[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

National Nuclear Security Administration

 

June 19, 2007

 

The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, N.W.

Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20004

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

This report responds to your letter of May 10, 2007, regarding the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) plans and criteria for review and approval of the design agencies’ (DAs) expert elicitation, expert judgment, and peer review processes as specified in DOE-NA-STD-3016-2006, Hazard Analysis Reports for Nuclear Explosive Operations.

 

Given the different organizational structures employed by the DAs, their approaches to expert judgment, expert elicitation, and peer reviews are expected to show variations in details and implementation.  To achieve a common understanding of NNSA performance expectations, the NNSA intends to hold a workshop on implementation of this standard on July 16-17, 2007.  During the workshop, the NNSA will restate the top-level, performance-oriented provisions of the standard.  The design and production agencies will be asked to describe their organization-specific approaches to implement the standard, and the merits of the alternative approaches will be discussed.  These discussions will help to ensure that NNSA expectations are articulated and understood in all areas, including expert judgment, expert elicitation, and peer review, so that they can be reflected in the final procedures at each institution.  Schedules for implementation will be addressed as part of the discussions.

 

Following the workshop, the NNSA will develop the review plans and criteria for assessment of implementation at each DA, based upon understanding of the alternative approaches and potential weaknesses that should be assessed during the review.  The NNSA will develop a review schedule for my approval at that time, based upon the level and form of review that is necessary to verify that adequate processes have been implemented.  The DAs have committed to implement the standard by the end of the current fiscal year, and I anticipate that the NNSA will assess the DA’s implementation of the revised standard in early Fiscal Year (FY) 2008.  The assessments will include reviews of the Quality Assurance Plans and the associated DA procedures for performing their Hazard Analysis Reports-related work in accordance with the revised standard.  The plans, criteria and schedules for assessing the implementation of DOE-NA-STD-3016-2006 at each DA will be provided to you by the end of the current FY.

 

The quality of the DA processes for providing weapon response input is important to the safety of operations that rely upon this information.  The activities that the NNSA has planned will clarify our expectations, assure a timely implementation of these expectations, and establish an appropriate level of review and assessment for this important area of safety assurance.  These objectives cover the specific information that was requested in your letter.

 

If you have further questions, please contact me or Steve Goodrum at (202) 586-4879.

 

Sincerely,

 

William C. Ostendorff

Acting Administrator

 

cc:

K. Fortenberry, DNFSB

C. Martin, DNFSB

A. Matteucci, DNFSB

R. Rauch, DNFSB

M. Whitaker, HS-1.1

S. Erhart, PXSO

J. McConnell, NA-2.1

T. D’Agostino, NA-10

M. Schoenbauer, NA-10

S. Goodrum, NA-12

R. Lewis, NA-12

E. Schmidt, NA-121