SRS CAB: Lack of DOE Communication Could ‘Erode Public Trust’
WC Monitor
9/26/2014
The Savannah River Citizens Advisory Board is citing poor communication from the Department of Energy as threatening to “erode public trust,” and passed two recommendations this week that aim to improve lines of information from DOE. Instead of DOE sharing information with the CAB at bimonthly meetings or when it became available, several important developments did not come to the CAB’s attention until published in the media, according to the CAB. “In order for the Citizens Advisory Board to be able to provide meaningful input and meaningful written recommendations to the Department of Energy, its members need to be informed of situations at the Site in a timely manner,” one CAB recommendation states. “The failure of the Department to do such is threatening to erode public trust and hampering the effectiveness of the Board. The Department’s lawful commitment to transparency requires a more forthright approach.”
The CAB listed several examples of issues that came to light through media reports. That includes safety concerns, new technology for the site’s liquid waste system and a letter from South Carolina warning of millions of dollars in potential penalties for failure to meet cleanup milestones. Additionally, DOE was not the first to inform the CAB of possible shipments of highly enriched uranium from Germany. “Even though the Board had two bimonthly committee meetings the day before the Department was scheduled to hold a public meeting on this possible receipt of used nuclear fuel from Germany, the Board was not given an update on the situation,” the recommendation states. It asks DOE to provide regular updates at the CAB’s bimonthly meetings that could be “brief and informal.” Additionally DOE could provide updates via e-mail to the CAB and provide news releases to the site via email.
DOE Likely to Accept Recommendation
While DOE has not yet drafted its response, it will more than likely accept the recommendation, DOE Savannah River spokesman Jim Giusti said. He noted that the Department will send the CAB all of its news releases and in recent months has been providing frequent e-mail updates on activities at the site. “There are still going to be topics that they read about in the newspaper that we are not going to provide them an update on,” Giusti said, noting that some issues are reported before they are provided to the media through official sources. “We tentatively agreed that this is a recommendation that we can live with, and we just have to figure out the formal process.”
Second Recommendation Focuses on Liquid Waste Plan
A second CAB recommendation focuses on providing clearer information on annual updates to Savannah River’s liquid waste system plan. The presentations on the plan “have not consistently shown the same figures, tables, schematics or bullet lists to communicate the Liquid Waste Program and the ‘Liquid Waste System Plan’ or its revisions. In addition, the presentations have included numerous acronyms. When such a complicated presentation is given without previous discussions or copies in advance, the public is not well served,” the recommendation states. It adds: “A better process needs to be initiated to inform the Board and the public at large about the Liquid Waste Program and the Liquid Waste System Plan (and its revisions), the progress that is projected for the future, and the consequences of missed milestones.” Giusti declined to comment on the second recommendation, stating it is being reviewed currently.
Progress Made on SWPF Integration into Liquid Waste System
WC Monitor
9/26/2014
In a step forward for the integration of the Salt Waste Processing Facility with Savannah River’s liquid waste system, contractors recently installed 1,200 feet of new transfer lines that will connect the SWPF to the rest of the liquid waste facilities. The SWPF is designed to greatly increase the processing rates of high-level waste in the site’s tank farms, and must be linked to the tanks and the site’s Defense Waste Processing Facility for vitrification of waste. “Construction of the transfer lines began in 2013 and was finished recently, ahead of schedule, executing approximately 12,000 work-hours with no recordable injuries,” Frank Sheppard, SWPF deputy project manager for contractor Parsons, said in a statement. “The lines are currently scheduled to be ready to transfer waste following final tie-ins and testing of the SWPF, currently targeted for 2018.”
The Department of Energy recently finalized a new baseline for the SWPF that calls for completion of construction by the end of 2016 with an early target for facility startup in 2018, with a baseline date of startup by early 2021. Integration work between DOE, Parsons and liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation will continue as startup nears. “A key objective for us over the next five years is to fully integrate SWPF into the liquid waste system,” acting DOE-Savannah River Assistant Manager for Waste Disposition Project Jim Folk said in a statement. “Completion of this task is another example of the close partnering relationship that will be required between DOE and its contractors in achieving this very important goal.”
