ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND HEALTH STATEMENT OF WILLIAM A. VAUGHAN, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, SAFETY, AND EMERGENCY PREPARED NESS ACCOMPANIED BY ROBERT W. DAVIES, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ENVIRONMENT, SAFETY, AND HEALTH OPENING REMARKS Senator JOHNSTON. Next, we turn to William A. Vaughan, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Protection, Safety, and Emergency Preparedness. Mr. Vaughan, I think this is also your first visit before the subcommittee. We welcome you here. Mr. VAUGHAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to be here today to discuss with you the Department's environment, safety, and health program. With me to assist in responding to your questions is Mr. Robert W. Davies, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health. And in the next few moments, I will try to summarize the much more detailed statement that I filed with you for the record. Senator JOHNSTON. I see, by the way, you are a Washington and Lee graduate. That is my alma mater. Mr. VAUGHAN. Yes, sir. The goal, sir, of the environment, safety, and health program is to assure that the Department complies with all current and anticipated environment, safety, and health statutes, regulations, and requirements and that it conducts its operations with a high quality of performance with respect to all of those considerations. This program is carried out by two major components; namely, safety programs and environmental programs. SAFETY PROGRAMS The safety programs component is comprised of three offices-the Offices of Nuclear Safety, Quality Assurance, and Standards and Operational Safety. These Offices are responsible for developing nuclear and nonnuclear safety and health policies and standards, assuring their implementation by conducting technical reviews, performing comprehensive appraisals, and by sponsoring special generic technical studies to provide guidance to the Department's technology programs and field offices. (1099) RELATION TO NRC Senator JOHNSTON. Let me interrupt you and ask, What do you do that NRC does not do and why it is necessary to have a separate program? Mr. VAUGHAN. We, for the Department and its operation, Senator, in effect, are the NRC or its equivalent. The Department, having in its nuclear operations come from the old AEC, was exempt from the regulatory aspect and my job is to provide for the Secretary that same type of independent review over the nuclear and nonnuclear activities. So with respect to the Department in this area, I am the regulator, so to speak, with respect to nuclear safety, EPA or environmental concerns, and OSHA concerns, and that applies to the operations of the Department and the operations of its contractors which, as you know, are operated in Government-owned, contractor-operated facilities so called GOCO's. We provide, as I was saying, an emergency response capability for accidents involving actual or potential releases of radioactive material to the environment from the Department's nuclear facilities or, for that matter, from any other source, either public or private. ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS The Environmental programs component consists of two Offices-the Environmental Analysis and Environmental Compliance-which are responsible for environmental policy development, energy-related environmental issues and analyses, and insuring that the Department's programs and projects fully comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and other applicable environmental requirements. BUDGET REQUEST The President's fiscal 1983 budget request for the environment, safety, and health program is based on the transfer of this program to an Energy Research and Technology Administration under the Commerce Department. While the overall fiscal 1983 budget request of $38.995 million is reduced from the fiscal 1982 appropriation, the principal activity of assuring safety and health at operating facilities and environmental compliance for applicable projects will continue. In fact, there will be an increased emphasis to improve the overall safety of Department nuclear facilities. This emphasis will involve actions as follows: First, to complete the first cycle of comprehensive appraisals at DOE operations offices. Second, expand the evaluation of NRC regulatory initiatives to assure that new safety restrictions for licensed commercial facilities are incorporated into DOE safety policy, where applicable. Third, develop additional criteria for fundamental training of operators of nuclear reactors and other nuclear facilities and to monitor implementation of training programs. Fourth, expand the atmospheric release advisory capability to provide around-the-clock, 30-minute responses for departmental facilities. Fifth, complete prototype production and testing of improved neutron dosimeters for use in departmental facilities. The environment, safety, and health program to date has assured that national energy policies and agency plans, programs, and operations have effectively addressed and expeditiously resolved environmental and safety problems. The proposed fiscal 1983 budget provides the resources to continue this level of assurance. At this point, sir, I am prepared to answer your questions. [The statement follows:] STATEMENT OF WILLIAM A. VAUGHAN, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, SAFETY, AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Mr. Chairman, and members of the Subcommittee, I am pleased to be here today to discuss with you the Department's budget request for FY 1983 for the Environment, Safety and Health Program. With me to assist in responding to your questions, is: Mr. Robert W. Davies, Deputy Assistant Secretary for The Environment, Safety and Health program manages an independent overview The Safety Programs component is composed of three offices: The Offices of NUCLEAR SAFETY As a result of a major Departmental study on the impact of the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear accident, nuclear safety activities were strengthened in 1981 by several new initiatives including the establishment of an Office of Nuclear Safety. This new office, with its special focus, provides an independent overview of the Agency's nuclear operations so as to minimize risks to the safety and health of workers and the public, and to provide for adequate protection of property and equipment. This overview mission is accomplished by developing safety and health policies and standards, assuring their implementation by conducting technical reviews, performing comprehensive appraisals, and by sponsoring special generic technical studies to provide guidance to the nuclear technology programs and field offices. The sub-program also provides emergency response capability for accidents involving actual or potential releases of radioactive material to the environment from the Department's nuclear facilities, and from any other source, public or private. The basic responsibilities of the Office of Nuclear Safety arise from the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 as amended, P.L. 83-703, which required the Department to prescribe and enforce regulations and orders to protect health and minimize damage to life and property, and exempts the Department's nuclear activities from Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing. Further, the Department prescribes and enforces effective radiological and non-radiological occupational safety and health standards and, because of this, has not been subject to Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulation in its Government-owned, contractoroperated, nuclear facilities. |