The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday opened the public comment period on a new finding that most Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive waste could be disposed of via near-surface facilities.
Stakeholders have until Sept. 20 to submit comments on the draft regulatory basis issued last week by NRC staff, according to a filing in the Federal Register.
Current federal regulations only allow for geologic disposal of GTCC waste, unless the NRC commissioners approve a specific request for another means of disposal. As of now, there is no repository that can accept the material type and the commission has never received such an application.
In the draft regulatory basis, agency staff said 15 of 17 GTCC waste streams identified by the Department of Energy could be suitable for near-surface disposal. That would cover more than 8,900 cubic meters of current and future waste.
Of those 15 waste streams, 14 could be regulated by agreement states to the NRC, the report says.
The draft regulatory basis offers three options for dealing with the issue, without recommending any one: sustaining the existing regulatory framework; issuing a new guidance, which would not update current regulations but could help parties file future applications for disposal by means other than a geologic repository; and a full rulemaking to develop regulations specifically for placing GTCC waste in a low-level radioactive waste facility.
The Energy Department is legally responsible for disposal of this waste type. It has indicated its preferred method would be to ship it to the Federal Waste Facility operated by Waste Control Specialists on its West Texas disposal complex.
Comments on the draft regulatory basis can be submitted via www.regulations.gov, Docket ID NRC-2017-0081; via email to [email protected]; by fax to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 301-415-1101; by mail to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff; or in person to NRC headquarters at 11555 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Md.
