[DNFSB
LETTERHEAD]
July 29, 2005
The Honorable Linton Brooks
Administrator
National Nuclear Security
Administration
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585-0701
Dear Ambassador Brooks:
In letters dated January 24, 2003,
and February 14, 2003, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and
the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) initiated discussion of a
new family of directives called NNSA Policy Letters. After several staff-to-staff discussions on
the subject, NNSA personnel agreed that use of the NNSA Policy Letter system on
issues affecting health and safety at defense nuclear facilities would be
suspended pending development of a satisfactory system
architecture. NNSA has not provided
further data on such an architecture.
On June 20, 2005, NNSA forwarded
to the Board for review a new Policy Letter entitled Differing Professional
Opinion Process for the National Nuclear Security Administration. Specific comments on this Policy Letter are enclosed for
your use. However, the Board is concerned
that NNSA is proceeding to use the NNSA Policy Letter system on an issue that clearly
affects health and safety at defense nuclear facilities without having
completed development of the system architecture. Further, the Board was informed during the
resolution of comments on the Los Alamos National Laboratory Request for
Proposals that use of the NNSA Policy Letter system would be necessary to levy
specific List B safety requirements upon the successful bidder.
Therefore, pursuant to 42 U.S.C.
§ 2286b(d), the Board requests
that NNSA provide a briefing to the Board within 60 days of receipt of this
letter on (1) the path forward for designing and implementing a satisfactory
system architecture for the NNSA Policy Letter system, and (2) the schedule for
that path forward.
Sincerely,
A. J. Eggenberger
Chairman
c: Mr. Tyler Przybylek
Mr. James
McConnell
Mr.
Mark B. Whitaker, Jr.