### 29986 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2012 / Notices

The Designated Federal Officer, or the Alternate Designated Federal Officer,
shall call all of the Panel’s and subcommittees’ meetings; prepare and approve all meeting agendas; adjourn any meeting when the Designated Federal Officer, or the Alternate Designated Federal Officer, determines adjournment to be in the public interest or required by governing regulations or DoD policies/procedures; and chair meetings when directed to do so by the official to whom the Panel reports.

Pursuant to 41 CFR 102–3.105(j) and 102–3.140, the public or interested organizations may submit written statements to Uniform Formulary Beneficiary Advisory Panel membership
about the Panel’s mission and functions. Written statements may be submitted at any time or in response to the stated agenda of planned meeting of Uniform Formulary Beneficiary Advisory Panel.

All written statements shall be submitted to the Designated Federal Officer for the Uniform Formulary Beneficiary Advisory Panel, and this
individual will ensure that the written statements are provided to the membership for their consideration.
Contact information for the Uniform Formulary Beneficiary Advisory Panel’s Designated Federal Officer can be
obtained from the GSA’s FACA
Database—https://www.fido.gov/ facadatabase/public.asp

. The Designated Federal Officer, pursuant to 41 CFR 102–3.150, will announce planned meetings of the Uniform Formulary Beneficiary Advisory Panel. The Designated Federal Officer, at that time, may provide additional guidance on the submission
of written statements that are in response to the stated agenda for the planned meeting in question.

Dated: May 15, 2012. Aaron Siegel, Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

[FR Doc. 2012–12145 Filed 5–18–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 5001–06–P**

**DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES**
**SAFETY BOARD**

**[Recommendation 2012–1]**

**Savannah River Site Building 235–F Safety** 

**AGENCY :**  Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

**ACTION :**  Notice, recommendation.

**SUMMARY :**  Pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as Amended, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has made a recommendation to the Secretary of Energy concerning safety at the Savannah River Site Building

235–F.

**DATES :**  Comments, data, views, or arguments concerning the
recommendation are due on or before June 20, 2012.

**ADDRESSES :**  Send comments concerning
this notice to: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, 625 Indiana Avenue NW., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20004–2001.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Brian Grosner or Andrew L. Thibadeau at the address above or telephone number (202) 694–7000.

Dated: May 15, 2012.
Peter S. Winokur,

Chairman.

RECOMMENDATION 2012–1 TO THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY Savannah River Site Building 235–F Safety Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 2286a(a)(5), Atomic Energy Act of 1954, As
Amended

Dated: May 9, 2012

Background

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) believes that the Department of Energy (DOE) needs to
take action to remove and/or immobilize
the residual contamination within Building 235–F because of the potential dose consequences to collocated workers and the public. Furthermore,
the Board believes that DOE must also take near-term action to more effectively prevent a major fire in Building 235–F.

Building 235–F at the Savannah River Site (SRS) houses several partially deactivated processing lines including the Plutonium Fuel Form (PuFF) facility, Actinide Billet Line, Plutonium Experimental Facility, and the old metallography lab glovebox. Building 235–F no longer has a DOE mission. It is currently operated in a surveillance and maintenance mode and is normally unoccupied.

With the exception of residual contamination, Building 235–F has been de-inventoried of special nuclear material. The remaining residual contamination is the principal hazard posed by Building 235–F and includes a significant quantity of plutonium-238 (Pu-238). More than 95 percent of the Pu-238 is located in the PuFF facility; approximately 82 percent is concentrated in 2 of the 9 PuFF facility
cells. It should be noted that the
residual Pu-238 contamination is a fine ball-milled powder that is in a highly dispersible form, which increases the potential dose consequences associated with a radiological release. The responsible SRS contractor,
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), has determined that the unmitigated consequences of a seismically-induced full-facility fire are greater than 10 rem offsite and 27,000
rem to the collocated worker at 100 meters. F-Area routinely has more than
a thousand site workers who are normally in the facilities, construction sites, and trailers located adjacent to Building 235–F. Some of the trailers that
house workers are located within the Building 235–F fence line.

While DOE does not conduct any operations within Building 235–F, fires could start inside the building if energized electrical equipment or wiring failed or was damaged during a seismic
or other natural hazard event. Electrical sparks or heat from electrical equipment could ignite adjacent combustible material. Two of the key preventive
controls for fire scenarios are eliminating potential ignition sources and controlling the amount of combustibles. In September 2011, during a walkdown of Building 235–F, the Board’s staff identified a significant quantity of transient and fixed combustibles and unnecessary electrical equipment that had not been air gapped.
DOE has taken action to remove the
transient combustible material and to limit access to Building 235–F. However, no actions are currently planned to remove the fixed
combustibles or unneeded electrical equipment.

