ML20126B239
| ML20126B239 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/14/1980 |
| From: | Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Lewis Y AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8003100122 | |
| Download: ML20126B239 (7) | |
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UNITED STATES p
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gfd' o NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION E
WASWNGTON, D.C. 20559 k
february 14, 1980 (ggq OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONEn Ms. Yvonne Lewis 157 West Main Street Newark, Delaware 19711
Dear Ms. Lewis:
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 to ensure that, the j
handling and eventual disposal of nuclear waste are done in a way that j
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.
I 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 oi T his 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.
x KSincerely,
\\'hkWh Jos M. Hendrie kCommi'ssioner
Enclosures:
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t.[j THE WifITE HOUSE il i
t.W TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
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Today I am establishing this Nation's first comprehensivo-Y radioactive waste management program. My paranount objective
.I in managing nuclear wastes is to protect the health and safety i
of all Americans, both now and in the future.
I share this g
responsibility with elected officials at all levels of our Wi i
government. Our citizens have a deep concern that t'ho beneficial uses of nuclear technology, including the generation
[H of electricity, not be allowed to imperil public health or i{i safety now or in the future, h
For more than 30 years, radioactive wastes have been generated by programs for national defense, by the commercial nuclear power program, and by a variety of medical, industrial e
and research activities. Yet past governmental efforts to i
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manage radioactive wastes have not been technically adequate.
Moreover, they have failed to involve successfully the States, local governments, and the public in policy or program decisions.
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superior program and a full cooperative Federal-State partner-1 ship to ensure public confidence in a waste management program.
My program ~is consistent with the broad consensus that has evolved from the efforts of the Interagency Review Group j
on Radioactive Waste Management (IRG) which I established.
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1 The IRG findings and analysis were comprehensive, thorough 4
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and widely reviewed by public, industry and citizen groups, ic 3 li 3 AWW State and local governments, and members of the Congress.
Evaluations of the scientific and technical analyses were 9
obtained through a broad and rigorous peer review by the
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scientific community. The final recommendations benefited from and reflect this input.
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My objective is to establish a comprehensive program for the management of a_1_1, types of radioactive wastes. My
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elected officials and the public fully participate in waste
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i decisions, and direct Federal departments and agencies to
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implement a waste management strategy which is safe, technically i
L sound, conservative, and open to continuous public review.
This approach will help ensure that we will reach our 9
p objective -- the safe storage and disposal of all forms of i
f nuclear waste.
Our primary objective is to isolate existing and future radioactive waste from military and civilian activil'.es from.
the biosphere and pose no significant threat to public health
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and safety. The responsibility for resolving military and t;
civilian waste management problems shall not be deferred to future generations. The technical program must meet all h[
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relevant radlologi:a1 protection criteria as well as all other y
applicable regulatory requirecents. This effort must proceed 0
regardless of future developments within the nuclear industry --
its future size, and resolution of specific fuel cycle and f
reactor design issues. The specific steps outlined below 5
are each aimed at accomplishing this overall objective.
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2 f1W First, my Administration is committed to providing an effec-tive role for State and local governments in the development and p1 implementation of our nuclear waste management program. I am therefore taking the following actionat
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o By Executive Order, I am establishing a State Planning Council which will strengthen our intergovernmental relationships and help fulfill our joint responsibility y[
to protect public health and safet.y in radioactive A
waste matters. I have asked Governor Riley of South 1
Carolina to serve as Chairman of the Council. The F
Council will have a total of 19 members:
15 who are Governors. or other elected officials, and ti from y
the Executive departments and agencies.
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advise the Executive Branch and work with the Congress to, address radioactive waste management issues, such i
j as planning and siting, construction, and operation g'
of facilities. I will submit legislation during E
this session to make the Council permanent.
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In the past, States have not played an adequate part in the waste management planning process -- for example, pi in the evaluation and location of potential waste ffp f,
disposal sites. The States need better access to information and expanded opportunity to guide waste E
management planning. Our relationship with the States IE will be based on the principle of consult.ation and j.
concurrence in the siting of high level waste reposi-
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tories. IJnder the framework of consultation and concurrence, a host State will have a continuing L
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role in Federal decisionmaking on the citing, design i:
and construction of a high level waste repository.
