OPTIMIZING TRANSURANIC WASTE MANAGEMENT—CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The opening of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste in March of 1999, the granting of the Hazardous Waste Facility Permit in November 1999, and over two years of operational experience have demonstrated the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) capability in closing the nuclear energy cycle. While these achievements resolved several scientific, engineering, regulatory and political issues, the DOE has identified a new set of challenges that represent opportunities for improving programmatic efficiency, costeffectiveness, and operational safety in managing the nation’s TRU waste. The DOE has recognized that the complex administrative and regulatory requirements for characterization, transportation and disposal of TRU waste are costly (1). A review by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) states that these requirements lead to inefficient waste characterization, handling and transportation operations that in turn can lead to unnecessary radiation exposure to workers without a commensurate decrease in risk to the public and the environment (2). This paper provides an overview of the status of the WIPP repository, explains the principles of the proposed commercial business approach, and describes some of the proposed major enhancements of the TRU waste transportation systems. The DOE is developing a remotehandled (RH) waste program to enable emplacement of RH waste at WIPP. This program includes appropriate facility modifications and regulatory changes (3).