Northern New Mexico Citizens’ Advisory Board

MJ Byrne as the Deputy Designated Federal Official called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.

Agenda: Mat Johansen called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. George Chandler welcomed the Board members and the public. The Board approved the agenda as presented and the Board established that a quorum was present.

Action: The Board tabled the approval of the May 28 Board minutes until the July meeting.

Mr. Mechels is concerned about LANL's lack of a safety culture. The recent settlement on the Efrem Martinez accident is an example. He thinks that LANL has no management accountability. Mr. Mechels recommended that the Board read the Martinez accident report. The report describes the breakdown of following LANL's own safety procedures. He observed that the managers involved in this incident have received higher salary increases than some LANL workers present at the meeting.

Mr. Mechels is concerned about the draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Study (SEIS) report. He encouraged the Board to look closely at the document. For example, the report projects the Sigma complex that manufactures secondary materials to expand 30 - 40%, other expansion at TA-39 but no projected increases in outfalls. He encouraged the Board to look at this data because it does not track. The Chair asked Mechels to provide documentation of his concerns with the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement.

Mr. Trujillo asked if the Board has found the historical background from the Formation Committee and the Board's scope of work? He thought that knowing the Board's history and background was important for the Board. LANL is different from other sites because it is an operational site. He felt that this Board should look at other issues. For example, safety, LANL's management and economic development impact on Northern New Mexico, pit production, materials shipped from Rocky Flats to LANL, seismic conditions at the CMR building, off-site contamination, water contamination, the clean up of land that DOE may transfer to others, and faulty facility management that caused the Martinez accident. The Board made previous recommendations on these topics. Mr. Trujillo encouraged the Board to follow up with DOE on these recommendations.

Board voted to make exception and allow Mr. Daneman to speak during the public comment period. He expressed concern about the dislocation in the Board and unhappiness about this situation. Hank Daneman said he reviewed the bylaws with Tom Todd when he was the manager. He stated that the Board abandoned the bylaws at the meeting two meetings ago which he and Kathy Sanchez protested. Mr. Daneman has not been voting in the past two meetings until DOE responds to this protest. He said that Acting Assistant Secretary Owendoff directed that Tom Todd and Martha Crosland will address the protests. Mr. Daneman will make the response available to Board when it is finished.

Board Business:
Chair George Chandler, Elmer Torres, Ray Armenta and Ann DuBois participated in the
Report: SSAB Chair teleconference. Most of the discussion was about the Intersite Conference and the Nevada Low Level Waste Conference in August. Mr. Chandler discussed the DOE self-regulation issue as the Board requested him to do. He asked the Chairs if any other Board was interested in this issue. Some Boards are interested and have encountered this problem. DOE commissioned a Working Group on External Regulation. The result was pilot projects at several sites but no legislative changes yet.

Mr. Chandler asked the Board how they wanted to include their names and addresses in the Site-Specific Advisory Board Directory. George Chandler asked that board members inform Ann DuBois about how they wanted to list their addresses.

Committee Michael Smith reported on the Environmental Restoration Committee. On
Reports June 8 he met with representatives from DOE and LANL and on June 18 he met with representatives from NMED. The purpose of these meetings was to hear their perspectives and their ER priorities. He submitted a written report.
I. Catherine Rivera-Lyons and Jim Waber, a member of the public, volunteered to be on the committee. Mat Johansen offered resources to the committee to work on risk-based recommendations. Hank Daneman supported the idea of developing risk-based criteria and suggested that the Board have a work session with some experts. He said that the Board could hire outside experts to provide assessment like the Rocky Flats Board. Hank Daneman commented that the Office of the Inspector General commented on LANL's environmental restoration assessment processes and plans. Kathy Sanchez suggested that risk-based approach examine different cultural and ecological models. Michael Smith agreed to set up a work session on this topic.

Lupe Griego made a report on the Environmental Monitoring and Surveillance Committee. She submitted a written report. The Committee requested the monitoring report on Mortandad Canyon in addition to the work plan that they have already. Elmer Torres contacted the Accord Pueblos and asked if they would participate in the committee. He has received no response yet. Hank
II. Daneman asked that the committee chairs sign and certify that they agree with the report.

