[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

December 15, 2005

 

The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, N.W.

Suite 700

Washington, DC 20004-2901

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

The Department of Energy (DOE) committed to develop guidance to contractors and DOE to evaluate confinement ventilation systems under DOE’s Implementation Plan for Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 2004-2, Active Confinement Systems.  This guidance is deliverable 8.5.4, Safety Related Ventilation Systems Evaluation Guidance and deliverable 8.7, Non Safety Related Ventilation System Evaluation Guidance.  These deliverables are due December 10, 2005 and December 15, 2005, respectively.  Since the guidance methodology is similar, the two deliverables will be combined into one document.  However, we need more time to develop this guidance.

 

DOE held two workshops to obtain input for this guidance from safety basis and safety systems experts around the complex.  Members of your staff attended both workshops and provided valuable insight and input for the guidance document.  We need additional time because developing the review methodology and providing the cost-benefit review criteria is more difficult than originally envisioned when the Implementation Plan was developed.

 

The DNFSB 2004-2 Implementation Plan Core Team and I, the DOE Responsible Manager, believe that we can provide this guidance document no later than January 31, 2006.  We will continue to work with your staff on the final product.

 

Sincerely,

 

Richard L. Black

Director

Office of Nuclear and Facility Safety Policy

 

cc:  M. Whitaker, DR-1

J. Shaw, EH-1

R. Shearer, EH-1

J. McConnell, NA-2

C. Lagdon, US-1