[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

National Nuclear Security Administration

 

October 30, 2003

 

The Honorable John T. Conway

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, NW.

Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20004

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

Commitment 4.2.3.2 of the Implementation Plan for Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 2002-1 requires the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to establish a schedule by October 31, 2003, to complete the identification, selection, and assessment of safety system software and firmware at its nuclear facilities.

 

Similarly, Commitment 4.2.4.2 of the Plan requires NNSA to establish a schedule by October 31, 2003, to complete the assessment of the processes in place to ensure that safety software currently used to support the analysis and design of its nuclear facilities is adequate.  We are requesting an additional 45 days to meet these two commitments.

 

Our Headquarters and Site Offices are currently developing supplemental guidance to the Criteria Review and Approach Documents issued by the Office of Environment, Safety and Health to facilitate the development of schedules and conduct of assessments in a timely and efficient manner.  We plan to finalize the site-specific schedules in a workshop at the Nevada Site Office on November 13-14, 2003.  We are inviting DNFSB staff to participate in the workshop.  We will provide the site-specific schedules to you by December 15, 2003.

 

If you have any questions, please contact me or have your staff contact Rabi Singh of my staff at (301) 903-5864.

 

Sincerely,

 

Everet H. Beckner

Deputy Administrator

for Defense Programs

 

cc:

B. Cook, EH-1

M. Whitaker, DR-1