Western Governors' Association (WGA) WIPP Transportation Technical Advisory Group and
Western Interstate Energy Board (WIEB) High-Level Waste Committee
April 22-23, 2008 - Tempe, AZ
MEETING SUMMARY
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) Office of Communications and External Affairs
Jeffery Bobeck, Director; DOE-EM Office of Communications and External Affairs
DOE-EM recently created the Office of Communications and External Affairs to inform the general public about the Environmental Management program. The program has covered 2 million acres of land, 34,000 workers (mostly contractors) and 4,500 facilities requiring cleanup - many of which are completed.
EM has completed cleanup at 86 of 108 sites - the 22 remaining are some of the most challenging technologically. Liquid radioactive tank waste (80+ million gallons), particularly located at the Hanford site in Washington, is the most tricky type of waste to retrieve and manage. EM also must remediate 100 square miles of contaminated groundwater at Paducah in Kentucky. There are 65 active projects at this point, most of which are on schedule and cost.
Priorities of EM:
- Treat radioactive liquid tank waste (50% of budget going toward this);
- Consolidate and dispose of nuclear material;
- Manage transuranic (TRU) and low-level radioactive waste (LLW);
- Decontaminate soil and groundwater; and
- Deactivate and decommission facilities on EM sites.
A policy for re-enriching DOE-owned depleted uranium stored at Portsmouth and Paducah to be sold to commercial nuclear reactors as fuel is in the works and should be determined in the next year or two.
Regulatory compliance and milestones will be difficult to meet this year given the lower budget and technological difficulties with many remaining projects. It is important for DOE and constituents to educate members of Congress on the importance of fully funding the EM program. (Congress is looking to increase the level of funding from that proposed in the Bush administration's FY 2009 budget by perhaps a half billion.)
Spent Nuclear Fuel Transfer
Hitesh Nigam, Environmental Protection Specialist; DOE-EM Office of Nuclear Materials
The enriched uranium disposition project involves 21 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium and two metric tons of non-pit plutonium. These will be blended down to recover lowly-enriched uranium for use in fabrication of fuel for commercial reactors. Aluminum-clad spent fuel will be sent to Savannah River Site in South Carolina, and non-aluminum clad spent fuel will be sent to Idaho National Laboratory. DOE expects the transfer will involve 30 shipments per year for ten years.
A Record of Decision on the transfer is expected this summer, but the original date to begin transportation - October 2009 - is uncertain due to budget constraints. A full transportation plan will be determined after the budget is worked out, perhaps in August.
The transfer of non-pit plutonium from sites like Hanford in Washington and Lawrence Livermore in California to Savannah River Site is already underway. These are safeguarded shipments, so no further details are available.
U.S. DOE Environmental Management Update
Ella McNeil, Acting Director; DOE-EM Office of Packaging and Transportation
The EM program was realigned in January to combine the packaging and transportation offices.
Shipments have significantly decreased since 2005, when several of the larger sites, such as Rocky Flats in Colorado, completed cleanup and closed. Several other sites still undergoing cleanup have waste packaged and ready to be shipped offsite, but lower funding levels have hampered the ability to transport this waste.
Current projects:
- The shipment of spent fuel from the Fast Flux Test Facility at Hanford to Idaho National Lab is almost done.
- Depleted uranium oxide will be shipped from Savannah River Site to the EnergySolutions disposal facility in Utah in July.
- The spent fuel transfer (detailed above) between Idaho National Lab and Savannah River Site will begin sometime after October 2009.
- Uranium oxide will be converted to depleted uranium at facilities now being built at Portsmouth in Ohio and Paducah in Kentucky.
- Uranium mill tailings in Moab, Utah will be shipped offsite soon.
- A Foreign Research Reactor shipment is expected later this summer from Savannah River Site to Idaho National Lab.
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Update
Dr. David Moody, Manager, and Bill Mackie, Manager, Institutional Affairs; DOE-Carlsbad Field Office
WIPP has received 6,471 shipments of contact-handled transuranic defense waste and 136 shipments of remote-handled transuranic defense waste since the transportation program began in 1999. Most shipments have come from Idaho National Lab - and 86 percent have traveled through western states. The amount of waste equals approximately 55,000 cubic meters (100,000 containers).
Shipping remote-handled (RH) transuranic waste (hotter waste that must be handled remotely to shield workers from radiation) will be a key project in 2008. WIPP plans to receive five RH shipments per week; the first half to come from Idaho, then from Argonne (IL) in June, Argonne and Savannah River in July, Savannah River in August, Savannah River and Oak Ridge (TN) in Sept., Oak Ridge and Los Alamos (NM) in Oct., and Oak Ridge and Idaho in Nov. and Dec.
Shipments from Los Alamos will need prior approval from the New Mexico Environmental Department as well as the Environmental Protection Agency. A DOE operational readiness review for shipments from Oak Ridge has been completed, and an audit and visual examination will occur in June.
