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By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON - The Department of Energy has suspended work on key segments of Yucca Mountain after whistle-blowers reported more problems with nuclear waste repository design and engineering, officials confirmed.

Critics of the project say the work stoppage is the latest illustration of persistent weaknesses in how blueprints and complex analyses are compiled and documented, potentially affecting licensing and safety at the Nevada nuclear waste site.

But DOE officials said the work stoppage suggests new lengths that the department is undertaking in trying to correct shortcomings.

DOE issued an order on Dec. 19 telling management contractor Bechtel SAIC, or BSC, not to move forward on engineering and pre-closure safety aspects of repository designs until a newly formed review team could assess whether the work meets current requirements.

Department spokesman Allen Benson said Thursday the order covers several key facets, including technical work on new designs for an above-ground industrial complex where nuclear waste-bearing canisters would be handled at the site 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Benson said the work suspension could take weeks or longer. The Yucca project has missed self-set deadlines in recent years, and DOE officials have not said when a repository might be opened. Outside experts have said a repository may not be completed until 2015 to 2020.

In a Dec. 14 e-mail to employees, Yucca Mountain deputy director John Arthur said DOE was "suspending BSC's authority to approve design and engineering-related technical products subject to our QARD (Quality Assurance Requirements and Description) document."

Critics noted DOE has been criticized repeatedly for shortcomings in work documentation and quality controls that are important elements of nuclear projects. They maintained the latest development is more of the same.

"This is a stop work order, plain and simple," said Steve Frishman, a full-time technical consultant for the state of Nevada. "It's back to a problem they have had for years and years, which is design control. This is a chronic screwup in this program."

DOE officials defended their action, saying the work suspension was a tougher response than in the past. They said it reflected a drive by new managers installed by Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to fix problems once and for all on the project.

"This is a tough response, when you tell a contractor they no longer have the authority to submit work they are contractually required to submit because they are not following procedure," Benson said.

Bechtel SAIC spokesman Jason Bohne said there was shared responsibility between the government and the contractor.

"The feds direct us through the contract as to what the requirements are," Bohne said. "This is more of a, 'Let's hold on and collect where we are, complete our review and move forward on the right path.' "

According to federal documents and government and nuclear industry officials, the problem was that Yucca management guidelines and databases were allowed to become outdated. The guidelines, a staple in nuclear projects, are the rules that lay out in detail how scientists, engineers and analysts need to document their activities so they can be traced back for safety, effectiveness and consistency with federal regulations and industry practices.

Several repository workers who have not been identified filed complaints with the Yucca Mountain employee concerns program starting in August 2004. Complaints also were filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A followup DOE investigation substantiated the claims, according to Arthur.

The investigation "revealed that our project has not maintained and properly implemented its requirements management system, resulting in inadequacies in the design control process," Arthur told workers by e-mail.

DOE officials issued 14 corrective actions in November on the topic, Benson said. Arthur reported on the matter at a Dec. 7 meeting in Las Vegas attended by DOE managers and staffers from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

NRC officials expressed concern.

"It appears to be a significant issue," said Elmo Collins, an NRC licensing and inspection official.

The NRC is poised to evaluate a repository application whenever the Energy Department finalizes one.

"We believe strong actions are required to address the current situation," Arthur said. "It just didn't get the proper management attention."

On another front, the Energy Department and Bechtel SAIC are talking about extending the company's Yucca Mountain contract, which expires in March. Representatives of both parties would not discuss the negotiations.

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