No new date yet for Y-12 safety, UPF meeting canceled due to shutdown

A federal nuclear safety board has not yet rescheduled a meeting in Knoxville that had been expected to discuss this week, among other things, the risks associated with continuing to operate old buildings involved in weapons work at the Y-12 National Security Complex—and the progress made in the past year to incorporate safety into the design of the multi-billion dollar Uranium Processing Facility.

The federal Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board had been scheduled to have the day-long meeting and public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the Knoxville Convention Center. But it was delayed due to the partial shutdown of the federal government, which started Oct. 1 and ended Oct. 17.

The meeting had been titled “Safety in Design, Operations, and Emergency Preparedness at the Y-12 National Security Complex.” Oak Ridge Today will post the new meeting date when it is available.

It could be the second DNFSB meeting in Knoxville in a little more than one year.

The DNFSB is an independent organization within the executive branch given the responsibility to provide recommendations and advice to the president and the U.S. energy secretary regarding public health and safety issues at U.S. Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities. The board has operated since October 1989, and it has four members appointed by the president for staggered five-year terms.