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Status of GTCC Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal

Learn about the challenges and legislative drivers impacting the disposal of Greater-Than-Class C Low-Level Radioactive Waste. Explore the waste types, inventory, and disposal alternatives evaluated in the final EIS document.

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Status of GTCC Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal

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  1. StatusofDisposalCapabilitiesforGreater-Than-ClassC (GTCC)Low-LevelRadioactiveWaste TheresaJ.Kliczewski GTCCEIS DocumentManagerOfficeofDispositionPlanning&PolicyOfficeofEnvironmentalManagement April13,2016 www.energy.gov/EM

  2. RelevantLegislativeDrivers • CurrentlythereisnodisposalpathwayforGTCCLLRWorGTCC-like • waste. • CongressionalMandate • Low-LevelRadioactiveWaste PolicyAmendmentsActof1985(PublicLaw#99-240) • Deems theFederal Governmentresponsible forthedisposal ofLLRWwithconcentrationsof radionuclidesthatexceedthelimitsestablishedbytheNuclearRegulatoryCommission(NRC)forClassCradioactivewaste(e.g.GTCCLLRW). DOEwas theagency thatwas laterassignedthatresponsibility. • Requiresdisposal ofGTCC LLRWat a facilitylicensedbyNRC. • EnergyPolicyActof2005(PublicLaw#109-58) • RequiresDOEto submit aReport to Congress on theGTCCEISdisposalalternativesandawait actionbyCongress before issuinga Recordof Decisionselectinga GTCCdisposal alternative. www.energy.gov/EM

  3. OtherDrivers • RespondstoNational SecurityConcerns • Potentialfor disusedsealed sources to be used ina radiologicaldispersal devices(e.g.,dirtybomb) • DisposalneedhighlightedinInter-AgencyTaskForceReports onRadiationSourceProtectionandSecuirtyto President Obama andCongress • SupportsFutureU.S.Programs • Medicalisotope production(molybdenum-99) • Productionof radioisotopepowersystemsinsupportofspace exploration(DOENE’splutonium-238project) • ProvidesEnvironmentalStewardship • StatutorymissionandDOEcleanupcommitments fortheWestValleySiteinNewYork www.energy.gov/EM

  4. Overview:GTCCLLRWWaste& GTCC-LikeWaste • GTCCLLRW: • oA formal,definedwasteclassificationin federallawand regulations • Generatedfrom NuclearRegulatoryCommission (NRC)orAgreementStatelicensedactivities • The mosthazardousclassofLLRWas definedbytheNRCin10CFR 61 • …“wastethatisnotgenerallyacceptablefornear-surfacedisposal…forwhichformanddisposalmethodsmustbedifferent,andin generalmorestringent,thanthosespecifiedforClassCwaste” • Mustbedisposedof inageologicrepository,asdefinedbyNRC,unlessproposals fordisposal ina sitelicensedpursuantto10CFR61areapprovedbytheCommission • GTCC-LikeWaste: • Notaformalwaste classificationby ruleorDOE order;rather,adescriptivecategory created forpurposesoftheEIS • DOEownedorgeneratedLLRWortransuranic (TRU)wastewith • characteristicssimilarto GTCC LLRWandwithnoidentifieddisposalpath • Primarilynon-defenseTRUwastefromcleanup activitiesattheWestValleyDemonstrationProjectinNewYork www.energy.gov/EM

  5. Overview:GTCCLLRWWaste&GTCC-Like Inventory • WasteInventory • The combinedGTCCLLRWandGTCC-likewasteinventoryis about12,000m3(420,000ft3) andcontainsa total activityofabout160millioncuries(MCi) • 8,800m3(310,000ft3)or75%isGTCCLLRW(commercial) • 2,800m3(99,000ft3)or25%isGTCC-like(DOEowned) • WasteGroups (GTCCLLRWand GTCC-likewaste): • Group1:Wastesfromcurrentlyoperatingfacilities.Thisincludeswastesthatare currentlyinstorageorareexpectedtobegeneratedfromtheseoperatingfacilities. • Group2:Projectedwastesfromproposedfacilitiesand/oractions.Someofthis • wastemayneverbegenerated. • GTCCLLRWWasteTypes • Activatedmetals:Primarilyfrom commercialnuclearpowerplants • Mostofthiswastewillnotbegeneratedfordecades,butrepresentsover98percentofthetotalcuries. • Sealedsources:Usedinhospitals,industries,anduniversities through outthe • U.S. • Otherwaste:From environmental cleanupand isotope production(MissouriUniversity ResearchReactorinMO,WVDP,BWTX inVA,WCSinTX) • GTCC-likeWasteTypes(samewastetypesasforGTCCLLRW) • Wastefrom DOE cleanup andothermissionactivities(WVDP,INL,BWTX inVA,ORR,LANL) www.energy.gov/EM

