[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 63 (Thursday, April 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17735-17736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07648]


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DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD


Sunshine Act Notice

AGENCY: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting and Hearing.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of the Government in the Sunshine 
Act, notice is hereby given of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety 
Board's (Board) public meeting and hearing described below. The Board 
invites any interested persons or groups to present any comments, 
technical information, or data concerning safety issues related to the 
matters to be considered.

DATES: Session I: 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m., Session II: 1:00 p.m.-4:00 
p.m., Session III: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Session IV: 7:30 p.m.-9:00 
p.m.; April 29, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Walter Gerrells Performing Arts and Exhibition Center, 4012 
National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220.

STATUS: Open. The Board has determined that an open meeting furthers 
the public interest underlying both the Government in the Sunshine Act 
and the Board's enabling legislation. The proceeding is being noticed 
as both a meeting under the Government in the Sunshine Act and a 
hearing under the Board's enabling legislation. At the conclusion of 
Session IV, the Board is expected to deliberate and then vote on a 
staff proposal. Deliberations and voting will proceed in accordance 
with the Board's operating procedures concerning the conduct of 
meetings.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:  In Session I of this public meeting and 
hearing, the Board will receive testimony from a senior Department of 
Energy (DOE) official regarding actions taken by DOE to safely recover 
the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) underground from events 
following a salt haul truck fire on February 5, 2014, and a separate 
radiological release on February 14, 2014. Testimony is also expected 
to focus on the progress of implementation of corrective actions to 
resume safe waste operations. Directly following Session I, the Board's 
staff will present testimony to the Board concerning actions taken by 
the Board before and after the two accidents, and give an update of 
ongoing Board staff oversight activities. During Session II, the Board 
will receive testimony from a panel of senior managers from DOE Office 
of Environmental Management (EM), DOE Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO), and 
the site contractor--Nuclear Waste Partnership (NWP). The Board will 
first explore actions planned, and taken, by DOE to address the seven 
key elements in the WIPP recovery plan, and how compensatory measures 
implemented under safety management programs such as emergency 
preparedness and

[[Page 17736]]

response will protect workers and the public during recovery 
activities. The Board will also consider the issue of how DOE will 
manage external pressure to resume waste operations without 
compromising the safety attributes of the plan's key elements. The 
Board will then examine DOE's safety basis strategy for WIPP recovery 
operations and upgrades, including the criteria for determining whether 
upgrades need to be planned and executed as major modifications. This 
will include actions being taken by DOE and the site contractor to 
ensure that hazards during the recovery phases are properly analyzed in 
Evaluations of the Safety of the Situation, and controls are properly 
identified and implemented. The final topic in Session II concerns 
DOE's strategy for providing adequate federal oversight during the 
recovery phase. In Session III, the Board will again receive testimony 
from a panel comprised of senior managers from DOE EM, CBFO, NWP, and 
the WIPP Accident Investigation Board Chairman. The Board will receive 
testimony on actions to correct deficiencies in key safety management 
programs such as emergency management, maintenance and engineering, 
fire protection, and nuclear safety. The Board will end Session III 
with a discussion of DOE's strategy for improving the effectiveness of 
federal oversight of contractor activities, including specific actions 
to ensure that improvements made by the site contractor and DOE are 
sustained over the long term. In Session IV, the Board will conclude 
the proceeding with testimony from its senior staff regarding an update 
to the public on the Board's proposed oversight actions associated with 
safe recovery of the underground, and oversight of corrective actions 
to resume and sustain safe waste operations. The Board is then expected 
to conduct deliberations concerning the staff's proposed oversight 
plan. The meeting will conclude with the Board's vote on the staff's 
recommendation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Welch, General Manager, Defense 
Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, 625 Indiana Avenue NW., Suite 700, 
Washington, DC 20004-2901, (800) 788-4016. This is a toll-free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public participation in the hearing is 
invited. The Board is setting aside time at the end of Sessions II and 
III for presentations and comments from the public. The public will be 
given one final opportunity for comment before the Board begins 
deliberations in Session IV. Requests to speak may be submitted in 
writing or by telephone. The Board asks that commenters describe the 
nature and scope of their oral presentations. Those who contact the 
Board prior to close of business on April 24, 2015, will be scheduled 
to speak at the session of the hearing most relevant to their 
presentations. At the beginning of the hearing, the Board will post a 
schedule for speakers at the entrance to the hearing room. Anyone who 
wishes to comment or 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. Documents will be accepted at the hearing or may be 
sent to the Board's Washington, DC office. The Board will hold the 
record open until May 25, 2015, for the receipt of additional 
materials. The hearing will be presented live through Internet video 
streaming. A link to the presentation will be available on the Board's 
Web site (www.dnfsb.gov). A transcript of the hearing, along with a DVD 
video recording, will be made available by the Board for inspection and 
viewing by the public at the Board's Washington office and at DOE's 
public reading room at the DOE Federal Building, 1000 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585. The Board specifically reserves its 
right to further schedule and otherwise regulate the course of the 
meeting and hearing, to recess, reconvene, postpone, or adjourn the 
meeting and hearing, conduct further reviews, and otherwise exercise 
its power under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.

    Dated: March 30, 2015.
Jessie H. Roberson,
Vice Chairman.
[FR Doc. 2015-07648 Filed 3-31-15; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE CODE 3670-01-P