[SOE LETTERHEAD]

 

 

October 24, 2007

 

The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20004-2941

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

This letter provides an update of the Department's Implementation Plan (IP) for Recommendation 2001-1, High-Level Waste Management at the Savannah River Site.� Specifically, I have approved changes to the completion dates for Commitments 2.9, 2.10, and 2.13.

 

As noted in Revision 4 of the IP of July 11, 2006, the commitment date to complete processing of 100,000 gallons of salt solution did not include a contingency for potential legal challenges. �Legal challenges to a South Carolina modified permit, needed to dispose of the treated salt waste, were filed in March 2007. As a result of those legal challenges, activities were suspended for Commitment 2.9 "Demonstrate the viability of the Deliquification, Dissolution, and Adjustment (DDA) [process]," as delineated in Dr. Ines R. Triay's April 24, 2007, letter.

 

The legal challenges to the South Carolina permit modification were settled on August 7, 2007. �The impacts to three commitments are described in the enclosure, including the revised completion dates. �The technical approach to fulfilling the commitments has not changed.

 

If you have any questions, please call me or Mr. James M. Owendoff, Chief Operations Officer for Environmental Management, at (202) 586-0738.

 

Sincerely,

 

Samuel W. Bodman

 

Enclosure