[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

September 8, 2006

 

The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite 700

Washington, DC 20004

 

Dear Mt. Chairman:

 

On October 3, 2005, the Department of Energy (DOE) advised you of the issuance of DOE O 226.1, Implementation of Department of Energy Oversight Policy, and the completion of Commitment 4B in the Department’s 2004-1 Implementation Plan.  In the process of developing this Order, the Department evaluated impacts on other nuclear safety directives and identified four directives that needed to be revised or developed.  One of these directives was DOE O 470.2B, Independent Oversight and Performance Assurance Program.

 

The Department recently completed a review of the 2004-1 implementation plan actions and decided to modify DOE O 226.1.  The planned revision to DOE 470.2B should reflect the modified DOE O 226.1, and also be coordinated with planned changes to be made to DOE O 414.1C, Quality Assurance, during the next scheduled review cycle for DOE O 414.lC in June 2007.  We will include changes needed to accurately reflect and implement the DOE O 226.1 revision in DOE O 470.23 at the same time during the next scheduled revision of DOE O 414.lC.

 

Should you have further questions, please contact me at (301) 903-3777 or have your staff contact Dr. Patricia Worthington at (301) 903-5392.

 

Sincerely,

 

Glenn S. Podonsky

Chief Health, Safety and Security Officer

Office of Health, Safety and Security

 

cc:   Michael Kilpatrick, HSS

Mark B. Whitaker, Jr., HSS

Patrice Bubar, HSS

Bradley Peterson, HSS

Patricia Worthington, HSS