Public workshops in Maryland and Utah will cover depleted uranium and other unique waste streams
– By Stephen Heiser –
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct two public workshops in September to solicit public views on major issues for new regulations on shallow-land disposal of unique radioactive wastes, including significant quantities of depleted uranium.
The first workshop will be held Sept. 2-3 at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, One Bethesda Metro Center, 7400 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Md. The second workshop will be held Sept. 23-24 in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Salt Lake City Marriott University Park, 480 Wakara Way. Both workshops will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
The Commission directed the agency staff March 18 to initiate a 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 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.
Earlier this summer, the NRC requested public comment on topics to be addressed at the workshops and the subsequent rulemaking. The agendas for the workshops are available on the NRC Web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/conferences.html. Public comments on these topics and major issues related to the future rulemaking will be accepted at the workshops and through Oct. 30.
People wishing to attend the workshops in Maryland or Utah are encouraged to notify the NRC in advance by contacting Priya Yadav, at (301) 415-6667, or by e-mail at Priya.Yadav@nrc.gov, or Karen Pinkston, at (301) 415-3650, or by e-mail Karen.Pinkston@nrc.gov.
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. In addition, comments may be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov using docket ID NRC-2009-0257.