65FR38268 DOE Implementation Plan for Recommendation 2000-1 of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Stabilization and Storage of Nuclear Material
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Posting-number: Volume 65, Issue 119, Page 38268
[Federal Register: June 20, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 119)]
[Notices]
[Page 38268]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20jn00-52]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
DOE Implementation Plan for Recommendation 2000-1 of the Defense
Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Stabilization and Storage of Nuclear
Material
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board published
Recommendation 2000-1, concerning the stabilization and storage of
nuclear material, on January 26, 2000 (65 FR 4237). Under section
315(e) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 42 U.S.C.
2286d(e), the Department of Energy must transmit an implementation plan
on Recommendation 2000-1 to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
after acceptance of the Recommendation by the Secretary. The
Department's implementation plan was sent to the Safety Board on June
8, 2000, and is available for review in the Department of Energy Public
Reading Rooms.
ADDRESSES: Send comments, data, views, or arguments concerning the
implementation plan to: Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20585.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Huizenga, Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Integration and Disposition, Environmental Management,
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20585.
Issued in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2000.
Mark B. Whitaker, Jr.,
Departmental Representative to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board.
The Secretary of Energy
June 8, 2000.
The Honorable John T. Conway,
Chairman, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, 625 Indiana
Avenue, NW, suite 700, Washington, DC. 20004.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Enclosed is Revision 3 of the Department's
Implementation Plan for remediating the nuclear materials identified
in Recommendations 94-1 and 2000-1. This revision describes the
current status of, and changes to, the Department's plans for
stabilizing the nuclear materials, with significant changes included
for the Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project, Savannah River Site,
Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, Los Alamos National
Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. These plans
and any changes to previous commitments have been discussed with
members of your staff.
The enclosed plan includes discussion of all of the actions
taken to date to address the urgent safety issues described in the
original Recommendation 94-1. It also sets forth the Department's
plans and commitments for the remaining stabilization activities
called for in Recommendation 2000-1. Accordingly, the Department
proposes closure of Recommendation 94-1 as we continue to track our
stabilization activities under Recommendation 2000-1.
The Department is currently working closely with the Los Alamos
National Laboratory to establish a satisfactory path forward for
stabilization of its remaining 94-1 legacy inventory. Los Alamos
completed stabilization of all of their high-risk vault items in
July 1998, and stabilization of the remaining 17 priority items
stored in gloveboxes is being actively pursued. Five interim
commitments have been established to monitor the preparation of an
integrated plan with milestones for the stabilization and discard of
those items and all remaining 94-1 legacy material at Los Alamos.
This plan will be available by October 31, 2000.
The Department acknowledges that the enclosed revision reflects
significant delays to some of our previously approved stabilization
commitments, particularly in the area of stabilization activities at
the Savannah River Site. As I described in my March 13, 2000,
response to your Recommendation 2000-1, these delays result from a
variety of interrelated factors that include funding priorities as
well as technical and management issues. In developing this plan
revision, however, we have been careful to order the activities with
the objective of achieving early risk reduction. We recognize the
importance of these projects and will work to maximize our
efficiency and attain every possible schedule acceleration.
We continue to closely track progress on all stabilization
commitments and are pleased to be able to continue to show
measurable progress at several sites. Of note is the completion of
all remaining 94-1 activities at the Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory. We will keep you and your staff apprised
of our progress in meeting the commitments at the remaining six
sites. If you have any questions, please contact me or have your
staff contact Mr. David Huizenga at (202) 586-5151.
Yours sincerely,
Bill Richardson.
[FR Doc. 00-15477 Filed 6-19-00; 8:45 am]
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