[SOE
LETTERHEAD]
May 28, 2004
The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite
700
Washington, D.C. 20004-2941
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Thank you for providing the
Department of Energy (DOE) with a copy of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board’s (Board) December 2003 report to Congress on the study of plutonium
storage at the Savannah River Site (SRS).
The Board’s report identifies
eight proposals for enhancing the safety, reliability, and functionality of
plutonium storage facilities at the SRS. As you know, Section 3183 of the Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-314) mandates that both
the Board and the Department of Energy submit to Congress reports on the
actions taken by the Department in response to those proposals. In March 2004, DOE personnel met at the SRS
with members of the Board’s staff to discuss some of the proposals, concerns,
and specific recommendations contained in the Board’s December 2003 report. More recently, Department personnel met with
the Board’s staff to discuss an initial draft of the Department’s response to
Congress.
In order to facilitate
preparation of your forthcoming report to Congress, enclosed is a brief summary
of actions the Department is currently taking in response to, or associated
with, the proposals in your December 2003 report to Congress. You will note that we have taken actions to be
responsive to all eight proposals. As these
activities are completed during the next year, the Department will brief the Board
on our proposed course of action. In the
interim, we will continue to work with your staff on these matters.
If you have any further
questions regarding this information, please contact me or Ms. Jessie Hill
Roberson, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, at (202) 586-7709.
Sincerely,
Spencer Abraham