[DOE LETTERHEAD]

September 19, 2002

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

Dear Mr. Chairman:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you that Commitment 2.7 of the Implementation Plan for Recommendation 2001-1, High-Level Waste Management at the Savannah River Site (SRS), has been completed by the Department of Energy (DOE). Commitment 2.7 established an action for DOE to award engineering, procurement, and construction contract(s) for a Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) as a demonstration of progress toward the acquisition of a salt waste processing capability at SRS. On September 17, 2002, contracts were awarded to Parsons Infrastructure and Technology Group, Inc., and Foster Wheeler USA Corporation for completion of conceptual designs for the SWPF.

We will continue to work closely with you and your staff as we proceed with the high-level waste salt processing program at SRS. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions concerning the above information at (202) 586-7709.

Sincerely,

Paul Golan
Chief Operating Officer
Office of Environmental Management

cc:
M. Whitaker, S-3.1
J. Allison, Acting Manager, SR