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State consultation and concurrence, however, will lead to an acceptable solution to our waste disposal problem only if all the States participate as partners in the program I am putting forth.
The safe disposal 3:
r of radioactive waste, defense and commercial, is a national, not just a Federal responsibility.
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o I am directing the Secretary of Energy to provide financial and technical assistance to States and 4
other jurisdictions to facilitate the full participation of State and local government in review and licensing
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proceedings.
Second, for disposal of high level radioact.ive waste, I Q-am adopting an interim planning strategy focused on the use d.
of nined geologic repositories capable of accepting both waste j
5 from reprocessing and unreprocessed commercial spent fuel.
d' An interim strategy is needed since final decisions on many
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steps which need to be taken should be preceded by a full
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environmental review under the National Environmental Policy
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Act.
In its search for suitable sites for high level waste N
h repositories, the Department of Energy has mounted an expanded j
and diversified program of geologic investigations that recognizes
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the importance of the ini,eraction among geologio setting, 11 -
repository host rock, waste form and other engineered barriers
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on a site-specific basis. Immediate attention will focus I
on research and development, and on locating and characterizing
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a number of potential repository sites in a variety of different p
geologic environments with diverse rock types. When four J
to five sites have been evaluated and found potentially suitable, h
L one or more will be selected for further development as a f
licensed full-scale repository.
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It is important to stress the following two points: First, because the suitability of a geologic disposal site can be verified only through detailed and time-consuming site specific
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.l evaluations, actual sites and their geologic environments must be carefully examined. Second, the development of a repository will proceed.in a careful step-by-step manner.
Experience and information gained at each phase will be reviewed and evaluated to determine if there is sufficient knowledge to 1
proceed with the next stage of development. We should be h
ready to select the site fer the first full-scale repository 9
by about 1985 and have it operational by the mid-1990's.
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For reasons of economy, the first and subsequent repositories f{;
should accept both defense and commercial wastes.
Consistent with my decision to expand and diversify the Li Department of Energy's program of geologic investigation before h
i selectini; a specific site for repository development, I have W
decided that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant project should G.
j be cancelled. This project is currently authorized for the
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unlicensed disposal of transuranic waste from our National b
'f defense program, and for research and development using high level 7
defense waste. This project is inconsistent with my policy gp that all repositories for highly radioactive waste be licensed, f
and that they accept both defense and commercial wasten.
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i The site near Carlsbad, New Mexico, which was being considered
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for this project, will continue to be evaluated along with I -
other sites in other parts of the country.
If qualified, it will be reserved as one of sevaral candidate sites for a -
possible use as a licensed repository for defense and commercial high level wastes. My fiscal year 1981 budget contains funds 1
in the commercial nuclear waste program for protection and
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L continued investigation of the Carlsbad site.
Einally, it i
is important that we take the time to compare the New Mexico site with other sites now under evaluation for the first waste 3
i repository.
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Over the next five years, t.he Department of Energy will j
carry out an aggressive program of scientific and technical N
investigations to support waste solidification, packaging I
and repository design and construction including several cxperimental, retrievable emplacements in test f acili t.ics.
';i This supporting research and development program will call L
upon the knowledge and experience of the Nation's very best h'
people in science, engineering and other fields of learning and will include participation of universities, industry, and the government departments, agencies, and national laboratorios.
H Third, during the interim period before a disposal facility b
is availabic, waste must and will continue to be cared for t,
safely. Management of defenso waste is a Federal responsibility; the Department of Energy will ensure close and noticulous d
control over def ense waste facilities which are vital to our 1
national security. I am connitted to maintaining safe interim 1
storage of these wastes as long as necessary and to naking ll adequate funding available for that purpose. We will also lJ proceed with research and development at the various defense q
sites that will lead the processing, packaging, and ultinate j
transfer to a permanent repository of the high level ancJ j)!
f transuranic wastes frca defense programs.
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In contrast, storage of commercial spent fuel is primarily 3
a responsibility of the utilities. I want to stress t, hat interim spent fuel storage capacity is M an alternative to permanent disposal. However, adequate storage is necessary X
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until repositories are available. I urge the utility industry h
to continue to take all actions necessary to store spent f uel p
in a manner that will protect the public and ensure efficient t
and safe operation of power reactors. However, a limited
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amount of government storage capacity would provide flexibility to our national waste disposal program and an alternative h
for those utilities which are unable to expand their storage t.
capabilities.
