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NUCLEAR MATERIALS PROGRAM

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domestic source materials will continue for identification of a suitable alternative material for use in event of a national

emergency.

D.

Studies of Decontamination and Decommissioning Methods.

$ 380,000 This program will initiate development of technology for the reclamation of facilities, buildings, and land no longer required by current programs in order that they may be made available for other uses. A significant part of the program is devoted to the technology for site restoration to minimize restrictions of future use because of radioactive contamination and on methods for the removal, dismantlement, and consolidation of bulky contaminated equipment to facilitate conventional disposal in burial grounds. In addition, a program will be initiated to seek practical ways to salvage and recycle, at least for restricted usage, selected metals that have seen service in uranium or transuranium contaminated environments.

E. Studies of Transportation Methods and Packaging.

$ 465,000

The ultimate objective of this program is a comprehensive body of standards encompassing the needs for packaging and materials handling equipment and procedures related to the transport of radioactive materials. Effort is required to ensure the adequacy of available standards and to develop or improve the technical base for the preparation of definitive standards without excessive overdesign or conservatism to compensate for deficiencies in technical knowledge.

These funds provide for the development of test and analytical data and technology to assist in preparation of transportation safety standards and evaluation of the environmental impact of AEC transportation programs. The projects would dovetail with work being done by other Government agencies in hazardous materials risk analysis, relating directly to radioactive materials transportation problems.

An effort will be made to centralize the collection and review of available package specifications and provide for the preparation of recommended specifications for general use. Efforts will be devoted to the development of packaging technology for the safe and economical shipment of pyrophoric (spontaneously combustible) radioactive materials and plutonium nitrate. A third study will provide for the preparation of standardized package design specifications for radioactive materials packages for U. S. and international regulations. This latter study will also improve the utilization of standardized packages throughout the AEC in order to reduce the quantity of specialized containers in the AEC inventory.

NUCLEAR MATERIALS PROGRAM

3. Operational Safety.

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$2,200,000 The objectives of the Operational Safety effort are to provide for: the operation of the Aerial Radiological Monitoring System (ARMS); the administration of the AEC's portion of the joint AEC-State of Colorado uranium mill tailings remedial action program in the Grand Junction area of Colorado; and the conducting of safety studies and the development of operational guidelines.

SUMMARY OF ESTIMATES BY CATEGORIES

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JUSTIFICATION OF CATEGORIES

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NM-26 A.
NM-26 B.
NM-27 C.

Aerial Radiological Monitoring System..
Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Program
Safety Studies and Development of Operational Guidelines.
Total Operational Safety.

A.

Aerial Radiological Monitoring System..

...

$

600,000

The Aerial Radiological Monitoring System is AEC's primary capability for quick response to emergencies involving the release of
radioactivity into the environment or loss of radiation sources. The basic ARMS operational program will continue aerial radio-
logical surveys of AEC sites to determine the nature and the degree of any radiological impact that AEC operations have on or near
AEC sites, and will provide a readiness capability for responding to radiological incidents whether on or off AEC sites.
B. Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Program.

$ 1,100,000

The AEC will continue to assist the State of Colorado in the joint program of remedial action in the Grand Junction area of
Colorado toward removing or otherwise counteracting uranium mill tailings used in habitable building structures. In FY 1973, this
program was authorized at $5.0 million and $1.0 million was appropriated. The contract which finalized the agreement between the
AEC and the State of Colorado for this program was signed on October 26, 1972. Funding of the remedial action program is to be
undertaken on a 75:25 ratio between the Federal and State governments, respectively. The State of Colorado has appropriated
$833,333 toward the remedial action program which will require a minimum of $2.5 million in matching Federal appropriations
($1.5 million in addition to the $1.0 million appropriated in FY 1973). Progress on the remedial action program is dependent on
receipt of applications for assistance from the individual property owners and a determination that the radiation levels in the
respective structures exceed the guidelines as recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General. Based on the assumption that applications
from property owners will be forthcoming promptly for structures that are presently known or are expected to qualify for remedial
action, AEC anticipates that cost could be approximately $500,000 in FY 1973 and $1.1 million in FY 1974. A summary of the

planned funding pattern for this program follows:

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Operating Costs

Commitment Authority Under Goods and Services on Order in the Selected Resources Program......

Total Program.

Operational Safety.

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C.

Safety Studies and Development of Operational Guidelines.

$5,000
$500,000

Funds requested under this category are for the performance of safety studies to protect persons engaged in AEC activities, and
for the protection of AEC property from hazards resulting from AEC operations. Major effort in FY 1974 will be devoted to:

(1) A study by the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) initiated to develop fire protection methods for AEC-owned computers.
Continued miniaturization of components confines millions of dollars in value in ever more limited spaces while computers, in
general, assume a more critical role in AEC activities. The methods would provide early detection, warning and means to extinguish
fires originating within computers long before conventional methods would have been affected. FY 1974 costs are expected to be
$130,000.

(2) The continuation at LLL of studies and evaluations of ventilation systems for fire protection of glovebox lines to
minimize the spread of fires within gloveboxes plus early detection and suppression of fires. FY 1974 costs are expected to be
$40,000.

(3) Development at Atlantic Richfield Hanford Co. of countermeasures against spontaneous ignition from fission product
loading in ion exchange resin beds toward inhibiting ignition and limiting fire losses and contamination spread within chemical
separation plants. FY 1974 costs are expected to be $75,000.

(4) Continued evaluation by Battelle Memorial Institute-Northwest of neutron exposure to persons in plutonium handling
facilities. This will include glovebox design, shielding, isotope makeup of material being processed, and present dosimetry
techniques. FY 1974 costs are expected to be $60,000.
(5)

Continued development at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) of a comprehensive respirator usage program including a
respirator guide, training program, and improved testing and classification to increase protection of employees from inhalation of
airborne radioactive particles. FY 1974 costs are expected to be $90,000.

(6) Continuation of the development of radiation decontamination guidelines by LASL for release of real and personal prop-
erty. FY 1974 costs are expected to be $35,000.

The remaining $70,000 request for this category includes items for miscellaneous safety studies and development of guidelines.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory will continue to develop guidelines for use in the training, qualification and requalification
of operators and supervisors responsible for handling radioactive material; the Bureau of Labor Statistics will conduct the "Work
Injuries Survey in Atomic Energy" study for the AEC; and the Aerojet Nuclear Company will begin the automatic processing of
AEC-wide effluent data.

Additional information of a classified nature is presented on the following classified pages NM-29 through NM-46.

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$101,418,938

29,517,000 $108,790,000

Total Obligations for Plant and Capital Equipment Obligations for the Nuclear Materials Program for FY 1974 are estimated at $205,300,000 of which:

a.

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$187,250,000 is for the construction projects listed in Section A below, requested for authorization in the proposed FY 1974 Authorization Act or were previously authorized and for which a request for appropriation is being made in FY 1974.

b. $18,050,000 is for Capital Equipment Not Related to Construction justified in Section B below, requested for authorization in the proposed FY 1974 Authorization Act.

SECTION A - Obligations for Construction Projects:

The projects comprising Section A, which are requested for authorization in FY 1974 or which were previously authorized and for which a request for appropriation is being made in FY 1974, are:

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