DOE EM Weekly Report - 2/2/01

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT WEEKLY REPORT

February 2, 2001

I	Schedule

II	Key Departmental News
	
Workshop on Research Reactor Needs Assessment for Ukraine:  Former
Secretary Richardson promised a joint study between DOE and Ukraine to
determine the potential future needs for a research reactor in Ukraine. 
As a result, a workshop, organized by DOE's Office of Nuclear
Non-Proliferation (NN) Initiative for International Nuclear Safety and
Cooperation, was held at the Kiev Institute of Nuclear Research on
January 24-25.  During the workshop, Ukrainian officials provided
information on the mission and use of their reactor, economic benefits
and sustain ability, and reactor safety.  U.S. representatives provided
overviews of U.S. policy concerning highly enriched uranium, the Reduced
Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) program, U.S.
experience with the Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel
Acceptance Program, and reactor safety.  U.S. representatives also
addressed DOE's involvement in possible implementation of a
Russian-origin spent fuel return program, an initiative currently being
discussed among officials from DOE, DOS, the International Atomic Energy
Agency, and the government of Russia.  Both the Ukrainian government and
the reactor facility representatives expressed great interest in
participating in such a program.  Facility representatives expressed
their need for U.S. assistance in upgrading the reactor safety systems
and in conveying their need for spent fuel removal so as not to
interrupt reactor operation in 2001.     Media Interest:  None
Program Contact:  Maureen Clapper, 202-586-8013

Assistance to Department of Defense (DOD) on Depleted Uranium Issues:  
EM is working with DOD to respond to concerns expressed by the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization countries and the public regarding the use
of depleted uranium (DU) munitions in Bosnia and Kosovo.  EM coordinated
Field comments on a set of draft Q&A's developed by DOD for use by the
Department of State.  EM staff attended a meeting to discuss
applicability of DU characterization data developed by DOE-ID for the
armor program to munitions, and agreed to support DOD to develop a
sampling/characterization program for munitions.  DOD has also requested
assistance by DOE and EPA to better understand environmental transport
of DU and contaminants in the environment.  
Media Interest:  Yes
Program Contact:  John Tseng, 301-903-4482

Recycled Uranium (Mass Balance) Report:  EM staff is assisting the
Office of Environment, Safety and Health (EH) to complete the Mass
Balance Report.  The Secretary's Office requested completion of the DOE
summary report and to have Site reports ready for issuance in one
month.  A conference call was held last week with Field contacts, and
agreement was reached on a strategy to complete the DOE summary report. 
EM representatives will participate on a small writing team to complete
the DOE summary report and develop a new write-up on depleted uranium. 
A final draft will be available for review by EM site teams and the
Field in two weeks.
Media Interest:  Yes
Program Contact:  John Tseng, 301-903-4482

Negotiations with New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority (NYSERDA) on West Valley Conclude Without Agreement:  On
January 18, DOE announced that negotiations with NYSERDA regarding
obligations for decommissioning the West Valley Demonstration Project
(WVDP) concluded without agreement and that DOE retracted its proposal. 
NYSERDA followed with a press release expressing its dissatisfaction. 
DOE will now move forward to implement the WVDP Act which includes
completion of high-level waste vitrification and decontamination and
waste management actions, as well as moving forward to develop an
Environmental Impact Statement to support decommissioning decisions.
Media Interest:  Local, National
Program Contact:  Mark Rawlings,  301-903-7452

Audit of Safety and Health Management at Rocky Flats:  The Office of
Inspector General (IG) has scheduled a Safety and Health Management
audit of the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Site (RFETS).  According to
the notification memo received on 1/24/01, the IG survey phase will
start on 2/5/01 and an entrance conference is scheduled for 2/6/01. 
This audit was identified in the IG November 2000 Audit Report on
Management Challenges entitled "Illness and Injury Reporting at Rocky
Flats."  The IG Denver Office expanded the audit to "Safety and Health
Management."  The purpose of the audit is to determine whether
Kaiser-Hill and DOE have been minimizing safety and health risks at
RFETS.
Media Interest:  Local
Program Contact:  Charles O'Dell, 301-903-9445

Regulators Request Pantex Plant to Address the Inchcape Testing Services
Environmental Laboratories, Incorporated (ITS) Analytical Issue:  
DOE/Pantex Plant has used the ITS Laboratories in the past in support of
the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program efforts at that site. 
Recently some ITS employees were indicted by the U.S. Department of
Justice for falsification of instrument calibration data.  Five Operable
Units of the Pantex ER Program have used ITS in the past for analysis of
ground-water and soil samples.  ITS is not used by Pantex anymore.  In
four of the Operable Units, results from ITS analysis were not used to
decide extent of contamination, corrective actions, or closure
recommendations because supplemental analytical data from use of other
laboratories superseded the ITS data.  At the remaining Operable Unit,
Miscellaneous Chemical Spills Site where ITS data were used to determine
nature and extent of contamination, Pantex Plant has planned additional
investigation for FY2001.
Media Interest:  Local
Program Contact:  A. Das, 301-903-7603

Long-Term Stewardship Report to Congress:  The FY 2000 National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) Long-Term Stewardship Report to Congress was
completed and issued.  The report, which contains the most comprehensive
analysis to date of DOE's existing and anticipated long?term stewardship
obligations, fulfills a Congressional request in the FY 2000 NDAA.  The
report identifies the long?term stewardship activities anticipated by
the Department at 96 sites by the year 2006, and, eventually, at up to
129 sites.  While the primary focus of the report covers the period from
now through the year 2006, the report provides a preliminary glimpse of
what DOE's long?term stewardship obligations may be in outyears.  The
report consists of two volumes: Volume I provides summary?level
information, while Volume II provides site?level information.
Media Interest:  National
Program Contact:  Jonathan Kang, 301-903-7178

Groundwater Cleanup Milestone Achieved At Savannah River:  Last week,
local radio stations and print media, including the Aiken Standard and
Augusta Chronicle, reported the Savannah River Site (SRS) had treated 4
billion gallons of solvent-contaminated groundwater to date in A/M
Area.  More important, the strategy being implemented by SRS will reduce
future treatment costs substantially through the application of
innovative technologies like Dynamic Underground Stripping to address
the high concentration sources along with natural/passive technologies
to address high volume/low concentration portions of contaminant plumes.
Media Interest:  Local 
Program Contact:  Michelle Ewart, 803-725-1115

III	Work on Secretarial Initiatives
IV	Press Inquiries
V	FOIA Requests
VI	Grants, Economic Announcements and Publications
VII	Climate Change
VIII	Disaster Assistance
-- 
.....................................................
Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee
                       -----                       
A schedule of meetings on DOE issues is posted on our Web site
http://www.local-oversight.org/meetings.html - E-mail loc@icx.net
.....................................................
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