Draft2:Performance and Risk Assessment Community of Practice

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PRA logo

The Interagency Performance and Risk Assessment Community of Practice (P&RA CoP) was founded in December 2013. Performance Assessments (PAs) provide a demonstration of compliance and important technical inputs to meet regulatory requirements for:

1. Waste form development and implementation
2. Tank closure activities
3. Waste site closure activities (e.g., cribs and trenches)
4. In-situ Decontamination and Decommissioning
5. Soil and groundwater remediation
6. Management of disposal facilities (e.g., land-fills or near surface disposal facilities).

PAs provide a snap-shot site conceptual model of a disposal facility and the features, events, and processes associated with it. Risk Assessments (RAs) use outputs of PAs and other information to evaluate the impact of a proposed action on human health and the environment. With proper quantification of process and parameter uncertainties, RAs provide salient information that help inform cleanup or closure decisions.

Official Site - vanderbilt.edu

DOE relevance

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) P&RAs become public documents upon completion. As such, DOE needs to ensure that P&RAs continue to be performed and documented consistently and to high standards. Robust risk assessments are critically needed for risk-informed, performance-based environmental management decisions. Continued improvements in the consistency of P&RAs and reductions in their underlying uncertainty will provide a sound foundation for future.

Partners

• Office of Environmental Management
• CH2M
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Savannah River Remediation (SRR)
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Neptune and Company
• Department of Ecology - State of Washington
• Vanderbilt University
• Sandia National Laboratories
• University of Virginia (UVA)
• INTERA
• Savannah River National Laboratory
• Commonwealth of Kentucky

Goal

The goal of the P&RA CoP is to foster exchange of information regarding preparation of P&RAs across agencies and practitioners; enhance consistency in the preparation of P&RAs across the Department; and to develop appropriate peer guidance and/or recommendations for P&RAs such that they are based on sound science and are defensible.

Objectives

1. P&RAs that incorporates the concept of model and data applicability and builds on lessons learned across the DOE complex;
2. Draft appropriate additional guidance, based upon this agreed-upon body of knowledge (and any desired improvements), in a clear and easy to understand manner with particular emphasis on continuing improvements to the consistency of approaches for P&RA implementation;
3. Provide support to DOE sites in the initial stages of developing and planning P&RA activities;
4. Formalize the conduct of technical exchanges, education, and training sessions as appropriate to accomplish the goals of the charter;
5. Develop a repository of P&RAs and risk-based modeling tools, data, and supporting technical information; and
6. Continue to develop the community of P&RA practitioners and technical expertise to support waste management and closure needs.

Core functions

The P&RA CoP shall operate within the direction of this Charter but shall be otherwise self-directing.

1. The P&RA CoP should review documents from the existing literature from international, Departmental, and non-Departmental governmental agencies, which may benefit P&RA preparation methodologies. The use of lessons learned from these and other organizations is strongly encouraged.
2. Guidance available from international, federal, and state agencies and stakeholders should be sought. Consideration should be given to how such agencies use completed, publicly available, P&RAs.

Organization

Stakeholders

The P&RA CoP shall be initially co-chaired by a representative from the DOE Office of Site Restoration (EM-10) and subsequently by a representative from the steering committee on a rotational basis. Hereinafter, the co-chairs will be referred to in the singular, Chair.

The P&RA CoP shall have a three-tiered membership.

• The first tier shall be a Steering Committee
• The second tier shall be Technical Advisors
• The third tier shall be Ad Hoc members

Steering Committee

Steering Committee members are selected from the major DOE sites (e.g., Savannah River and Hanford), affected federal and state regulators, and other stakeholders.

Technical Advisors

Technical Advisors are designated by the Steering Committee and shall be selected from the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), national laboratories, site contractors, and other federal and state sources of expertise.

Ad Hoc members

Ad Hoc members are brought into the P&RA CoP to work on specific projects or for specific expertise to provide specialized advice, writing, and developing specific products. Ad Hoc members are recommended by a Member of the Steering Committee.

Contact

To be added to the distribution list for PRACOP activities, or for questions or comments, contact Dr. Karen Skubal of the DOE Office of Environmental Management at [[1]]

For questions about the PRACOP Archival site hosted by CRESP at Vanderbilt University, please email [[2]].

Related links

• Office of Environmental Management

External links

• Official website
• https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/interagency-performance-and-risk-assessment-community-practice-pra-cop-charter

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