Green: A Very Long Road for Military Nuclear Waste

SCIENCE New York Times

By By MATTHEW L. WALD

Published: March 29, 2012

The Department of Energy says it has mostly emptied and closed two more of the 51 underground tanks containing liquid nuclear waste from cold-war weapons production at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Yet tens of thousands of gallons still potentially remain in those two tanks. See link http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/a-very-long-road-for-military-nuclear-waste/

Senate Panel Advances Bill for Temporary Nuclear Storage Sites

By Jim Snyder on April 24, 2012 (Bloomberg News)

A Senate committee proposed letting U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu begin the process to build temporary storage sites for nuclear waste in communities that seek such a facility. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, said the provision in the legislation adopted the “consent-based” recommendation of a presidential commission that studied the disposal of used fuel rods now stored at 104 U.S. nuclear plants. The measure is “one small step forward,” she said. “It’s imperative to begin to address the issue of spent nuclear fuel,” Feinstein said today at a hearing on energy and water development spending starting Oct. 1. The measure approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee panel on energy creates a program to license, build and operate one or more “consolidated storage facilities,” Feinstein said.

Why is DOE collecting fees for 'program that isn't doing very much'? -- judge

Lawrence Hurley and Hannah Northey, E&E reporters

Greenwire: Friday, April 20, 2012

A federal appeals court today raised serious questions about whether the Department of Energy should continue to collect fees for its nuclear waste fund despite the fact that there is still no national repository in place.

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the Nuclear Energy Institute and various energy companies want the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to put an end to the payments.

During today's arguments in NARUC v. DOE, two of the three judges seemed sympathetic to the petitioners, although it seems most likely that the court would remand the case to DOE in the first instance before potentially taking the more dramatic step of terminating the fees altogether.

On remand, Energy Secretary Steven Chu would likely have to explain why DOE thinks it can continue to collect the fees despite no national waste program being in place. The fund could surpass $26 billion this year.

Blue Ribbon Commission Final Reports

The final reports of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future can be found online at http://brc.gov/

Final Updated Report of the Disposal Subcommittee to the Full...

Final Updated Report of the Reactor & Fuel Cycle Technology...

Final Updated Report of the Transportation & Storage...

BRC Report to the Secretary of Energy - January 2012

BRC Letter to President Barack Obama - December 12, 2011

Hanford Youtube Channel

This is the official YouTube Channel of the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office. For more information go to: www.hanford.gov http://www.youtube.com/user/HanfordSite
Some examples of stories available:

The Hanford Story: Overview

The Hanford Story: Tank Waste Cleanup

The Hanford Story: Groundwater

The Hanford Story: Recovery Act

Hanford Public Involvement Plan

DOERiverProtection@RiverProtection Department of Energy's Office of River Protection at Hanford. Richland, WA - See DOE's Twitter feed

Major Cold War Cleanup Milestone Reached at the Savannah River Site

March 29, 2012 - 10:37am

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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Energy Department announced it has reached a major milestone in the Department’s efforts to clean up the Cold War legacy at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina, laying the groundwork for closing two underground storage tanks that previously held radioactive liquid waste from nuclear weapons production at SRS.  The determination signed by Energy Secretary Steven Chu paves the way for SRS to begin closing the massive tanks that make up the F Tank Farm.  The site will start this year by closing two tanks that pose the greatest risk to the environment - Tanks 18 and 19.  These tank closures will be the first DOE tanks closed nationwide since 2007, the first closed at SRS in 15 years, and some of the largest underground storage tanks closed by the Department to date. Under Secretary for Nuclear Security at the Department of Energy Thomas D’Agostino made the announcement on a press conference call today with Karen Patterson, Chair of the South Carolina Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council. “Today, we are able to announce a major milestone as we continue to clean up the legacy of the Cold War at the Savannah River Site and work to meet our responsibility to the citizens of South Carolina,” said Secretary Chu. “The Department of Energy, federal and state regulators, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the local community all played a key role in arriving at this important decision. As a result of these efforts and significant collaboration over many years, we are now able to move forward to safely, effectively and efficiently clean up and close these massive tanks.” “South Carolina has looked forward to this day for a long time. We appreciate the dedication of everyone involved with the project, and the positive working relationships among all the entities – without genuine dedication and a positive approach, success would have been much more difficult. We also greatly appreciate that South Carolina and local stakeholders were included in all aspects of the process. The result is a good decision that we hope means many more successful tank closures in the near future,” said Chairwoman Patterson. About 70 SRS, contractor, and construction employees are working on the final closing of Tanks 18 and 19, which is expected to take about five months. The work will include up to six cement trucks an hour, working eight hours a day, five days a week, pouring more than 3 million gallons of grout to fill the waste tanks.  Each tank originally held about 1.3 million gallons of radioactive hazardous waste, or enough to fill nearly two Olympic-sized swimming pools.  Workers have removed more than 99 percent of the liquid waste in the tanks.  Tanks 18 and 19 will now be grouted, or filled with a cement-like material, to ensure the remaining residual waste film is immobilized and poses little to no future risk to the environment or the public. SRS was constructed in the early 1950s to produce basic materials used in the fabrication of nuclear weapons in support of our nation's defense programs.  Tanks 18 and 19, two of the many nuclear facilities constructed at the site to support the United States Cold War effort, were built in the late 1950s to store radioactive liquid waste generated through the site’s nuclear weapons material processing. The determination announced today allows SRS to complete cleanup and closure of Tanks 18 and 19 by the end of this year and the remaining 18 tanks in the F Tank Farm over the next several years as they are emptied and cleaned.  Prior to the decision, the Department and SRS conducted extensive technical environmental analysis, public review and comment, and consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The state of South Carolina and the Environmental Protection Agency were also included in and supportive of the decision to close the tanks. The SRS FTF 3116 Waste Determination, its Basis, and the Supplement Analysis can be viewedHERE.

