RECEIVED

Dear Mr. Chairman: Enclosed is a revised Integrated Program Plan (IPP) for Recommendation 94-3. The Recommendation addressed safety improvements for Rocky Flats Building 371, which will store the site's plutonium pending shipment for disposition. This revision to the IPP integrates plans for enhancing the safety of interim storage of Rocky Flats ' plutonium with plans for accelerated. site closure. It is responsive to your letter of October 15, 1997, on this subject. Changes in this revision include delay in completing the Safety Margin Upgrades from 1999 to a date no later than 2002. The delay will permit orderly validation arid design of these upgrades. Provision is made for suspending implementation of Safety Margin Upgrades if specific milestones are met for accelerated shipment of nuclear materials from Rocky Flats. Plans for.. preparation of the site's nuclear materials for long term safe storage and disposition elsewhere are addressed to reflect the interdependency of those plans.' The approval of this revision to the IPP has been delayed beyond the expectation of our letter of November 10, 1997, to accommodate the interests of your staff and various Department organizations who are party to the integrated plans and commitments for accelerated closure of Rocky Flats. The Secretary has formed a Rocky Flats Closure Team chaired by the Deputy Secretary. Patrice Bubar, of my staff, is responsible for coordinating the headquarters resolution of critical path uncertainties for Rocky Flats closure plans. I encourage you or your staff to discuss-the integration of site external milestones addressed in this plan with me or wit