ML19309G995

Responds to Ltr Expressing Concern About Nuclear Waste. Forwards President Carters 800212 Statement to Congress Re Nuclear Waste Mgt Program & Washington Post 780826 Article

ML19309G995
Person / Time
Issue date:	04/02/1980
From:	Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
To:	Marron K AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
References
NUDOCS 8005080128
Download: ML19309G995 (7)

Text

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8005u8ul% @ C ea uy UNITED STATES E

NUCLEAR REGULATORY CO MISSION M

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WASHIN GTON, D.C. 20555

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OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONE R THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS POOR QUALITY PAGES Ms. Kathy Marron 612 James Avenue, #314 Mankato, Minnesota 56001

Dear Ms. Marron:

I received the card you sent about nuclear waste a few days ago.

I guess the people that printed up those cards thought they would be used as a kind of antinuclear protest message.

But you were thoughtful enough to sign the card and include your address, and I take your message as a sincere one of concern about the problem of nuclear wastes.

I thank you for that.

I wish others who send me these cards would do the same, so I could answer them.

Nuclear wastes are a problem, and you can be sure I am very concerned about them too.

You can also be sure that my efforts, and those of all of us at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, are !o ensure that the handling and eventual disposal of nuclear waste ace done la a way that protects us all and keeps these wastes from being a problem in the future.

I think that can be done.

It is certainly true that the government has not done a good job in this area in the past.

But I think that is now changing and there will now be a careful and thorough national program to take care of these wastes.

The President has just announced (February 12th) a major new effort on nuclear wastes.

I am enclosing for your information a copy of the President's statement.

You will note that each step in the President's program will involve consultation with Federal agencies, State and local governments, scientific authorities, and public groups.

It is indeed a careful and thorough program.

I am also enclosing an article from the Washington Post that points out that we can deal with these wastes in a safe manner.

I agree with the author of this article.

Thank you again for giving me the chance to write you and to tell you that I, and all of us here, are determined to see that nuclear wastes are taken care of in a safe and environmentally sound way.

'N'$incerely, i

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CJoseph M. Hendrie Commissioner

Enclosures:

As stated

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THE W.ITE HOUSE

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.,}h TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Today I an establishing this Nation's first comprehensive radioactive waste management program. My paranount objective in canaging nuclear wastes is to protect the health and safety fg of all Americans, both now and in the future.

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responsibility with elected officials at all levels of our 4

i government. Our citizens have a deep concern that t'he beneficial uses of nuclear technology, including the generation G.

of electricity, not be allowed to imperil public health or safety now or in the future.

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For more than 30 years, radioactive wastes have been d

generated by programs for national defense, by the commercial

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and research activities. Yet past governmental efforts to manage radioactive wastes have not been technically adequate.

Moreover, they have failed to involve

• successfully the States, fr local governments, and the public in policy or program decisions.

9 Hy actions today lay the foundation for both a technically j

superior program and a full cooperative Federal-State partner-i ship to ensure public confidence in a waste management program.

j My program is consistent with the broad consensus that 1

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.has evolved from the efforts of the Interagency Review Group i

on Radioactive Waste Management (IRG) which I established.

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The IRO findings and analysis were comprehensive, thorough and widely reviewed by public, industry and citizen groups, J,

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'.0 12 ' W State and local governments, and members of the Congress.

l' Evaluations of the scientific and technical analyses were 9

j obtained through a broad and rigorous peer review by the scientific community. The final recommendations benefited from and reflect this inpu' C

My objective is to establish a comprehensive program for the management of.a_11 types of radioactive wastes.

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l policies and programs establish mechanisms to ensure that elected officials and the public fully participate in waste decisions, and direct Federal departments and agencies to f-f, implement a waste management strate 3y which is safe, technically r

sound, conservative, and open to continuous public review.

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objective -- the safe stcrage and disposal of all forms of 7

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nuclear waste.

