September 07, 2014

NNSA Concerned About Continuing Y-12 Security Problems

By ExchangeMonitor

Apparently exasperated with the inability to improve security at the Y-12 National Security Complex, NNSA Production Office Manager Steve Erhart has ordered the plant’s new contractor to dig deep, find out what’s causing the spate of abnormal events and come up with a way to fix any systemic problems. In an Aug. 11 letter to Bechtel-led Consolidated Nuclear Security President and CEO Jim Haynes, Erhart listed a number of Y-12 events—ranging from multiple instances of enriched uranium being misplaced to an unauthorized personal weapon inside the plant’s Protected Area to inexplicable mixing of classified and unclassified wastes—“that concern NPO and indicate systemic problems may exist.” The NNSA concerns were first reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Erhart acknowledged that some of the incidents occurred before CNS took over responsibility for management of Y-12 and Pantex on July 1. “However,” he wrote, “it is now our collective responsibility to assure that both Plants safely and securely execute mission deliverables/requirements while meeting our customers’ expectations and desires.” He added: “Since the July 2013 accidental weapon discharge, a series of abnormal events have occurred at Y-12 that indicate a cultural undercurrent of complacency with regards to disciplined operations.”

The NPO manager told the contractor to provide the assessment and path forward within 60 days, meaning the report will be due around Oct. 10. Erhart said he wanted CNS to take a broader look, not just focusing on the problems listed in the letter, but including an evaluation of plant performance that goes beyond the “typical statistics,” rates and metrics.

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