Not all waste resulting from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel should be considered high-level radioactive waste (HLW), the Energy Department reaffirmed Wednesday.
Under its new interpretation, DOE says some lower-risk reprocessing waste can be deemed non-HLW and be disposed of according to its radiological traits rather than its point of origin. That could speed up disposal of some waste, the agency said in a press release.
“For decades, DOE has managed nearly all reprocessing waste streams as HLW regardless of radioactivity. This one- size-fits-all approach has led to decades of delay, costs billions of dollars, and left the waste trapped in DOE facilities in the states of South Carolina, Washington, and Idaho without a permanent disposal solution,” the agency said.
The Energy Department issued its supplemental notice on interpretation of HLW after reviewing more than 5,500 comments filed in response to an Oct. 10 Federal Register notice. The agency’s position did not substantially change, compared with the interpretation published last year. DOE did clarify that certain high-level waste could only be treated as Class C low-level waste or lower if it also meets the disposal criteria for a repository that could accept such waste.
The Energy Department says much waste is needlessly treated as HLW when it has radioactive characteristics similar to transuranic waste or low-level radioactive waste. Going forward, waste can be treated as non-HLW when it does not exceed limits for Class C low-level radioactive waste, does not require disposal in a deep geologic repository, and meets acceptance criteria for existing licensed disposal sites.
To begin, DOE is moving under the National Environmental Policy Act to consider disposing of some grouted waste from the Savannah River Site at a licensed commercial site.
“At this time, DOE is not considering whether to implement the HLW interpretation at any other site or for any other waste stream,” the agency said.
The proposal drew swift criticism. The DOE is giving itself authority to abandon more than 100 million gallons of high-level waste at sites in South Carolina, Idaho and the state of Washington, the Natural Resources Defense Council said in a joint press release.
This current action does not eliminate the need for the Yucca Mountain underground repository in Nevada, DOE said.
The Energy Department must still develop a permanent geologic repository to dispose of HLW generated by the Cold War nuclear-arms buildup, said Kara Colton, Energy Communities Alliance director of nuclear energy programs.
