DNFSB LETTERHEAD]

August 23, 1999

The Honorable Carolyn L. Huntoon
Assistant Secretary for
Environmental Management
Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585-0113

Dear Dr. Huntoon:

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) has reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) Program Execution Plan (PEP) for the Uranium-233 Safe Storage Program, which was transmitted to the Board by Mr. James Owendoff in a letter dated July 9, 1999.

The PEP is an important deliverable for the Board's Recommendation 97-1, Safe Storage of Uranium-233; it serves as the multi-year management and technical plan for implementing the remainder of that recommendation. The Board is encouraged by the long-term commitments made to meeting the objectives of the recommendation. Moreover, the Board is pleased to see that DOE used a systems engineering approach to develop the PEP, including the development of planning assumptions to address uncertainties in DOE policy and programmatic areas, as suggested in the Board's letter of July 22, 1998.

In summary, the Board finds the PEP as currently drafted acceptably responsive to our Recommendation 97-1. The Board assumes that it will be advised in advance should DOE contemplate for budgetary or other reasons to change the plan in any substantive way.

If you have any questions concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to call me.

Sincerely,

John T. Conway
Chairman

c:
Mr. James M. Owendoff
Mr. Mark B. Whitaker, Jr.