NRC Seeking Public Comment on LLW Strategic Assessment

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comments on its proposed draft list of prioritized low-level radioactive waste (LLW) tasks based upon updates to the strategic assessment, according to a posting in the Federal Register late last week. In 2007, the NRC released a strategic assessment list for high-proiority LLW issues. Since then, the Commission has been working to update the list to put higher priority issues upfront. According to the new proposed list, some items have been combined like the issues involved in the 10 CR Part 61 rulemaking, and some have been eliminated, like an analysis of potential legislative changes and impacts from disposal curtailing after both issues failed to take hold. “The objective of this updated assessment remains the same as the 2007 assessment; that is, to identify and prioritize tasks that the NRC staff can undertake to ensure a stable, reliable, and adaptable regulatory framework for effective LLW management, while also considering future needs and changes that may occur in the nation’s commercial LLW management system,” the NRC said in the posting. Comments are due by April 13.