REVIEW OF WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT, NEW MEXICO, PURSUANT TO COMPETITIVE CONTRACT.

SEC. 3145. REVIEW OF WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT, NEW MEXICO, PURSUANT TO COMPETITIVE CONTRACT. (a) Contract Requirement.—The Secretary of Energy shall use competitive procedures to enter into a contract to conduct independent reviews and evaluations of the design, construction, and operations of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico (in this section referred to as the “WIPP”) as they relate to the protection of the public health and safety and the environment. The contract shall be for a period of one year, beginning on October 1, 2004, and shall be renewable for four additional one-year periods with the consent of the contractor and subject to the authorization and appropriation of funds for such purpose. (b) Content of Contract.—A contract entered into under subsection (a) shall require the following: (1) The contractor shall appoint a Director and Deputy Director, who shall be scientists of national eminence in the field of nuclear waste disposal, shall be free from any biases related to the activities of the WIPP, and shall be widely known for their integrity and scientific expertise. (2) The Director shall appoint staff. The professional staff shall consist of scientists and engineers of recognized integrity and scientific expertise who represent scientific and engineering disciplines needed for a thorough review of the WIPP, including 118 STAT. 2173 disciplines such as geology, hydrology, health physics, environmental engineering, probability risk analysis, mining engineering, and radiation chemistry. The disciplines represented in the staff shall change as may be necessary to meet changed needs in carrying out the contract for expertise in any certain scientific or engineering discipline. Scientists and engineers employed under the contract shall have qualifications and experience equivalent to the qualifications and experience required for scientists and engineers employed by the Federal Government in grades GS–13 through GS–15. (3) Scientists and engineers employed under the contract shall have an appropriate support staff. (4) The Director and Deputy Director shall each be appointed for a term of 5 years, subject to contract renewal, and may be removed only for misconduct or incompetence. The staff shall be appointed for such terms as the Director considers appropriate. (5) The rates of pay of professional staff and the procedures for increasing the rates of pay of professional staff shall be equivalent to those rates and procedures provided for the General Schedule pay system under chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code. (6) The results of reviews and evaluations carried out under the contract shall be published. (c) Administration.—The contractor shall establish general policies and guidelines to be used by the Director in carrying out the work under the contract.