In the event of a fire, Building 235– F has several vulnerabilities. First, the Building 235–F fire detection system is not credited, does not provide complete coverage, nor is the building normally occupied; consequently, a fire could smolder and burn undetected. Second, Building 235–F does not have a fire suppression system to prevent an incipient stage fire from growing into a room fire. Third, Building 235–F does not have fire barriers with a qualified fire rating to prevent the spread of a fire to adjacent rooms. The Building 235–F Fire Hazards Analysis notes that the subdividing walls and floors are in many places incomplete or penetrated and are not adequately sealed to achieve a qualified fire rating. In addition, some of the existing walls contain cellulose,
which is combustible and could allow a room fire to spread to other portions of the building. Fourth, the absence of standpipes or hose connections inhibits the ability of the fire department to fight a fire inside Building 235–F. To combat a fire, firefighters would need to prop open the exterior doors to allow the passage of fire hoses; this would allow smoke and firewater, potentially


### 29987 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2012 / Notices

1 U.S. Department of Energy, 1991, Report of an Investigation into the Deterioration of the Plutonium Fuel Form Fabrication Facility (PuFF) at the DOE Savannah River Site, DOE/NS–0002P, http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/6246281- tBgi3H/6246281.pdf. contaminated with radioactive material,
into the environment.

The July 2011 draft of the Basis for Interim Operations (BIO), prepared by SRNS notes that the Building 235–F structure can only provide limited confinement during or following aseismic event because seismicallyinduced building cracks may develop. Consequently, the building structure
cannot be credited as a control to prevent a post-seismic unfiltered release. In 2010, DOE took action to improve the safety posture of Building 235–F by reducing the height of the abandoned stack located adjacent to the building. The contractor’s structural analysis indicated that the concrete stack, prior to the height reduction, could have collapsed onto Building 235–F during a seismic event causing significant structural damage.

In addition to fires, loss of
confinement accidents could also
release radioactive material. For instance, a release could be caused by
a breach of the confinement or the ventilation system during a seismic event. However, the Building 235–F confinement ventilation system cannot be relied upon to continue to perform its safety function during or following a
seismic event. The draft BIO states that non-load-bearing building elements may fail during a Performance Category-3 seismic event, resulting in impact damage to safety-related structures, systems, and components such as
ventilation ducts. The draft BIO states that the metal ventilation ducts may leak after an earthquake because they are not completely welded and that the concrete roof exhaust tunnel may develop cracks.

Loss of confinement can be caused by degraded equipment. The deteriorated condition of the PuFF facility was noted in an October 1991 report by DOE’s Office of Nuclear Safety, 1 which identified as an issue the integrity of elastomer seals that form part of the confinement boundaries inside Building 235–F. In addition to degradation with age, these elastomer seals also degrade with exposure to Pu-238. Although identified two decades ago, this issue
remains. The cells have numerous penetrations (e.g., glove ports, viewing windows, ventilation supply and exhaust, utility services). In the draft BIO, SRNS stated that ‘‘the [elastomer] seals around the cell and glovebox penetrations are expected to be in a degraded condition due to the years of operation in a radiation environment.’’
The continued deterioration of the elastomer seals increases the potential for the spread of the contamination
outside of the cells. Even under normal operations, a loss of confinement from these cells would greatly increase the complexity and hazard associated with decontamination and decommissioning of Building 235–F.

DOE conducted a small fire drill at Building 235–F in December 2011, which simulated a minor radiological release. While DOE conducts periodic drills, DOE has not conducted a Building 235–F radiological drill involving the adjacent Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility or Waste Solidification Building construction
sites to examine how these facilities would respond to a significant radiological release from Building 235– F. In the event of a significant radiological release, the amount of mitigation provided by sheltering in place may not be sufficient to protect nearby workers. This is especially true for seismically-induced fires, since the same seismic event may also damage nearby trailers and administrative buildings.

The Board has previously identified
the need to address the residual contamination in Building 235–F. In a June 12, 2003, letter to the Secretary of Energy, the Board noted that the risk
associated with several hazards in Building 235–F, including the Pu-238 residual contamination, had been accepted rather than eliminated. The report enclosed with the June letter
further noted that DOE should consider decontaminating areas with residual
contamination to reduce the risk associated with a potential release. Since that time, DOE has on a number of occasions evaluated options and developed plans to address the residual contamination. However, these efforts have not successfully transitioned from planning to execution, and the residual contamination and the hazard it poses still remain in Building 235–F.

Conclusion

The Board believes that due to the potential dose consequences to collocated workers and the public, it is unacceptable for the residual contamination within Building 235–F to
continue to remain unaddressed.

Recommendation

Given the continuing hazard posed by Building 235–F as detailed above, the
Board recommends that DOE:

1. Take action to immobilize and/or
remove the Pu-238 that remains as residual contamination within Building

235–F.