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l I reiterate the need for early enactment of my proposed 5
spent nuclear fuel leSislation. This proposal would authorize
,h the Department of Energy to (1) design, acquire or construct, 7tj and operate one or more away-fron-reactor stora6e facilities, and (2) accept for storage, until permanent disposal facilities
]h are available, domest.ic spent fuel, and a limited amount of t
foreign spent fuel in cases when such action would further f
our non-proliferation policy objectives. All costs'of storage, q
including the cost of locating, constructing and operating
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permanent geologic repositories, will be recovered through 3
fees paid by utilities and other users of the services and 1
will ultimately be borne by those who benefit from the activities j
generating the wastes.
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Fourth, I have directed the Department of Energy to work
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jointly with states, other government agencies, industry and i
other organizations, and the public, in developing national plans to establish regional disposal sites for coccercial J
low level waste. We must work together to resolve the serious
'is near-term problem of low level waste disposal. While this task is not inherently difficult from the standpoint of safety, it requirea better planning and coordination.
I endorse the actions being taken by the Nation's governors to tackle g
this problem and direct the Secretary of Energy to work with I
them in support of their effort, Fifth, the Federal programs for regulating radioactive j
waste storage, transportation and disposal are a crucial com-9 ponent of our efforts to ensure the health and safety of 3
Americans.
Al' hough the existing authorities and structures d
are basically sound, improvements must be made in several 4
areas. The current at.thori ty of the Nuclear Ecgulatory 3
Commission to license the disposal of high level waste and low level waste in commercial facilities should be extended 4
to include spent fuel storage, and disposal of transuranic waste and non-defense low level waste in any new government Q
facilities. I am directing the Environmental Protection M
Agency to consult with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to d
resolve issues of overlapping jurisdiction and phasing of y
regulatory actions. They should also seek ways to speed up Q
the promulgation of their safety regulations. I am also directing the Department of Transportation and the Environ-
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l mental Protection Agency to inprove both the officiency of d
their regulatory activities and their relationships with other f
Federal agencies and state and local governments.
Sixth, it is essential that all aspects of the waste management program be conducted with the fullest possible I{
disclosure to and participation by the public and the technical h4 community. I am directing the departments and agencies to h
develop and improve mechanisms to ensure such partleipation and public involvement consistent with the need to protect
$y national security information.
The~ waste management program
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{f shared by many other countries ar.d decisions on waste manage-
,l cent alternatives have r.uclear proliferation implications,
p I will continue to encourage and support bilateral and multi-h U
lateral efforts which advance both our technical capabilities and our understanding of spent fuel and waste management options, 3
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which are consistent with our non-proliferation policy.
[.y In its role as lead agency for the management and disposal
,N of radioactive wastes and with cooperation of the other relevant Th l
Pedoral agencies, the Department of Energy is preparin5 a f,
detailed National Plan for Nuclear Waste Management to imple-h ment these policy guidelines and the other recommendations i
of the IRG.
This Plan will provide a clear road cap for all parties and will give the public an opportunity to review g.
the entirety of our program. It will include specific program Q
goals and milestones for all aspects of nuclear waste manage-e ment. A draft of the comprehensive National Plan will be j#:
distributed by the Secretary of Energy later this year for public and Congressional review. The State Planning Council
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will be directly involved in the development of this plan.
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The Nuclear Regulatcry Commission now has underway an important proceeding to provide the Nation with its judgment A
on whether or not it has confidence that radioactive wastes
.1, produced by nuclear power reactors can and will be disposed i,
of safely. I urge that the Nuclear Regulatory Cocaission do so in a thorough and timely manner and that it provide a full opportunity for public, technical and government agency 4
participation.
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Over the past two years as I have reviewed various aspects of the radioactive waste problem, the complexitics and diffi-
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t cultics of the issues have become evident -- both from a technical and, more importantly, from an institutional and political perspective. However, based on the technical con-2 clusions reached by the IRC, I am persuaded that the capability now exists to characterize a id evaluate a number of geologic environments for use as repositories built with conventional mining technology. We have already mado substantial progress and changes in our programs. With this comprehensivo policy i
and its implementation through the FY 1981 budget and other actions, we will complete the task of reorienting our efforts
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in the right direction. Many citizens know and all must under-stand that this problem will be with us for many years. We must proceed steadily and with determination to resolve the 5
remaining technicsl issues while ensuring full public partici-5:
pation and maintaining the full cooperation of all levels V
of government. We will act. surely and without delay, but d
we will not compromise our technical or scientific standards out'of haste. I look forward to working with the Congress f
and the states to implement this policy and build public p
confidence in the ability of the government to do what is h
required in this area to protect the health and safety of t;
I cur citizens.
