Test Facility (PFTF), to test fvels and materials which would be used in breeder reactors, at Hanford. Construction of the FPTE began in 1970 and took twelve vears to complete. The AEC also loceted other provects there, such as the Hanford Contamment Systeme Experiment, designed to investigate aspects of the saletyof ight water reaciors. In 1975 the ARC was abolished ead the Richland Operations Office became a part of the Energy Besearch and Develooment Administration (ERDA} Under EAIDA the operations office employed 303 personnel to oversee 2272 contractor employees engaged in plutonium production activities, The snoual budget for this came to about 371 mullion In 1977, hywever, ERDA was gbolished and the Richland Ooerations Office became a part of the Department of Energy. in 1987, several months after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident, the New Production Reactor wae shut down. The reactor wee sirnilar in design to the Chernobyl reactor and safety concerns led to the shutdown Afterward, most ofthe site's resources were devoted to managing the environmental legecy left by decades of plutonium production. The Richland Cmerations UMiice’s job was transformed tram overseving plutonium production to manseing environmental clean-up and waste products. 1 alan oversees the research, development, and commercialization oftechnologies for waste management, clean-up, and environmental restoration. The potential health consequences associated with the operation of the complex was @ seriousconcern among many who live, or have lived, near the site. As a result, Hanford is currently involved in several health related studies and the operations office monages TXVE's involvement with these activities. Richland Operations Office Inactive Records: The operations office retains custody of records created us long ago es the Work War ID Manhattan Provect. This means that it hax custody of federal records from a nurcher of opergtions offices organizations which iimetioned wader the MED ARC RDA, or DOR. Due to the ARC Henford diversification program, i also has custody of records trom several different contractor organizations, among them DaFont, Cyeneral Electric, and the Hantord Exvirommental Health Foundation. The operations office generally comtrols inactive records on the records box level. Thus, most finding auls to Richland Operaians Office records consist ofinventories ofthe contents of individual boxes of records, The inventories appear on Records Transter Request forms which list the orgamzation which crested an indrwidual box of records. The forms, however, da not islicate whether the boxes were parte of larger grouns of records retired at the same time. ce . Originally many of the records about site activities were classified. The Richland Operations Office has now declassified many of ts older documents in response to Hiigation and to meet other needs. It has placed many ofthese documents in ite public reading room, thus much of the coments ofthe boxes Heted on the amached Records Transier Request forme may be available in the Richland public reading roar. As soon as the documents are available, they will be linked to the Hanford Home Page at brig/Awew hanfordsow/doetrearlingitr.