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DOE Response to BRC
On January 11, 2013, in response to the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) on America's Nuclear Future's Final Report, DOE released its "Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste." The "Strategy" comes after two years of BRC deliberations and an additional year for DOE to develop its strategy. To read the publication in its entirety, please click here.
Congressional action will be required to support the "Strategy" according to DOE. The DOE's strategy outlines several new authorities, such as consent-based siting, funding reform, and creating a new governmental organization, all of which will require supporting legislation. The proposed consent-based siting process would be "governed by legally-binding agreements between the federal government and host jurisdictions." The strategy states that the involvement of multiple communities may result in the need for multiple storage facilities or repositories.
Some of the major highlights:
- An emphasis upon a flexible, staged, consent-based process for locating a permanent geologic repository for used nuclear fuel designed to be adaptive to potentially changing circumstances.
- A new, independent waste disposal organization charged with overseeing used fuel management and disposal, along with legislative action to reform allocation of the Nuclear Waste Fee paid by operators to allow for greater operational flexibility and independence.
- Short-term emphasis upon siting a pilot interim storage facility for used nuclear fuel, with a triage priority of relocating fuel from decommissioned reactor sites first. Operations would begin in 2021.
- Transitioning toward an operational interim storage site with sufficient capacity to meet the existing federal government's liabilities under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982; operations to begin in 2025.
- Making "demonstrable progress" toward locating and characterizing a potential geologic repository with a target operations date of 2048.
In support of its response to the blue ribbon commission's report, DOE asked the RAND Corp. to look at different organizational models for the single-purpose federal corporation the commission recommended for the management and disposal of used fuel and high-level radioactive waste. RAND's report, released along with DOE's, concluded that a federal government corporation or an independent government agency would best achieve critical attributes of accountability, transparent decision-making, autonomy, public interest and stability. Click here to read the RAND report.
Some critics are calling the "Strategy" a stall tactic saying it's a document "laying out the next set of milestones for the nation's spent fuel management program to miss." Others point to the timing of the "Strategy" given DOE needs to report to the Court on fee adequacy (NARUC lawsuit). DOE can now tell the Court they are making progress on waste management and disposition so "let's stick with the status quo."
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ERRP at USCA
The University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) is this month's spotlight in the continuing series about regional education and training programs developed as part of the Advancing Nuclear Skills Regionally (ANSR) grant.
 | | USCA honors student Amanda Jones will study fish communities as part of the ERRP program. |
Students are already engaged in undergraduate research activities as part of USCA's new Environmental Remediation and Restoration Program (ERRP). The specialized biology degree program began August 2011 under the direction of Dr. Michele Harmon. Program participants study fundamentals of passive remediation systems using a recirculating experimental wetland mesocosm that was designed as part of the program. Several special topics courses including Environmental Toxicology and Coastal Restoration have been developed and are receiving strong student interest.
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Rechard Harris is actively studying wetland construction at USCA. |
Through ERRP, students have unique research opportunities to study real world issues such as ways to treat heavy metal pollutants using specifically constructed wetlands. Indoor and outdoor fisheries research projects are growing and include the study of local fish communities. Soon, the program will include some hybrid and online courses. Students plan to pursue careers in a variety of areas including radioecology and environmental preservation. Thirteen scholarships have already been awarded to students.
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Idaho LINE Report - Worth a Read
 The Leadership in Nuclear Energy (LINE) Commission was created by current Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter. The Commission is charged with making recommendations to the Governor on policies and actions of the state of Idaho to support and enhance the long-term viability and mission relevance of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the broader nuclear industry in the state.
During the first week of December, the LINE Commission released its progress report for public comment. The first part of the 52-page report gives an overview of Idaho's nuclear history, including Idaho National Laboratory and the 1995 agreement between the federal government and then-Gov. Phil Batt that stopped additional nuclear waste from being stored at INL and started the nuclear waste clean-up. The report also gives preliminary recommendations in areas of education, work force, infrastructure, technology, safety and the environment.
