[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 175 (Monday, September 12, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-22424]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 12, 1994]


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DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD

 

Hearings

ACTION: Notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and agenda of a hearing to 
be held by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board to receive 
comments from members of the public in communities near the Department 
of Energy's Pantex Plant. The Board will conduct a public hearing 
pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 2286b and invites any interested persons or 
groups to present any comments, technical information, or data 
concerning the fifth annual report to be submitted to Congress by the 
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board under 42 U.S.C. 2286e (note).

TIME AND DATE: 7:00 p.m., October 19, 1994.

PLACE: Amarillo Civic Center, 401 S. Buchanan, Amarillo, Texas (for 
Pantex Plant).

STATUS: Open.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kenneth M. Pusateri, General Manager, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety 
Board, 625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20004, (202) 
208-6400. This is not a toll free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An independent agency within the executive 
branch, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) provides 
advice and recommendations to the President and the Secretary of Energy 
regarding public health and safety issues at Department of Energy (DOE) 
defense nuclear facilities.
    Broadly, the Board reviews operations, practices, and occurrences 
at DOE's defense nuclear facilities and makes recommendations to the 
Secretary of Energy that are necessary to protect public health and 
safety. If, as a result of its reviews, the Board determines that an 
imminent or severe threat to public health or safety exists, the Board 
is required to transmit its recommendations directly to the President, 
as well as to the Secretaries of Energy and Defense.
    The Board's enabling statute, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2286, requires the 
Board to review and evaluate the content and implementation of health 
and safety standards, including DOE's Orders, rules, and other safety 
requirements, relating to the design, construction, operation, and 
decommissioning of DOE's defense nuclear facilities. The Board must 
then recommend to the Secretary of Energy and specific measures, such 
as changes in the content and implementation of those standards, that 
the Board believes should be adopted to ensure that the public health 
and safety are adequately protected. The Board is also required to 
review the design of new defense nuclear facilities before construction 
begins, as well as modifications to older facilities, and to recommend 
changes necessary to protect health and safety.
    The Board may conduct investigations, issue subpoenas, hold public 
hearings, gather information, conduct studies, establish reporting 
requirements for DOE, and take other actions in furtherance of its 
review of health and safety issues at defense nuclear facilities. These 
ancillary functions of the Board and its staff all relate to the 
accomplishment of the Board's primary functions, which is to assist DOE 
in identifying and correcting health and safety problems at defense 
nuclear facilities.
    This public hearing is being held to provide the Board with general 
public comments and views on topics related to the fifth annual report 
to be submitted by the Board to Congress under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2286e 
(note) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. The Board's report 
must include the following:
    ``(1) an assessment of the degree to which the overall 
administration of the Board's activities are believed to meet the 
objectives of Congress in establishing the Board;
    (2) recommendations for continuation, termination, or modification 
of the Board's functions and programs, including recommendations for 
transition to some other independent oversight arrangement if it is 
advisable; and
    (3) recommendations for appropriate transition requirements in the 
event that modifications are recommended.''

The Board seeks the public's view on these issues.
    A short introductory presentation may be made by a representative 
of the Board at the hearing, focusing on those Board activities of 
greatest relevance to the local communities. Requests to speak at the 
hearing may be submitted in writing or by telephone. We ask that 
commentators describe the nature and scope of the oral presentation. 
Those who contact the Board prior to close of business on the day 
before the hearing will be scheduled for time slots, beginning at 
approximately 7:10 p.m. The Board will post a schedule for those 
speakers who have contacted the Board before the hearing. The posting 
will be made at the entrance to the hearing room at the start of the 
hearing.
    Anyone who wishes to comment, provide technical information or data 
may do so in writing, either in lieu of, or in addition to making an 
oral presentation. The Board members may question presenters to the 
extent deemed appropriate. The Board will hold the record open until 
November 2, 1994, for the receipt of materials. A transcript of the 
hearing will be made available by the Board for inspection by the 
public at the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board's Washington 
office and at the DOE's public reading room at the Department of Energy 
Reading Room at the Lynn Library/Learning Center, Amarillo College, 
2201 S. Washington, Amarillo, Texas 79109, and at the Department of 
Energy Reading Room at the Carson County Library, 401 Main Street, 
Panhandle, Texas 79068.
    The Board specifically reserves its right to further schedule and 
otherwise regulate the course of the hearing, to recess, reconvene, 
postpone or adjourn the hearing, conduct further reviews, and otherwise 
exercise its power under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.
Robert M. Andersen,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 94-22424 Filed 9-9-94; 8:45 am]
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