MACFARLANE RESPONDS TO CASEY ON SLDA CLEANUP

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission reaffirmed its commitment to helping move forward the cleanup at the Shallow Land Disposal Area site in Armstrong County, Pa. in a letter to Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) from NRC Chair Allison Macfarlane late last week. Casey had raised concerns last month concerning an NRC Investigator General report that indicated the Army Corp of Engineer Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program site had been mishandled and mis-characterized. Macfarlane assured Casey that the NRC was working to make sure the project moved forward as quickly and safety as possible.

 

“Several concerns were raised in your letter with respect to the lack of historic records, indirect evidence of non-compliance, the prolonged process of the remediation effort, and the retroactive application of the NRC’s decommissioning requirements,” Macfarlane wrote. “Based on the March 27th briefing, our understanding is that these concerns were raised to emphasize the urgent need to resume the cleanup effort and to complete remediation expeditiously. The NRC fully supports the timely resumption of the cleanup efforts at SLDA. However, as discussed with your staff, the spectrum of materials that may be present and their potential challenges require a measured approach that focuses on safety. The NRC will continue to work with USACE (and the other Federal partners) so that the remediation is completed both safely and expeditiously,” she said.