,
address, and telephone number of the employer or the entity where he
is, or will be, involved in the NRC-licensed activities.
The Director, OE, may, in writing, relax or rescind any of the
above conditions upon demonstration by Mr. Culver of good cause.
V
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.202, Mr. Culver must, and any other
person adversely affected by this Order may, submit an answer to this
Order within 20 days of its issuance. In addition, Mr. Culver and any
other person adversely affected by this Order may request a hearing on
this Order within 20 days of its publication in the Federal Register.
Where good cause is shown, consideration will be given to extending the
time to answer or request a hearing. A request for extension of time
must be directed to the Director, Office of Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, and include a statement of good cause for the
extension.
All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings, including a
request for hearing, a petition for leave to intervene, any motion or
other document filed in the proceeding prior to the submission of a
request for hearing or petition to intervene, and documents filed by
interested governmental entities participating under 10 CFR 2.315(c),
must be filed in accordance with the NRC E-Filing rule, (72 FR 49139,
Aug. 28, 2007). The E-Filing process requires participants to submit
and serve all adjudicatory documents over the internet, or in some
cases to mail copies on electronic storage media. Participants may not
submit paper copies of their filings unless they seek an exemption in
[[Page 65164]]
accordance with the procedures described below.
To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least
ten (10) days prior to the filing deadline, the participant should
contact the Office of the Secretary by e-mail at
[email protected], or by telephone at (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 proceeding in which it is participating; and
(2) advise the Secretary that the participant will be submitting a
request or petition for hearing (even in instances in which the
participant, or its counsel or representative, already holds an NRC-
issued digital ID certificate). Based upon this information, the
Secretary will establish an electronic docket for the hearing in this
proceeding if the Secretary has not already established an electronic
docket.
Information about applying for a digital ID certificate is
available on NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/apply-certificates.html. System requirements for accessing
the E-Submittal server are detailed in NRC's ``Guidance for Electronic
Submission,'' which is available on the agency's public Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. Participants may
attempt to use other software not listed on the Web site, but should
note that the NRC's E-Filing system does not support unlisted software,
and the NRC Help Desk will not be able to offer assistance in using
unlisted software.
If a participant is electronically submitting a document to the NRC
in accordance with the E-Filing rule, the participant must file the
document using the NRC's on-line, web-based submission form. In order
to serve documents through EIE, users will be required to install a web
browser plug-in from the NRC Web site. Further information on the web-
based submission form, including the installation of the web browser
plug-in, is available on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html.
Once a participant has obtained a digital ID certificate and a
docket has been created, the participant can then submit a request for
hearing or petition for leave to intervene. Submissions should be in
Portable Document Format (PDF) in accordance with NRC guidance
available on the NRC public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. A filing is considered complete at the time the
documents are submitted through the NRC's E-Filing system. To be
timely, an electronic filing must be submitted to the E-Filing 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
E-Filing 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
documents on those participants separately. Therefore, applicants and
other participants (or their counsel or representative) must apply for
and receive a digital ID certificate before a hearing request/petition
to intervene is filed so that they can 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 by contacting the NRC Meta-System
Help Desk through the ``Contact Us'' link located on the NRC Web site
at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html, by e-mail at
[email protected], or by a toll-free call at (866) 672-7640. The
NRC Meta-System Help Desk is available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.,
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding government holidays.
Participants who believe that they have a good cause for not
submitting documents electronically must file an exemption request, 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. A presiding officer, having
granted an exemption request from using E-Filing, may require a
participant or party to use E-Filing if the presiding officer
subsequently determines that the reason for granting the exemption from
use of E-Filing no longer exists.
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in
NRC's electronic hearing docket which is available to the public at
http://ehd.nrc.gov/EHD_Proceeding/home.asp, unless excluded pursuant
to an order of the Commission, or the 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, unless an NRC regulation or other law requires submission of
such information. 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 submission.
If a person other than Mr. Culver 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).
If a hearing is requested by Mr. Culver or a person whose interest
is adversely affected, the Commission will issue an Order designating
the time and place of any hearings. If a hearing is held, the issue to
be considered at such hearing shall be whether this 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 IV above shall be final 20 days from
the date of this Order's publication 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 IV shall
be final when the extension expires if a hearing request has not been
received.
Dated this 1st day of December 2009.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Roy P. Zimmerman,
Director, Office of Enforcement.
[FR Doc. E9-29325 Filed 12-8-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P