Low-level radioactive waste management at the Department of Energy

Technical Report · Wed Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:229876

Coleman, J A ^[1]

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1. Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)

The Department of Energy (D4E) and its preceding agencies have been managing low-level waste (LLW) for more than 50 years. Waste management at DOE includes waste minimization, generation, characterization, treatment, storage, transportation and disposal. The total volume of DOE LLW disposed through 1993 is nearly three million cubic meters. In the last decade, DOE has generated more than 100,000 cubic meters of LLW annually at six on-site facilities. In 1993, DOE disposed of approximately two-thirds of the total LLW disposed nationwide. The Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, mandates that DOE assure the proper management of source, byproduct and special nuclear material, allowing DOE to set radiation protection standards for itself and its contractors. DOE policies and requirements for radioactive waste management are embodied in a set of DOE Orders. The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985, Public Law 99-240, assigned responsibility for disposal of DOE and certain other LLW to the Federal Government. In 1987, DOE acknowledged its responsibility for managing the hazardous component of its radioactive waste under the provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), thereby establishing additional requirements for managing its mixed LLW. The Federal Facility Compliance Act (FFCAct) of 1992, directed DOE to prepare a plan for developing mixed waste treatment capacities and technologies for each site at which DOE generates or stores mixed waste. Several issues related to management of DOE LLW are addressed. The three initiatives addressed are likely to have significant impacts on the DOE LLW Management Program over the next decade. These initiatives include: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 94-2, Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) LLW, and external regulation of DOE nuclear safety.

• Research Organization: Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States); Williams (Paul) and Associates, Medina, OH (United States)
• OSTI ID: 229876
• Report Number(s): EPRI-TR--105569; CONF-950718--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MINIMIZATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
US DOE