ML19249A527
| ML19249A527 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 07/27/1979 |
| From: | Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Riley R SOUTH CAROLINA, STATE OF |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19249A528 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7908230528 | |
| Download: ML19249A527 (2) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES
!")A NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION C Om *
.E WASH WGTON, D. C. 20555 ggjk f
July 27, 1979 CHAIRMAN The Honorable Richard W. Riley Gove nor of South Carolina Columoia, South Carolina 29211
Dear Governor Riley:
Thank you for your April 19, 1979 letter on low-level waste (LLW) disposal capacity.
The Comission appreciates your concerns regarding assuranice of adequate regionally distributed disposal capacity for LLW; in fact, it does appear that the Barnwell site is receiving a major fraction of th-e commercially generated LLW.
In this regard, the Commission notes that you support the current license volume limitation for disposal of LLW at the Chem-Nuclear facility at Barnwell -- but would urge that you consider Lt.W disposal needs in the larger context before imposing additional volume restrictions.
For instance, some facilities, such as hospitals and laborator-ies, possess severely restricted onsite storage capacity.
The matter of safe disposal of LLW is one of considerable impartance to the NRC.
Or. July 7 of last year, we wrote Secretary Schlesinger asking the Department of Energy (D0E) to prepare a contingency plan for DOE acceptance of comercial LLW should the need arise. A copy of our letter is enclosed.
In th. letter, the Commission raised the question of whether adequate regic ially distributed disposal capacity for the nation's LLW will be avail-able at the currently operating facilities.
By way of folTow-up action, members of the NRC staff have met several times with DOE staff over the past 80 months and DOE is preparing such a contingency plan for acceptance of commercial LLW.
Action by DOE in preparin:; a plan, when coupled with implementation, should meet any immediate short range needs for LLW disposal capacity which the commercial sector is unable to provide.
To address the longer range concerns regarding adequate capacity, we partici-pated in and continue to support the recommendation of the Interagent.y Review Group on Nuclear Waste Management that DOE take the lead in prepara-tion of a national waste management program plan.
We understand DOE will be directed to work closely with other Federal agencies, states, industry, and the public in the development of such a plan which may include the siting of waste management facilities on a regional basis. The plan will require an evaluation of the number, type, and general location of disposal sites needed for the LLW which will bc generated over the next few decades.
It is anticipated that the states will be asked to help identify regional disposal sites.
7 /: & O 790823059b
The Honorable Richard W. Riley. With respect to NRC's LLW regulatory program, we are moving ahead to assure that formal regulations, supporting regulatory guides, and licensing procedures are available in a timely manner to meet siting needs and to address disposal actions such as disposal of waste generated by the incident at Three Mile Island. We plan to propose fonnal regulations and technical criteria for shallow land disposal next year. A part of our program also includes the examination of alternative disposal methods for L1,W.
We plan to propose regulations for one alternative disposal rnethod (e.g., intermediate depth burial or mined cavity disposal) by 1982.
We agree that management of LLW is a national problem requiring a national solution. We believe that resolutien of the problem is undersay and we plan to work cisely with South Carolina and other states in this national effort.
is Sincerely, n
uA&
gp, M. Hendrie
Enclosure:
Ltr to J.R. Schlesinger from J.M. Hendrie dtd 7/7/78
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