[DOE LETTERHEAD]

March 21, 2002

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

Dear Mr. Chairman:

This letter is to advise the Board regarding a change in the Department's Implementation Plan for Board Recommendation 2000-2, Configuration Management, Vital Safety Systems. I am designating Mr. Edward Blackwood, Director of Environment, Safety and Health Inspections, as Responsible Manager for the Implementation Plan for Board Recommendation 2000-2, replacing Mr. Steve Cary.

The current plan requires confinement ventilation systems to be addressed with other vital safety systems in Commitments 2 through 7. These commitments require identification of vital safety systems, conduct of Phase I assessments, and conduct of near-term Phase II assessments where warranted. However, there are some parallel actions in Commitment 11 that have been interpreted as requiring Phase II-like assessments of & confinement ventilation systems regardless of the Phase I results. In the course of completing the Phase I assessments and selecting systems for Phase II, there were no differences that would necessitate a parallel, but different track for confinement ventilation systems. Therefore, we will select and conduct Phase II assessments of confinement ventilation systems along with other systems under Commitments 6 and 7 of the implementation plan. All sites are planning to institutionalize Phase II assessment criteria into ongoing programs to assure the continued viability of safety systems, including confinement g ventilation systems.

Commitment 11 requires transmittal of one confinement ventilation system report for each site. We will combine this with Commitment 7 and send you a copy of the first stand-alone Phase II report from each site, regardless of the type of system, by September 2002.

I believe this change in the Implementation Plan for Recommendation 2000-2 will better focus the Department's resources on the areas of greatest concern and provide the Board with appropriate evidence of the quality of our efforts.

Enclosed is a copy of the change distribution memorandum. If you have any questions about this change in the Department's Implementation Plan, please contact me or have your staff contact Mr. Blackwood at (301) 903-0124.

Sincerely,

Spencer Abraham

Enclosure

[SOE LETTERHEAD]

March 21, 2002

This memorandum promulgates a change in the Responsible Manager for the subject implementation plan and a change to the plan itself. Mr. Edward Blackwood, Director of Environment, Safety and Health Inspections, has replaced Mr. Steve Cary as Responsible Manager for the Implementation Plan.

The current plan requires confinement ventilation systems to be addressed with other vital safety systems in Commitments 2 through 7. These commitments require identification of vital safety systems, conduct of Phase I assessments, and conduct of near-term Phase II assessments where warranted. However, there are some parallel actions in Commitment 11 that have been interpreted as requiring Phase II-like assessments of all confinement ventilation systems regardless of the Phase I results. In the course of completing the Phase I assessments and selecting systems for Phase II, there were no differences that would necessitate a parallel, but different track for confinement ventilation systems.

The Department will treat confinement ventilation systems like other safety systems to determine the appropriate set of Phase II assessments under Commitments 6, 7, and 11 of the implementation plan. The list of Phase II assessments of Commitment 6 will include appropriate confinement ventilation systems, and the Department will provide the assessment reports of Commitment 11 from the entire set of Phase II assessments rather than only confinement ventilation systems. This will result in better stewardship of the Department's resources and more effective safety management.

Attached is a detailed change instruction sheet for the implementation plan. File a copy of this memorandum and attachment with the implementation plan.

If you have any questions about this change, please contact Mr. Blackwood at (301) 903-0124.

Attachment

Change Instructions
Implementation Plan for Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
Recommendation 2000-2, Configuration Management, Vital Safety Systems

1. In section 4.1.2, page 9, change the paragraph that begins "Once developed and tested. . . " by adding a new sentence at the end: "Confinement ventilation systems will be treated like other safety systems and selected for assessment based on the guidance in Section 4.1.1 of this implementation plan. "



2. In section 4.1.2, page 11, and Table 2, page 27, Change Commitment 11 to read: