The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has formally closed an August 2016 confirmatory action letter to Cameco Resources — indicating the U.S. uranium producer has met the agency’s expectations in addressing problems with its radioactive waste transport procedures.
The NRC opened an investigation of Cameco Resources last year following the discovery that an intermodal container of barium sulfate sludge had been shipped in March 2016 from the Wyoming-based company’s uranium mine in Converse County, Wyo., for storage at Energy Fuel Resources’ White Mesa Mill in Blanding, Utah. A prior leak also occurred in August 2015.
The confirmatory action letter listed a number of measures that Cameco management pledged to undertake, including “a root-cause analysis to identify specific causes for the inadequate packaging and transportation of barium sulfate sludge, assessing the radioactive material present in the barium sulfate sludge shipments, developing a corrective action plan and a corresponding schedule to restore compliance and prevent recurrence,” Scott Morris, deputy administrator for NRC Region IV, wrote in an Aug. 25 letter to Cameco Resources President Brent Berg.
An NRC evaluation determined that the company had carried out its promised actions, after which the regulator considers the letter closed and Cameco Resources is authorized to resume shipments of barium sulfate sludge material, Morris stated.
Specifically, the root-cause analysis from staff at Cameco and an independent analysis of the company’s transportation program were sufficient “in addressing methods to eliminate excess liquid in the barium sulfate sludge and pond sediment shipments,” according to Morris. The regulator’s transportation-focused inspection last November also found that Cameco had adequately updated its systems for determining the radioactive material content in barium sulfate sludge.
Revisions to Cameco Resources’ waste transportation program were also ruled sufficient, including updated systems for verifying waste classification, packaging, and labeling, the NRC said.
The NRC in June determined it would not fine the company for nine violations of federal regulations related to the waste transport errors.
Cameco Resources is the U.S. subsidiary of uranium producer Cameco Corp. of Canada. The company had not responded by deadline for comment on the NRC decision and its schedule for resuming waste shipments.
