[DOE
LETTERHEAD]
National
Nuclear Security Administration
February 1, 2005
The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW
Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20004
Dear Mr. Chairman:
The purpose of this letter is to
accept your request for a senior National Nuclear Security Administration
manager to brief the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board regarding the following
overdue commitments from the Implementation Plan for Recommendation 98-2, “Safety
Management at the Pantex Plant,” on a monthly basis.
Commitment
4.2.2: Further guidance on expectations for the
evaluation and documentation of weapon response to potential accident
environments and stimuli will be issued through a technical business practice
(TBP).
A draft TBP addressing these issues has been developed and is
in the review stage. The planned release
of this TBP will be in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2005.
Commitment
4.3.4: Validate implementation of the improved
site-wide technical safety requirement controls for onsite transportation of
nuclear explosives.
The
number of controls implemented to date is 112 out of 150 with an estimated
completion date of July 2005.
Commitment
4.4.6: Seamless Safety for the 21st Century
Authorization Startup for the B83 Program.
The
project is currently in the review process. The readiness verification yielded findings
that required changes to the Hazard Analysis Report. The nuclear explosive safety study is currently
scheduled to begin February 2005.
Mr. Marty Schoenbauer, Assistant
Deputy Administrator for Military Application and Stockpile Operations,
presented the first briefing on January 12, 2005, and will continue monthly presentations.
If you have questions, please contact
Mr. Schoenbauer at 202/586-4879.
Sincerely,
Linton F. Brooks
Administrator
cc:
M. Whitaker, DR-1
K. Fortenberry, DNFSB
W. Andrews, DNFSB