DOE Response to Recommendation 2012-2 of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Hanford Tank Farms Flammable Gas Safety Strategy, 4404 [2013-01132]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 14 / Tuesday, January 22, 2013 / Notices
[FR Doc. 2013–01140 Filed 1–18–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
DOE Response to Recommendation
2012–2 of the Defense Nuclear
Facilities Safety Board, Hanford Tank
Farms Flammable Gas Safety Strategy
Department of Energy.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
On September 28, 2012 the
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
submitted Recommendation 2012–2,
concerning Hanford Tank Farms
Flammable Gas Safety Strategy, to the
Department of Energy. In accordance
with section 315(b) of the Atomic
Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 42
U.S.C. 2286d(b), the following
represents the Secretary of Energy’s
response to the Recommendation.
ADDRESSES: Send comments, data,
views, or arguments concerning the
Secretary’s response to: Defense Nuclear
Facilities Safety Board, 625 Indiana
Avenue NW., Suite 700, Washington,
DC 20004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Steven Petras, Nuclear Engineer,
Departmental Representative to the
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board,
Office of Health, Safety and Security,
U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585.
SUMMARY:
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Issued in Washington, DC, on January 9,
2013.
Mari-Josette Campagnone,
Departmental Representative to the Defense
Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Office of
Health, Safety and Security.
January 7, 2013
The Honorable Peter S. Winokur
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Mr. Chairman:
The Department of Energy (DOE)
acknowledges receipt of Defense
Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board)
Recommendation 2012–2, Hanford
Tank Farms Flammable Gas Safety
Strategy, issued on September 28, 2012,
published in the Federal Register on
October 12, 2012, and accepts the
Recommendation.
The Board acknowledged in its
Recommendation that some
improvements had been made to the
specific administrative controls used for
flammable gas monitoring, but noted
that more work was needed to make the
ventilation system a credited safety
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:11 Jan 18, 2013
Jkt 229001
control. DOE agrees. In developing an
Implementation Plan (IP), DOE will take
the pragmatic and graded approach
detailed below to address the sub
recommendations that will significantly
improve the robustness of flammable
gas controls in the near term. DOE is
confident this is the most expeditious
approach to implement a more robust
safety control for Double Shell Tank
(DST) ventilation monitoring consistent
with the intent of Recommendation
2012–2.
DOE’s approach to addressing sub
recommendations 1 and 2 will be
divided into the following 3 phases:
• Phase 1 will be to complete
implementing the DOE-approved
Documented Safety Analysis by January
2013. This will include supplementing
the flammable gas monitoring control
with a new control that will measure
ventilation flow through each tank on a
periodic basis. This Documented Safety
Analysis will establish priorities for
DST primary tank ventilation system
maintenance, commensurate with the
importance of maintaining active
ventilation on these tanks.
• Phase 2 will be to install initial
safety-significant instrumentation for
real-time monitoring of the ventilation
exhaust flow from each DST that will
not involve confined-space, radiological
pit entry for data collection as is
currently required. At this point, a
robust safety-significant engineered
control will be in place to provide exact
flow measurement through each tank in
real-time.
• Phase 3 will be to refine the tank
flow real-time monitoring to make the
monitoring data available at remote
locations.
Remaining actions associated with
sub recommendations 3 through 5 to
reduce the potential hazards posed by
gas release events will also be identified
in the IP and will address:
• Restoring and upgrading existing
installed non-safety-related equipment
being used to fulfill safety functions at
the Hanford Tank Farms to the
appropriate safety classification.
• Implementing compensatory
measures in the event of DST
ventilation systems become unavailable.
• Evaluating the means to reduce
flammable gases retained in the DST
waste.
DOE is committed to the safe
operation of its nuclear facilities
consistent with the principles of
Integrated Safety Management and the
Department’s nuclear safety
requirements. DOE values the Board’s
input on how the Department can
improve its activities. We look forward
to working with the Board and its staff
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
on preparing DOE’s IP for
Recommendation 2012–2. I have
assigned the Manager, Office of River
Protection, to be the Department’s
responsible manager for this
Recommendation. He can be reached at
(509) 376–8830.
If you have any questions, please
contact me or Mr. David Huizenga,
Senior Advisor for Environmental
Management, at (202) 586–7709.
Sincerely,
Steven Chu
[FR Doc. 2013–01132 Filed 1–18–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 12690–005]
Public Utility District No. 1 of
Snohomish County, WA; Notice of
Availability of Environmental
Assessment
In accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s (Commission or FERC’s)
regulations, 18 CFR part 380 (Order No.
