[DOE LETTERHEAD]
NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
November 12, 2008
The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
Dear Mr. Chairman:
This letter provides a final 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 meet 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. Following review by
my staff, an interim response on August 21, 2008, informed you that five of the seven
NNSA Site Office ISMSDs adequately met the associated DOE Manual 450.4-1
requirements. The remaining two Site Office ISMS Descriptions have been revised,
approved by the Site Office Managers, and reviewed by my staff. These two copies have
been provided to your staff for information. NNSA Site Office ISMSDs meet the
requirements
of DOE Manual (M) 450.4-1, Integrated
Safety Management System Manual.
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