[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 43 (Friday, March 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11531-11532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-04928]


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DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD


Sunshine Act Notice

AGENCY:  Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

ACTION:  Notice of Public Hearing.

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SUMMARY:  Pursuant to the provisions of the Government in the Sunshine 
Act (5 U.S.C. 552b), notice is hereby given of the Defense Nuclear 
Facilities Safety Board's (Board) public 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: 5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Session II: 6:45 p.m.-9:00 
p.m., March 22, 2016.

Place: Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 West Marcy Street, 
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501. Parking will be available at no cost.

Status:  Open. The Board has determined that an open hearing furthers 
the public interests underlying both the Government in the Sunshine Act 
and the Board's enabling legislation.

Matters to be Considered:  In this public hearing, the Board wishes to 
gather information regarding the hazards to the public and workers 
posed by the management of transuranic (TRU) waste at Los Alamos 
National Laboratory (LANL) as well as the Department of Energy's (DOE) 
plans to address those hazards. The Board will also examine DOE's 
actions taken or planned to resolve known inadequacies in the current 
safety basis of the various facilities that manage or store TRU waste 
at LANL, and actions to improve TRU waste management at LANL in 
response to the challenges caused by the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 
(WIPP) accident and the associated investigation findings.
    A senior Board technical staff employee will present information to 
the Board regarding TRU waste management at LANL, including safety 
issues identified at Area G including issues with inappropriately 
remediated nitrate salt-bearing waste, corrective actions resulting 
from the WIPP accident, and federal oversight. The Board will then 
receive testimony from senior officials from DOE Headquarters and 
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Headquarters regarding 
federal oversight of LANL transuranic waste management. After a brief 
recess, the Board will receive testimony from DOE and NNSA Los Alamos 
Field Office leadership as well as LANL leadership regarding technical 
resolution of safety issues. Following the public comment period, the 
hearing will conclude with statements from senior officials from DOE 
and NNSA as well as the Board Chairman. The public hearing portion of 
this proceeding is authorized by 42 U.S.C. 2286b.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:  Mark Welch, General Manager, Defense 
Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, 625 Indiana Avenue NW., Suite 700, 
Washington, DC 20004-2901, (800) 788-4016.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  Public participation in the hearing is 
invited during the public comment period of the agenda. The Board is 
setting aside time for presentations and comments from the public. 
Persons interested in speaking during the public comment period are 
encouraged to pre-register by submitting a request in writing to the 
Board's address listed above or by telephone to the Office of the 
General Counsel at (202) 694-7062 prior to close of business on March 
18, 2016. The Board asks that commenters describe the nature and scope 
of their oral

[[Page 11532]]

presentations. Those who pre-register will be scheduled to speak first. 
Individual oral comments may be limited by the time available, 
depending on the number of persons who register. At the beginning of 
the hearing, the Board will post a list of 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. Public 
participation in the hearing will be subject to the participation 
criteria posted on the Board's Web site with the hearing agenda. 
Written comments and documents will be accepted at the hearing or may 
be sent to the Board's Washington, DC, office. The Board will hold the 
hearing record open until April 22, 2016, 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 the 
Department of Energy's (DOE) 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 hearing, to recess, reconvene, postpone, or 
adjourn the hearing, conduct further reviews, and otherwise exercise 
its authority under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.

    Dated: March 1, 2016.
Joyce L. Connery,
Chairman.
[FR Doc. 2016-04928 Filed 3-2-16; 11:15 am]
 BILLING CODE 3670-01-P