Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
7/31/2015
The Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission this week unanimously approved the final rules to its update on importing and exporting waste. According to Compact Rules Committee Chair Linda Morris, the final rules have some slight changes from the proposed rules, mainly in the definition of terms. “We did make changes based on the number of comments received, and in some cases we declined to make changes,” Morris said at the Compact meeting this week. “I know we are not going to make everyone happy, but we did our best to address concerns that the commission feel are important.” Specific details of new changes to the rules were not available as of press time.
The Texas Compact is undergoing a general rules update with a focus on better tightening its regulations on the import and export of waste. Also included in the update is a reworking of the Compact’s policy under rule §675.23, which adds language stating that the Compact’s policy is to “promote the health, safety, and welfare” of Texas citizens, as well as to “distribute costs, benefits, and obligations among the party states.” The proposed rule includes clarifying language to help make the export and import process easier for both the Compact and for waste generators. Among the changes, the proposed rules would remove all the isotopes reporting, streamline the amendment process, change the origin reporting process, and align the exporting process more closely to the importing process.
The update does not include, however, §675.24, the section regarding importing exempt waste to Waste Control Specialists’ RCRA hazardous waste landfill, known as the management rule, which still needs more work even after the other rules have been finalized. According to Compact Chair Brandon Hurley, “As a preview of what is to come, there will be additional work by the Rules Committee on the §675.24 that has been called a lot of things, but is most affectionately known as the management rule.” He added: “We are also looking at possibly addressing a few other issues because the more we look, the more things come up.”