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the biosphere and pose no significant threat to public health E

and safety. The responsibility for resolving military and i

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civilian vaste management problems shall not be deferred to.

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t future generations.- The technical program must meet all

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relevant radiological protecticn criteria as well as all other ik L

applicable regulatory requirements. This effort must proceed regardless of future developments within the nuclear industry --

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reactor design issues. The specific steps outlined below 5

I are each aimed at acccuplishing this overall objective.

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Pirst, my Administration is committed to providing an effec-p tive role for State and local governments in the development and 4.t implementation of our nuclear waste management program. I

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o},L am therefore taking the follcwing actions:

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o By Executive Order, I am establishing a State Planning-

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Council which will strengthen our intergovernmental i

relationships and help fulfill our joint responsibility d}

to protect public health and safety in radioactive A,

waste matters. I have asked Governor Riley of South h

Carolina to serve as Chairman of the Council. The hj Council will have a total of 19 members: 15 who r,

are Governors or other elected officials, and 4 from Q

the Executive departments and agencies. It will h!

s advise the Executive Branch anc work with the Congres.

J to address radioactive waste management issues, such 3

i as planning and siting, construction, and operation jp(

of facilities. I will submit legislation during this session to make the Council permanent.

fi 8d In the past, States have not played an adequate part M

o in the waste management planning process -- for example, h

in the evaluation and location of potential waste '

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disposal sites. The States need better access to 4

information and expanded opportunity to guide waste N

management planning. Our relationship with the States N

will be based on the principle of consultation and f,)

concurrence in the siting of high level waste reposi-3 tories. Under the framework of consultation and 1

k concurrence, a host State will have a continuing

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role in Federal decisionmaking on the siting, design 1

l and construction of a high level waste repository.

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State consultation and concurrence, however, will T

lead to an acceptable solution to our waste disposal s

problem only ft all the States participate as partners q

in the program I am putting forth. The safe disposal of radioactive waste, defense and commercial, is a national, not just a Federal, responsibility.

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• I am directing the Secretary of Energy to provide o

financial and technical assistance to States and other jurisdictions to f acilitate the full participation 1

of State and local government in revicw and licensing h-l proceedings.

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Second, for disposal of high level radioactive waste. I U

as adopting an interim planning strategy focused on the use' d

of mined geologic repositories capable of accepting both waste from reprocessing and unrepeccessed commercial spent fuel.

M An interim strategy is needed since final' decisions on many 1

steps which need to be taken should be preceded by a full k

i environmental review under the National Environmental Policy K

Act.

In its search for suitable sites for high level waste M

repositories, the Department of Energy has mounted an expanded 9~

'e and diversified program of geologic investigations that recognizes h

the importance of the interaction among geologic setting',

14 repository host rock, waste form and other engineered barrices

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on a site-specific basis. Immediate attention will focus l

on research and develop =ent, and on locating and characterizing a nunber of potential repository sites in a variety of different T,

geologic environments with diverse rock types. When four h

r to five sites have been evaluated and found potentially suitable.

t one or more will be selected for further development as a licensed full-scale repository.

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It is important to stress the following two points:

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because the suitability of a geologic disposal site can be ger verified only through detailed and time-consuming site specific 11

{p evaluations, actual sites and their geologic environments must 3

c be carefully examined. Second, the development of a repository i

will proceed.in a careful step-by-step manner. Experience e3 and information gained at each phase will be reviewed and fu evaluated to determine if there is sufficient knowledge to g,

proceed with the next stage of development. We should be 1

ready to celect the site fer the first full-scale repository 4(

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by about 1985 and have it operational by the mid-1990's.

b;f For reasons of economy, the first and subsequent repositori.es should accept both defense and cocmercial wastes.

