Nuclear waste: Department of Energy's Transuranic Waste Disposal Plan needs revision

Technical Report · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5917757

Transuranic waste consists of discarded tools, rags, machinery, paper, sheet metal, and glass containing man-made radioactive elements that can be dangerous if inhaled, ingested, or absorbed into the body through an open wound. GAO found that the Defense Waste Management Plan does not provide the Congress with complete inventory and cost data or details on environmental and safety issues related to the permanent disposal of TRU waste; the Plan's $2.8 billion costs are understated by at least $300 million. Further, it does not include costs for disposing of buried waste, contaminated soil, and TRU waste that may not be accepted at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Lastly, the Plan provides no details on the environmental and safety issues related to the permanent disposal of TRU waste, nor does it discuss the types of or timing for environmental analyses needed before WIPP starts operating.

• Research Organization: General Accounting Office, Washington, DC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5917757
• Report Number(s): GAO/RCED-86-90
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
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290600 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
COST ESTIMATION
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
EVALUATION
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PLANNING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SAFETY
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
US DOE
US GAO
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES