[DOE LETTER HEAD]
February 4, 2008
The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20004-2901
Dear Mr. Chairman:
I have been asked by the Administrator for National Nuclear Security Administration
(NNSA) to inform you that NNSA has completed Commitment 9C of the Implementation
Plan for Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Recommendation 2004- 1, the deliverable
of which is, “Approved biennial program office self-assessments of safety function
assignment at the program office level.” Enclosed is a copy of the report from the October
2007 Chief Defense Nuclear Safety biennial review of Defense Programs
(NA-10). The review’s focus on implementation of nuclear safety responsibilities within
NA-10 fulfills the intent of Commitment 9C.
There were a number of deficiencies with respect to safety responsibilities within NA-10
that were identified during this review and a corrective action plan (CAP) will be issued in
February 2008 and provided to your staff. Upon implementing corrective actions,
NA-10 will be conducting a self-assessment to assess their effectiveness and we will
provide this to your staff as well. Included within the CAP will be actions that evaluate
the staffing allocations, qualifications, and work processes necessary to successfully fulfill
NA-10 safety responsibilities and any compensatory measures deemed necessary until the
corrective actions are implemented. I will be happy to keep you abreast of our progress
during our monthly meetings. Finally, NA-10 plans to perform this periodic
self-assessment, biennially, in accordance with the Deputy Secretary’s December 27, 2005,
letter to you on this subject.
If you have questions, please contact me or Michael Thompson of my staff at
(202) 586-6058.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Smolen
Deputy Administrator
for Defense Programs
cc: M. Whitaker, HS-1.1