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Consistent with my decision to expand and diversify the j

Department of Energy's program of geologic investigation before n

i selecting a specific site for repository development., I have K

l decided that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant project should

Q be cancelled. This project is currently authorized for the p

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unlicensed disposal of transuranic waste from our National 1

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defense program, and for research and development using high level defense waste. This project. is inconsistent with my policy that all repositories for highly radioactive waste be licensed, and that they accept both defense and cocmercial wastes.

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i The site near Carlsbad, New Mexico, which was being considered 4

for this project, will continue to be evaluated along with h

other sites in other parts of the country.

If qualified, it will be reserved as one of several candidate sites for possible use as a licensed repository for defense and commercial

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high level wastes. My fiscal year 1981 budget contains funds J

in the commercial nuclear vaste program for protection and

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continued investigation of the Carlsbad site. Finally, it is important that we take the time to compar,e the New Mexico site with other sites now under evaluation for the first waste 3

repository.

Over the next five years, the Department of Energy will 1

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carry out an aggressive program of scientific and technica) i investigations to support waste solidification, packaging

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and repository design and construction including several experimental, retrievable emplacements in test facilities.

'f This supporting research and development program will call upon the knowledge and experience of the Nation's very best people in science, engineering and other fields of learning i

and will include participation of universities, industry, i

and the government departments, agencies, and national laboratories.

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y Third, during the interim period before a disposal facility is available, waste must and will continue to be cared for E

7 safely. Management of defense waste is a Federal responsibility; F

t the Department of Energy will. ensure close and meticulous

!.1 control over defense waste facilities which are vital to our p}

national security. I am concitted to maintaining safe interim F

storage of these wastes as long as necessary and to making adequate funding available for that purpose. We will also.

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proceed with research and development at the various defense l

sites that will lead the processing, packaging, and ultimate transfer to a permanent repository of the high level and j

.f transuranic wastes frca defense programs.

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i 11 In contrast, storage of commercial spent fuel is primarily y

a responsibility of the utilities. I want to stress that interim spent fuel storage capacity is rot an alternative to permanent disposal. However, adequate storage is necessary 7

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I. urge the utility industry' E.I to continue to take all actions necessary to store spent fuel

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in a manner that will protect the public and ensure efficien' and safe operation of power reactors. However, a limited amount of government storage capacity would provide flexibility

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to our national waste disposal program and an alternative h

for those utilities which are unable to expand their storage Q

capabilities.

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I reiterate the need for early enactment or my proposed 15 spent nuclear fuel legislation. This proposal would authorize M

the Department of Energy tos (1) design, acquire or construct, and operate one or more away-fron-reactor storage facilities, h

I and (2) accept for storage, until permanent disposal facilities y

are available, domsstic spent fuel, and a limited amount of R

foreign spent fuel in cases when such action would further p

our non-proliferation policy objectives. All costs'of storage, lg including the cost of locating, constructing and operating E-permanent geciogic repositories, will be recovered through h

fees paid by utilities and other users of the services and i

will ultimately be borne by those who benefit from the activities generating the wastes.

y Fourth, I have directed the Depart =ent of Energy to work jointly with states, other government agencies, industry and other organizations, and the public, in developing national y;.

plans to establish regional disposal sites for coccercial J-low level waste. We must work together to resolve the serious

- r; near-term problem of low level waste disposal. While this I;I j

task is not inherently difficult from the standpoint of M

safety, it requires better planning and coordination.

I endorse i

the actions being taken by the Nation's governors to tackle 1:

this problem and direct the Secretary of Energy to work with

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. them in support of their effort.

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, ' {j-Fifth, the Federal programs for regulating radioactive j'

waste storage, transportation and disposal are a crucial com-1 8

ponent of our efforts to ensure the health and safety of y

Americans. Although the existing authorities and structures q'

are basically sound, icprovements must be made in several

3 areas. The current authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to license the disposal of high level waste and

. 9 low level waste in commercial facilities should be extended to include spent fuel storage, and disposal of transuranic d

waste and non-defense low level waste in any new government

()F facilities. I am directing the Environmental Protection Agency to consult with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to t

resolve issues of overlapping jurisdiction and phasing of d-regulatory actions. They should also seek ways to speed up T

the promulgation of their safety regulations.

