The hearing, which will be livestreamed, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT on August 14 at the board’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. A link to the livestream will be made available on the DNFSB website on the day of the hearing.
Participants: The hearing will feature testimony from representatives of the American Nuclear Society, Government Accountability Office, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and NASA.
ANS involvement: During the morning session, Todd Anselmi, an ANS working group chair, will present on the standard ANSI/ANS-3.14-2021, Process for Infrastructure Aging Management and Life Extension of Nonreactor Nuclear Facilities.
Anselmi will discuss the need that drove the creation of the standard, its regulatory influences, and the current and future implementation of the standard.
Why it is important: In a June 4 letter to energy secretary Jennifer Granholm, DNFSB chair Joyce Connery said that while the DOE has made progress in improving the management of its aging infrastructure, the board believes the DOE could do more to address the safety impact of “age-related degradation on defense nuclear facilities and supporting infrastructure.”
Connery noted that following the public hearing, the DNFSB will sponsor an aging management workshop for senior staff from both agencies on September 10. The workshop will examine opportunities to improve DOE aging management protocols and incorporate best practices.
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, which provides safety oversight of Department of Energy sites, is holding a public hearing on August 14 on benchmarking of best practices in the management of aging infrastructure.
