Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

Walatowa Visitors’ Center
Jemez Pueblo

Board Meeting Minutes

May 30, 2001

1. OPENING

Ted Taylor, DDFO, called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. A quorum was established. Dr. Taylor turned the meeting over to Jim Johnston who moderated the meeting in the absence of Menice S. Manzanares, Chair. Mr. Johnston welcomed Dr. Taylor as the new DDFO.

Anthony Armijo introduced Governor Cajero of Jemez Pueblo. The Governor welcomed the Board to the Jemez Pueblo.

Mr. Brannon moved, seconded by Ms. Hoard, to approve as amended the April Board meeting minutes. The minutes were approved.

Mr. Johnston introduced the nomination of Reyaldo Morales as a potential Board member. Ms. Espinoza moved, seconded by Ms. Valdez, to approve the nomination of Dr. Morales. The motion passed.

No Board Comments

III. PUBLIC cOMMENTS

No Public Comments

Ms. Hoard introduced the Risk-Based Cleanup recommendation for a second reading. Ms. Hoard accepted the amendments suggested by Dr. Berting and Dr. Fabryka-Martin.

Ms. Hoard moved that the amended recommendation be adopted. The recommendation is as follows

BACKGROUND: The Northern New Mexico Citizens Advisory Board (NNMCAB) understands that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses five criteria used to select cleanup options for hazardous waste sites: a) long-term effectiveness and permanence; b) treatment to reduce toxicity, mobility, or volume; c) short-term effectiveness; d) whether the remedy can be implemented; and e) cost. Other criteria include state and community acceptance. Concerning decisions for cleaning up contaminated sites at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), members of the NNMCAB understand the following.

• LANL uses theoretical calculations to determine the health risks that hazardous materials might inflict, such as chronic sickness or the occurrence of cancer.

• LANL decisions to clean up contaminated sites are based on the following risk levels: a) for carcinogens, the chance that one person in 100,000 might develop an excess cancer in a lifetime; b) for radioactive material, a dose of 15 millirem per year above background radiation, which is approximately 325 millirem per year; c) for noncarcinogens, a level determined by (EPA) above which adverse effects might occur.
• LANL risk-based calculations are based on expected land use. Land uses may include residential, farming, recreational, industrial, office workers, childcare, etc.
• Cleanup plans generally must be approved by a regulatory agency, such as the New Mexico Environment Department. In evaluating LANL cleanup plans, NMED may use different guidelines in determining health risks. NMED may require more thorough cleanup before agreeing that no further action is necessary.
• Risks to the environment, including plants and animals, are considered in evaluating cleanup alternatives.

The NNMCAB understands that Department of Energy (DOE) decisions for radioactive cleanups are based on the as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) concept. The ALARA approach chooses cleanup alternatives using current standard cleanup methods under current costs. The NNMCAB assumes that DOE actively pursues the development of improved cleanup methods. The NNMCAB agrees that ALARA decisions are an appropriate means of determining how much to clean up hazardous sites. The NNMCAB further agrees that when a cleanup reaches the ALARA optimum for a particular site, further cleanup may not be beneficial to the public or to the environment.

RECOMMENDATION: The NNMCAB recommends that risk-based decisions are not the only factor in deciding to clean a site and that ALARA considerations are not based solely on minimizing cost. Other considerations may be the presence of hot spots, the presence of physical hazards in connection with regulated hazardous material, the potential for release to more sensitive areas, public concerns and perception of risk, alignment with Long Term Environmental Stewardship goals, etc. In addition, it is imperative that the DOE develop a Native American land use scenario.

The NNMCAB further recommends the following considerations be explicitly addressed in cleanup plans and that the information be available to the public prior to reaching decisions for cleanups.

