ML19259B460

Ack Receipt of 781219 Referral of Ltr from D Haenke Re Const of Nuclear Power Plants Currently Being Built in Mo.Asserts That Disposal of Other than High Level Waste from Plants Has Been Routinely Handled for Years

ML19259B460
Person / Time
Site:	Callaway
Issue date:	01/11/1979
From:	Deutch J ENERGY, DEPT. OF
To:	Ichord R HOUSE OF REP.
Shared Package
ML19259B459	List: ML19259B460 ML19259B461 ML19259B462
References
NUDOCS 7902130210
Download: ML19259B460 (2)

Text

-

s ..

/h,l-

- A Department of Energy JAfg Washington, D.C. 20585 -

y y 1979 Honorable Richard H. Ichord, House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Ichord:

This is in response to your December 19, 1978, referral of a letter that you received from Mr. David Haenke of Caulfield. Your constituent expressed concern about nuclear power reactors being built in Missouri and posed a series of related questions. We regret that we cannot fully respond to Mr. Haenke's questions because they center mainly on the operation, decommissioning and rate setting process for nuclear power reactors, principally in Missouri. These commercial power reactors are under the operational and regulatory control of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). For that reason, we are, by copy of this letter, requesting the NRC to provide you with information on those points.

We do not consider it true that no one knows what to do with the radio-active waste generated as a result of nuclear power reactor operations.

In this context, we assume that your constituent is referring to high-level waste. Handling of other than high-level waste from nuclear power

( plants has been pretty much a routine commercial activity for quite a g number of years. These wastes have been packaged and transported according to regulations established by the NRC and the Department of Transportation and have been disposed of in land burial facilities operated by commercial companies under the regulation of the NRC or by individual States under the State Agreement Program of the NRC.

The disposal of high-level radioactive w'ste (which may include spent reactor fuel) is receiving the highest level of attention in the Administration and the Department of Energy (DOE). While it is true that we have yet to develop a Federal repository for the disposal of spent fuel and high-level waste, there is a well-planned program underway to develop such repositories. This development program was substantially expanded with Congressional approval in 1976, and has just been extensively reviewed by a Presidentially established Interagency Review Group, composed of representatives from 14 Government entities. We are planning to have storage facilities fer spent fuel by 1983/1984.and a geologic repository by the early-to-mid 1990's.

790213oA/o .

20/2 268

l' ,

2 It is quite true that some radioactive waste--like some nonradioactive material--is potentially hazardous and retains its radioactivity for long periods of time. Plutonium (Pu-239), for example, remains radio-active for hundreds of thousands of years. Longstanding regulations and practices of the Government requ; re that great care be exercised in the handling of these wastes to assure that the health of workers and the general public is not adversely affected. Vast quantities of plutonium have been handled over the last 30 years under carefully controlled conditions at Covernment installations with an exceptionally good safety record. Over this period of time, there have been no occupational fatalities or injuries attributed to plutonium. We hase enclosed material for Mr. Haenke which outlines our activities and plans for managing this radioactive vaste.

If we can be of further assistance, please let us know.

Sincerely, Is/

John M. Deutch Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Technology 2 Enclosures cc: Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATIN: Office of State Programs

. 2072 269

.