REGULATORY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF AWAY-FROM REACTOR STORAGE FACILITIES FOR INTERIM STORAGE OF GREATER-THAN-CLASS C WASTES

From 1988 to 1994, Federal government agencies evaluated the technical, regulatory, and legal issues of Greater-Than-Class-C (GTCC) radioactive waste storage and disposal. Although many recommendations were made regarding GTCC waste management, very few of them were ever implemented. Now, with several nuclear utilities actively involved in reactor decommissioning, the industry faces numerous restrictions on GTCC storage and disposal. These restrictions, particularly regarding storage, tend to limit the industry’s ability to complete decommissioning. Recently, the industry sought regulatory relief from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for temporary storage of GTCC wastes. In response, the Commission embarked upon a rulemaking to clarify its existing regulations so that licensees could use of away-from reactor storage facilities (e.g., independent spent fuel storage installations and monitored retrievable storage facilities) for interim storage of GTCC wastes. This paper evaluates the regulatory and environmental impacts of interim storage of GTCC wastes in these away-from reactor storage facilities. As part of the evaluation, this paper updates the current and projected (to year 2035) volumes, component types, and activity levels for GTCC wastes. It also summarizes the current types of GTCC waste management practices, and suggests a set of performance criteria for interim storage of GTCC wastes in away-from reactor storage facilities.