[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 175 (Monday, September 12, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-22424]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: September 12, 1994]
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DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD
Hearings
ACTION: Notice of public hearing.
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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and agenda of a hearing to
be held by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board to receive
comments from members of the public in communities near the Department
of Energy's Pantex Plant. The Board will conduct a public hearing
pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 2286b and invites any interested persons or
groups to present any comments, technical information, or data
concerning the fifth annual report to be submitted to Congress by the
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board under 42 U.S.C. 2286e (note).
TIME AND DATE: 7:00 p.m., October 19, 1994.
PLACE: Amarillo Civic Center, 401 S. Buchanan, Amarillo, Texas (for
Pantex Plant).
STATUS: Open.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kenneth M. Pusateri, General Manager, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board, 625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20004, (202)
208-6400. This is not a toll free number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An independent agency within the executive
branch, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) provides
advice and recommendations to the President and the Secretary of Energy
regarding public health and safety issues at Department of Energy (DOE)
defense nuclear facilities.
Broadly, the Board reviews operations, practices, and occurrences
at DOE's defense nuclear facilities and makes recommendations to the
Secretary of Energy that are necessary to protect public health and
safety. If, as a result of its reviews, the Board determines that an
imminent or severe threat to public health or safety exists, the Board
is required to transmit its recommendations directly to the President,
as well as to the Secretaries of Energy and Defense.
The Board's enabling statute, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2286, requires the
Board to review and evaluate the content and implementation of health
and safety standards, including DOE's Orders, rules, and other safety
requirements, relating to the design, construction, operation, and
decommissioning of DOE's defense nuclear facilities. The Board must
then recommend to the Secretary of Energy and specific measures, such
as changes in the content and implementation of those standards, that
the Board believes should be adopted to ensure that the public health
and safety are adequately protected. The Board is also required to
review the design of new defense nuclear facilities before construction
begins, as well as modifications to older facilities, and to recommend
changes necessary to protect health and safety.
The Board may conduct investigations, issue subpoenas, hold public
hearings, gather information, conduct studies, establish reporting
requirements for DOE, and take other actions in furtherance of its
review of health and safety issues at defense nuclear facilities. These
ancillary functions of the Board and its staff all relate to the
accomplishment of the Board's primary functions, which is to assist DOE
in identifying and correcting health and safety problems at defense
nuclear facilities.
This public hearing is being held to provide the Board with general
public comments and views on topics related to the fifth annual report
to be submitted by the Board to Congress under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2286e
(note) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. The Board's report
must include the following:
``(1) an assessment of the degree to which the overall
administration of the Board's activities are believed to meet the
objectives of Congress in establishing the Board;
(2) recommendations for continuation, termination, or modification
of the Board's functions and programs, including recommendations for
transition to some other independent oversight arrangement if it is
advisable; and
(3) recommendations for appropriate transition requirements in the
event that modifications are recommended.''
The Board seeks the public's view on these issues.
A short introductory presentation may be made by a representative
of the Board at the hearing, focusing on those Board activities of
greatest relevance to the local communities. Requests to speak at the
hearing may be submitted in writing or by telephone. We ask that
commentators describe the nature and scope of the oral presentation.
Those who contact the Board prior to close of business on the day
before the hearing will be scheduled for time slots, beginning at
approximately 7:10 p.m. The Board will post a schedule for those
speakers who have contacted the Board before the hearing. The posting
will be made at the entrance to the hearing room at the start of the
hearing.
Anyone who wishes to comment, provide technical information or data
may do so in writing, either in lieu of, or in addition to making an
oral presentation. The Board members may question presenters to the
extent deemed appropriate. The Board will hold the record open until
November 2, 1994, for the receipt of materials. A transcript of the
hearing will be made available by the Board for inspection by the
public at the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board's Washington
office and at the DOE's public reading room at the Department of Energy
Reading Room at the Lynn Library/Learning Center, Amarillo College,
2201 S. Washington, Amarillo, Texas 79109, and at the Department of
Energy Reading Room at the Carson County Library, 401 Main Street,
Panhandle, Texas 79068.
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 power under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.
Robert M. Andersen,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 94-22424 Filed 9-9-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-KD-M
