DISPOSAL OF NON-WEAPONS MATERIALS: GTCC PRIVATIZATION EFFORTS

Under the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-240), DOE is responsible for disposal of all radioactive waste that exceeds the NRC’s upper limit for commercial disposal, i.e., Greater Than Class C (GTCC) waste. However, there are currently no licensed facilities for GTCC waste. Until a disposal site is selected and receives an NRC license, DOE’s Off-site Source Recovery Program will continue to accept sources and place them into interim storage at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This paper discusses the disposal options available to DOE and in particular explores commercial options. It further investigates strategies for accelerating the DOE’s source recovery operations and the role for commercial entities in recovering sealed radioactive sources.