ECA Update: November 21, 2014
Published: Fri, 11/21/14
Murray and Cantwell on Yucca Mountain
Roll Call
November 20, 2014
With Republicans taking control of the next Congress and Yucca Mountain opponent Harry Reid, D-Nev., losing his perch from which he has fought the project, attention is on the views of other influential members who will be in the new minority.
Washington Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have long pushed for a solution to their state's military nuclear waste and see Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository as an option.
"It is imperative that the Yucca Mountain Licensing application is thoroughly considered by the NRC," Murray urged Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane Tuesday in a letter, E&E Publishing reported. Murray, who has a voice in appropriations and is the chairwoman of the Budget Committee, has previously expressed support for the project.
Cantwell - who is expected to be the ranking Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee if Sen. Mary L. Landrieu loses a December runoff election - is open to pursuing Yucca Mountain, though she is intrigued by the concept of having a separate repository for military waste to move her state beyond the Yucca impasse.
"I definitely want to get rid of our nuclear waste and either that as an option or, we've been pushing lately [to] separate the military from commercial waste," Cantwell said Wednesday. "We always get caught up in the larger debate and we think they should get rid of the military waste right away," she said, referring to the Cold War legacy material at facilities like Hanford.
Bolstering her position, an Energy Department report recently recommended a separate repository for certain military wastes.
"We've got some traction on that," Cantwell said.
Murray breaks silence, urges NRC to review repository
E&E Publishing
November 19, 2014
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington is calling for the completion of a stalled review of the abandoned Yucca Mountain, Nev., nuclear waste project in what some industry sources say shows the waning power of the project's fiercest foe, outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
With the nation's largest nuclear waste site, Hanford, in her home state, Murray yesterday sent a letter to Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane praising the NRC for resuming its safety review of Yucca, a project the White House has deemed unworkable and Reid has vowed to kill.
Rejecting the political guesswork, Sean Coit, a spokesman for Murray, said her inquiry didn't signify any change in Reid's position.
In her letter, Murray peppered Macfarlane with questions about the regulatory process moving forward, and whether the NRC had enough funds and authority to complete safety reviews, consider widespread comments on the site and update an environmental impact statement.
For the past three decades, she said, independent studies have found Yucca Mountain to be the "nation's best option" for storing high-level waste, and Congress and previous administrations have voted for, funded and supported pursuing the option.
"With countless work hours to date spent by the NRC on the licensing application and billions of dollars spent at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and at nuclear waste sites across the country in efforts to treat and package nuclear waste that would be sent to Yucca Mountain, it is imperative ... [the] licensing application is thoroughly considered by the NRC," Murray wrote.
The NRC's release of the third volume of a safety report for Yucca Mountain in October, which found the repository would be "safe" for humans and the environment once closed, represented a "significant step forward" for the project and reaffirms the Nevada site is "the right solution for the United States," Murray wrote (E&ENews PM, Oct. 16).
The commission ordered its staff last year to complete the safety reports after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered the agency to "promptly" continue a licensing process using remaining project funds, including $11.1 million of unobligated funds and $2.5 million of obligated, unexpended funds. The NRC said it's expecting to publish three additional volumes touching on safety before closure, programmatic requirements and license specifications by January 2015.
Murray asked whether the NRC would move forward with reviewing Yucca Mountain even if the Energy Department pulled its application.
The senator has been quiet about the project since she blasted former Energy Secretary Steven Chu in 2010 for stepping away from Yucca Mountain, accusing DOE of providing no scientific basis for doing so.
Murray also said then that the national decision for where to store hot waste should be based on "science and the moral responsibility" and that the government cannot "unilaterally take one site out of the equation."
Her break comes as Reid prepares to leave the top perch in the Senate. Reid is the best-known critic of the site and has called dumping waste there a "failed policy," noting that the government pulled its support for the repository five years ago.
Reid has also said he will do "everything within his power" to ensure the project is never resurrected and "doesn't receive another dime."
Eschenberg: UPF will be three-building complex
Atomic City Underground
November 19, 2014
Federal Project Director John Eschenberg said Wednesday that the Uranium Processing Facility team is making "better-than-steady" progress, with some of the preparatory work -- including the reworking of Bear Creek Road and a new haul road -- nearing completion at the west end of the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge.
