ML20247B024

Forwards Info Re Disposal of Commercial Nuclear Waste Per Request.W/O Encl

ML20247B024
Person / Time
Issue date:	09/05/1989
From:	Bernero R NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS)
To:	Grace J AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
References
REF-WM-3 NUDOCS 8909120315
Download: ML20247B024 (3)

Text

mn

,m-og pgj

+

m e.

w.

, { [k ry 9 a T

SEP 0 51989 i

i 1j Mr.l onathan Grace

'803 South 45th StreetL

' San Diego, CA' 92113

Dear. Mr. Grace:

In your. letter to President' Bush you asked, "where do you put-. the waste?...into our local bays and oceans." 'The U.S. Department of Energy.

.(DOE) is responsible for the disposal of nuclear weste generated as part of

our. nation's defense program..TheU.S.NuclearRegulatoryCommission(NRC)'

regulates the-disposal of connercial nuclear waste. None of the waste goes

'into.'the bays or oceans. Briefly, commercial nuclear waste is managed as follows:

Disposal and Storage of Spent Fuel Spent fuel, which was used to fuel nuclear power plants, is currently stored-in large pools of. water at the power plants where it had been used.

It'is awaiting permanent disposal in a large, man-made, deep underground cavern, called a-repository. Plans call for DOE to build the repository in the State of !!evada.

It should be ready in 20 years.

Disposal. of Low-Level Radioactive Waste Low-level radioactive waste is currently placed in sturdy containers, like metal drums or boxes, and shipped to disposal sites in South Carolina, Nevada, and Washington. There it is carefully.placed in trenches and buried. Then it is watched, or monitored, to make sure the site

. continues to safely confine it.

Low-level waste disposal has improved with experience.

In 1980, Congress gave individual states the responsibility of managing their low-level

-radioactive wastes. Many of the states have formed compacts to manage the waste on a. regional basis. Some of the states and compacts are considering disposing of waste in large vaults made of concrete or in mounded earthen and concrete structures called bunkers. Also, the NRC i

and the states have required that waste be separated according to its potential for harming people and the environment. The waste is then l

1 l

8909120315 890905 i

FDR WASTE WM-3 FDC dddgn) pWfi 9

n.

4, I,

4!

l y y' '

EDO 4689' r

2 packaged and disposed of.. New rules also call for accurate records to be

'kept on disposed radioactive waste..These records will be passed on to future generations so. they are 6 ware-of the location and content of the disposed waste.

Ea -

I have also enclosed several background documents which may be of additional help to you. Thank you for your interest.

Sincerely, y) Robert IA Bernero Robert M. Bernero, Director Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards l '-

Enclosures:

l h Fact Sheet on Nuclear

' Material Safety and Safeguards l

2.

Low-Level Waste Summary Speech l

3.

Low-Level Waste Regulation Speech L

4.. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1989 Information Digest g

DISTRIBUTION: (EDO4689) i

-if teatraW11e*

RLBangart PLohaus MBell MDunkelman JGreeves JJSurmeier NMSS r/f LLOB r/f JShaffner NMSS Off. Dir. r/f MBridcers, EDO EDO CJenkins JLepre L

PDR Yes /T/

PDR

_ No

/ / Reason: Proprietary / / or CF.Only f~~/

l L

ACNW Yes /~/

No

/T/

SUBJECT ABSTRACT: RE5FUNSE TO CITIZ T ON NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL

• SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE I

DF G :LLOB'

LLOB*

LLOB*

LLWM"

LLWM*

NM

NM55 g...:........

6_..:.............:...........:..........._:_...........:............:.

NAME :MDunkelman/jl:JShaffner :PLohaus

JGreeves

RLBangart otto

RBernero s....:__...........:.......

LATE :08/24/89.

08/24/89

08/24/89

08/24/89

08/24/89

0824/83

Op/[/89 0FFICIAL RELORD COPY

.r.

[

d7 JEDO 4689, o

2

/

/,/

/.

a..

t

'1've.also included.several background documents which may be of. additional' help.

' to you. Thank you for your interest.

Robert M.'Bernero, e ctor Office of Nuclear erial Safety and Safeguards

Enclosures:

As stated l'

l.1

>1 l

l 1

p DISTRIBUT10N:'(ED0489)

Gentrcl File.

RLBangart' PLohaus MBell' MDunkelman

'JGreeves JJSurmeier NMSS r/f LLOB r/f JShaffner NMSS Off..Dir. /f 'MBridgers, EDO EDO CJenkins JLepre PDR Yes /T/

PDR No

/ /. Reason: Proprietary /~~/ or CF Only C/

ACNW.

Yes- /~~/

No

/T/

.SUBJ ABSTRACT-RESPONSE TO CITIZEN ON NUCLEAR E DISPOSAL q.

jL

NM

NM55 DFC z:LLOB r p g :LLO g5

LLOB jfQ:LL b......:.+s.

.y.......:.........

.....:....dus,o,:..

e....:......f......:...

7 es

Rb gart

' d0

RBernero WE':MDunk/.1 man /jl:JSh fner :PLoh

JG v

s....:...........:...........:............:...h........::08/8/89

08/M89

08/ /89 j

s

% ATE?:08/h/f89

08/)4/89

08/L9/89

08/

89 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY l

.__________---_____-___J