[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

 

January 23, 2007

 

The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue NW., Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20004-2901

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

This is in response to a November 2, 2006, request from your staff that the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) staff be added to the distribution of all future reports from biennial reviews conducted by the Chief of Defense Nuclear Safety (CDNS) for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).  The DNFSB staff will indeed be included in the distribution of the CDNS biennial review reports.  Please note that the reports are normally classified as Official Use Only and cannot be made publicly available.  They will be provided to your staff informally upon being approved.

 

The purpose of these reviews is to provide credible, objective, value-added information to NNSA line managers related to the status of site office nuclear safety oversight and implementation of nuclear safety requirements.  Although the reviews are part of the NNSA Headquarters’ line management oversight, they are also intended to serve as a catalyst to promote behavioral change to facilitate continuous improvement in:

 

·         Implementation and maintenance of nuclear safety requirements of the Nuclear Safety Rule, 10 CFR 830;

·         The implementation and institutionalization of Integrated Safety Management Systems that affect the implementation and maintenance of nuclear safety requirements; and,

·         The Federal oversight processes for the protection of workers, the public, and the environment.

 

The primary customer of the reviews are the Site Office Managers whom I hold accountable for nuclear safety, and these reviews are intended to be a means of open and free communication, as well as serving an oversight function.  I do not require formal corrective action plans (CAPS) for issues identified in the reviews, with the exception of Significant Weaknesses.  Site Managers are, of course, expected to take appropriate actions on other issues, and to use their site issue management systems to evaluate identified issues and track resolution of issues taken for action.  As such, NNSA will not be preparing CAPS for every issue raised in these reports.

 

Sincerely,

 

Thomas P. D’Agostino

Deputy Administrator

  for Defense Programs