486, 52 FR 47897), the Office of Energy
Projects reviewed the Public Utility
District No. 1 of Snohomish County,
Washington’s (Snohomish PUD)
application for a 10-year pilot license
for the proposed Admiralty Inlet Tidal
Project No. 12690, which would be
located in Admiralty Inlet in Puget
Sound, near the City of Port Townsend,
in Island County, Washington, and has
prepared an environmental assessment
(EA) in cooperation with the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE/EA–1949).
In the EA, Commission staff analyzed
the potential environmental effects of
constructing and operating the project
and concludes that licensing the project,
with appropriate environmental
protective measures, would not
constitute a major federal action that
would significantly affect the quality of
the human environment.
A copy of the EA is available for
review at the Commission in the Public
Reference Room or may be viewed on
the Commission’s Web site at
www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link.
Enter the docket number excluding the
last three digits in the docket number
field to access the document. For
assistance, contact FERC Online
Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or tollfree at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY,
202–502–8659. A copy of the EA can
also be found on DOE’s Public Reading
E:\FR\FM\22JAN1.SGM
22JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 4404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-01132]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
DOE Response to Recommendation 2012-2 of the Defense Nuclear
Facilities Safety Board, Hanford Tank Farms Flammable Gas Safety
Strategy
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On September 28, 2012 the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board submitted Recommendation 2012-2, concerning Hanford Tank Farms
Flammable Gas Safety Strategy, to the Department of Energy. In
accordance with section 315(b) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended, 42 U.S.C. 2286d(b), the following represents the Secretary of
Energy's response to the Recommendation.
ADDRESSES: Send comments, data, views, or arguments concerning the
Secretary's response to: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, 625
Indiana Avenue NW., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Steven Petras, Nuclear Engineer,
Departmental Representative to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board, Office of Health, Safety and Security, U.S. Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585.
Issued in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2013.
Mari-Josette Campagnone,
Departmental Representative to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board, Office of Health, Safety and Security.
January 7, 2013
The Honorable Peter S. Winokur
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Mr. Chairman:
The Department of Energy (DOE) acknowledges receipt of Defense
Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) Recommendation 2012-2, Hanford
Tank Farms Flammable Gas Safety Strategy, issued on September 28, 2012,
published in the Federal Register on October 12, 2012, and accepts the
Recommendation.
The Board acknowledged in its Recommendation that some improvements
had been made to the specific administrative controls used for
flammable gas monitoring, but noted that more work was needed to make
the ventilation system a credited safety control. DOE agrees. In
developing an Implementation Plan (IP), DOE will take the pragmatic and
graded approach detailed below to address the sub recommendations that
will significantly improve the robustness of flammable gas controls in
the near term. DOE is confident this is the most expeditious approach
to implement a more robust safety control for Double Shell Tank (DST)
ventilation monitoring consistent with the intent of Recommendation
2012-2.
DOE's approach to addressing sub recommendations 1 and 2 will be
divided into the following 3 phases:
Phase 1 will be to complete implementing the DOE-approved
Documented Safety Analysis by January 2013. This will include
supplementing the flammable gas monitoring control with a new control
that will measure ventilation flow through each tank on a periodic
basis. This Documented Safety Analysis will establish priorities for
DST primary tank ventilation system maintenance, commensurate with the
importance of maintaining active ventilation on these tanks.
Phase 2 will be to install initial safety-significant
instrumentation for real-time monitoring of the ventilation exhaust
flow from each DST that will not involve confined-space, radiological
pit entry for data collection as is currently required. At this point,
a robust safety-significant engineered control will be in place to
provide exact flow measurement through each tank in real-time.
Phase 3 will be to refine the tank flow real-time
monitoring to make the monitoring data available at remote locations.
Remaining actions associated with sub recommendations 3 through 5
to reduce the potential hazards posed by gas release events will also
be identified in the IP and will address:
Restoring and upgrading existing installed non-safety-
related equipment being used to fulfill safety functions at the Hanford
Tank Farms to the appropriate safety classification.
Implementing compensatory measures in the event of DST
ventilation systems become unavailable.
Evaluating the means to reduce flammable gases retained in
the DST waste.
DOE is committed to the safe operation of its nuclear facilities
consistent with the principles of Integrated Safety Management and the
Department's nuclear safety requirements. DOE values the Board's input
on how the Department can improve its activities. We look forward to
working with the Board and its staff on preparing DOE's IP for
Recommendation 2012-2. I have assigned the Manager, Office of River
Protection, to be the Department's responsible manager for this
Recommendation. He can be reached at (509) 376-8830.
If you have any questions, please contact me or Mr. David Huizenga,
Senior Advisor for Environmental Management, at (202) 586-7709.
Sincerely,
Steven Chu
[FR Doc. 2013-01132 Filed 1-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P