The state of Montana has delayed into 2018 a decision on new rules for management of technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) waste, officials said Monday.
The deadline for public comment on the proposed regulations was originally set for mid-October, but has been pushed back to 5 p.m. Nov. 17. Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality said at least one entity requested a deadline shift to accommodate a more thorough comment submission.
The altered deadline also changed the expected timeline for finalizing the rules, according to the DEQ. The state had expected to reach a decision by mid-December, but that won’t happen until next year.
“We don’t have a definite timeline yet,” Montana DEQ Public Policy Director Kristi Ponozzo told Weapons Complex Morning Briefing. “We were originally set to announce a decision sometime in December, but this will move us out. It definitely won’t be happening in December now.”
The state agency said after public comments have been considered, the draft rules would be updated. DEQ hopes it can publicize the finalized rule changes in early 2018. Once announced, the finalized rules will initiate another public comment period of at least 30 days. There is no current timeline for implementing the new rules once that process has been completed.
According to the DEQ website, TENORM is not considered nuclear waste. It is naturally radioactive material that has come into contact with the environment or has been concentrated as a result of human activities. The state has just one operational disposal facility for the waste, in eastern Montana. Most of the material comes from oil and natural gas extraction fracking operations in neighboring North Dakota.
According to the DEQ, the proposed rules include provisions for facility design and construction, operations and monitoring, spill reporting, and financial assurance, as well as closure and post-closure care.
For more information, visit the DEQ’s TENORM website at http://deq.mt.gov/Land/solidwaste. Comments can be submitted to: Sandy Scherer, Legal Secretary, Department of Environmental Quality, 1520 E. Sixth Ave., P.O. Box 200901, Helena, MT 59620-0901; faxed to (406) 444-4386; or e-mailed to [email protected].
