Frank Marcinowski Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory Compliance Environmental Management May

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Frank MarcinowskiDeputy Assistant Secretary for
Regulatory ComplianceEnvironmental
ManagementMay 23, 20072007 Federal Facility
Task Force Meeting

• Update on National Disposition Planning

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Topics for Consideration

• Disposal policy
• Low-level and mixed low-level radioactive waste
  (LLW/ MLLW)
• Disposition highlights
• LLW/MLLW disposition data
• LLW/MLLW Corporate Board
• LLW /MLLW National Disposition Strategy
• Greater-than-Class C LLW
• Transuranic waste

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Order 435.1 Establishes DOE Disposal Policy

• If practical, disposal on the site where
  generated
• If on-site disposal not available, at another DOE
  disposal facility
• At commercial disposal facilities if compliant,
  protective of safety and health, cost effective,
  and in the best interest of the government

Unchanged
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Low Level and Mixed Low Level Radioactive Waste
(LLW/MLLW)
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LLW/MLLW Disposal Issues Highlights

• Hanford and Nevada Test Site (NTS) host regional
  disposal facilities for DOE LLW and MLLW disposal
• Off-site waste shipments to Hanford remain
  suspended
• NTS has MLLW disposal through November 2010
• On-site LLW disposal at Idaho National Laboratory
  planned to end in 2009, due to CERCLA closure
  plans some possibility of an extension to ensure
  capacity for RH LLW is available

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Other LLW/MLLW Issues Highlights

• Some DOE sites seeking to expand use of onsite
  CERCLA cells
• Operations are limited at TSCA Incinerator
• Problematic waste streams still exist and
  future facility DD will identify more some
  streams utilize commercial treatment
• Disposal of greater-than-class C (GTCC) LLW
  Environmental Impact Statement in progress
• Notice of Intent followed by scoping meetings
  planned for this Summer

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LLW/MLLW Disposition Forecasting

• Life-cycle waste forecasting has resumed
• Baseline Disposition Data (BLDD)
• Data requirements defined with field cooperation
• Waste stream definition streamlined to ensure
  useful data is collected without undue
  cost/schedule burden on sites
• Updated at least annually, reviewed and approved
  through the DOE/EM corporate information system
  (IPABS-IS)
• Data is shared via the Waste Management
  Information System (WIMS) (http//wims.arc.fiu.edu
  /WIMS)
• This years data set includes new data from other
  programs (NNSA incl. Naval Reactors, NE and SC)
• Current data is LLW/MLLW TRU data will be added
  when the updated TRU waste inventory is available
  (later this year)

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WIMS Waste Disposition Map Example
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WIMS Geographic Disposition Map Example
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Scope of LLW/MLLW Disposition Data

• Target data sources are projects and activities
  that have documented baselines
• Some projects have yet to be fully defined,
  baselined or approved and are not included in the
  planning data set
• e.g., West Valley final end state, Portsmouth
  DD, GNEP
• EM sites have since updated their Five Year Plan
  Summaries data under review to resolve any
  inconsistencies in the 2008 update

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LLW/MLLW Disposition Trends

• On-site disposal cells continue to serve large
  site cleanup programs at Hanford, Idaho, and Oak
  Ridge
• Projected waste volume to off-site disposal
  continues downward trend as Rocky Flats and Ohio
  projects have concluded
• Significant use of commercial waste treatment and
  disposal is expected in spite of smaller volumes
  
• Large uncertainties remain in out-year forecasts
  due to unplanned/uncertain work scope at several
  key sites

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Off Site LLW/MLLW Disposition has Declined
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WIMS LLW/MLLW Disposal Data Forecast
Most disposal is from onsite generators
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LLW Corporate Board

• Establishes complex-wide configuration control
• Increases integration and accountability
• Modeled after TRU board, but tailored for LLW and
  MLLW
• Inter-site shipping schedule/tracking
• Allocation of DOE waste management resources
• Off-site DOE disposal facilities, including TSCAI
• Planning use of commercial services
• Evaluation of complex wide issues and strategy
• Participation
• Chaired by Deputy Assistant Secretary for
  Regulatory Compliance (EM-10)
• Two-level Board Federal and contractors
  representatives from generating sites, appointed
  by Site Managers
• Other sites and commercial partners may attend
• Implement in FY 08

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National Disposition Strategy

• Provides framework by which DOE will manage
  LLW/MLLW disposition
• Discusses current DOE and commercial LLW/MLLW
  treatment disposal resources and identifies
  potential bottlenecks
• Discusses tools and methodologies to strengthen
  and integrate DOEs LLW/MLLW disposition
  management
• Draft Revision 0 advanced copy distributed last
  September
• Next version, Revision 1, will
• Address all comments
• Include all DOE LLW/MLLW (Revision 0 was focused
  on EM)
• Reflect 2007 WIMS data
• Involve the LLW Corporate Board
• Incorporate revised cost guidance
• Follow recent technology development roadmap
  process for sharing with stakeholders
• Schedule is not firm, but aiming for Fall 2007