I am also it!

directing the Department of Transportation and the Environ-s f

mental Protection Agen:ytto improve both the efficiency of f) their regulatory activt.hs. and their relationships with other Federal agencies and st' ate and local governments, y(

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Sixth, it is essential that all aspects of the waste' '

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management program be conducted with the fullest possible fg i

disclosure to and participation by the public and the technical I.

community. I am directing the departments and agencies to 4'

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develop and improve mechanisms to ensure such participation k

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national security information.

The' waste management program

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will be carried out in full compliance with the National "j

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Ssventh, because nuclear w'aste =anagement is a problen D

shared by many other countries and decisions on waste canage-if

,l ment alternatives have nuclear proliferation implications,

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I will continue to encourage and support bilateral and culti-bl g

lateral efforts which advance both our technical capabilitics

j and our understanding of spent fuel and waste management options, q

which are consistent with our non-proliferation policy.

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y'O In its role as lead agency for the management and disposal i

I of radioactive wastes and with cooperation of the other relevant H

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Federal agencies, the Department of Energy is preparing a ij

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6 detailed National Plan for Nuclear Waste Management to imple-ment these policy guidelines and the other reconmendations of the IRG.

This Plan will provide a clear road map for all

%j parties and will give the public an opportunity to review b.'

.j the entirety of our program. It will include specific program goals and milestones for all aspects of nuclear waste manage-p

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mont. A draft of the comprehensive National Plan will be-1

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distributed by the Secretary of Energy later this year for c

public and Congressional review. The State Planning Council will be directly involved in the development of this plan.

The Nuclear Regulatcry Commission now has underway an f.

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l Important preceeding to provide the Nation with its judgment on whether or not it has confidence that radioactive wastes 6

produced by nuclear power reactors can and will be disposed O

of safely. I urge that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission do 1

so in a thorough and timely manner and that it provide a

)8 full opportunity for public, technical and government agency 9

participation.

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Over the past two years as I have reviewed various aspects j'

of the radioactive waste problem, the complexities and diffi-J i

culties of the issues have become evident -- both from a y

technical and, more importantly, from an institutional and 3

political persp<ative. *dowever, based on the technical con-i clusions reach' by the I?G, I am persuaded that the capability now exists t.s :haracterite and evaluate a number of geologic l,j environments for use as repositories built with conventional l'

mining technology. We have already made substantial progress 0

and changes in our programs. With this comprehensive policy j

and its implementation through the FY 1931 budget and other f-actions, we will complete the task of reorienting our efforts 4

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in the right t'irection. Many citizens know and all must under-stand that this problem will be with us for many years. We J

must proceed steadily and with determination to resolve the d

remaining technical issues while ensuring full public partici-h pation and maintaining the full cooperation of all IcVels Q

of government. We will act surely and without delay, but y

we will not compromise our technical or scientific standards b}

out of haste. I look forward to working with the Congress and the states to implement this policy and build pubi!c p

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confidence in the ability of the government to da what is

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our citizens.

q required in this area to protect the health and safety of j.,

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l JIMMY CARTER i

.a THE WHITE HOUSE, T

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y'J TIIE WASHINGTON PQST, SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 1978.

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..Le Alarm Over Racioactive Waste-W N..,

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A!I this business about nuclear-waste $ mobi!!ze the radioactive ' toms so'that, While it's certainly desirable to com.',3attbitles, w's maY for"ce the Amertean placement of priorttles.Ne.highfalu.Y a

' disposal ts getting out of hand. After when they are buried, even exposure to plete this research as quickly as possi-M taxpayer to spend bi!Ilons of dollars tin' science took precedence over a f. '.

