Waste Isolation Pilot PlantProgram Status

National Governors’ Association Meeting

May 17, 2002Alton D. Harris, III

2

Discussion Topics

• Waste Shipment Status

• Regulatory Strategy

• Transportation/Packaging Strategy

3

Waste Shipment Status

• Since March 1999, over 5,000 m3 of contact-handled TRU waste shipped and disposed at WIPP.

• Over 800 truck shipments from 5 sites to date.

• A single rail car shipment from Mound to Savannah River Site supporting site closure.

4

Waste Shipment Status

1010

271271

499499

2525

88

813 ShipmentsReceived as of May 13

(~24,000 drums equivalent)

HanfordHanfordHanfordHanford

IdahoIdahoNationalNational(INEEL)(INEEL)

IdahoIdahoNationalNational(INEEL)(INEEL)

Rocky Flats Rocky Flats EnvironmentalEnvironmental

Technology Site (RFETS)Technology Site (RFETS)

Rocky Flats Rocky Flats EnvironmentalEnvironmental

Technology Site (RFETS)Technology Site (RFETS)

Waste IsolationWaste IsolationPilot Plant Pilot Plant

(WIPP)(WIPP)

Waste IsolationWaste IsolationPilot Plant Pilot Plant

(WIPP)(WIPP)

SavannahSavannahRiver SiteRiver Site

(SRS)(SRS)

SavannahSavannahRiver SiteRiver Site

(SRS)(SRS)Los AlamosLos AlamosNational LaboratoryNational Laboratory

(LANL)(LANL)

Los AlamosLos AlamosNational LaboratoryNational Laboratory

(LANL)(LANL)

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TRU Waste Shipping Priorities

• Highest Priority– Rocky Flats closure by the end of FY 2006– Meeting Idaho Settlement Agreement

• Second Priority– Waste shipments from Savannah River Site to WIPP to allow

remaining Mound waste transfer to SRS

• Third Priority– As resources are available meet needs of Los Alamos, Hanford,

and small quantity sites

6

Small Quantity Site Strategy

• Using mobile modular vendors under WIPP control (Central Characterization Project)

• Savannah River Site CCP audit complete, regulatory approval to begin shipments granted; first CCP shipment from SRS received at WIPP on April 6, 2002.

• Proposed Savannah River Site CCP shipments support additional OHOX railcar shipments from Mound to SRS in FY 2002

• CCP mobile vendors at ANL-E and NTS preparing for audits, anticipate regulatory approval to begin shipments in late FY 2002 and into 2003

• As mobile modular vendors finish at one site, they will be made available to other sites, e.g., LLNL

7

Anticipated* Remaining FY 2002 Shipments

264

150 0 0 0

260

0

50

100

150

200

250

300R

ock

y F

lats

INE

EL

SRS

Incl

.C

CP

NT

S C

CP

AN

L-E

CC

P

LA

NL

Han

ford

* Dependent upon regulatory approvals, budget, packaging and transportation resources, etc.

May 02 - Sept 02

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RCRA Regulatory Strategy: Current Status

• NMED is processing several permit modification requests required to maintain current operations– Confirmation of waste characterization at WIPP site (expect NMED

Notice of Deficiency soon)

– Drum age criteria (expect final NMED decision by Fall 2002)

• DOE considering submitting permit modifications semi-annually to facilitate processing– RH Waste Analysis Plan & RH Facility (submittal expected Summer

2002)

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More details on the RH-TRU Program

• NAS independent review of RH-TRU essentially complete

• Requires a modification to WIPP’s RCRA permit

• Requires EPA approval because of change to compliance certification - DOE will submit a 40 CFR 194.4 change notification to EPA at same time it submits the RCRA permit modification

• First RH-72B RH-TRU transport cask under acceptance review; 11 more in production with delivery complete in FY 2002

10

Transportation/Packaging Status

• Coordination with State and local agencies on shipments continues

• 2 carriers under contract with 16 tractors and over 25 drivers

• 35 trailers and 59 TRUPACT-IIs currently in the fleet

• Contracts in place for a total of 67 TRUPACT-IIs and 15 HalfPACTs by April 2003 (delivery rate about 2 per month)

• Specifications being developed for intermodal large box shipping container, TRUPACT-III to supplement TRUPACT-II– 5 ft x 5 ft x 8 ft payload would allow 97% of boxed waste to be shippable avoiding large

repackaging cost– Design, production, testing, and certification will require several years before first package is

available• Consideration being given to using rail shipments to supplement truck shipments

when economically viable

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NRC Certification of Packaging

• Working with NRC on multiple transportation packaging certification requests– LANL High Activity CH-TRU Waste

• Future TRUPACT-II SARP revisions are being contemplated to make more waste shippable, e.g., use of hydrogen getter and bag breaching technology; TRUPACT-III will require NRC certification

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Conclusion

• Good progress on moving waste to WIPP for disposal, focusing on both large and small sites

• Aggressive goals are in place for future shipments

• Significant efforts to implement changes to site characterization requirements and transportation packaging to make the system more efficient and less costly

• Need continued NGA support to make all this happen