EM Weekly Report 11/24/00

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT WEEKLY REPORT - November 24, 2000

I	Schedule

11/28 	Dr. Huntoon will travel to the Savannah River Site (SRS) with the
Secretary for the SRS 50th Anniversary Celebration.
12/4 	Dr. Huntoon will travel to Utah and Colorado with the Secretary.
12/11	Dr. Huntoon will be speaking at the National Environmental Justice
Advisory Council Bi-Annual meeting in Arlington, VA
12/14	Dr. Huntoon will be speaking at the Land Transfer and Long Term
Management of Contaminated Federal Facilities Workshop in San Francisco
and touring the Oakland site.
	Mr. Owendoff will be Acting Assistant Secretary in her absence.

II	Key Departmental News

Moab, Utah, Uranium Mill Tailings Site:   DOE/Headquarters, Grand
Junction Office, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff met with the
Trustee (Pricewaterhouse Coopers) for the Moab Mill Reclamation Trust on
November 16, and discussed the path forward for eventually transferring
all responsibilities and title to the Moab site from the Trustee to DOE.
The authorizing legislation stipulated that, along with the remediation
plan which shall be completed in no more than one year, the Department
shall work with the trustee to develop a efficient and legal means for
transferring the site to DOE.  The Trustee's contractors are currently
installing a wicking system to dewater the pile, are placing soils on
the pile to enhance the dewatering, and are redesigning the side slopes
to reduce erosion potential.  The Trustee indicated that their surety
funds and other assets are insufficient to place the 10.5 million ton
tailings pile in an appropriate standby condition prior to title
transfer later this fiscal year.  Consequently, they inquired whether
DOE could make an advanced payment of about $1.4 million to them under
the Title X Uranium/Thorium Reimbursement Program.  DOE staff have since
determined that the Title X regulations do not allow for an advanced
payment, and will engage in follow-up discussions with the Trustee and
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to resolve this issue.  Additionally,
Albuquerque and Grand Junction Office staff will visit the site in the
near future to assess the necessary activities for placing the site into
proper standby condition until final remedial actions begin several
years from now.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing that a
stakeholder meeting take place in Moab this January regarding the site
transition to DOE; the likely date is the week of January 8, 2000.
Media Interest:  None
Program Contact:  J. Joyce, 301-903-2151

Training Support Facility at HAMMER to be Named in Honor of Former
Assistant Secretary Alvin L. Alm:  The Manager of the Richland
Operations Office has made a nomination that the Training Support
Building at the HAMMER facility be named after Assistant Secretary Alm,
who was a great supporter of the role of HAMMER and its importance to
worker training.  Mr. Alm's vision and support helped make HAMMER a
nationally recognized "world class" training facility.  The HAMMER
facility was selected for the Vice Presidential Hammer award for
reinventing government.   
Media Interest:  None
Program Contact:  Randal Scott, 202-586-9755

On November 20, Deputy Secretary Glauthier Signed Memorandum Approving
the Field Office Transportation Evaluation Program (FOTEP):  The FOTEP
program will be used in conjunction with the Department's existing
Transportation Compliance Evaluation/Assessment Program to ensure that
the Federal staffs at the Field Offices are overseeing their respective
contractor(s) packaging and transportation activities appropriately. 
This program was developed to meet the intent of DOE Order 460.2,
Departmental Materials Transportation and Packaging Management, which
requires DOE to conduct technical assessments of DOE Field Elements to
provide assistance in transportation and packaging management activities
to ensure compliance with applicable requirements.  The National
Transportation Program in Albuquerque will lead this program
Media Interest:  None
Program Contact:  Carol Peabody, 202-586-1201

Nevada OFFSITES Program, Salmon Site, Mississippi:  On December 14, a
groundbreaking ceremony for the Water System in the area surrounding the
Salmon Site will take place.  Installation for the system is funded by a
grant from DOE to Lamar County.  The County has invited DOE and local
congressional representatives to participate.  The Salmon Site is the
location of two nuclear and two non-nuclear underground tests that were
performed in the 1960s as part of the Vela Uniform Program.
Media Interest:  Local
Program Contact:  Claude Magnuson, 301-903-7651

