Notice2023-01961
Notice of Availability of Final Waste Incidental to Reprocessing Evaluation for Vitrified Low Activity Waste and Secondary Wastes at the Hanford Site, Washington and Waste Incidental to Reprocessing Determination
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Published
January 31, 2023
Issuing agencies
Energy Department
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of the Final Waste Incidental to Reprocessing Evaluation for Vitrified Low-Activity Waste and Secondary Wastes at the Hanford Site, Washington (Final WIR Evaluation) and associated Waste Incidental to Reprocessing Determination for Vitrified Low-Activity Waste and Secondary Wastes at the Hanford Site, Washington (WIR Determination). The WIR Determination documents DOE's determination that vitrified low-activity waste (VLAW) and secondary wastes generated by, or derived from, such vitrification using the direct feed low-activity waste (DFLAW) approach are wastes that are incidental to the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, are not high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and are to be managed as low-level radioactive waste (LLW), pursuant to DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management, and DOE Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual. DOE consulted with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and considered comments from States, Tribal Nations, stakeholders and the public before preparing the Final WIR Evaluation and WIR Determination.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6245-6247]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01961]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Availability of Final Waste Incidental to Reprocessing
Evaluation for Vitrified Low Activity Waste and Secondary Wastes at the
Hanford Site, Washington and Waste Incidental to Reprocessing
Determination
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability
of the Final Waste Incidental to Reprocessing Evaluation for Vitrified
Low-Activity Waste and Secondary Wastes at the Hanford Site, Washington
(Final WIR Evaluation) and associated Waste Incidental to Reprocessing
Determination for Vitrified Low-Activity Waste and Secondary Wastes at
the Hanford Site, Washington (WIR Determination). The WIR Determination
documents DOE's determination that vitrified low-activity waste (VLAW)
and secondary wastes generated by, or derived from, such vitrification
using the direct feed low-activity waste (DFLAW) approach are wastes
that are incidental to the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, are not
high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and are to be managed as low-level
radioactive waste (LLW), pursuant to DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste
Management, and DOE Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management
Manual. DOE consulted with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and
considered comments from States, Tribal Nations, stakeholders and the
public before preparing the Final WIR Evaluation and WIR Determination.
ADDRESSES: The Final WIR Evaluation and WIR Determination are available
on the internet at <a href="https://www.hanford.gov/page.cfm/VitrifiedLowActivityWaste">https://www.hanford.gov/page.cfm/VitrifiedLowActivityWaste</a> for public review.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the
Final WIR Evaluation or the WIR Determination, please contact Mr. Gary
L. Pyles by mail at U.S. Department of Energy, Office of River
Protection, P.O. Box 450, MSIN H6-60, Richland, Washington 99352, by
phone at (509) 376-2670, or by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#83e4e2f1faadf3faefe6f0c3f1efade7ece6ade4ecf5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d9beb8aba0f7a9a0b5bcaa99abb5f7bdb6bcf7beb6af">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Hanford site currently stores
radioactive waste in underground storage tanks. The waste was
generated, in part, by the prior reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel
during the Manhattan Project and Cold War eras, for defense-related
nuclear research, development and weapons-production activities.
Hanford's current mission focuses on the cleanup and remediation of
those wastes and ultimate closure of the site. As part of that mission,
DOE is retrieving waste from the Hanford tanks, and has decided to
separate the tank waste into a low-activity waste stream and a high-
level radioactive waste stream.
The Final WIR Evaluation concerns approximately 23.5 million
gallons (Mgal) of separated, pretreated and vitrified low activity
waste from some of the underground tanks at the Hanford Site in the
State of Washington, and the secondary wastes generated by, or derived
from, such vitrification of the separated and pretreated low-activity
waste using the DFLAW approach.
The DFLAW approach is a two-phased approach that will separate and
[[Page 6246]]
pretreat supernate (essentially the upper-most layer of tank waste that
contains low concentrations of long-lived radionuclides) from the
Hanford tanks, to generate a low-activity waste (LAW) stream. For Phase
1, the DFLAW approach will begin with in-tank settling, separation
(removal by decanting) of the supernate (including dissolved saltcake
and interstitial liquids), filtration, and then cesium removal using
ion-exchange columns in a tank-side cesium removal (TSCR) unit. For
Phase 2, DOE will treat additional supernate (including dissolved
saltcake and interstitial liquids) using the same processes with either
an additional TSCR unit or a filtration and cesium removal facility.
The DFLAW approach is expected to remove more than 99 percent of the
cesium and remove other key radionuclides. After pretreatment, the LAW
stream will be sent by transfer lines to the Low Activity Waste
Vitrification Facility at the Hanford Site, where it will be vitrified
(immobilized in borosilicate glass). Approximately 13,500 containers of
vitrified waste will be produced using the DFLAW approach. DOE plans to
dispose of the VLAW in the onsite Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF), a
land disposal facility at the Hanford Site.
