Highlights for January 24 - January 28, 2005

Office of Safeguards and Security Evaluations (OA-10)

Site Assistance Visits (SAVs): Preparations continued in support of the next SAVs scheduled to be initiated at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Nevada Test Site (NTS). The remaining SAVs are scheduled to be conducted at the Office of Secure Transportation (OST) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The objective of the SAVs is to identify protection strategies and technologies to effectively implement the September 2004 design basis threat (DBT).

Government Accounting Office (GAO) Briefing: Participated in an SSA briefing to the GAO this week (January 26) regarding the implementation of the 2004 Design Basis Threat (DBT), Security Initiative 14 - Elite Protective Force, Site Assistance Visits (SAVs), and the impact of these three items on existing security policy. The GAO is monitoring the effectiveness of the Department's implementation of security policies and the 2004 DBT.

Sandia National Laboratories-New Mexico (SNL-NM) Safeguards and Security Comprehensive Inspection: Preparations continued for an onsite planning visit scheduled to be conducted at SNL-NM in support of the comprehensive inspection. A draft inspection plan has been finalized, and provided to management for review and approval. This inspection is being conducted as a part of a combined OA-10, OA-20, and OA-30 inspection.

Oversight Policy and Order, 226.1: The Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board (DNFSB) continues to work on comments on the policy as part of the review and acceptance of DOE's implementation plan in response to DNFSB Recommendation 2004-1. Upon receipt, these comments will be considered for inclusion in the final draft of the policy. Activities continued on coordinating the draft Order through the program offices prior to formally submitting the order into the DOE REVCOM process.

Nuclear Materials Management Safeguards System (NMMSS) Task Force Report: The task force report is in the concurrence chain for management approval.

Safeguards and Security Lessons-Learned: The revised draft will be reviewed during the next quality review board (date to be determined). The report is based on safeguard and security inspection results over the last two years and will identify positive attributes, areas needing improvement, and best practices to enhance protection programs throughout the Department. The final report will be distributed to ESE and NNSA security managers.

Basic Security Police Officer Training Special Review: The draft report was revised in preparation for review by the quality review board (date to be determined).

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Meeting: A meeting was held with two representatives from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in Washington, D.C., this week (January 25) regarding OA's composite adversary team (CAT) program and protocols for force on force (FOF) performance testing of DOE's protective forces. The Canadians are establishing their own CAT and FOF programs and wanted to benchmark their implementation strategies with the Department's ongoing programs.

Office of Cyber Security Evaluations (OA-20)

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Classified Cyber Security Inspection. Preparations continued for an onsite planning visit scheduled to be conducted at SNL-NM in support of the comprehensive inspection. A draft inspection plan has been finalized, and provided to management for review and approval. The scope of the inspection is scheduled to include SNL operations in New Mexico and California. This inspection is being conducted as a part of a combined OA-10, O-20, and OA-30 inspection.

South-Eastern Power Administration (SEPA) Cyber Security Inspection. Preparations continued this week in support of a cyber security inspection of SEPA. Coordination continued with key SEPA cyber security personnel. A document request was sent to the site and the technical assessment protocol continued to be developed.

Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) Cyber Security Inspection. Review of the distributed computing environment at four regional WAPA offices was initiated. The inspection schedule was expanded to accommodate the deployment of individual teams to review the distributed computing environment at the four regional offices.

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) Cyber Security Inspection. The final report is scheduled to be issued in February.

Department of Energy Architecture Repository (DEAR) Software Application Special Review: Comments from the OCIO on the final draft report were received last week (January 21). Development of the final report is scheduled to be initiated next week. A security review of the DEAR software application, managed by the OCIO, is being performed in response to concerns raised by the National Treasury Employee Union (NTEU).

Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Cyber Security Inspection Corrective Action Plan (CAP): An interim CAP has been received from BPA staff. A formal submittal from BPA management is pending.

Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) Unclassified Cyber Security Inspection Corrective Action Plan (CAP): An interim CAP was received and is being reviewed.

Office of Emergency Management Oversight (OA-30)

Sandia National Laboratories - New Mexico (SNL-NM) Emergency Management Inspection: Preparations continued for an onsite planning visit scheduled to be conducted at SNL-NM in support of the comprehensive inspection. Inspection activities will include integrating emergency management and security performance test objectives.

Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W) Emergency Management Targeted Review Corrective Action Plan (CAP): The interim CAP is due from the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology by January 31.

Office of Environment, Safety, and Health (ES&H) Evaluations (OA-40)

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) ES&H Inspection: Preparations continued for an onsite planning visit scheduled to be conducted at SNL-NM in support of the comprehensive inspection. Meetings were held this week in Germantown, MD, with the DOE Sandia Site Office and SNL senior management. Coordination continued with DOE site office and laboratory contacts. Inspection activities are being coordinated with the other OA offices who will be conducting a combined inspection.

Pantex Plant (Pantex) ES&H Inspection: Onsite validation and closeout activities were scheduled.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) ES&H Inspection Corrective Action Plan (CAP): LLNL is scheduled to submit an interim CAP for review by mid February.

New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL) ES&H Inspection Corrective Action Plan (CAP): Review of the final CAP continued.

Investigation of Worker Vapor Exposure and Occupational Medicine Program Allegations at the Hanford Site Corrective Action Plan (CAP): The review of the CAP is scheduled to be completed by the end of next week (February 4).

ES&H Focus Area Reports: Preparation of the CY 04 reports continued. The review criteria and approaches for CY 05 focus areas have been prepared and were incorporated into the Pantex. Plant ES&H inspection plan.

Annual ES&H Lessons Learned Report: Development of the report summarizing the lessons learned from CY 04 inspections continued.

National Training Center (NTC) Safety Professional Development Program: Two courses, Safety Systems Oversight (SSO), and Contractor Oversight, have been selected for fast-track deployment in the March-April time frame. To ensure that the SSO course satisfies the complex-wide training requirements, a draft Training Analysis Report was prepared and disseminated to NNSA/DOE SSO supervisors last week (January 19). Feedback on the course scope, intended audience, and level of background and experience for participants was obtained during a teleconference, and is being incorporated into the report. On November 5, the Secretary of Energy designated, the National Training Center (NTC) as the center of excellence in security and safety professional development. This initiative is in partnership with NNSA, EH, and other departmental organizations including the Federal FTCP. The Director, SSA, designated OA-40 senior staff to lead the safety professional development efforts.

Energy Facility Contractor's Group (EFCOG) Meeting: Participated on the Authorization Basis Panel at the EFCOG meeting in Albuquerque, NM, this week (January 26). The primary focus of the panel was to discuss the revision to the Unreviewed Safety Question (USQ) Guide. Implementation of USQ requirements in the field has been an OA focus area for the last three years.