[DOE LETTERHEAD]
National Nuclear Security Administration
March 18, 2004
The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW.
Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20004
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Enclosed is the Los Alamos Site
Office (LASO) response to the concerns raised in your August 19, 2003, and
November 5, 2003, letters related to the lightning protection system at the
Weapons Engineering Tritium Facility (WETF) and the safety classification of
the electrical distribution system at the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research
facility (CMR).
The enclosed response includes
the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) approach and LASO
directive to the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) concerning the safety issues
at these facilities.
In summary, LASO has directed
LANL to conduct a thorough review of the electrical distribution system at CMR
as part of the basis for interim operations upgrade for the facility by April
30, 2004. With regard to WETF, several
safety measures are being pursued as outlined in the enclosed LASO response,
including upgrade of the fire barriers around the storage room, aggressive
packaging of the material-at-risk in approved containers, as well as
re-evaluation of hazard analysis and accident analysis scenarios in the update
to the WETF documented safety analysis.
We will continue to track
progress on these items and will provide periodic updates to your staff. If you have any questions, please contact me
or have your staff contact Sujita Pierpoint at (301) 903-9601 or Gerald
Schlapper at (505) 665-7111.
Sincerely,
Everet H. Beckner
Deputy Administrator
for Defense Programs
cc w/enclosures:
M. Whitaker, DR-1
R. Erickson, LASO