2. Concurrent with subRecommendation 1, take near-term actions and implement compensatory measures to improve the safety posture of Building 235–F and reduce the potential for and severity of a radiological release, including but not limited to the following.

a. To the extent feasible, remove from Building 235–F all transient and fixed combustibles that are not directly necessary for surveillance and
maintenance activities and ensure that the transient combustible loading in the facility remains as low as reasonably
achievable.

b. Ensure that all electrical equipment not necessary to support facility safety systems, life safety, or surveillance and maintenance activities is de-energized and air gapped. Remove all electrical and support equipment remaining within former process areas that is not necessary for surveillance and

maintenance.

c. Evaluate the condition and operability of early detection and alarm systems in the PuFF facility, such as the heat and smoke detectors (with the exception of those located within the PuFF facility cells, if evaluating them would require intrusion into the cells). Take action, as necessary, to ensure that these systems are credited in the safety basis, are remotely monitored, provide reliable detection of hazards, and are
maintained in accordance with National Fire Protection Association 72, National Fire Protection Alarm and Signaling
Code.

3. Concurrent with subRecommendation 1, take action to ensure that the SRS emergency response to a radiological release from Building 235–F is adequate and effective, including but not limited to the following.

a. Ensure that an integrated emergency response plan is in place that
considers the collocated workers in facilities, construction sites, and trailers located adjacent to Building 235–F. Development of this plan should include an evaluation of the specific
locations where collocated workers are directed to shelter in place to ensure their adequate protection during and following a potential radiological release from Building 235–F.

b. Ensure that periodic coordinated drills in response to a simulated event at Building 235–F are conducted. Such drills should include appropriate response actions by personnel in the adjacent facilities and construction sites, such as sheltering in place or evacuating depending on proximity to


### 29988 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2012 / Notices

the simulated plume of radioactive
material.

The Board urges the Secretary to avail himself of the authority under the Atomic Energy Act (42 U.S.C. 2286d(e)) to ‘‘implement any such recommendation (or part of any such recommendation) before, on, or after the date on which the Secretary transmits the implementation plan to the Board
under this subsection.’’

Peter S. Winokur, Ph.D.,

Chairman.

[FR Doc. 2012–12179 Filed 5–18–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3670–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION**

**Notice of Submission for OMB Review; Federal Student Aid; William D. Ford**  **Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program: Internship/Residency and** 
**Loan Debt Burden Forbearance Forms**

**SUMMARY :**  These forms serve as the means by which a borrower may request forbearance of repayment on his or her
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans based on participation in an eligible internship/residency program, National Guard duty, receiving benefits under the Department of Defense’s Student Loan Repayment Program, or having a federal education loan debt burden that equals or exceeds 20 percent of the borrower’s monthly gross income.

**DATES :**  Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 20,

2012.

**ADDRESSES :**  Written comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be electronically mailed to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov or mailed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Washington, DC 20202–4537. Copies of the proposed information collection request may be
accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ‘‘Browse Pending Collections’’ link and by clicking on link number 04798. When you access the information collection, click on
‘‘Download Attachments’’ to view. Written requests for information should be addressed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Washington, DC 20202–4537. Requests may also be electronically
mailed to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov or faxed to 202–401–0920. Please specify the complete title of the information
collection and OMB Control Number when making your request. Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–

8339.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that Federal agencies provide interested parties an early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. The Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management, publishes this notice containing proposed information collection requests at the beginning of the Departmental review of the information collection. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the
burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note
that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program: Internship/Residency and
Loan Debt Burden Forbearance Forms.

OMB Control Number: 1845–0018. Type of Review: Revision. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 25,842.

Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 5,814.

Abstract: The U.S. Department of Education and FFEL Program lenders
and servicers use the information
collected on these forms to determine whether a borrower meets the eligibility requirements for the specific forbearance type that the borrower has requested. This collection is being revised so that it may be used by both the Direct Loan and FFEL Programs and also expands one of the mandatory
forbearance forms to include additional mandatory forbearances; as a result,
additional data elements have been added to support the additional
forbearances. Dated: May 11, 2012.
Kate Mullan, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.

[FR Doc. 2012–11974 Filed 5–18–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4000–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION**

**Notice of Submission for OMB Review; Federal Student Aid; William D. Ford**  **Federal Direct Loan Program Deferment Request Forms** 

**SUMMARY :**  These forms serve as the means by which borrowers in the
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) and Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Programs may request deferment of repayment on their loans if they meet certain statutory and regulatory criteria.

**DATES :**  Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 20,

2012.

**ADDRESSES :**  Written comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be electronically mailed to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov or mailed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Washington, DC 20202–4537. Copies of the proposed information collection request may be
accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ‘‘Browse Pending Collections’’ link and by clicking on link number 04789. When you access the information collection, click on
‘‘Download Attachments’’ to view. Written requests for information should be addressed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Washington, DC 20202–4537. Requests may also be electronically
mailed to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov or faxed to 202–401–0920. Please specify the complete title of the information
collection and OMB Control Number when making your request.

Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–

8339.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that Federal agencies provide interested parties an early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. The Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management, publishes this notice containing proposed information