Catherine Rivera-Lyons reported on the Waste Management Committee. The committee has two members: Carlotta and Catherine. Elmer Torres volunteered
III. to be on the committee. The Committee requested a tour of the TA-50 waste management facility and invited Board members to attend. Catherine contacted waste management manager Darrel Garcia. He will meet with the committee. Hank Daneman asked if LANL includes the waste management expenses as part of the budget of the program generating the waste.

In August, the Nevada Board is holding a conference on Low Level Wastes. The sites will display and present information about how they deal with low level waste. Catherine is willing to go and asked if Board wanted to send representatives to this conference. Mat Johansen said he would be willing to send up to five Board members. Catherine observed that the Nevada Board requested that we send a trained facilitator to this event.

Connie Thompson-Ortega made a report for the Bylaws Committee because Menice Manzanares was absent. She presented some proposed bylaws prepared by the committee. She asked for the Board members' comments on the proposed
IV. Bylaws. Ann DuBois must receive these comments by July 17. She will distribute the written comments to the Board.

Connie Thompson-Ortega made the report for the Budget Committee. This year, the Board has an experience-based budget because the Board does not have an approved budget. She asked the Board committees to make budget suggestions for the next fiscal year. George Chandler asked the committees to draft Work
V. Plans for their committees. Mat Johansen said that DOE's position was that the Board needs to establish work plan first and then prepare the budget. He will assist the Board in identifying in-house resources, outside resources from other sites, and then find direct funding for the Board's activities. The work plan covers all Board activities from October 1 to September 30. The Board asked the Budget Committee to assemble the Work Plans and suggest a budget. Michael Smith asked about hiring consultants for environmental restoration issues. Committees can request Ann DuBois to give them the budgets from other Boards. Kathy Sanchez said that previous budgets and work plans prepared by Board are also available.

The Chair asked if there is interest in a retreat. Some members expressed interest in risk assessment models, Work Plans, the Board's mission, and personal interests. A retreat before the end of this fiscal year could use existing Board funds but it may be too difficult to organize on short notice.

Report: Corey Cruz made a presentation on the Site-wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS). Gramm, Inc. and other contractors prepared the report. The
document's purpose is providing input into DOE's decision-making for LANL's overall operations for next ten years. Mat Johansen volunteered to get the full list of EIS documents from headquarters. The last EIS was prepared was in 1979 for project specific decisions. The current document provides a baseline and evaluates the impacts of effects. Kathy Sanchez asked about updates and supplements to the final EIS. Cory said that new information could be added as a supplement and DOE will update the document over time. The SWEIS comment period is from May 15 to July 15. The Final EIS will be completed in November 1998. DOE will not issue the Record of Decision sooner than 30 days after they release the final edition. Some items of interest to the Board are: expanded construction and facility alteration at Area G to handle wastes, TA-54 and TA 67, Pit production expansion at TA-55, expanded capabilities with Long Pulse Spallation Accelerator, and other programs at TA-53.

The document considered four alternatives: (1) No Action, (2) Expand, (3) Reduced Operations, (4) Greener options for weapon applications included decreased weapon operations, and non-weapons activities increased. The report includes information about the liquid rad wastes, water quality, water impacts, and air quality. Overviews of resource impacts include: public waste water, air emissions, impacts to workers such as radiation from routine operations, accidents, earthquakes, comparison of impacts and how they are different across the options, peak electrical demands, water demands, socioeconomic effects like work force increases and reductions including the secondary affects on business and other supporting services.

DOE held three public meetings and the public can make comments through July 15. A new Volume 4 will contain the compiled comments, how they were considered and what changes DOE made in the conclusions based on the comments.

Kathy Sanchez made a motion to have a separate work session on Site-Wide Environmental Impact Study. The Board agreed and will hold a special session on July 9 at DOE/LAAO from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The session will include a discussion on the proposed Area G expansion and an ethnographic study. Any action taken by the Board will be ratified at the next regular Board meeting.

With limited time, the Report on the Intersite Workshop held at San Diego University was tabled until the next meeting. Elmer Torres and Carlotta McInteer will give the report.

Notice: The next Board meeting will be July 28, 1998 in Española. The Board meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.

The minutes are an accurate and complete summary of the matters discussed and conclusions reached at the Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board meeting held at the Pojoaque Pueblo on June 25, 1998.

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Northern New Mexico Citizens Advisory Board
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Los Alamos Citizens Advisory Board
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