Among the dozens of recommendations: Starting a used fuel storage demonstration facility, increasing INL's research capabilities, and improving infrastructure around INL. The recommendations will be compared with suggestions from the public, pared down and submitted to the governor in a final report. Click here to read a copy of the progress report.
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Uncontaminated Scrap Metal
 In December, the DOE released a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for public comment concerning the potential recycling of non-contaminated scrap metals from radiological areas at DOE facilities. If the suspension is lifted, it will change the policy put in place in 2000. The suspension deals only with surface-contaminated items and not with volumetrically contaminated materials, which are prohibited from being recycled by a DOE moratorium. The public comment period ends on Feb. 11, 2013.
The proposed action would allow DOE to modify its policy to allow the delegation of authority from the Secretary to the Under Secretaries to manage the radiological clearance process for uncontaminated scrap metals originating in DOE radiological areas for sites demonstrated to have robust monitoring and release practices in place. Scrap metal that meets these robust practices for unrestricted release would be candidates for recycle. Scrap metal that does not meet these requirements would be identified as contaminated and maintained by DOE or disposed of as waste in an appropriate manner. The approximately 14,000 tons of metal under review for possible initial release is only a fraction of the tens of millions of tons of metal being recycled annually. Selling the metals could bring in $10 million to $40 million a year, the DOE estimates.
This PEA also evaluates potential human health and environmental
impacts associated with a disposal alternative, and a no-action (continued storage) alternative. While the metal would come from "radiological areas" such as research laboratories and nuclear-weapons-related facilities, any contamination would be so low that a member of the public would be exposed to a "negligible individual dose" of additional radiation, the PEA concludes. According to the assessment, the allowable annual radiation dose to an individual from a given shipment of the scrap metal would be half the estimated amount of radiation a person gets flying cross-country, or even less.
Misinformation from critics and anti-nuclear opposition state that once radioactive materials are released from the DOE complex, there is no limit on what can be made with them- frying pans, belt buckles, playgrounds, gardenfill, zippers, braces, hip-replacement joints and more. The SRSCRO will be submitting a letter supporting the facts concerning recycling of non-contaminated scrap metals from radiological areas and supporting a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and the need to proceed with the proposed action.
Read more here. |
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Extra, Extra, Extra
 In the coming weeks expect news on the following:
A decision concerning Writ Mandamus (see May 2012 issue - Lawsuit #2 - Petitioners v. NRC).
One school of thought suspects that the Court is going to tell the NRC that it should continue with reviewing the Yucca Mountain license, but only as long as there is funding (NRC currently has about $10m and DOE has about $18m that can be used). However, don't expect the judges to tell Congress to appropriate funds
A potential decision on the Waste Fee Assessment lawsuit (see May 2012 Lawsuit #3 - NARUC v. DOE). Just before release of this newsletter, DOE submitted the assessment to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, which on June 1 said the agency's 2010 determination justifying the fee was "legally defective." It directed the department to re-evaluate whether it collects too little or too much revenue from utilities to dispose of nuclear waste. The U.S. Energy Department defended its assessment of the $750 million it collects annually from the nuclear-energy industry for waste disposal even as plans for a permanent repository remain uncertain. "Neither insufficient nor excess revenues are being collected in order to recover the costs incurred by the federal government," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in his annual assessment of the fee (See related article above concerning DOE "Strategy").
Also at release time, Bloomberg News reported that Energy Secretary Steven Chu is planning to leave the Obama administration. The Nobel Prize winner plans to announce his intentions next week, according to sources "familiar with the matter."
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SRSCRO Spotlight | |
SRSCRO
Appointing Entity
Columbia County Chamber of Commerce
The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit, membership driven organization that advances business in the Greater Augusta area through their community leadership, economic advocacy and membership programs.
Over the past year, the Chamber has become one of the fastest growing Chambers in the country, and its goal in 2013 is to continue to develop and initiate new programs that benefit the Chamber's business community.
Tammy Shepherd is the Chamber's President/CEO. She is also a SRSCRO Board member appointed by the Chamber. The Chamber is governed by a Board of Directors.
To learn more about the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, please visit their web site.
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