Routing planning for transportation from sites with small quantities of transuranic waste to WIPP is happening now for potential shipment in 2010.
DOE-EM Waste Disposition Update
Alton Harris, General Engineer; DOE-EM Office of Disposal Operations
EM is evaluating Greater than Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive waste disposal options, reviewing approximately 10 sites including potential commercial disposal. A draft Environmental Impact Statement with suggested disposal decisions will be completed and delivered to Congress in 2009.
Italian Radioactive Waste Import License
Tye Rogers, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs; EnergySolutions
EnergySolutions submitted a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in September 2007 to import 20,000 tons of Italian radioactive waste for processing at Oakridge, TN. After processed, the remaining waste - 1,600 tons - would be disposed of at a commercial low-level waste disposal facility in Clive, UT. This amount is less than one percent of the total waste the facility receives each year. The facility has 150 million cubic feet of space remaining and lower domestic demand than in previous years.
Hanford Site Cleanup Status
Ken Niles, Assistant Director; Oregon Department of Energy
Five of nine reactors at Hanford in Washington have been cocooned - covered in place to allow for radiation decay over a 75-year period.
Fifty-three million gallons of liquid high-level radioactive waste are being stored in 177 tanks - 67 of which have leaked. A Waste Treatment Plant complex is being built at Hanford to vitrify (solidify in glass) this liquid waste. The Waste Treatment Plant is the largest industrial construction project underway in the U.S., and costs about $690 million per year to build. The total cost is expected to reach $12.2 billion, and operations are expected to begin in May 2019. Completion of tank waste retrieval has been moved from 2018 to 2040, and completion of treatment of that tank waste from 2028 to 2047.
The budget request for Hanford for fiscal year 2009 is $600 million short of meeting compliance agreements for cleanup. Over ten years, the shortfall is expected to reach $8 billion. Decisions related to the quality of cleanup - to cap waste in place or completely remove, for example - will be the biggest issues between the state and DOE in the next few years.
Transportation - Two shipments of transuranic waste are being sent to WIPP each week (about 400 shipments since 2000). Plutonium shipments to Savannah River Site are ongoing through 2009, the information for which is safeguarded. The savings at Hanford for the reduced security needed once the plutonium transfer is complete will be tremendous.
DOE chose Hanford in 1999 to store/dispose of low-level and mixed low-level waste from other EM sites around the country. Since then the state has brought lawsuits and conditioned the import of waste into the state on completion of a massive Environmental Impact Statement by DOE, which will not be completed until at least 2009.
Washington D.C. Congressional Update
Kevin Moran, Director; WGA Washington D.C. Office
The presidents fiscal year 2009 budget is expected to be significantly altered by Congress. The Congressional budget revision was due April 15, but has not yet been completed. Appropriations are not expected until after the November election or in early 2009.
Several appropriators who are the most supportive of DOE projects and the National Labs (e.g. Senator Pete Domenici) are retiring this year. Changes in congressional leadership and the presidency following the 2008 elections will be watched closely in terms of their impacts on DOE budgets.
The only even remotely nuclear-related legislation expected to see action this year is the Lieberman/Warner Climate Change bill.
Uranium Enrichment in Southeast New Mexico
Christina Nelson, Senior Policy Specialist; National Conference of State Legislatures
The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky is the only facility in the U.S. that enriches uranium, and provides for about 15 percent of domestic demand. Two additional facilities are either under construction or being considered for future development in southeast New Mexico - the National Enrichment Facility (LES - Louisiana Energy Services) and AREVA enrichment facility.
LES
LES is currently under construction in the city of Eunice, NM in Lea County, the southeast corner of the state. The facility is owned by URENCO (a consortium), and received a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license to construct and operate in June 2006. The plant is scheduled to go online in 2009.
Community support for LES stems from the positive and safe Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) experience in nearby Carlsbad, NM. The total state delegation and congressional delegation from the region have supported the project.
The community was seeking economic diversification from its historic reliance on oil & gas, and industry played a significant role in educating the entire community on the process of enriching uranium and what hosting the facility would involve. LES is expected to bring 1,600 construction jobs and 350 permanent jobs to the community, with spin-offs including better training, education and expertise at the local community college.
History of the LES Project:
Carlsbad, NM initiated talks to host the facility, but because of pot ash reserves and oil & gas activities, the location was considered somewhat inappropriate due to drilling, mining, and seismic concerns. A history of collaboration between neighboring counties Eddy (Carlsbad) and Lea (Eunice) has been strong in the nuclear arena. The two counties formed an LLC - the Eddy Lea Energy Alliance - for consideration to host both a Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) reprocessing facility and a future AREVA uranium enrichment facility [detailed below].
Transportation:
WIPP started educating New Mexicans about radioactive waste transportation in 1975. Along with traditional educational tools, interested parties could view the comprehensive NRC shipping container drop tests and fire and water submersion tests to build confidence in the robustness of the containers in the event of a transportation accident. The eventual certification of the container by the NRC added another level of comfort.
