The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is giving the public additional time to comment on a proposed regulatory update that would ease the path for disposal of very low-level radioactive waste (VLLW) in commercial landfills.
The deadline has been pushed back from April 20 to July 20, agency spokesman David McIntyre said by email this week.
Very low-level waste is the unofficial term for the least radioactive form of what is already the least hazardous type of low-level waste: Class A. Like most low-level waste, it generally must be sent to one of the four U.S. facilities licensed for disposal of that material.
Existing regulations allow for VLLW to be shipped for land burial at landfills regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). However, a waste generator must receive approval from the NRC under regulations for alternative disposal. The new rule interpretation being considered by the agency would allow landfills to apply for an exemption to accept VLLW on an ongoing basis, without needing approval for each shipment.
Participating landfills would have to meet certain restrictions, including a cumulative dose limit under 25 millirem from all disposals in any year.
Participants in a webinar last week, representing environmental and other advocacy groups, overwhelmingly opposed the plan, emphasizing the potential dangers of shipping any radioactive waste to sites not specifically designed for its disposal. They also urged the NRC to extend the comment period past the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Dallas-based Waste Control Specialists, which operates a licensed low-level waste disposal site in the state, also called for more time for input.
The NRC had anticipated completing the rule process by late summer. That is likely to be delayed under the revised schedule, according to McIntyre.
