The Department of Energy hopes this year to issue a report to Congress on disposal of Greater Than Class C waste and receive clarity on what action from Capitol Hill is needed to advance the long-brewing effort to permanently deal with the radioactive material, a DOE official said last week.
The federal government is legally responsible for disposing of what is ultimately expected to be about 12,000 cubic meters of GTCC and GTCC-like waste: activated metals from commercial nuclear power plants, sealed sources from hospitals and universities, and other waste from environmental cleanup operations, said Theresa Kliczewski, DOE GTCC environmental impact statement (EIS) document manager. A February 2016 EIS from the agency identified storage at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant geologic repository in New Mexico and/or generic commercial facilities as the preferred means of permanent storage of this waste.
The report is now going through the concurrence process with stakeholders, after which it can be sent to Congress, said Kliczewski, who acknowledged the measured pace of progress since the EIS was issued more than a year ago: “It takes time. We had a lot of people that are interested in GTCC disposal. We also have a very large event that occurred, which is the election, and so the timing of the report just got impacted by those factors.”
Speaking at the Waste Management Symposium in Phoenix, Kliczewski said the legally mandated document will address matters including the characteristics, volumes, and quantities of the waste; disposal alternatives under consideration, including federal and nonfederal options; projected costs; and what the disposal beneficiaries would be expected to pay.
Next, Congress would have to take action, though exactly what form that would take remains to be determined, according to Kliczewski. The Department of Energy could then issue a record of decision formally establishing its disposal plan.
Lawmakers in both houses of the U.S. Congress this week introduced resolutions calling on the president and secretary of state to oppose potential construction of a storage site near Lake Huron in Canada for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste.
“The Canadian proposal to build a permanent nuclear waste repository less than a mile from Lake Huron could cause significant, lasting damage to the Great Lakes and undermine the progress we have made cleaning up the water quality in the Great Lakes Basin,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said in a press release. “President Trump and Secretary of State Tillerson should make every effort to prevent the Canadian government from moving forward with this proposal and work to find an alternative solution that does not jeopardize the health of the Great Lakes.”
Peters co-sponsored the upper-chamber resolution with fellow Michigan Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow and six other senators from the party. Rep. Daniel Kildee’s (D-Mich.) corresponding measure in the House has 15 co-sponsors from both parties.
Canadian Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna has yet to rule on Ontario Power Generation’s plan to build the $13 billion (CAN) repository at its Bruce nuclear power plant. The deep-underground storage structure would permanently hold 200,000 cubic meters of waste from three OPG nuclear plants.
The House resolution says: the Canadian government should not authorize permanent waste storage in the Great Lakes Basin; Trump and Tillerson should work with the Canadian government to prevent the facility from being built; and the leaders of both countries should collaborate “on a safe and responsible solution for the long-term storage of nuclear waste.”
Westinghouse announced on Friday that the president of its Americas business has been promoted to chief operating officer as of two days ago. Mark Marano will lead the troubled company’s worldwide “core businesses”: nuclear fuel and components manufacturing; operating plants; decontamination, decommissioning, remediation, and waste management; and the Engineering Center of Excellence, according to a press release.
“In his new role, Marano will drive increased alignment with customers as the product lines and engineering teams are united under a single operational focus,” the nuclear-focused company said.
Prior to his new role, Marano led Westinghouse’s operations in the Americas and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Westinghouse Senior Vice President David Howell will take over as president of the Americas branch, while Vice President Luc Van Hulle has been named interim president for EMEA.
Westinghouse provides cleanup services for both government and commercial nuclear clients, including partnering with Atkins and Fluor in the joint venture that this year took over processing of depleted uranium hexafluoride at Department of Energy sites in Ohio and Kentucky. It was purchased in 2006 by Toshiba, but has faced major financial troubles in recent years that could force it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Reuters reported last week.
