[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 35762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14460]


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DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD


Notice of Public Meeting and Hearing

AGENCY: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and hearing.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Defense Nuclear Facilities 
Safety Board (Board) will hold a Public Meeting and Hearing regarding 
the status of the Savannah River Site (SRS). The purpose of this Public 
Meeting and Hearing is to gather information and discuss Department of 
Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) 
operations in a constrained environment and actions that could impact 
the safety posture of particular operations at SRS.

DATES: The Public Meeting and Hearing will be held on July 13, 2021, 
from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A detailed agenda is posted at 
www.dnfsb.gov.

ADDRESSES: This proceeding will be broadcast via a live internet video 
stream. Individuals interested in viewing the meeting may visit: 
https://www.dnfsb.gov/public-hearings-meetings/public-meeting-and-hearing-status-savannah-river-site. On the day of the meeting, a link 
to view the video stream will be posted on that page. The page may also 
be accessed by visiting dnfsb.gov and clicking: Public Meeting and 
Hearing on the Status of the Savannah River Site.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tara Tadlock, Manager of Board 
Operations, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, 625 Indiana Avenue 
NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20004-2901, (202) 694-7176.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 28, 2020, the Board published 
notice of a Public Hearing regarding SRS in the Federal Register. With 
the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Board subsequently published a 
notice postponing the hearing on March 16, 2020. On July 13, 2021, the 
Board will hold a Public Meeting and Hearing regarding SRS. The Public 
Meeting and Hearing will consist of a Public Meeting to be held at 9:30 
a.m. and a Public Hearing to be held at 1:15 p.m.
    The goal for the Public Meeting portion is to gather information on 
how DOE and NNSA are approaching operations in a constrained 
environment and discuss ongoing challenges and plans for transitioning 
back to a less-constrained work environment. The areas of focus will 
include policy and guidance related to personnel-centric areas (e.g., 
training and qualifications, control room operations, and telework). 
The Public Meeting will consist of two sessions. In the first session, 
scheduled for 9:30 a.m., the Board will hear from senior officials 
representing Environmental Management (EM). In the second session, 
scheduled for 11:15 a.m., the Board will hear from senior officials 
representing NNSA.
    The goal for the Public Hearing portion is to gather information on 
DOE and NNSA actions that could impact the safety posture of defense 
nuclear operations at SRS. The Public Hearing will be comprised of 
three sessions. In the first session, scheduled for 1:15 p.m., the 
Board will hear from senior officials representing NNSA regarding the 
Savanah River Tritium Enterprise (SRTE) safety basis, completed 
improvements, and ongoing and planned actions to address the high 
radiological dose consequences to the workers for several accident 
scenarios. In particular, the Board will focus on the ongoing actions 
at the SRTE that DOE cited as a basis to not accept Board 
Recommendation 2019-2, Safety of the Savannah River Tritium Facilities. 
This session will also include an overview of SRTE safety issues from 
the Board's Technical Director.
    In session 2 of the Public Hearing, scheduled for 2:45 p.m., the 
Board will hear from senior officials representing NNSA and EM 
regarding staffing to conduct oversight missions. This will include 
discussions of shortages in both facility representative positions for 
existing facilities and engineering positions responsible for reviewing 
safety bases and performing safety system oversight, and the approach 
of delegating inherently federal functions to the contractor as a 
substitute for federal oversight. This will also include discussions of 
future technical staffing needs as new site missions ramp up (e.g., 
Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility operations and Surplus 
Plutonium Disposition).
    In session 3 of the Public Hearing, scheduled for 3:40 p.m., Board 
Members will hear testimony from interested members of the public. To 
participate during the public comment session, please send an email to 
dnfsb.gov">hearing@dnfsb.gov with your name, email address, and affiliation, as 
applicable, before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 11, 2021. The time 
allocated to each public commentator will be limited to 3 minutes or 
less. Additional Zoom connection instructions will be provided to 
registered public commenters prior to the hearing.
    Interested members of the public may also submit written comments 
to dnfsb.gov">hearing@dnfsb.gov before the hearing record closes at 5:00 p.m. on 
Friday, August 13, 2021. All comments received before the hearing 
record closes will be posted publicly on www.dnfsb.gov.
    The hearing will be presented live through internet video 
streaming. A link to the presentation will be available on the Board's 
website, and a recording will be posted soon after. Additional details, 
including the detailed agenda for the hearing, are available at 
www.dnfsb.gov. A transcript of these sessions and the associated 
correspondence will be made available on the Board's website. 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.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2286b(a))

    Dated: July 1, 2021.
Joyce Connery,
Chair.
[FR Doc. 2021-14460 Filed 7-6-21; 8:45 am]
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