• What hazardous materials are present and for which materials is the cleanup conducted? Will all regulatory requirements and public agreements be met by the cleanup?
• What future land use was used to calculate risk and what are other likely land uses? Have Native American uses been included in the assessment, if appropriate?
• How does the decision relate to the DOE Long Term Environmental Stewardship Plan? What actions taken now will reduce the cleanup burden on future generations? What happens if more contaminated spots are discovered after the cleanup is completed?
• What will become of the material removed from the site, and how will it be transported? Is the material being disposed in a place that exposes other people to the hazards?
• What will become of the hazardous material left on the site after the ALARA cleanup is completed?
• What disturbance and damage will be inflicted upon the environment while doing the cleanup, and what actions are proposed to mitigate adverse effects?

The recommendation as amended passed unanimously.

V. REPORTS

1. Pollution Prevention Conference, 505-667-6711

Alicia Hale, LANL Stewardship Office, invited Board members to attend the second Pollution Prevention Conference in Albuquerque. The conference will be held June 19-21. The website for the conference is http://p2werc.net. The focus is on environmental remediation of DOE sites.

2. Chair’s Report

Mr. Johnston announced that on June 6, the staff would move the office to 1660 Old Pecos Trail, Suite B, Santa Fe. The phone and fax numbers will stay the same.

Mr. Johnston reminded Board members about the SSAB Chairs meeting in August 26-29. Board members are encouraged to attend this event.

Several Board members offered their evaluation of the Retreat. Ms. Herzlich outlined the suggestions generated from the Board Retreat. These suggestions include the following items:

Work on Mission

• Facilitate two-way communication with public about ER/WM issues
• Facilitate communication between agencies
• Have input into decision-making regarding clean-up

High Priorities for the Next Year

• Ship to WIPP
• Input into prioritized ER sites
• Budget stabilization

Committees began developing Work Plans to implement these priorities.

Proposals for whole Board discussion and decision

• Bi-monthly with longer meetings
• Full day, 1:00 – 4:30 session
• Reports
• Board business
• Recommendations

Dinner Break

6:00- 8:30 Session

• Presentations
• Public Comment
• Discussion among Board members

• Technical topics should be presented in one-hour maximum briefings to the full Board. Longer presentations could be offered at the committee level.

• Re-evaluate the meeting locations e.g., the distant meeting locations should be only scheduled with topics relevant to the location. For this year, the Board will go to Cochiti Pueblo but not to Las Vegas.

Dr. Fabryka-Martin moved, seconded by Dr. Berting that the bi-monthly meeting format be accepted as a pilot project for six months. There will be Board meetings in June and July with no meeting in August. This new format will start in September. The motion passed with one negative vote.

• Experiment with new Committee minutes format in a one-page format.

• Agenda-building process for Board meetings

• Use WorkPlan as a guide
• Brainstorm at one meeting for next meeting
• Meet or conference call with Chair, Committee Chairs, DDFO, and facilitator

1. DOE Report

Dr. Taylor distributed a written report. DOE provided support to the Environmental Restoration, Waste Management and Monitoring and Surveillance Committees for their May meetings. The SSAB Chairs Conference Planning Committee met on May 12, May 18 and will meet again on June 1. The major events will include a reception and a tour of the Cerro Grande effects and the Los Alamos townsite.

Dr. Taylor reported on the response status to the Board’s recommendations. The Los Alamos Area Office Area Manager sent the response to the Acid Canyon cleanup recommendation on May 9. The Los Alamos Area Office Area Manager sent the response to the Arrow-Pac™ Mixed Waste Treatment Technology on May 24.

Dr. Taylor said that the Committees are drafting their FY 2002 Work Plans and budget requests. This process must be completed during August and submitted to the Board at the September meeting. Following approval, DOE will request funding through DOE-AL.

The next SSAB conference will be on groundwater. The conference will be held in Augusta, Georgia on November 8-10. The Savannah River CAB is coordinating this event. They requested that each Board designate two people to serve on the planning committee for this event.

Dr. Taylor mentioned his interest in recruiting more members for the Board. He suggested that the Board advertise to recruit potential members.

Ms. Nash reported the SSAB Chairs conference would be held at the Hilton Hotel in Santa Fe. Ms. Nash is also working on the tour to be held on Wednesday, August 29.

Dr. Taylor requested that Board members contact him about overdue travel reimbursements.

