The Nuclear Regulatory Commission may not wrap up a proposed series of amendments to its regulations for packaging and transporting radioactive waste for another two years or so, an agency official said during a webinar this week.
The current projected publication date for NRC’s proposed changes, which the agency has said would bring its oversight in line with national standards, “looks like it may be in 2024,” Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards project manager James Firth said during the webinar hosted Wednesday.
The proposed rule changes, which NRC announced in September, are aimed at keeping U.S. standards for radioactive waste transport consistent with those set by the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA]. The agency is also working alongside the Department of Transportation to harmonize its regulations with the international community.
The agency has made similar updates in the past, most recently in 2015.
NRC plans to spend the bulk of 2023 revising and refining the proposed rule, Firth said. The commission is also accepting public comment until Nov. 28, which could affect the timeline for publication, he said.
“We will be coordinating with the Department of Transportation to make sure our rules are in sync for effective dates, compliance dates and hopefully publication as well,” Firth said.
Among the proposed regulations changes, NRC suggested new exemptions that would allow licensees to package and transport “low-risk fissile material,” which refers to radioactive waste shipped in small quantities or low concentrations, without having to adhere to NRC packaging regulations.
NRC would also allow its licensees to ignore packaging regulations for two other types of waste allowed under IAEA standards: uranium with an enrichment of less than 5% in packages of less than 3.5 grams, and fissile nuclides with a total mass of less than 45 grams.