The Final WIR Evaluation also addresses secondary wastes generated
by, or derived from, the vitrification of the pretreated LAW using the
DFLAW approach. DOE's proposed plan is to solidify or encapsulate most
of these secondary wastes in a grout matrix at offsite, commercial
treatment facilities--either Perma-Fix Northwest in Richland,
Washington, Perma-Fix Diversified Scientific Services in Kingston,
Tennessee, or Waste Control Specialists (WCS) near Andrews, Texas,
depending on the waste stream. Thereafter, most of the secondary
wastes, generated by or derived from vitrification of the LAW using the
DFLAW approach, would be disposed of at the IDF at the Hanford Site,
and potentially, certain secondary wastes may be disposed at the WCS
Federal Waste Facility (WCS FWF) in Texas.
Implementation of the proposed offsite treatment and potential
offsite disposal is contingent upon completion of analysis and issuance
of a decision document as required by the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq. (NEPA). DOE has
prepared the Supplement Analysis of the Final Tank Closure and Waste
Management Environmental Impact Statement for the Hanford Site,
Richland, Washington, Offsite Secondary Waste Treatment and Disposal
(DOE/EIS-0391-SA-03), which evaluated DOE's proposal to transport and
treat certain solid and liquid secondary wastes at licensed and
permitted commercial treatment facilities off the Hanford Site. The
secondary wastes addressed in the Final WIR Evaluation and WIR
Determination are a subset of the secondary waste addressed in the
above-referenced Supplement Analysis.
The Supplement Analysis also evaluates DOE's proposal to
potentially dispose (after treatment) of some of the secondary wastes
generated by or derived from vitrification of the LAW using the DFLAW
approach, at an offsite, licensed and permitted commercial disposal
facility. The secondary wastes would be mixed LLW, regulated under the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA). The solidification or encapsulation of
the secondary wastes would treat the wastes to meet land disposal
requirements pursuant to RCRA.
DOE issued DOE Order 435.1 and DOE Manual 435.1-1 under the
authority of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 2011
et seq., the Energy Reorganization Act, 42 U.S.C. 5801 et seq., and the
Department of Energy Organization Act, 42 U.S.C. 7101, et seq. DOE
Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual, which accompanies
DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management, provides for a rigorous
evaluation process that DOE uses to determine whether certain waste
from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel is incidental to
reprocessing, is not HLW and may be managed as LLW. This process, set
forth in Chapter II.B.(2)(a) of DOE Manual 435.1-1, requires evaluating
and demonstrating that the wastes:
``(1) Have been processed, or will be processed, to remove key
radionuclides to the maximum extent that is technically and
economically practical; and
(2) Will be managed to meet safety requirements comparable to the
performance objectives set out in 10 CFR part 61, subpart C,
Performance Objectives; and
(3) Are to be managed, pursuant to DOE authority under the Atomic
Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and in accordance with the provisions
of Chapter IV of [DOE Manual 435.1-1], provided the waste will be
incorporated in a solid physical form at a concentration that does not
exceed the applicable concentration limits for Class C LLW as set out
in 10 CFR 61.55, Waste Classification[.]''
The Final WIR Evaluation, including its appendices and supporting
references, documents and demonstrates that the VLAW, and the secondary
waste generated by or derived from vitrification using the DFLAW
approach, will meet the above-referenced criteria in DOE Manual 435.1-
1. DOE predicated the Final WIR Evaluation on extensive analysis and
scientific rationale, using a risk-informed approach.
Specifically, the Final WIR Evaluation shows that key radionuclides
(those radionuclides which contribute most significantly to
radiological dose to workers, the public, and the environment as well
as radionuclides listed in 10 CFR 61.55) have been or will be removed
to the maximum extent technically and economically practical. The Final
WIR Evaluation also projects that potential doses to a hypothetical
member of the public and hypothetical inadvertent intruder after IDF
closure will be well below the doses specified in the performance
objectives and performance measures for LLW. In addition, the analyses
demonstrate that there is reasonable expectation that safety
requirements comparable to the NRC performance objectives at 10 CFR
part 61, subpart C will be met. For secondary wastes potentially
disposed of at the WCS FWF, the wastes would meet the waste acceptance
criteria for the WCS FWF, which would ensure that the performance
objectives, including doses, would be met for LLW disposal as set forth
in the Texas Administrative Code, which are comparable to the NRC
performance objectives. In addition, the salient secondary wastes will
be incorporated into a solid form at a concentration that does not
exceed concentration limits for Class C LLW.
DOE consulted with NRC and received comments from the States,
Tribal Nations, stakeholders and the public. After carefully
considering NRC consultation advice and comments received, and
performing additional analyses, DOE prepared the Final WIR Evaluation.
Based on the Final WIR Evaluation, DOE determined, as documented in the
associated WIR Determination, that the VLAW and secondary wastes
generated by or derived from vitrification using the DFLAW approach,
are wastes incidental to reprocessing, are non-HLW, and are to be
managed as LLW.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on January 25,
2023, by John A. Mullis II, Acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs, pursuant
[[Page 6247]]
to delegated authority from the Secretary of Energy. That document with
the original signature and date is maintained by DOE. For
administrative purposes only, and in compliance with requirements of
the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned DOE Federal
Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to sign and submit the
document in electronic format for publication, as an official document
of the Department of Energy. This administrative process in no way
alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the
Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on January 26, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-01961 Filed 1-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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