Two public workshops in September to solicit public views on major issues for new regulations for land disposal of unique radioactive wastes
– By Abby Gessner –
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct two public workshops in September to solicit public views on major issues for new regulations for land disposal of unique radioactive wastes, including but not limited to significant quantities of depleted uranium.
The workshops will be held Sept. 2-3 in Rockville, Md., and Sept. 23-24 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Exact locations and final agendas for the workshops will be announced closer to those dates.
The Commission directed the agency staff March 18 to initiate rulemaking to specify a requirement for a site-specific analysis for the disposal of large quantities of depleted uranium, and other unique waste streams, such as reprocessing wastes and the technical requirements for such an analysis. The Commission also directed the staff to develop a guidance document for public comment that outlines the parameters and assumptions to be used in the site-specific analyses. The Commission said the staff should “promptly” conduct a public workshop to discuss issues associated with disposal of depleted uranium and other unique waste streams, potential issues to be considered in rulemaking, and technical parameters of concern in the analysis so that informed decisions can be made in the interim before the rulemaking is final.
In a Federal Register notice published June 24, the agency staff discussed several questions relating to disposal of unique waste streams such as depleted uranium to be addressed at the public workshops. The agency also requested public comment on potential agenda items for the workshops as well as substantive issues for the rulemaking.
Public comments may be submitted to Chief, Rulemaking and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop TWB 5B01M, Washington, D.C., 20555-0001, or by fax at (301) 492-3446. Comments may also be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov using docket ID NRC-2009-0257.
Comments on agenda items for the public workshops should be postmarked no later than Aug. 1. Comments on the issues and questions presented in the Federal Register notice and discussed at the workshops should be postmarked by Oct. 30. Public comments made at both workshops will be transcribed and considered part of the record. The Federal Register notice also discusses how members of the public may inquire about direct participation in roundtable discussions at the workshops.