The National Nuclear Security Administration has not released much detailed information on revised plans for UPF, following a Red Team's review and recommendations in the spring. But Eschenberg confirmed that three new buildings will be constructed to carry out the work now done in Y-12's aged 9212 uranium-processing complex.
"They are going to be in close proximity to each other because that supports operations," the NNSA exec said. "Having three separate buildings, as opposed to one large building where all the processes are under one roof. The advantage to doing that -- besides being able to phase construction -- (is) it gives us multiple work fronts.
"What we can do is tailor the requirements for hazards contained in one building. Whereas, before, our approach was all the requirements applied to everything that was under the roof," he said. The three buildings will be located in the same area of Y-12 previously set aside for the single-building UPF.
When asked to describe the different roles of the three buildings, the project director said one will be a mechanical and electrical building. "It contains services," he said.
Another building will house the uranium casting operations, called Special Oxide, he said. That apparently will be the main processing facility. The third building, according to Eschenberg, will "contain a lower-hazard operation for treating effluents and processing." He added: "It's basically another support facility to the main processing building."
The combined square footage of the three new buildings will be less than the total of the single building under the previous design strategy, Eschenberg said. But he said didn't know the exact space in the three buildings because they're still being designed.
Asked if the UPF project had now turned the corner, he said, "I think we turned the corner some months ago." Asked to define that milestone: "I think (it was) the endorsement that the Red Team gave on the approach and following their additional recommendations. It's put us in a position to be very successful in delivery of this project."
The use of gloveboxes will still be an important part of the strategy for uranium processing work in the future facilities, Eschenberg said, but the overall number will be fewer than before just because of the reduced size of the operations. Gloveboxes will be used in two of the three new buildings, he said.
There has been much talk about refurbishment of some of Y-12's existing facilities to extend their lifetime and help with the transition of 9212 operations to new facilities.
Eschenberg didn't comment much on those plans, but he said Consolidated Nuclear Security -- the managing contractor -- will handle that work. "That's a CNS-managed piece of work," he said.
Will the UPF project be completed within the $6.5 billion price tag that's been cited as the spending cap?
"We have absolutely full confidence we can get there under $6.5 (billion)," Eschenberg said.
He praised the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for "outstanding" management of the road and site-preparation activities. "I expect it'll be done on time and budget," he said. "It's nearly done. It's a tough time to do paving this time of year when it's cold. But the guys have done great, it's been a great crew."
NRC Meets Performance Goals; Issues FY14 Performance and Accountability Report
NRC News
November 19, 2014
Nuclear reactor and materials licensees maintained their excellent safety record again during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Performance and Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2014, issued today. The report details the agency's program and financial performance from Oct. 1, 2013, through Sept. 30, 2014. It reflects the agency's achievement of its safety and security strategic goals and objectives, and their related performance indicators.
The report also points out the agency's sound financial position and full compliance with laws governing federal spending. The NRC has both sufficient funds to meet programmatic needs and adequate control of those funds. For the 11th consecutive year, an independent auditor found no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the agency's financial statements.
The report looks back on all NRC achievements over the past year. Chief among these was the extended storage rule, approved in August. This rule allowed the agency to lift a suspension on licensing decisions for new reactors, reactor renewals, and renewals of spent fuel storage facilities. The rule addresses the potential environmental impacts from storing spent fuel onsite for an extended period after operating licenses expire.
"Every day I see the NRC staff's dedication to achieving our safety and security goals. Their commitment is second to none and that shows in this report," said Chairman Allison M. Macfarlane. "At the same time, we continue to do all we can to manage our resources efficiently and effectively."
A copy of the full report can be found on the NRC's website.
WA Attorney General Plans to Sue DOE & Hanford Contractors Over Tank Farm Vapors
NBC Right Now
November 19, 2014
SEATTLE -- Attorney General Bob Ferguson is sending the U.S. Dept. of Energy, and its contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS), a Notice of Endangerment and Intent to Sue. Ferguson seeks to protect workers at the federal Hanford Nuclear Reservation from hazardous chemical vapors that continue to jeopardize worker health and safety.
On Oct. 30, 2014, an independent panel of experts issued the federally-funded Hanford Tank Vapor Assessment Report which determined that "ongoing emission of tank vapors, which contain a mixture of toxic chemicals, is inconsistent with the provisions of a safe and healthful workplace free from recognized hazards." They further found that the data "strongly suggests a causal link between chemical vapor release and subsequent adverse health effects experienced by tank farm workers."
