Improving the Regulation and Management of Low-Activity Radioactive Wastes (2006) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 11-18
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From page 11... ...
Laws, statutes, and regulations that control LAW are based primarily on the type of enterprise that produced it -- the origin of the waste -- rather than the waste's intrinsic radiological hazard. LAW present less of a radiation hazard than either spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste.
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From page 12... ...
Readers who seek background information on the topics discussed in this report should refer to Appendix A SUMMARY OF THE INTERIM REPORT Federal authority for controlling nuclear materials dates back to the McMahon Act of 1946, enacted during the early period of development of nuclear weapons.
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From page 13... ...
Nationwide, million cubic meter volumes of NORM wastes result from mining and oil and gas production each year. To develop its interim report, the committee found it useful to take a step back from the present system of origin-based regulations and to look more closely at the wastes' radiological properties.
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From page 14... ...
Other wastes that fall under different legal definitions can have very similar radiological properties: 4. Uranium and thorium mining and milling wastes are under federal control according to the AEA.
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From page 15... ...
Viewing the current LAW system in the context of these five categories led the committee to its findings that current statutes and regulations for low-activity radioactive wastes provide adequate authority for protection of workers and the public, but that the current system is complex, inconsistent, and does not address risks of the various LAW systematically (see Sidebar 1.3)
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From page 16... ...
During the course of this study the committee came to the conclusion that a "risk-informed" approach would provide the best option for improving LAW regulation and management practices in the United States. A risk-informed approach is based on information provided by sciencebased risk assessment but includes stakeholders as a central component in decision making.
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From page 17... ...
In its own discussions the committee focused on broad approaches to implementing risk-informed practices, well aware of the very contentious nature of radioactive waste issues in general, the apparent lack of progress in resolving these issues during the past 25 years or more, constraints imposed by the current laws and regulations for LAW, and federal and private investments in the present infrastructure. Options evaluated by the committee included sweeping legislative changes by Congress such as revision of the LLRWPA and the basic definition of LLW, adoption of internationally agreed-upon dose- or risk-based standards such as those developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and implementing changes under currently existing regulatory authorities.
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From page 18... ...
The committee distinguishes between the current "patchwork" approach of regulating, when the need arises, new or altered waste streams according to the enterprise that produced them, and the committee's suggested "tiered" approach in which regulatory changes are directed toward controlling wastes according to their intrinsic radiological properties -- their appropriate level of control being determined through a risk-informed process in each instance. Because implementing a risk-informed system is not the sole responsibility of regulators, Chapter 4 also describes responsibilities and opportunities for industry and public stakeholders in implementing the system.
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