The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is moving toward a potential rulemaking on disposal of Greater-Than-Class-C (GTCC) and transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes from nongovernment sources, this week requesting public input for a regulatory basis that would help guide the process.
The commission first requested the regulatory basis in December 2015, after Texas inquired about licensing a facility in the state for disposal of GTCC, GTCC-like, and transuranic waste.
The document will address scientific, technical, and legal matters relevant to the rulemaking, which would establish a regulatory structure for disposal of GTCC and TRU waste via near-surface systems or other means beyond a deep geologic repository, according to a Federal Register notice published Wednesday. That could include criteria for licensing of disposal of such waste under the section of the Code of Federal Regulations that covers land disposal of radioactive waste.
“If the NRC staff concludes, in the regulatory basis, that some or all Greater-than-class C (GTCC) waste is potentially suitable for near-surface disposal, then the staff would develop a proposed rule to allow for the disposal of such waste under 10 CFR Part 61,” an NRC spokesperson said by email Thursday. “Additionally, the NRC staff will continue provide further recommendations and updates to the Commission as appropriate.”
The staff document would be due six months after publication of the NRC’s supplementary Part 61 rule update on low-level radioactive waste disposal, which is expected around summer 2018. It would apply to commercial and nongovernment generators of GTCC and TRU wastes. The U.S. Energy Department already has a repository for its transuranic waste – the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico.
Any actual rulemaking “will be prioritized with other rulemaking activities and a schedule will be developed at that time,” according to the spokesperson.
Greater-Than-Class C-waste is classified as low-level radioactive waste with radionuclide concentrations above the limits set in the NRC’s designation for Class C low-level waste. It is produced via nuclear power reactors and other operations within and outside of the nuclear fuel cycle, and includes activated metals, sealed sources, and plutonium-contaminated material from the fuel cycle. The NRC says this material is mostly “not suitable” for disposal in near-surface facilities, and the commission must authorize any disposal method other than a deep geologic repository.
Transuranic waste is generated by nuclear research and power operations, particularly spent fuel recycling, medical isotope production, or nuclear weapons manufacturing. Examples include rags, tools, and lab gear.
The Energy Department has also been reviewing means for disposal of GTCC and GTCC-like waste. In a 2016 environmental impact statement, it cited its preferred approach as land disposal at generic commercial facilities and/or the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The agency last year submitted its findings to Congress, which would have to take legislative action for DOE to carry out its preferred approach.
The Energy Department projects the United States will hold roughly 12,000 cubic meters of GTCC and GTCC-like waste by 2083. The material is now held on-site by the generators, but the federal government is required under the 2005 Energy Policy Act to dispose of the waste.
There are currently four sites licensed by the NRC for disposal of low-level radioactive waste, none of which involve a deep geologic repository: Waste Control Specialists’ disposal complex in Andrews County, Texas; EnergySolutions’ facilities in Clive, Utah, and Barnwell, S.C.; and US Ecology’s leased land at DOE’s Hanford Site in Washington state.
The NRC is asking stakeholders to answer three questions to help in development of its regulatory basis: What radionuclides must be considered for disposal of GTCC and transuranic wastes; How could disposal site safety and security be impacted by GTCC and transuranic wastes during the facility’s operational period; and how could those waste types impact the facility design for post-operations safety?
Comments are due by April 16. They can be submitted by the following means: email to [email protected]; fax to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 301-415-1101; mail to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C., 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff; or deliver in person to NRC headquarters at 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md.
A public meeting is also scheduled for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST on Feb. 22 in the NRC Auditorium, 11545 Rockville Pike in Rockville. The meeting will be webcast.
