The Oregon Department of Energy is studying updated rules governing transport and disposal of radioactive materials within the state, which could potentially sock violators with millions of dollars in fines.
The state department’s Energy Facility Siting Council has been working on tightening Oregon’s radioactive waste rules since May, according to a slide presentation put together for an online workshop schedule for 5 p.m. Pacific Time today, Monday, Dec. 07.
The goal is to protect public health and safety by preventative measures, ensuring radioactive material is not improperly shipped or disposed of within the state and requiring penalties or mitigation when violations occur.
The package would define major violations as those that cause, or have the potential to cause, significant harm to public health, safety or the environment. Depending on the severity and duration of the infraction, financial penalties could reach $10,000 per day with a maximum of $2.7 million.
A link to the 18-page rule proposal dated Nov. 30 can be found here.
In addition to the set of administrative rules to be discussed during the online meeting, potential legislative measures could be drafted during the upcoming Oregon legislative session.
During 2019 about 250 shipments of radioactive waste passed through Oregon, much of it as a result of commercial low-level waste facilities near the federal Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in neighboring Washington state, just 35 miles from the Oregon state line. That is according to a state report on radioactive waste transport.
Hanford is expected to resume shipments of transuranic material to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico within a decade and use routes passing through Oregon. Haulers already need a state permit to move radioactive material through Oregon.
