Radioactive-Waste Management in the United States: Evolving Policy Prospects and Dilemmas

The United States Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) is responsible for the successful management of transuranic radioactive waste (TRUW) in the United States. TRUW is a long-lived radioactive waste/material. CBFO’s responsibilities includes the operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which is a deep geologic repository for the safe disposal of U.S. defense-related TRUW and is located 42 kilometers (km) east of Carlsbad, New Mexico. WIPP is the only deep-geological disposal site for long-lived radioactive waste that is operating in the world today. CBFO also manages the National Transuranic Waste Program (NTP), which oversees TRU waste management from generation to disposal. As of August 1, 2003, approximately 1890 shipments of waste have been safely transported to the WIPP, which has been operating since March 1999. Surface and subsurface facilities designed to facilitate the safe handling and disposal of TRU waste are located within the WIPP site. The underground waste disposal area is in a bedded salt formation at a depth of 650 meters (m). Approximately 176,000 m3 of TRU waste containing up to 17 kilograms of plutonium will be emplaced in disposal rooms 4 m high, 10 m wide and 91 m long. Magnesium oxide (MgO) backfill will be emplaced with the waste to control the actinide solubility and mobility in the disposal areas. Properties of the repository horizon have been investigated in an underground test facility excavated north of the waste disposal area, and in which seals, rock mechanics, hydrology, and simulated waste emplacement tests were conducted. Thus, in some areas of broad international interest, the CBFO has developed a leading expertise through its 25-years WIPP repository and TRU waste characterization activities. The CBFO’s main programmatic responsibilities during the disposal phase are to operate a safe and efficient TRU waste repository at the WIPP, to operate an effective system for management of TRU waste from generation to disposal, and to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and permits. This responsibility requires maintenance and upgrades to the current technologies for TRU waste operations, monitoring, and transportation. This responsibility also requires the maintenance of scientific capabilities for evaluating the performance of the WIPP repository. Every 5 years, WIPP must be recertified for operations by the regulator, the EPA. Currently, the CBFO is preparing for the 2004 recertification. The CBFO/WIPP has been designated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as an International Center of Excellence. The IAEA is working with CBFO, other designated centers of excellence, and other member states in the IAEA to foster collaborative training activities and experiments in order to address major radioactive waste disposal issues. As the only operating deep radioactive waste repository in the world today, CBFO/WIPP is an important participant in this IAEA initiative. In addition to participating in relevant and beneficial experiments, the CBFO is providing the international community convenient access to information by sponsoring and hosting symposia and workshops on relevant topics and by participation in international waste management organizations and topical meetings. The CBFO has agreed to exchange scientific information with foreign radioactive waste management organizations. These activities result in the cost-effective acquisition of scientific information in support of increased WIPP facility operational and post-closure assurance and reliability. It also demonstrates the CBFO’s intent and resolve to honor international commitments and obligations.

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Building Capacity and Public Involvement Among Native American Communities

Volume 3: Hazardous Waste; Engineered/Geological Barriers in Disposal Systems; L/ILW; Radioactive Waste From Research/Industries; Spent Fuel/HLW Disposal; Public Involvement; Remediation of Uranium Mining/Milling; LL/ILW; Clearance/Exemption Levels; Mgmt. of Fissile Material; HLW; Dismantling; Reversible/Irreversible Disposal; Waste Avoidance/Minimization; Decontamination; Liquid Waste; Radioactive Waste Processing; Transport of Spent Fuel/HLW; Solid HLW Confinement; QA/QC ◽

10.1115/icem2001-1251 ◽

2001 ◽

Author(s):

Susan D. Hernandez ◽

Mary E. Clark

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Decision Making ◽

Native American ◽

Radioactive Waste ◽

Waste Management ◽

Public Involvement ◽

Uranium Mining ◽

Radioactive Waste Management ◽

Tribal Governments ◽

The U.S

Abstract The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) supports a number of local community initiatives to encourage public involvement in decisions regarding environmental waste management and remediation. Native American tribal communities, in most cases, operate as sovereign nations, and thus have jurisdiction over environmental management on their lands. This paper provides examples of initiatives addressing Native American concerns about past radioactive waste management practices — one addresses uranium mining wastes in the Western United States and the other, environmental contamination in Alaska. These two projects involve the community in radioactive waste management decision-making by encouraging them to articulate their concerns and observations; soliciting their recommended solutions; and facilitating leadership within the community by involving local tribal governments, individuals, scientists and educators in the project. Frequently, a community organization, such as a local college or Native American organization, is selected to manage the project due to their cultural knowledge and acceptance within the community. It should be noted that U.S. EPA, consistent with Federal requirements, respects Indian tribal self-government and supports tribal sovereignty and self-determination. For this reason, in the projects and initiatives described in the presentation, the U.S. EPA is involved at the behest and approval of Native American tribal governments and community organizations. Objectives of the activities described in this presentation are to equip Native American communities with the skills and resources to assess and resolve environmental problems on their lands. Some of the key outcomes of these projects include: • Training teachers of Navajo Indian students to provide lessons about radiation and uranium mining in their communities. Teachers will use problem-based education, which allows students to connect the subject of learning with real-world issues and concerns of their community. Teachers are encouraged to utilize members of the community and to conduct field trips to make the material as relevant to the students. • Creating an interactive database that combines scientific and technical data from peer-reviewed literature along with complementary Native American community environmental observations. • Developing educational materials that meet the national science standards for education and also incorporate Native American culture, language, and history. The use of both Native American and Western (Euro-American) educational concepts serve to reinforce learning and support cultural identity. The two projects adopt approaches that are tailored to encourage the participation of, and leadership from, Native American communities to guide environmental waste management and remediation on their lands. These initiatives are consistent with the government-to-government relationship between Native American tribes and the U.S. government and support the principle that tribes are empowered to exercise their own decision-making authority with respect to their lands.

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