[DOE LETTERHEAD]
ALBUQUERQUE OPERATIONS OFFICE

April 23, 1999

The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, N.W.
Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20004

Dear Mr. Chairman:

DOE's initiatives to enhance formality of nuclear explosive operations at Pantex include commitments to issue several new Chapters to AL Supplemental Directive 56XB, the Development and Production (D&P) Manual. New Chapters 11.3, "Seamless Safety (SS-21) for Assembly and Disassembly of Nuclear Weapons at the Pantex Plant" and 11.4," Authorization Basis for Pantex Plant Nuclear Explosive Operations" and a revision to Chapter 11.0 to incorporate definition changes have been issued with the attached memorandum. Issuance of Chapter 11.3 satisfies DNFSB Implementation Plan Commitment 5.2.1, Deliverable 1.

These Chapters were developed using the process defined in the letter from Mr. Gene Ives to you, dated 10 August 1998. This process ensured participation from DOE offices in Washington, Albuquerque and Amarillo, MHC, LLNL, LANL, SNL and the Defense Board staff. Comments from all organizations are compiled in resolution matrices. The comments have either been incorporated, or explanations for not incorporating the comments are included in the matrices.

With the large number of participants and their differing views on how nuclear explosive operations should be performed, it was not possible or prudent to accommodate all comments. The attached Chapters represent an approach that all participating organizations have said they can and will support.

Chapter 11.6, Readiness Reviews of the D&P Manual and AL SD 452.2 remain under development. Both of these documents are in the internal review process.

Please call me at (505) 845-6045 if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Richard E. Glass
Director
Weapon Programs Division

Attachment

cc w/attachment:
J. McConnell, DNFSB
625 Indiana Avenue, NW
Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20004-2901
M. Whitaker, S-3.1
E. Morrow, DP-3
E. Ives. DP-20
K. Carlson, ONDP, AL
S. Goodrum, AAO

Note: The attachment is available in [PDF].