CHALLENGES IN RH-TRU WASTE MANAGEMENT: INTEGRATION OF REGULATORY AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is establishing a remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) waste management program in support of the Department of Energy (DOE) objective of beginning RH-TRU waste disposal operations in 2002. The program incorporates lessons learned from contact-handled TRU (CH-TRU) waste management and recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG). The principle of maintaining radiation exposure to levels that are as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) in waste management activities is also incorporated as in documents such as: the NAS WIPP Committee’s interim report on “Improving Operations and Long-Term Safety of the WIPP,” April 2000 (1); and the “Joint NRC/EPA Guidance on Testing