[DOE LETTERHEAD]

August 21, 2008

The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, N. W., Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20004-2901

Dear Mr. Chairman:

This letter provides an interim National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) response to Commitment 22D of the Department of Energy (DOE) Implementation Plan (IP) to Improve Oversight of Nuclear Operations, dated October 2006. This IP was in response to Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) Recommendation 2004-1, Oversight of Complex, High-Hazard Nuclear Operations. Commitment 22D requires approved DOE Integrated Safety Management System Descriptions (ISMSD) that meets the requirements of DOE Manual (M) 450.4-1, Integrated Safety Management System Manual, for field offices with defense nuclear facilities.

Commitment 22D of the IP for Board Recommendation 2004-1 was required to be completed within six months of approval of the associated Secretarial Office ISMSD. The NNSA Administrator approved the NNSA Headquarters ISMSD on October 23, 2007. By late April 2008, all NNSA Site Offices with defense nuclear facilities had submitted their ISMSDs for information to the NNSA Office of Defense Programs. The NNSA Office of Safety has reviewed these documents and determined that five of the seven NNSA Site Office ISMSDs adequately meet the associated DOE Manual 450.4-1 requirements. NNSA will revise the remaining two Site Office ISMS Descriptions and inform the Board of their adequacy by October 31, 2008. Copies of the five NNSA Site Office ISMSDs that were found adequate have been provided to your staff for information.

If you have any questions, please contact me or Mr. James McConnell of the Office of Safety at 202-586-4379.

Sincerely,

Robert L. Smolen

Deputy Administrator

 for Defense Programs

cc:

M. Whitaker, Jr., HS-1.1