HIGH LEVEL WASTE
Should Disposal Decisions for Defense High-Level Waste Be Based on Radiological Characteristics? The Need for Discussion and Engagement on DOE’s HLW Interpretation
ECA Staff | 3/2/2021
For a long time the question of whether nuclear waste should be treated based on a scientific analysis of its radiological characteristics rather than a policy based on the origin of the waste has been debated. The question remains critical to the communities, states, tribes and others impacted by DOE’s environmental cleanup mission. A recent article by Annette Cary in the Tri-City Herald on
the Department of Energy’s (DOE) High-Level Radioactive Waste (HLW) Interpretation outlines some of the most challenging aspects of environmental management at Hanford – introducing potential alternatives to expedite cleanup and the difficulty in building alignment across the State.
Last week a letter was sent to the newly confirmed Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, signed by two Washington state officials, the National Resources Defense Council, the Yakima Nation and Hanford watchdog organizations, asking the Biden Administration to rescind the High-Level Waste Interpretation. The letter demonstrates that much confusion remains over the basis of the Interpretation, how it may
be applied and the potential benefits.
ECA believes that a robust, iterative education and outreach discussion is needed to bring together the many parties to discuss perspectives, priorities and concerns. That process, which can be difficult and will definitely give rise to disagreements, is key to building support for the best, safest path forward. ECA has held several of these discussions in the past and will continue to do so
with our partner NGOs.
ECA supports DOE’s efforts to consider alternative waste management solutions that are science and risk-based, and most importantly, make our communities safer. Our communities first started to focus on whether HLW disposal decisions should be based on “what it is” rather than “where it came” from when reconsideration was recommended by the experts of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear
Energy Future convened during the Obama Administration. The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), the Government Accountability Office, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, six DOE national laboratory directors and staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have also endorsed it as a viable alternative, and it brings the US more in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s standards for managing nuclear waste by radiological content rather than
where or how it originated. In South Carolina, where it has been successfully applied, the Interpretation is supported for prioritizing human health and the environment, but the full range of potential impacts at each specific site still need to be evaluated. Based on preliminary reports, ECA wants to see the outcomes of studies and full evaluations and allow them to inform decision-making.
Understandably, new approaches like DOE’s HLW Initiative could impact hard-negotiated cleanup agreements, but thirty years of cleanup experience has yielded lessons learned that deserve to be at least considered if they increase public safety, protect human health and the environment, expedite the movement of waste out of our communities to facilities specifically engineered to
store it, and save significant taxpayer dollars. Further, with no progress on a geologic repository for waste that is actually high-level waste (based on radiological content) these options are being investigated so local communities in WA, SC and ID do not remain de facto repositories when other safe disposal pathways may be available.
Read the Tri-City Herald article here.
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CLEANUP
Environment Department Files Complaint Against DOE To Speed Up LANL Legacy Waste Cleanup And Terminate 2016 Consent Order
Los Alamos Reporter | 2/25/2021
The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) filed a civil complaint in First Judicial District Court against the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for failing to make progress on clean-up of contamination as required by the 2016 Compliance Order on Consent (2016 Consent Order) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). NMED found the DOE Los Alamos Field Office’s 2021 Plan was inadequate due to a lack of
substantive and appropriate clean-up targets for coming years. The final complaint is available here.
LANL’s current and historical operations include nuclear weapons design and testing; high explosives research, development, fabrication, and testing; chemical and materials science research; electrical research and development; laser design and development; and photographic processing. These operations generate numerous waste streams, including hazardous and radiological wastes. The 2016 Consent Order
addresses the clean-up and disposition of the significant quantities of legacy waste at the facility.
“Today, we are seeking to terminate the 2016 Consent Order and initiate court-supervised negotiations to renegotiate clean-up terms that protect communities and their environment,” said NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney. “The Department entered the 2016 Consent Order with high expectations, but almost five years later, our expectations are far from met.”
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso Announce Upcoming Committee Schedule
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources | 3/2/2021
Hearing to Consider the Nomination of David M.Turk to be the Deputy Secretary of Energy.
The hearing will be held on Thursday, March 4, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. in Room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.
The purpose of the hearing is to consider the nomination of the David M. Turk to be the Deputy Secretary of Energy.
Members of the committee may participate in person or online. The committee will follow guidelines developed in consultation with the Office of the Attending Physician and the Senate Rules Committee to protect the health of members, staff, and the public. This includes maintaining six-foot social distance spacing in the hearing room. Pursuant to this guidance, Senate office buildings are not open to the
public other than official business visitors and credentialed press at this time. Accordingly, in-person visitors cannot be accommodated at this hearing.
The hearing will be webcast live on the committee’s website, and an archived video will be available shortly after the hearing is complete. Witness testimony will be available on the website at the start of the hearing.
SENATE
ENR COMMITTEE RELEASES SUBCOMMITTEE ROSTERS AND LEADERSHIP FOR THE 117TH CONGRESS
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources | 3/2/2021
Today, U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY) announced the majority and minority leadership and membership rosters of its four subcommittees, which are as follows:
ENERGY
- Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Chair
- Ron Wyden (D-OR)
- Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
- Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
- Angus S. King, Jr. (I-VT)
- Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
- John W. Hickenlooper (D-CO)
- John Hoeven (R-ND), Ranking Member
- James E. Risch (R-ID)
- Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
- James Lankford (R-OK)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
- Roger Marshall (R-KS)
NATIONAL PARKS
- Angus S. King, Jr. (I-VT), Chair
- Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
- Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
- Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI)
- Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
- Steve Daines (R-MT), Ranking Member
- Mike Lee (R-UT)
- Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
- John Hoeven (R-ND)
- James Lankford (R-OK)
PUBLIC LANDS, FORESTS, AND MINING
- Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Chair
- Ron Wyden (D-OR)
- Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
- Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI)
- Angus S. King, Jr. (I-VT)
- Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
- John W. Hickenlooper (D-CO)
- Mike Lee (R-UT), Ranking Member
- James E. Risch (R-ID)
- Steve Daines (R-MT)
- Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
- James Lankford (R-OK)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
WATER AND POWER
- Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chair
- Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
- Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
- Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
- John W. Hickenlooper (D-CO)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ranking Member
- James E. Risch (R-ID)
- Mike Lee (R-UT)
- John Hoeven (R-ND)
- Roger Marshall (R-KS)
Chairman Joe Manchin Ranking Member John Barrasso are ex officio members of all subcommittees.
Read about DOE's High Level Waste Interpretation
Have questions about DOE’s recent high-level waste (HLW) interpretation? Download ECA’s Key Points and FAQs on the issue to better understand what ECA believes are the potential benefits of implementation.
Interested in learning more? Read the ECA report “Making Informed Decisions on DOE's Proposed High Level Waste Definition” at www.energyca.org/publications
Stay Current on Activities in the DOE World
Read the latest edition of the ECA Bulletin, a regular newsletter providing a detailed brief of ECA activities, legislative news, and major events from across the DOE complex. Have suggestions for future editions? Email bulletin@energyca.org.
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Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles
ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's 13 active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national laboratories, highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local
governments.
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