[DOE LETTERHEAD]

March 6, 2002

The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Ave., NW, Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20004-2901

Dear Mr. Chairman:

This letter is to inform you that a decision to upgrade the Building 371 vaults at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), in accordance with the Recommendation 94-3 Integrated Program Plan (IPP), will be deferred until December 2002. This deferral is necessary because of the delay in the start of shipping special nuclear material (SNM) to the Savannah River Site (SRS).

The Department anticipates that SNM shipments from RFETS to SRS will commence soon. In that event, the actions to upgrade the vaults will be cancelled and the Department will formally notify the Board. The delay in the Department's final determination to upgrade the Building 371 vault until the end of calendar year 2002 will still provide sufficient time for RFETS to complete any necessary upgrades within the time frame allowed by the 94-3 IPP.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact me or have your staff contact either Mr. Frank Sheppard (301-903-4982) or Mr. Gary R. Peterson (301-903- 1619).

Sincerely,

James J. Fiore
Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Site Closure

cc: M. Whitaker, S-3.1