  6. Overview:GTCCDisposalAlternatives Evaluated NoAction:Continuecurrentstorage/managementpractices GeologicRepository:AtWasteIsolationPilotPlant(WIPP) Intermediate-DepthBoreholes:AtHanford,Idaho NationalLaboratory(INL),Los AlamosNationalLaboratory(LANL), Nevada NationalSecuritySite(NNSS),WIPPVicinity,andgenericcommerciallocationinRegionIV(west) EnhancedNear-SurfaceTrenches:AtHanford,INL,LANL,NNSS,SavannahRiverSite(SRS),WIPPVicinity,and genericcommerciallocationinRegionsIIandIV(southeastandwest) Above-GradeVaults:AtHanford,INL,LANL,NNSS, SRS,WIPPVicinity,andgenericcommerciallocationinRegionsI-IV(northeast,southeast,midwest, andwest) www.energy.gov/EM

  7. FinalEISDocument Overview • Evaluates11environmentalresourceareasaswellaspotential cumulativeimpactsatsevensites. ResourceAreasEvaluated inFinalEIS Climate,AirQuality,and Noise GeologyandSoils WaterResources HumanHealth Ecology Socioeconomics EnvironmentalJustice LandUse Transportation 10.CulturalResources11.WasteManagement 12.CumulativeImpacts • Evaluatesgeologicdisposalandlanddisposalinenhancednear surfacetrenches,boreholes,orabove-gradevaults. • EvaluateslanddisposalatgenericcommercialsitesinNRCRegionsI-IV. • Evaluatespotentiallong-termhumanhealthimpacts(calculatedover10,000years). • Foreachalternativetheanalysisassumesthatthetotalwaste inventorywouldbedisposedofatasingledisposalsite.Dependingontheselectedoptionfordisposal,decisionscanbemadetodisposeofthewasteatmorethanonelocation. • Structuredsothatdecisionsondisposalmethod(s)orsite(s)couldbemadebywastetype. www.energy.gov/EM

  8. FactorsConsideredDuringtheDevelopment ofthePreferredAlternative • Public comments providedonthe DraftGTCCEIS: Over4,000publiccomments were submitted ontheDraftGTCCEIS. DOEaddressesthosecomments intheComment ResponseDocumentsection oftheFinalGTCCEIS. • Disposalsite:Potentialhumanhealth impacts(including thosefromtransportation and cumulativeimpacts),culturalresourcesandtribalconcerns,laws, regulations, and otherrequirements • Waste type: Radionuclideinventory/characteristics,wasteformstability, • physicalcharacteristics,andavailabilityfordisposal • Disposalmethod: Inadvertent humanintrusion,constructionand operational • experience,post-closure care,and cost • Programmaticfactors www.energy.gov/EM

  9. PreferredAlternative • TheFinalGTCCEISincludesapreferredalternative:WIPPgeologicrepositoryand/orlanddisposalatgenericcommercialfacilities. • DOEhas determinedthat the preferredalternativewouldsatisfytheneedsof theDepartmentforthe disposalofGTCCLLRWandGTCC-likewaste. • Theselanddisposalconceptualdesignsatgeneric commercial facilitiescouldbealteredor enhanced,as necessary, toprovideoptimal application at agivenlocation. • There ispresently nopreference amongthethreelanddisposaltechnologies(e.g.intermediate-depthborehole,enhancednear-surface trench,andabove-gradevault) at the genericcommercialfacilities. • The preferredalternativehas the potentialto enabledisposalofthe entirewasteinventoryanalyzedintheFinalGTCCEIS. www.energy.gov/EM

  10. RemainingStepsforFulfilling StatutoryResponsibility • InaccordancewithSection631oftheEnergyPolicyActof2005(includingrequirementsoutlinedinSection(3)(b)(3)ofLow-LevelRadioactiveWastePolicyAmendmentsAct),theReporttoCongresswill: • Proposeactions toensuresafedisposalof such identifiedradioactivewastes • Describealternativesunderconsideration • IdentifytheFederalandnon-Federaloptionsfor • disposal • Describeprojectedcosts • Identifyoptionsforensuringthatthebeneficiariesof theactivitiesresultingfromthegenerationofGTCCwastebearallreasonablecostsofdisposingof suchwastes • IdentifystatutoryauthorityrequiredfordisposalofGTCCwaste SubmitReporttoCongress AwaitCongressionalAction IssueRecordofDecision www.energy.gov/EM 10

  11. Toviewthe FinalGTCCEIS electronicallygoto: http://www.gtcceis.anl.gov/ To requesthardcopiesof the FinalGTCCEIS: http://www.gtcceis.anl.gov/documents/order/in dex.cfm www.energy.gov/EM 11

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