[DOE LETTERHEAD]

April 18, 2002

The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW
Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20004

Dear Mr. Chairman:

The purpose of this letter is to respond to your February 15, 2002, letter concerning actions planned to address . the issues regarding the planned Multi-Canister Overpacks (MCO) welding at the Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project. Specifically, you requested the following information:

• The activities required to initiate and complete the MCO welding and inspection, which are needed to place the MCOs into a safe condition equivalent to commercial spent fuel storage.
• The sequence for welding MCOs taking into consideration an accelerated completion for MCOs with potentially suspect seals.
• Barriers to welding the MCOs.
• If welding is no longer planned, the revised strategy and schedule for providing equivalent safe storage to commercial nuclear fuel storage.

Bullets one, two, and three will be addressed in the enclosure. Bullet four is not applicable because the welding is planned to occur.

If you have any questions, please contact me or have your staff contact Tom Hull, Richland Office, Office of Environmental Management, (301) 903-5677.

Sincerely,

Jessie Hill Roberson
Assistant Secretary for
Environmental Management

Enclosure

M. Whitaker, S-3.1
K. Klein, RL