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Statement of Task
Committee on Remediation of Buried and Tank Waste
The Committee will provide scientific and technical review and evaluation of DOE's program of remediation of the environment contaminated by buried and tank-contained defense high-level, transuranic (TRU), and mixed radioactive wastes. The committee will have the following general objectives:
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1)
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address critical generic and specific issues relevant to remediation of the environment contaminated by buffed and tank-contained defense radioactive waste on a broad national (and global) perspective (e.g., identification of reasonable alternatives for remedial action including the baseline ''no action" alternative, use of systems engineering and risk-based assessment for planning and decision making, and appropriate use of technology);
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2)
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provide scientific and technical evaluation of the use of new technology and methodology for environmental remediation of buried and tank-contained defense radioactive wastes at DOE sites and facilities;
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3)
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replace and assume the activities of two previous DOE-requested study groups, the Panel to Review Planned DOE Disposal of Radioactive Waste in Single-Shell Tanks at Hanford (HSST Panel) and the Panel to Review the DOE Assessment of Pre-1970 Buried TRU Waste at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL Panel); and
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provide, as requested by DOE and approved by NAS/ NRC, critical review and evaluation of plans for and implementation of specific relevant environmental remediation actions at DOE sites and facilities other than Hanford and INEL.
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The committee will be composed of experts from the fields of environmental sciences, radiochemistry, engineering, systems and risk analysis, regulatory policy, and health physics to address the broad and interrelated issues associated with the environmental remediation of the defense nuclear weapons complex.
The committee will meet on an average of four times each year. It will establish special subcommittees as necessary to collect and analyze detailed information pertinent to committee studies (e.g., risk assessment, systems engineering/ integration, environmental characterization, applied technology, site-specific).