Hanford workers still fear reprisal for safety complaints: DOE official 

News; Environmental Management | Derek Sands | 706 words | 26 March 2012 | Inside Energy

Workers at the site of the biggest nuclear-waste cleanup in the US still cannot report safety risks to their managers without fear of reprisal, despite recent attempts by the Energy Department to give them that assurance, the head of DOE's health and safety office said last week. Glenn Podonski told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development that Energy Secretary Steven Chu and his senior management have taken a number of steps to address the problem at the Hanford Site in Washington State. "But the proof is in the pudding," Podonsky said. "The workers have to believe that they can raise issues without concern of reprisal, without fear of retaliation, and that is a tall order for this department." Concerns over the safety culture at Hanford became clearer than ever to top DOE management last year, when the independent Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board released a scathing report regarding the site's $12.3 billion Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. The report said DOE and its contractors for the project lacked an effective process for workers to raise safety issues.

ARCHIVED STORIES BEGIN HERE

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EM Recovery News - September 2010 - Issue 16
September 03, 2010 - Environmental Management Recovery Act
EM Recovery News - September 2010 - Issue 16
View File: EM Recovery News - September 2010 - Issue 16
This 16th issue of Recovery News focuses on the Office of Environmental Management American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Program’s benefits to stakeholders such as community groups, as well as Tribal Nations and regulators. We highlight Savannah River Site’s (SRS) work with community groups such as the Citizens Advisory Board, which provides advice to SRS on its cleanup. In another article, we provide a perspective on the Recovery Act’s impact in West Valley, N.Y. In Washington state, we show how Recovery Act dollars are cleaning up a large stretch of land of historical significance to regional Tribal Nations. We also focus on the Oak Ridge Office in Tennessee, and its work with regulators.

BRC July 14-15, 2010 Meeting Information, Documents & Presentations

July 14-15, 2010 Meeting Information, Documents & Presentations

Updated 07/13/2010

DOE Meets TPA Milestone in the 300 Area

DOE News ReleaseMedia Contact: Cameron Hardy, DOE For Immediate Release:
(509) 376-5365, Cameron.Hardy@rl.doe.gov July 13, 2010Five Waste Sites, One Burial Ground Completed Ahead of Deadline

RICHLAND, WASH. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) met a Tri-Party Agreement Milestone three months early when contractors completed remediation of five waste sites and one burial ground recently in the 300 Area of the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State.

The active remediation of these waste sites helps Hanford get rid of sources of contamination to area groundwater, which can migrate to the Columbia River.

Report on Office of Technology Innovation and Development Program Plan

Friday, June 18, 2010
The Department is responding to House Conference Report 111-203, Energy and Water
Development Appropriations Bill, Fiscal Year 2010, which directs the Department to update and
submit Appendices A and B of the Status of Environmental Management Initiatives to
Accelerate the Reduction of Environmental Risks and Challenges Posed by the Legacy of the Cold
War (Status Report). The original Status Report, provided to Congress in January 2009,
responded to a requirement in the National Defense Authorization Act Fiscal Year 2008,
Section 3130.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Update Appendices to the Status of EM Initiatives to Accelerate the Reduction of Environmental Risk and Challenges Posed by the Legacy of the Cold War Updated Appendices A and B containing the requested information are enclosed. The Office ofEnvironmental Management (EM) has had great success in meeting the terms of its regulatorycommitments, as shown in the update to Appendix A. EM'S overall record of meeting regulatory milestones exceeds 90 percent. EM has also had great success in containing lifecycle cost growth, as shown in the update to Appendix B. Despite baseline changes and the acceptance of nearly $600 million of new scope not contained in the January 2009 Status Report, EM has reduced its life-cycle costs from a range between $274 and $329 billion in 2008
to $273 to $327 billion today. In addition, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds
have helped EM avoid another $3.2 billion in life-cycle costs.

