Should DOE Prioritize “Legacy” TRU Waste for Disposal at WIPP? : ECA RELEASES WIPP SURVEY RESULTS
Should DOE Prioritize “Legacy” TRU Waste for Disposal at WIPP?"
ECA RELEASES WIPP SURVEY RESULTS
Individuals and stakeholders from communities and DOE sites across the complex voiced their opinions on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Legacy TRU Waste Disposal Plan (Plan): any definition of Legacy TRU Waste should account for risk and age of the waste in question, and that the Plan poses a opportunity that cannot be missed to emphasize the importance of cleanup activities at sites, increase transparency between sites and DOE, and highlight impacts experienced at sites.
DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), as a requirement under its state permit, is developing a new “Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Legacy TRU Waste Disposal Plan (Plan)”. The WIPP mission includes disposal of defense transuranic (TRU) waste from DOE sites in communities across the country. ECA defines “Legacy” waste as TRU waste associated with the Cold War and pre-Cold War periods.
The definition of Legacy TRU Waste laid out in the plan could affect the prioritization of waste shipments and the accessibility of WIPP to these communities (DOE calls these sites “generator sites”). As a result, ECA members from Carlsbad and Eddy County, New Mexico, asked ECA to conduct a survey. ECA reached out to individuals in communities around the DOE sites, along with local, state and Tribal governments for feedback on the Plan. This included over 1000 individuals over the course of 10 weeks, to which ECA asked the following questions:
"Should DOE Prioritize “Legacy” TRU Waste or Treat all TRU Waste Equally for Disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Under the New Permit with the State of NM?"
"How will your site/community be affected by the reprioritization of waste shipments at WIPP?"
Respondents represented communities around all current and projected future WIPP waste generators, plus additional DOE sites.
ECA came to four key conclusions after analyzing the results:
Stakeholders see the Plan as a useful platform to emphasize the importance of clean-up activities and provide transparency regarding prioritization and proper disposal of defense TRU waste.
The definition of Legacy TRU Waste should account for risk and age of waste. However, specific dates or time of cleanup are less important.
A majority of respondents agree that prioritization of legacy waste is important.
Respondents underscore that the reservation of Panel 12 for legacy waste “to the extent practicable” needs to consider impacts at generator sites, including risks from continued storage of waste, compliance with existing agreements, impacts to clean-up progress, and operational impacts.
ECA intends to use this report to provide input to DOE on its development of the Plan and equip ECA members around WIPP and generator sites to participate fully in the WIPP decision-making process. Input and support from communities around sites across the complex were key to making this survey an informative tool for the WIPP site. View the results on our website by clicking the button below!
WIPP provided a proposed draft definition of Legacy transuranic (TRU) and TRU mixed waste last month. The DOE Proposed Draft Definition is as follows:
“Legacy TRU and TRU mixed waste is defense-related TRU waste generated from the safe cleanup of environmental legacy resulting from decades of nuclear weapons development and defense-related testing and research.”
Shortly after releasing the definition, the U. S. Department of Energy Carlsbad Field Office and Salado Isolation Mining Contractors conducted a virtual WIPP Information Exchange to receive public input on the definition. As a requirement of its permit, WIPP intends to submit its plan to New Mexico Environment Department by November 3, 2024. A public comment period from November 2024 – January 2025 will follow.
ECA looks forward to providing updates on the WIPP Legacy TRU Waste Disposal Plan and the Legacy TRU waste definition as they develop over the coming months