Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
12/5/2014
The U.S. Army is seeking a license termination from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its Depleted Uranium Impact Area at the Jefferson Proving Ground in southeastern Indiana that would leave thousands of pounds of depleted uranium on-site. The Army submitted a license termination request in 2013 to the NRC in hopes of ending the license with restricted conditions, but this week, the NRC conducted a public comment meeting to hear any community concerns on the proposed termination.
The Jefferson Proving Ground hosted test firing for conventional munitions from 1941 to 1995, and some depleted uranium and undetonated munitions remain onsite. The Army has proposed leaving the depleted uranium and undetonated munitions in place while it continues to maintain institutional control over the area with physical access restrictions. According to Army spokesman David Foster, fences and signs will be maintained by the Fish and Wildlife Service, which took over operation of the site in 2000 after it became the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, to ensure a person could not trespass into the contaminated area.
The Army wants to leave the depleted uranium in place, Foster said, because of the explosive hazard of the unexploded munitions in the area. “It is both a safety and a cost issue,” Foster said in an email. “Because of the unexploded ordinance in the same area as the depleted uranium, the U.S. Army would have to clean up both the depleted uranium and the unexploded ordnance. Because of the explosive hazard, the cost increases significantly and is deemed to be cost prohibitive to fully restore the area. Plus, the excavation would literally destroy the entire natural habitat.”
According to the NRC, the public comments from this week’s meeting will help the agency prepare its Environmental Impact Statement for the Army’s proposed action. “Public input is a cornerstone of the agency’s scoping process for the Environmental Impact Statement,” NRC Senior Project Manager Stephen Lemont said in a statement. “We hope area residents will participate in this meeting to provide comments about the environmental issues they consider significant.” Foster echoed the purpose and importance of the meeting. “The NRC is still considering the U.S. Army request for license termination,” Foster said. “Options could range from maintaining a license and monitoring program to terminating the license with restricted access to the property. Public input is important to this process.”