The report was the latest in a series of reports assessing the problem of tank workers falling sick after exposure to chemical vapors from on-site waste holding tanks. Dating back to at least 1987, workers exposed to vapors have experienced nosebleeds, headaches, watery eyes, burning skin, contact dermatitis, increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, coughing, sore throats, expectorating, dizziness and nausea. Several of these workers have long-term disabilities, including permanent loss of lung capacity.
Despite the 20 years of study and multiple reports, there is no lasting solution and workers continue to get sick.
"Hanford workers face a very real and immediate health risk," said Ferguson. "The federal government has a responsibility to keep these Washington workers safe and I intend to hold them accountable."
"The report from this independent panel clearly signals a need for further action to protect workers at the Hanford tank farms," said Governor Jay Inslee. "I have spoken with U.S. Energy Secretary Moniz who has assured me that the federal government's response to this situation will be vigorous and that steps have already been taken to better protect workers."
The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) allows persons, including the attorney general, to bring actions against a party whose hazardous waste practices "may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public's health or the environment." RCRA first requires a notice of intent to sue be sent to the party. A lawsuit can be filed 90 days after the notice of intent to sue. The AGO's primary focus is to secure lasting abatement of the dangers posed by the Hanford vapors through an effective, legally enforceable agreement or order with the federal government.
Background
The Hanford site in eastern Washington is a nuclear reservation operated by the U.S. federal government. Currently, Hanford houses roughly 56 million gallons of nuclear waste in 177 underground tanks -- enough to fill roughly 88 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Most of these tanks are of single-shell construction, many of which have leaked.
A federal court consent decree and the Hanford Tri-Party Agreement require Energy to retrieve and treat Hanford's tank waste and safely close Hanford's unfit-for-use single-shell tanks. Workers are primarily exposed to hazardous Hanford tank vapors while working around these single-shell tanks, especially during retrieval operations. Energy and its contractors have a 20-year history of studying the tank vapors problem, but problems persist and workers continue to experience adverse health impacts.
On June 20, 2014, in response to increasing reports of workers falling ill after vapor exposure, Governor Inslee and Ferguson wrote to the Secretary of Energy urging an independent assessment of the safety of workers who may be exposed to chemical vapors or fumes emitted from tanks at Hanford.
Energy, through the Savannah River National Laboratory, commissioned an independent expert panel to prepare such an assessment. This resulted in the Oct. 30, 2014 Hanford Tank Vapor Assessment Report.
Federal nuclear safety board finds funding, staffing decreases for SRS emergency planning
The Augusta Chronicle
November 20, 2014
After discovering a spike in safety lapses and inadequate emergency response procedures at Savannah River Site, a federal nuclear safety oversight panel says the site's funding and personnel for emergency preparedness have decreased in recent years.
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board reviewed SRS budgets from fiscal years 2005 to 2014, determining that funding for the emergency preparedness program declined seven of the past nine years, including the past five in a row. For the site's primary contractor, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, personnel supporting emergency planning, excluding those for the operations office, declined 40 percent between fiscal years 2011 and 2014.
Review results were published in a one-page report Oct. 10, the latest of several negative safety reports from the board this year. In July, the board found that SRNS failed to meet safety requirements and objectives during an annual simulated drill. The contractor was warned in May of an apparent uptick in safety violations, contamination incidents and injuries.
According to the latest report, the staff is less-experienced because of attrition, and only one SRNS employee is working on emergency exercises. Staffing reductions could contribute to safety procedures and emergency drills not being updated.
"Repeated use of the same limited number of old drill scenarios can lead to a false sense of preparedness when emergency responders know what initiated each scenario and what 'surprises' are coming up later in the drill," the board wrote.
The report also states that SRNS and liquid-waste contractor Savannah River Remediation have not conducted drills with sufficient variety to represent different types of emergencies possible across multiple facilities.
In September, the safety board recommended to U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz an overhaul of emergency preparedness and response at the nation's defense nuclear facilities, including SRS. The sites are not adequately prepared to respond to earthquakes, fires and other emergencies and the federal government has become complacent in updating response procedures and safety standards, the board said. |
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