,nearly 10 ) ears of neglect by all of us-,. groundwater, heat or pressure will not Die and get on with buildmg factories,y needlessly and find ourselves in the po-mundane job of scientific garbage dis,

the scientists,the government,the pub ' heriously affect them. We've been no one if going to die, no one is going to sition, two or three years from now, of posal.

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he and the press-the problem has sud-doing it at Penn State for five years sufferinanyway,from delaying aianal. retracting our steps to find.the most Bt t the current arena of wild specu.,s7 denly taken on enormous proportior.s i now, and similar processes are la var. decision long enough to give rational *)costeffect!vesolution.-[vewastesclidi-lation, from P$ntho in the minds of many people. t/ 4

. i lous stages of development in Sweden,e consideration to the alternatives.

Thepanelonradioact that radioactive waste "is the monster Within the past few weeks, two.sen. */ Austratta/ the Soviet Union and other-Currently, spent nuclear fuels are 7 fication of the National Academtes of attheend of thenuclearfuel. cycle,theI ate committees have held hearings on, countries. '.

' being stored in pools near the reactors,., Science and Engineering; 'which I problem withott a solution. J." to the '

t the subject,the president of the United..' Over the course of 1,000 years or so, where they do no damage and stand no

• chaired, recently presented a major re. banner headlines in the Australian

• Atates has appointed an lateragency.

chance of beingstolen.Overa periodof f*. port to its sponsoring agency, the Nu ' newspapers that nuclear wastos have.~.

,, ink force to study it. Penthouse maga.

10 years in storage, their heat and ra. clear Regulatory Commission. Included been "made safe,"-is no way to ap N Prof. Roy is director of the Afater. dioactivity will become smaller by, a fin that report,along with very specific, proach the problem.'!%ere is no cause -

Same ran a major article replete %th t m ermedover nuclear scare stories dols Researchlaboratory as 7he Penn. factor of 10, so the problem is even,j technicairecommendations.wcresome for pante, no reason for elarm. A dec.%

from the IMOs and 'GOs, and an Austral.

being reduced of its own accord. The major portion of our wastes are from -(general speculaticns on the potential ; ade or so from now,we have every rea. C syfranio State University.

tan scientist announced-in World War for mastery of this problem. blost mem. son to believe,we will be ready to begin y

,,y Ill headlines-that he had found the"!,-

1 the defense operations of the past 30f; bers of the panel believe se can have a storing radioactive wastes as artificialy say to maLg nuclear wastes safe.It's no ' the wastes becomo,as inert as many, years, and they,likewise, are stored onl safe, efficient, ready-to use met sonder people are confused.

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, federal land under relatively safe con- ! radioactive-waste disposal within 10 or gypsum or granite respository* for:

e, 6 The truth of th; matter is that mas '

Why, then, haven't we put this tech. ditions.Even the worst spillto date,the 15 years, with a cerstralized, well-man. burial 2.000 feet or rnore underground. 8*.

- tery of the technology of radioactive \\ nology to uset Because there are five or. IIanford spill, caused no loss of !!fe orf aged research and development effort. In the meanume, the pubile and con,4

'sante dhposal isn*L impossible and, in1, six options at this point, and it will save' measurable impact on the environ

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• regrettable that

• the world's gressional rolo should be to assure vigi'. (

. If we panic and rush into production (g scientists didn't solve this problem 30 g fact,is not too far in the future.Expers. f. us all time and money in the long run to. anent.

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lance and dillgence in attending to this')

,i mentally,it's been shown that we can

• choose the best combination of solid.

years ago, before we had begun to task by the nation's scientists and en I 1, make synthetic minerals incorporate t.formand rocktype.Weare not,afteraII,. of a wastestorage system now, before bul!d nuclear power plants. It was quite gineers. That's what's been missing all'1 p into them the nuclear wastes, and irn?. In a lifeand<! cath race tofind a solution, we've had a chance to explore the pos, simply a lack of foresight and a mis,along.

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