6/13/83 QUESTIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Was the BWIP site characterization report done by DOE staff or by a contractor? To what extent did in-house staff, regional or headquarters, review the SCR prior to publication? Was DOE staff aware of the criticisms that had been raised about work at the site over the past three years? Was there any staff review which reached any of the conclusions that have been reached about the report by NRC and USGS? If so, please provide such memoranda or reports. How many in-house headquarters staff are technically qualified to review site characterization reports or plans? Are these staff assigned to site- or media-specific projects? What percentage of work in the waste repository program is now done by contractors?` What is the ratio of in-house staff to contractor personnel? What will be the cost of in-depth site characterization at Many of the contractors detailed in your chart have been it is so chooses? Can they be renewed in this way indefinitely Is it common DOE practice to include in its waste site contracts "option to extend services" provisions for major projects such as construction of a repository? How many contracts related to the waste program include such provisions? What is the effect of such provisions on competitive bidding for major construction projects? Is there a potential for conflict of interest in the current DOE management system, wherein contractors assessing a site's qualifications have a large economic stake in the continued development of the site? Should What can be done to assure the objectivity of contractor site investigations? Should site investigators be allowed to be eligible for site construction and operation contracts? contractors be hired for generic types of work at all candidate sites? Is an increase of in-house technical personnel at DOE headquarters, capable of providing review of site investigation efforts independent of project offices, necessary or desirable? QUESTION 1: ANSWER: QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS Was the BWIP site characterization report done by The BWIP site characterization report (SCR) (DOE/RL-82-3) was prepared by the BWIP technical management contractor, Rockwell Hanford Operations, and issued by the Department of Energy. Prior to its issuance, a draft of the site visits and program reviews as well as subsequent comments made by the USGS. The SCR clearly was overly optimistic on the hydrology and did not properly indicate the uncertainty of the data. We have discussed this with the Richland Operations Office. the contractor and NRC. We intend to overview the activities of the on-site contractor to ensure future high quality of the data. At the time of the preparation of the BWIP SCR last year, the DOE terminal waste isolation program had 18 personnel in headquarters and 6 in the Richland office who had technical degrees and backgrounds in multi-disciplinary fields and who DOE considers technically qualified to review site characterization reports or plans. These people are assigned on a media-specific project basis. Of the technically qualified, 5 in headquarters and 4 in Richland reviewed the SCR. Although we currently do have technically qualified personnel in Headquarters, in Richland and in other field offices who will review SCR's and plans, additional technical personnel are being added to the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program. QUESTION 1: ANSWER: QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS Was the BWIP site characterization report done by The BWIP site characterization report (SCR) management contractor, Rockwell Hanford Operations, and issued by the Department of Energy. Prior to its issuance, a draft of the site visits and program reviews as well as subsequent comments made by the USGS. The SCR clearly was overly optimistic on the hydrology and did not properly indicate the uncertainty of the data. We have discussed this with the Richland Operations Office. the contractor and NRC. We intend to overview the activities of the on-site contractor to ensure future high quality of the data. At the time of the preparation of the BWIP SCR last year, the DOE terminal waste isolation program had 18 personnel in headquarters and 6 in the Richland office who had technical degrees and backgrounds in multi-disciplinary fields and who DOE considers technically qualified to review site characterization reports or plans. These people are assigned on a media-specific project basis. Of the technically qualified, 5 in headquarters and 4 in Richland reviewed the SCR. Although we currently do have technically qualified personnel in Headquarters, in Richland and in other field offices who will review SCR's and plans, additional technical personnel are being added to the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program. |