[SOE
LETTERHEAD]
November l0, 2003
The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Thank you for your letter concerning the
Safety Bases for the K-Area Material Storage (KAMS) Facility, Building 235-F,
and FB-Line at the Savannah River Site. Your letter requested clarification of, or
action related to, issues identified during a review that is part of an overall
safety assessment undertaken in response to the Public Law 107-314, section
3183, Study of Facilities for Storage of
Plutonium and Plutonium Materials at Savannah River Site.
First and foremost, the Department is
committed to performing its missions safely. The Department believes that these facilities
are safe to carry out their current missions, including the storage of
plutonium received from the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site. Furthermore, the Department will take all steps
necessary to assure that these facilities will continue to operate safely as mission
needs evolve. The KAMS Safety Basis
documents are being revised to reflect the potential additional storage
capacity and the previous decision to extend the life of the facility. The Building 235-F Safety Basis is being
upgraded to reflect the new storage and surveillance missions and resulting
extended facility life. Responses to
specific issues raised in your letter are enclosed.
If you have any further questions, please
contact me or Ms. Jessie Hill Roberson, Assistant Secretary for Environmental
Management, at (202) 586-7709.
Sincerely,
Spencer Abraham
cc: Ms.
Jessie Hill Roberson, EM- 1
Mr. Mark B. Whitaker, Jr., DR-1
Mr. Jeffrey M. Allison, Manager, DOE-SR