[SOE LETTERHEAD]
January 17, 2006
The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger
Chairman, Defense Nuclear
Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite
700
Washington, DC 20004-2901
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Enclosed is the Department of
Energy’s (DOE) revised Implementation Plan relative to the Defense Nuclear
Facilities Safety Board’s Recommendation 2001-1,
High-Level Waste Management at the Savannah River Site (SRS).
Due to substantial changes in
the SRS salt disposition program as a result of the litigation concerning DOE’s
authority to determine that certain waste incidental to reprocessing is not
high level waste, the DOE performed a complete review of the original recommendations
as they apply to the current program. The revised plan provides new dates for two
overdue commitments and six new commitments.
The DOE remains committed to the
timely disposition of wastes contained in the SRS tank farms. While it is recognized that risks similar to
those experienced in the past have the potential to further impact this
program, DOE remains convinced that the actions laid out in the Implementation
Plan are the best combination of safety, schedule, and cost to meet the mission
objectives. As you are aware, the
proposed long-term solution is the Salt Waste Processing Facility and DOE is
fully committed to funding and bringing this facility online. In the interim, contingencies continue to be
pursued to improve the overall condition of the tank farms. The interim actinide removal and cesium
removal systems are under construction and the Saltstone modifications and Deliquification, Dissolution, and Adjustment preparations
are nearing completion.
The DOE fully expects to recover
the last of the former In-Tank Precipitation tanks (Tank 48) to increase
available tank space. These interim
steps help to safely manage tank farm volumes, provide contingency options, and
reduce risk.
If you have any further
questions, please call me or Mr. James A. Rispoli, Assistant Secretary for
Environmental Management, at (202) 586-7709.
Sincerely,
Samuel W. Bodman