Speaker
Description
The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management (LLRWM) Program continues to make progress with allowing for the safe use of nuclear technology and nuclear materials for industrial and medical uses while sustainably increasing disposal options for higher activity wastes. The NRC is undertaking a rulemaking to modify its low-level waste disposal regulations that will allow for near-surface disposal of Greater-than-Class-C (GTCC) waste and depleted uranium, which can be similar to intermediate level wastes. The NRC’s approach to maintaining safety and sustainability involves requiring licensees to perform technical analyses of the wastes proposed for disposal in a risk-informed, graded manner. Use of site-specific technical analyses balances the need to increase waste disposal options while protecting future generations from potential releases of radioactivity from long-lived radionuclides disposed in the near surface. The NRC plans to implement a graded compliance period framework of shorter duration of analyses required for typical low-level waste and a longer duration of analyses for waste streams containing significant quantities of long-lived radionuclides. The NRC staff has compiled research from the international community to determine the appropriate durations for each type of waste. Implementing this risk-informed compliance period framework will ensure that licensees evaluate protection of the member of the public as well as an inadvertent intruder, thereby fostering sustainability for future generations. This paper will highlight the NRC’s approach to balancing safety and sustainability through the use of a risk-informed compliance period framework.