D. Waste Management Committee

Mr. Gale, Committee Chair Pro Tem, distributed a written report. He reported that the Committee met on April 4 at the Santa Fe office. Mr. Gale accepted the duties and responsibilities to act as Interim Chair of the Waste Management Committee. Dave McCullum, LANL, made presentation on a proposal for shipping waste within lab property without requiring road closures, as is the present practice. The Committee requested their participation in the ongoing development and demonstration of this proposed project.

On May 7, the Committee met at the DOE office in Los Alamos. Thirteen members of the Waste Management Committee and CAB board attended

Three new members of the Waste Management Committee were introduced John Crews, Tim Butler and Rod Sharp. Gary Allen, James Nunz, Pam Rogers and Greg Bayhurst presented a very complete and comprehensive program defining the TRU waste cycle and the related complexities.

On May 21, the Committee met at the Santa Fe Board office. Ted Williams was introduced as a new member of the Waste Management Committee. The prime Committee objective, as identified at the Board retreat is the safe acceleration of TRU waste removal from LANL. Some action items were discussed, identified and prioritized from the May 7 meeting. The vacuum bursting and inert shipping of TRU waste was determined to be the most likely candidate for significant cost and schedule improvement and therefore given a high priority. LANL / DOE were requested to brief the committee on this process at the next meeting

E. Monitoring and Surveillance Committee

Dr. Fabryka-Martin, Committee Chair, will focus on draft Work Plan for FY2002. The major issues for next year would be (1) ground water, (2) surface water and (3) effects on Cerro Grande fire on LANL and the environment. The Committee would produce fact sheets for the public and update the Environmental Restoration workbook to include materials relevant to monitoring and surveillance activities.

F. Environmental Restoration Committee

Dr. Berting, Committee Chair, announced the workshop on Material Disposal Areas to be held on June 27 from 4:00 to 7:30 PM at the Los Alamos Area Office. Board members and the public are invited to attend.

The next Committee meeting is June 11. The committee will develop their Work Plan for FY2002.

7. Community Outreach Committee

Mr. Johnston, Committee Chair, reported on outreach activities including newspaper advertising for this Board meeting and he will be on a KRSN radio show on Friday, June 1. The Board website has been updated to include Board and Committee minutes.

The Committee is considering advertising to recruit new Board members.

H. Budget Committee

Mr. Jordan, Committee Chair, was not present at this meeting. Mr. Johnston asked Ms. DuBois to make the report. Ms. DuBois said that the Budget Committee would meet in the next month to align the budget categories and refine the projections for the rest of the fiscal year.

Mr. Johnston asked the Board members and Committee Chairs to propose any projected expenses between now and the rest of the year.

4. ADJOURNMENT

Dr. Taylor referred to page nine of the Board’s Bylaws stating that the Committees are to meet in public locations. Dr. Berting said that the Bylaws Committee is considering revising several sections including this one. Mr. Johnston said that Committee meeting times could be posted on the Board website.

Board members brainstormed ideas for the June agenda to be held at Cochiti Pueblo. Mr. Gonzales is willing to contact Cochiti Pueblo to enlist their participation in this meeting.

Potential topics might include:

• Post Cerro Grande fire contamination of Cochiti Lake
• Recent LANL sampling of sediment and surface water impacting Cochiti
• Native American Risk Scenario, uses of plants, soils, etc.
• Update on Risk Assessment Corporation report on results of fire effects

Mr. Gale suggested that the newspaper advertisements describe the Board meeting agenda including fact sheets so reporters could generate press releases. He recommended that the agenda order be changed to include the presentations, public comment, and then Board business. Dr. Taylor suggested that the ER Committee sponsor the topic of Native American risk scenario and the Monitoring and Surveillance Committee sponsor the topic of possible contamination in Cochiti Lake.

The Board adjourned at 9:00 PM.

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 on May 30, 2001.

Certified by:

__________________________ _____________________________

Jim Johnston, Chair Pro Tem Date

Los Alamos Citizens Advisory Board
P.O. Box 1665
Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544
(505) 662-1234  FAX (505) 662-4321
staff@lacab.org