The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued proposed rules late last week that would make several changes designed to ease management and disposal of greater-than-class-c (GTCC) radioactive waste.
NRC said in a June 25 press release the proposed rule “would modernize the NRC’s framework for land disposal of low-level radioactive waste by allowing disposal facilities to use site-specific, risk-informed analyses to safely manage a broader range of radioactive materials.” The changes also include creating a clear pathway for the disposal of GTCC radioactive waste.
The agency said it hopes this rule can sort out the decades-old problem that has left certain higher-activity radioactive waste without a disposal option and stranded around the country for years.
NRC started working on the GTCC waste disposal issue about two years ago under then chair Chris Hanson. The previous proposed changes considered a way to allow states already licensed to dispose of low-level radioactive waste to dispose of GTCC waste in near-surface facilities.
Kara Colton, who is principal of Kaco Group and also works with the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA), told Exchange Monitor Wednesday she was reviewing the rulemaking and had no comment at this stage. Colton was one of the contributors to the “Path Forward for Nuclear Waste in the U.S.” report published in January.
According to the rule’s pre-published Federal Register notice, NRC has proposed to amend Part 61 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to require new and updated technical analyses for existing low-level waste disposal facilities that take in long-lived radioactive materials and future applications for disposal of low-level waste, including GTCC waste.
Part 61 currently lacks regulatory flexibility to accommodate land disposal of those waste streams, absent a special finding from the commission, NRC said in the notice. The revised rule would help NRC’s regulations by permitting disposal of these waste streams in land disposal facilities, it added.
The agency said updating the rule is a part of a larger federal effort, as the Department of Energy is seeking to implement nuclear lifecycle innovation campuses that could include waste disposal facilities.
“While the DOE builds the industrial base for the nuclear lifecycle, through programs such as the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses that would provide an integrated approach to managing the nuclear fuel cycle, the NRC’s efforts to modernize waste disposal will provide a clear licensing pathway for the back end of the fuel cycle,” according to the notice.
Additionally, the revised rules would allow for the development of site-specific waste acceptance criteria based on the results of the analyses, NRC said.