Hanford K-Basin Spent Nuclear Fuel Project Progress Continues to
Challenge Milestone:  Progress continues on startup preparations for
removal of the fuel from K-West Basin.  Four baskets of fuel have now
been cleaned and loaded as part of the Phased Startup Initiative test
program.  The project also received conditional approval for Critical
Decision 4 (Startup) from the Energy System Acquisition Advisory Board
on November 17.  The Contractor second phase Operational Readiness
Review (ORR) at the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility (CVDF) resumed on
November 17 and is expected to be completed on November 22.  After
verification of closure of prestart items, the DOE ORR for CVDF is
anticipated to begin on November 26 or 27.  The DOE ORR will require 4
to 5 days at a minimum to complete.  At this point, the November 30
Tri-Party Agreement and DNFSB 94-1/2000-1 commitment date for fuel
removal will likely slip to early December.  The lead regulator (EPA)
and the DNFSB are aware and understanding of the delay.
Media Interest:  None
Program Contact:  Tom Hull, 301-903-5677

Blue Ribbon Panel Draft Report:  The Blue Ribbon Panel on Emerging
Technological Alternatives to Incineration released a partial draft of
the report on November 9, for public comment.  Technical evaluation of
responses to the Panel's request for information is still being
prepared.  Public conference calls on November 20 and November 27, and a
meeting in Jackson, WY, from December 5-6, will focus on preparing the
final report which is due to Secretary Richardson on December 15.  The
Panel will conclude that alternatives to incineration do exist, but
testing with actual waste is necessary and will recommend that the
Department of Energy pursue an increased research and development
program to prepare the most promising alternatives for deployment and to
advance the next generation of waste treatment technologies.  
Media Interest:  National
Program Contact:  Carl Cooley, 301-903-7276

III	Work on Secretarial Initiatives

Off-Site Source Recovery Program (OSRP) Begins Recovery of Pu-238
Sources:  The OSRP has completed all requirements for recovery and
storage of commercial Pu-238 sources at the Los Alamos National
Laboratory.  The first recovery is targeted for December 2000. 
Sixty-one sources from ARCO, Inc., in Pennsylvania will be packaged and
shipped to LANL prior to the end of the year.  Source recovery will
continue in January with approximately 1600 sources forecast for
recovery in FY 2001.  The OSRP is continuing to work through safeguards
and security issues related to other types of sources, which is the last
critical path milestone to full operations and compliance with the
Secretary's directive of July 13, 2000.
Media Interest:  Local
Program Contact:  Robert A. Campbell, 678-585-9565

IV	Press Inquiries

Editorial Board Update by Fernald Director:  Steve McCracken, newly
appointed Director of the Fernald Environmental Management Project, will
meet with the editorial staff of the Hamilton Journal News on November
28.  The Fernald cleanup status, remediation priorities and the newly
signed closure contract will be among the topics discussed.
Media Interest:  Yes
Program Contact:  Rick Provencher, 937-865-3252

V	FOIA Requests

VI	Grants, Economic Announcements and Publications

Fernald Closure Contract Awarded to Fluor Fernald Inc. at FEMP-Fernald:
The Fernald closure contract was awarded to Fluor Fernald Inc., on
November 20, followed by an announcement to media and stakeholders.  The
2.4 billion dollar contract becomes effective on December 1 and runs
through the completion of cleanup. A formal signing with stakeholders
regulators and union representatives was held on November 21.
Media Interest:  Yes
Program Contact:  Stephen H. McCracken, 513-648-3101

VII	Climate Change

VIII	Disaster Assistance

-- 
.....................................................
Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee
                       -----                       
The LOC newsletter "Insights" is posted on our Web site
http://www.local-oversight.org - E-mail loc@icx.net 
.....................................................
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