[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

National Nuclear Security Administration

 

July 15, 2004

 

The Honorable John T. Conway

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, N.W.

Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20004

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

In your letter of July 9, 2003, you requested that our site offices report on the scope and periodicity of the training assessment conducted as required by Department of Energy Order 5480.20A.  In a letter dated October 2, 2003, I indicated that the Department of Energy Nevada Site Office (NSO) would complete its training assessment of the Device Assembly Facility (DAF) by the end of 2003.  As reported to you in my letter of April 27, 2004, the NSO had planned to conduct the DAF training assessment no later than June 1, 2004.  The Nevada Site Office has now informed me that it will not complete the training review until late August 2004 because of conflicts in the DAF assessment schedule.

 

The NSO intends to conduct a thorough Training and Qualification assessment as part of the DAF Operational Readiness Review.  The NSO Manager has reported that a separate Training and Qualification assessment of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory personnel would be premature and impact scheduled completion of priority activities at the DAF.

 

Ms. Kathy Carlson, Manager, Nevada Site Office, is responsible for overseeing the training assessment.  Please feel free to contact Ms. Carlson, or have your staff contact J. Nolan Bailey (702-295-1797) if you have any questions.

 

Sincerely,

 

Everet H. Beckner

Deputy Administrator

  for Defense Programs

 

cc:    K. Carlson, DOE-NSO

M. Whitaker, DR-1

L. Brooks, NA-1