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Greater-than-Class C LLW
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Legislative Drivers

• Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act
  of 1985
• DOE responsible for developing GTCC LLW disposal
  capability
• GTCC must be disposed of in a facility licensed
  by the U.S. NRC
• Section 631 of Energy Policy Act of 2005
• Submitted required Report to Congress dated July
  2006 on EIS proposed schedule and estimated cost
• Requires DOE to submit Report to Congress on
  disposal alternatives and await Congressional
  action before issuing ROD (i.e., submit report
  when final EIS is issued)

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What is GTCC LLW?

• Generated from NRC or Agreement State licensed
  activities
• Contains radionuclides at concentrations that
  exceed the limits for Class C radioactive waste
  in 10 CFR 61.55
• Includes activated metals from the
  decommissioning of nuclear reactors, sealed
  sources, and other LLW resulting from
  manufacture, research, and industrial activities
• The NRC has categorized LLW into four classes
  (Class A, B, C, and GTCC) based on the
  concentration of specific short-lived and
  long-lived radionuclides, with Class C having the
  highest concentration limits.
• Must be disposed of in geologic repository unless
  other methods proposed to and approved by NRC

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What is DOE GTCC-Like LLW?

• Certain DOE LLW and Non-Defense TRU that may lack
  a disposal pathway

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GTCC LLW DOE GTCC-Like Inventory

• GTCC LLW Total Estimated Volume/Curies 2,005 m3
  _at_ 112 MCi
• Very little (134 m3) currently available for
  disposal
• Activated Metals from nuclear utilities comprise
  71 of the total activity (110 MCi) will not be
  available for disposal until 2035-2062.
• Excludes stored inventory of sealed sources
  recovered by the NNSA Offsite Source Recovery
  Project as those sources have an identified path
  to disposal (e.g., WIPP)
• DOE GTCC-Like Total Estimated Volume/Curies
  2,948 m3 _at_ 42 MCi
• Most (1,900 m3) is potential non-defense TRU
  from West Valley Demonstration Project and
  proposed Radioisotope Power System project
• Does not include potential GNEP waste due to
  early stages of that project

(a) There are sealed sources currently possessed
by NRC licensees that may become GTCC LLW when no
longer needed by the licensee the estimated
volume and activity of those sources are included
in the projected inventory.
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GTCC Notice of Intent (NOI)

• Initiates the Environmental Impact Statement
  (EIS) process
• Identifies proposed federal action
• Identifies proposed disposal methods/locations
  for EIS analysis
• Updates GTCC waste inventories
• Proposes that both GTCC and GTCC-like waste be
  analyzed in the EIS
• Announces decision to include DOE GTCC-like
  waste
• Responds to public comments on the Advance NOI
  (issued May 11, 2005)
• Requests public comments on EIS scoping issues
  announces public scoping meeting dates/locations
• U.S. EPA will participate as Cooperating Agency
  NRC will be Commenting Agency
• The draft NOI has undergone extensive review by
  Field and Headquarters Offices and U.S. EPA

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GTCC EIS Schedule

• Advanced Notice of Intent ? May 11, 2005
• Notice of Intent ? Spring 07
• Public scoping meetings Summer 07
• Draft EIS ? 2nd Qtr FY 08
• Final EIS ? Early FY 09
• Report to Congress on Disposal Alternatives ?
  Early FY 09 (submit when final EIS is issued)
• Record of Decision ? TBD (following Congressional
  action on disposal alternatives report)

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Transuranic Waste (TRU)
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DOE Continues to Optimize TRU Disposition

• WIPP is managed as a National program
• Current efforts are focused on optimization
• In FY 1999, averaged 1.5 shipments/week
• In FY 2007, averaging 22 shipments/week, filling
  the pipeline (creating characterized backlog)
• Fully utilizing capacity

• Over 48,000 m3 of TRU waste disposed since March
  1999
• Over 5,700 truck shipments from eight sites
  completed as of 5/21/07

Final shipment departing RFETS
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WIPP is receiving remote-handled TRU

• The first remote-handled transuranic waste
  (RH-TRU) shipment left Idaho National Laboratory
  (INL) and arrived at WIPP on 1/23/07
• As of 5/21/07, WIPP has received 23 RH-TRU
  shipments from INL
• Since March, INL has been making 2 RH-TRU
  shipments per week to WIPP INL is expected to
  increase to three shipments in early June, and
  four shipments around the August 2007 timeframe