Lesley Gasperow Office of Health, Safety and Security (HSS) U.S. Department of Energy

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Lesley GasperowOffice of Health, Safety and
Security (HSS)U.S. Department of Energy

• Program Overview, Challenges, and Opportunities

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Lesley GasperowOffice of Health, Safety and
Security (HSS)U.S. Department of Energy

• Program Overview, Challenges, and Opportunities

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Purpose

• Provide program status
• Progress
• Challenges and opportunities
• Solicit feedback
• Program evolution
• Priorities

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Significance of the 2010 NMMSS Meeting

• Build on successful partnership and collaboration
  within the NMMSS community Data providers,
  data users, and the regulators---
• Identify and address common issues and challenges
• Discuss opportunities for improvement and program
  evolution
• Participate in focused training sessions and
  topical discussions
• Opportunity to directly interact and communicate
  with the entire NMMSS Federal program management
  team
• NMMSS Program managers and respective senior
  managers from both the DOE and NRC are in
  attendance
• Accountability and ownership for the overall
  system performance and functionality rests with
  the Federal program management team!

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NMMSS At-A-GlanceResponds to the needs and
expectations of a diverse and broad spectrum of
stakeholders

• Tracks a wide range of reportable materials
• Structured to meet reporting requirements of two
  different U.S. agencies
• DOE and NRC
• Fulfills U.S. Government reporting obligations
  under at least ten different international,
  bilateral, and IAEA agreements
• Dependent on a broad spectrum of data providers
  operating under varying legal authority based on
  different types of licenses or contracts
• Deals with the day-to-day challenge of balancing
  of material accountability
• transfer
• ownership changes
• contract turnovers, and
• other bookkeeping issues
• Faces increased external stakeholders
  expectations for accuracy, verification, and
  validation of reported inventories

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2009 Operating Experience

• In 2009, seven (7) facilities identified nuclear
  materials for which there is no longer a
  continuing programmatic need
• Experienced operational performance improvement
  year-to-year related to
• Backlog and report timeliness
• Network , software, and infrastructure
• Continued to address legacy issues
• Reconciliation/Error rates
• Network , software, and infrastructure
• Ownership and status of material
• Multiplicity of reporting requirements and
  formats
• Competing priorities for limited resources
• Appreciate your continued support!

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2009 Operating Experience(Contd)

• Key promise kept -- Greater transparency on
  Federal performance and accountability
• Performance Report Card online http//www.hss.ener
  gy.gov/nmmss/index.html
• Reconciliation of Large NRC Submitters
• Reconciliation of Small NRC Submitters
• Closing of the Accounting Month (Number of days
  closed after month end)
• Distribution of NMMSS Reports
• Daily Processing (Records Processed)
• Provides month-to-month performance trends
• Request recommendations on other
• Performance Metrics of interest to the NMMSS
  Community!

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2009 Operating Experience(Contd)

• Status of Action Items in Response to the DOE
  Inspector General recommendations, dated February
  2009 (DOE/IG-0813)
• Accountability over Department-owned Nuclear
  Materials
• DOE owned material at NRC Licensees ineffectively
  managed by DOE
• Material write-offs without adequate
  justification
• Commitments met
• Conducted Material Balance reconciliation
  activities of NMMSS and DOE owned licensee
  material
• Identified material to be returned to DOE as the
  reconciliation is conducted
• Performed independent assessment

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2010 Challenges and Opportunities

• NMMSS continues to be in the spotlight
• Facing greater external attention, scrutiny, and
  focus on NMMSS
• April 2010 Nuclear Summit in Washington, D.C.
• Theme Location, Accounting, and Control of
  nuclear materials
• Recent Government Accountability Office (GAO)
  Nuclear Cooperation Agreements Review- GAO Job
  Code 361111Focus
• Tracking of US-obligated material outside the US?
• Confirmation/reconciliation of U.S. nuclear
  materials held by partner countries?
• Two-day reporting notification to Japan and South
  Korea on arrival of nuclear material
• Accounting for approximately 250 material
  transfers of Pu subject to U.S. controls
  planned/separated from spent reactor fuel in
  Europe and Japan
• Other questions related to HEU/LEU exports,
  approved storage facilities, etc

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2010 Challenges and Opportunities(Contd)

• Evaluate proposed changes
• Designed to make day-to-day operations more
  efficient
• Specifics of the proposal and its implementation
  details to be presented at the DOE breakout
  session on Thursday, May 20
• Continue to explore any and all strategies and
  approaches to improve delivery and efficiency of
  services Key considerations include
• Balance the complexities of NMMSS program needs
  and obligations
• Ensure there are no unforeseen impacts to the
  community as a whole
• Ensure there are no added requirements for new
  site specific investments, e.g., infrastructure,
  software, training
• Ensure regulatory and contractual commitments are
  met
• Ensure United States national and international
  reporting obligations are met

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2010 Challenges and Opportunities

• Launch NMMSS Working GroupFunctions of NMMSS
  Working Group to address inherent programmatic
  changes and evolution
• Assessment of programmatic implications, emerging
  issues and developments, e.g., Yucca Mountain ,
  GAO/IG recommendations
• Interface with site-specific processes and
  systems
• More effective application of IT technology and
  know-how
• Needs identification including training,
  infrastructure, guidance, procedures
• First meeting planned for Thursday, May 20, 2010

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Summary

• NMMSS is a vital tool for the U.S. Government
• Enables operational awareness of the location,
  inventory, and status of nuclear materials.  
• Facilitates informed decision-making
• Timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of data
  is paramount to its success
• Please share your ideas and suggestions on
• How can we collectively improve NMMSSs overall
  performance?
• Key emerging issues, challenges, and
  opportunities that we as a community should plan
  and prepare for!
• Your continued partnership and cooperation is
  needed to further the
• credibility and vitality of NMMSS