A Michigan Senate committee is scheduled today to consider legislation that would set specific radioactivity limits for disposal of Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (TENORM) in state landfills.
The bill from Sen. Tom Casperson (R) would add a number of amendments to the 1994 state Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, including citing a specific definition for TENORM – “naturally occurring radioactive material whose radionuclide concentrations have been increased as a result of human practices.”
The Casperson bill would also add a new section to the 1994 legislation, prohibiting landfill disposal of TENORM above: a radium-226 concentration exceeding 50 picocuries per gram; a radium-228 concentration exceeding 50 picocuries per gram; or a lead-210 concentration exceeding 260 picocuries per gram.
The first two limits are in line with current guidelines under which TENORM can be disposed of at any landfill in the state, according to the Detroit Free Press. The restriction on lead-210 concentrations is new.
The proposal would also allow a landfill operator or owner to request that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality amend the facility’s operating license to allow for disposal of TENORM up to 500 picocuries per gram of each radionuclide. However, approval would be dependent on several requirements, including that the landfill has a radiation safety program that addresses personnel training, radiation surveys, emergency protocols, and other measures.
Casperson introduced his bill on Nov. 8. It was referred to the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs. The legislation is one of 11 bills on the agenda for the panel’s meeting today, which begins at 8:30 a.m. local time.
A separate bill, from state Sen. Rebekah Warren (D), would establish a $5 per ton fee on landfill operators for disposal of TENORM. The bill, which would take effect only if Casperson’s measure is enacted into law, is also on the docket for today’s Natural Resources Committee meeting.