Although transportation of radioactive materials through New Mexico will increase when the new enrichment facility is online, there does not seem to be renewed opposition in the state. Even at the scoping meetings for hosting GNEP reprocessing facilities, which would involve the transportation of more highly-radioactive materials, no opposition was voiced.
Once LES is in full operation, it, with Paducah, should meet about 50 percent of domestic demand for enriched uranium.
AREVA
AREVA, a French nuclear fuel cycle company, has looked at several potential host communities for another new uranium enrichment facility. About 200 communities vied for selection, and five states are now being considered: New Mexico, Idaho, Ohio, Texas and Washington. The enrichment facility would be slightly larger than LES and cost about $2-2.5 billion. The facility will employ 1,000+ construction workers for 5-6 years, and provide permanent employment for about 400.
AREVA has an ambitious schedule for completing the project. The location will be chosen soon, and an Environmental Impact Statement will follow. AREVA hopes to attain an NRC license, construct the facility and be close to operation within four years.
After LES and AREVA are in full operation (and with continued enrichment at Paducah), about 80-85 percent of domestic demand for enriched uranium will be met.
Two Additional Enrichment Facilities
Two other enrichment projects are in the works around the country. The American Centrifuge Plant is expected to enhance the technology used at the Paducah facility in Kentucky (gas centrifuge versus gaseous diffusion). The plant has already received NRC licensing for construction and operation, is undergoing demonstration of its technology at Oak Ridge, TN and Piketon, OH, and hopes to go online in 2009. The company, USEC, is still working to secure financing for the plant.
General Electric is planning to use an Australian laser enrichment technology at a facility in Wilmington, NC. GE submitted its license for research and development of the technology to the NRC in 2007. Testing is now being conducted to verify performance and reliability data for full scale commercial facilities. The demonstration program is scheduled to be completed in late 2008/early 2009, and depending on results, GE plans to submit a full-scale commercial facility application thereafter.
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) Update
Alex Thrower; DOE-OCRWM Office of Logistics Management
PowerPoint Presentation 
NOTE: NCSL provides links to other Web sites from time to time for information purposes only. Providing these links does not necessarily indicate NCSL's support or endorsement of the site.
OCRWM expects to submit the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in June. The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Yucca Mountain will also be released soon. A Record of Decision and the Rail EIS will follow shortly thereafter.
OCRWM is also working on a fee adequacy determination (whether the amount utilities are paying into the Nuclear Waste Fund for DOE to manage their spent fuel is adequate), a second repository report (to advise Congress whether another repository is necessary) and an interim storage report (also requested by Congress to determine the warrants of storing spent fuel from decommissioned reactors at interim sites).
Other current priorities include releasing a revised National Transportation Plan, continuing dialogue with stakeholders on routing, addressing perceptions of risk, and benchmarking other successful radioactive waste transportation campaigns for lessons learned.
The Transportation External Coordination (TEC) Working Group of federal, tribal, state, local and industry stakeholders is moving forward with some adjustments due to the Yucca Mountain budget cut for fiscal year 2008 (about 20 percent to $386.4 million). The usual summer meeting has been canceled; the next gathering will not occur before the new fiscal year begins this fall. Work in the topic groups will accelerate substantively by conference call and individual contributions. The Routing Topic Group will receive suggestions back from the railroads in the coming weeks as to their preferred cross-country routes. The 180(c) Topic Group, which recently assisted DOE in creating a calculation for distributing funds to states for emergency preparedness along transportation routes, will not be able to begin a pilot project anytime in the near future due to funding cuts. States can expect that amounts and distribution (five years prior to the actual shipping campaign) will follow the successful example of the WIPP project. Public comments on the 180(c) Federal Register Notice, detailing eligibility and distribution formulas, are available here. Finally, the Communications Topic Group will be re-instituted to look into social risk/perceptions of risk.
Future work in OCRWM includes construction of the Nevada Rail Line for shipments to Yucca Mountain, which is now delayed from the 2009 schedule due to inadequate funding. The program will do some design and characterization work in the meantime. OCRWM would like to receive repository construction authorization by September 2011, and submit the operating license application by March 2013.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Update
Earl Easton; U.S. NRC Spent Fuel Project Office
The NRC has received correspondence from Congress (Senators Voinovich and Carper, who provide appropriations for the NRC), asking the commission to revise its finding on Waste Confidence. The finding states that there will be a facility/method for managing spent fuel from commercial nuclear reactors and therefore need not be considered when determining whether to grant a license. Chairman Klein has expressed his belief that the current finding is still valid, but the NRC is reviewing it to determine needs for revision.
The NRC recently completed a comprehensive educational tool on the work it conducts related to the packaging and transportation of radioactive waste. The tutorial will be available by CD-ROM and on its website (http://www.nrg.gov/) in the coming weeks.
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