Appendix B
Information Gathered to Date
In addition to the committee’s expertise in relevant technical disciplines and knowledge of the Department of Energy (DOE) problems, several other sources of information were used to develop this interim report. The committee reviewed Documents 1 and 2, and considered relevant regulatory documents, such as 40 CFR 191, 40 CFR 194, in particular subpart 24 referring to waste characterization, the Land Withdrawal Act, RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) Permit, and the joint Nuclear Regulatory Commission/EPA guidance. The committee held two information-gathering meetings so that members could familiarize themselves with the problems at four Remote-Handled Transuranic (RH-TRU waste) waste generator sites and hear from the stakeholders. During the first meeting, which was held on August 1–3, 2001 in Columbus, Ohio, DOE gave the committee an overview of its draft RH-TRU characterization plan.
The committee received briefings on the following sites:
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Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois
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Battelle Columbus Laboratories, Ohio,
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Hanford Site, Washington,
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Idaho National Engineering and Environment Laboratory,
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Los Alamos National Laboratory, and
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The committee heard about current characterization methods for RH-TRU waste and their limits and possibilities. The briefings were followed by a tour of the Battelle Columbus Laboratories site. Thus far, the committee has received complete cooperation from DOE and has not been constrained in its information gathering efforts. During the second meeting, held on October 3–5, 2001, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the committee was briefed by New Mexico Environment Department, the Environmental Evaluation Group, and by local interested members of the public.