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l JIMMY CARTER I4 T
Y THE WHITE HOUSE, I
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r-TI1E WASHINGTON PO.ST, SATURD AY, AUGUST 26, 1978.
Rustum Roy 3e larm Over Radioactive Vaste qv All this business about nuclear. waste. mobilize the radioactive atoms so that, While it's certainly desirable to com-hibilities, we may force the American pla[cment c disposal is getting out of hand. After 3vhen they are buried, even exposure to plete this research as quickly as possi ' taxpayer to spend billions of dollars tin' science
.nearly 30 years of neglect by all of us-,. groundwater, heat or pressure will not ble and get on with building factories,% needlessly and find ourselves in the po-mundane jc the scientists, the government, the pub-seriously affect them. We've been.no one is going to die, no one is going to sition, two or three years from now, of posa!.
he and the press-the problem has sud-doing it at Penn Stat'e for five years sufferin any way,from delaying a final, retracting our steps to find the most But the e:
denly taken on enormous propertions. now, and similar processes are in var. decisien long enough to give rational. cost-effectivesolution.- '
lation, fror in the minds of many people.
' ious stages of development in Sweden, e consideration to the alternatives.
The panel on radioactive waste solidi. that radioat Within the past few weeks, two Sen-i Australia, the Soviet Union and other-Currently, spent nuc! car fuels are ' fication of the National Academies of at the end s ate committees have held hearings on. countries.
. being storedin pools near the reactors,, Science and Engineering; which I problem wi:
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the subject, the president of the United Over the course of I,000 years or so, where they do no damage and stand no chaired, recently presented a major re-banner he:
States has appointed an interagency.
chance of being stolen.Overa period of,. port to its sponsoring agency, the Nu-newspapers task force to study it Penthouse maga.
10 years in storage, their heat and ra-clear Regulatory Commission. Included been " mad aine ran a major article replete ivith -
Prof. Roy is director of the Mater. dioactivity will become smaller by a rin that report, along with very specific, proach the warmedover nuclear scare stories fals Research Laborctory at The Penn-factor of 10, so the problem is even j technicalrecommendations,weresome for panic, r from the 1950s and '60s,' and an Austral '. sy!cania State University.
being reduced cf its own accord. The general speculations on the potential ade or so fr<
ian scientut announced-in World War.
major portion of our wastes are from for mastery of this problem. Alost mem-. son to behet 111 headlines--that he had found the' ;
' the defense operations of the past 30i; bers of the panel believe we can have a storing rad way to make nuclear wastes safe.It's no the wastes become as inert as' many years, and they,likewise, are stored on ; safe, efficient, ready-to-use method of minerals or wonder peop!e are confused.
natural cres.
federal land under relatively safe con radioactive-waste disposal within 10 or gypsum og The truth of thp matter is that mas-;
Why, then, haven't we put this tech-ditions.Even the worst spillto date,the 15 years, with a centralized, well-man-burial 2.000
. tery of the technology of radioactive-nology to use? Because there are five or. IIanford spill, caused no loss of life orp, aged research and development effort.
In the mea:
'~ u aste disposal isn't impossible and, in t six options at this point, and it will save' measurable impact on the environ-It's regrettab!c that the world's gressional r;
~ fact,is not too farin the future.Experi ts all time and money in the long run to.. ment.
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- scientists didn't solve this prob!cm 30 lance and d:
- mentally, it's been shown that we can
- choose 'the b(st combination of so!id If we panic and rush into productioni years ago, before we had begun to. task by thc make synthetic minerals, incorporate 4. form androck type.Weare not,afterall,. of a waste-storage system now, before build nucIcar power plants. It was quite gineers. Th:
D,. into them the nuclear wastes, and im-1inalife-and<! cath race tofind asolution. we've had a chance to explore the pos-simply a lack of foresight and a mis-abng.
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