[SOE LETTERHEAD]
January 3, 2003
The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20004-2901
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Thank you for your letter endorsing the
findings and recommendations of the Department of Energy (DOE) Commission on
Fire Safety and Preparedness.
The Commission, in its final report of May
28, 2002, noted both strengths and weaknesses in the Department’s fire
protection programs and recommended actions to improve fire safety across the
complex. You requested a response that
outlines the specific actions that DOE will take to implement the
recommendations of the Commission.
Enclosed is an Action Plan that responds to your request.
As you know, shortly after the Commission’s
final report, I issued a directive to DOE senior management to address the
threat from wildland fires; actions required as part of this directive are
complete.
I have assigned Ms. Beverly A. Cook,
Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health, the responsibility for
managing the completion of the actions contained in the Action Plan and to
implement changes to address the remaining fire safety recommendations that
were identified by the Commission.
Please note that some of our planned actions are intended to address
broader issues within the realm of safety management. We plan to keep the Board and its technical staff informed about
our efforts to meet our commitments. If
you have any questions, please contact Ms. Cook at (202) 586-6151.
cc:
M. Whitaker, S-3.1