The Energy Department’s proposal to reinterpret the definition of high-level radioactive waste and go with a policy that stresses radiological risk over its source, has the support of the directors of a half-dozen DOE national laboratories.
“The proposal would shift the definition from a source-based definition to a risk-based interpretation consistent with the radiological characteristics of the waste,” according to a March 25 letter, made public recently, from directors of the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state, the Idaho National Laboratory, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, the Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
A more hazard-based approach to HLW would enable certain wastes that shares a radioactive profile with low-level radioactive waste or transuranic waste to be disposed of at existing facilities, supporters say.
The Energy Department reinterpretation would still require geologic disposal for waste from spent fuel reprocessing with high levels of radiation and long-lived radionuclides, the laboratories say.
Hanford Challenge, a citizens’ watchdog group for the Hanford Site in Washington State, was unimpressed with the laboratories letter. “So, let us see if we understand this correctly: ‘DOE supports DOE idea.’ Got it,” the group said in a weekend tweet.
The labs letter was addressed to Energy Secretary Rick Perry. The Energy Department released its new interpretation on Wednesday. The policy change has drawn opposition from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