Analysis Triples U.S. Plutonium Waste Figures

July 10, 2010 New York Times
By MATTHEW L. WALD

WASHINGTON — The amount of plutonium buried at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State is nearly three times what the federal government previously reported, a new analysis indicates, suggesting that a cleanup to protect future generations will be far more challenging than planners had assumed.

Plutonium waste is much more prevalent around nuclear weapons sites nationwide than the Energy Department’s official accounting indicates, said Robert Alvarez, a former department official who in recent months reanalyzed studies conducted by the department in the last 15 years for Hanford; the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory; the Savannah River Site, near Aiken, S.C.; and elsewhere.

NEW RICHLAND OPERATIONS MANAGER ANNOUNCED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Media Contact: July 9, 2010 Colleen French, 509-539-0210
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today named Matthew S. McCormick Manager of the Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) at the Hanford Site in southeast Washington State. In this role, he will continue the momentum of cleanup along the Columbia River, further implement the Department’s strategy for shrinking the footprint of active cleanup operations from 586 square miles to 10 square miles in ten years, oversee groundwater protection remedies that will stop the migration of contaminants into the Columbia River, and dispose of hazardous waste and facilities across the Hanford Site.

“Matt's extensive experience in nuclear project management will be critical in continuing the success of the cleanup along the Columbia River and across the Hanford Site. Matt’s strength is his breadth of project management experience – reducing risk at some of DOE’s highest-hazard facilities – combined with his drive to push for better and smarter approaches to complex cleanup challenges,” said Dr. Ines Triay, DOE’s Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management. “He has been a leader not only in helping shape and implement footprint reduction at the Hanford Site, but also in putting together the strategy and regulatory support for how to complete cleanup of the Central Plateau. He has worked alongside Dave Brockman for years at DOE’s Hanford and Rocky Flats sites, and is uniquely qualified to continue Richland’s momentum and successes.”

Nuclear Nonproliferation: DOE Needs to Address Uncertainties with and Strengthen Independent Safety Oversight of Its Plutonium Disposition Program.

1444 words/ 1 June 2010/  General Accounting Office Reports & TestimonyGAORNAVolume 2010; Issue 6EnglishCopyright 2010 Gale Group Inc. All rights reserved. GAO-10-378 March 26, 2010

The end of the Cold War left the United States with a surplus of weapons-grade plutonium, which poses proliferation and safety risks. Much of this material is found in a key nuclear weapon component known as a pit. The Department of Energy (DOE) plans to dispose of at least 34 metric tons of plutonium by fabricating it into mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for domestic nuclear reactors. To do so, DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is constructing two facilities--a MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) and a Waste Solidification Building (WSB)--at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. GAO was asked to assess the (1) cost and schedule status of the MFFF and WSB construction projects, (2) status of NNSA's plans for pit disassembly and conversion, (3) status of NNSA's plans to obtain customers for MOX fuel from the MFFF, and (4) actions that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and DOE have taken to provide independent nuclear safety oversight. GAO reviewed NNSA documents and project data, toured DOE facilities, and interviewed officials from DOE, NRC, and nuclear utilities.

Sending more Hanford waste to Idaho would save cash

Annette Cary;Herald staff writer /Cary Annette/719 words/28 May 2010/Tri-City Herald/TRIC/B1/English/(c) 2010 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.

Not shipping certain Hanford radioactive waste to Idaho for processing as earlier planned is costing the nation $25 million in increased costs, according to an audit by the Department of Energy Office of Inspector General.
The Department of Energy questions that, saying that the long-term costs of dealing with that waste at Hanford will be reduced by at least $135 million because the project has been accelerated with federal economic stimulus money.
Similar long-term savings could be achieved by sending the waste to Idaho for processing, the audit countered.
At issue is transuranic waste — typically debris contaminated with plutonium — that temporarily was buried at Hanford when Congress ordered a national repository for transuranic waste created in 1970. The waste was buried in drums and boxes until the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, in New Mexico opened as a repository.
In February 2008, the Department of Energy announced a plan to ship as much as 8,500 cubic yards of transuranic waste from Hanford to the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project at the Idaho National Laboratory.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future

Events/Public Meetings

Updated 06/01/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010 Meeting Schedule
Full Commission Meetings
July 14th and 15th - Richland, Washington
September 21st and 22nd – TBD
November 15th and 16th – TBD

Public Teleconferences may be held as necessary on:
June 17th
August 17th
October 19th
December 14th

Previous Meeting Information, Documents & Presentations
May 25 and 26, 2010 - Washington, DC
March 25 and March 26, 2010 - First Commission Public Meeting, Washington, D.C.