Characterization of Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) disposes of plutonium-contaminated debris from its 27 nuclear weapons facilities at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), an underground repository in Carlsbad, New Mexico. After four years of operational experience, DOE has opportunities to make changes to the costly and time-consuming process of "characterizing" the waste to confirm that it is appropriate for shipment to and disposal at WIPP. The report says that in order to make such changes, DOE should conduct and publish a systematic and quantitative assessment to show that the proposed changes would not affect the protection of workers, the public, or the environment.Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive Summary1 Introduction2 Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste3 Regulatory Context for the Disposal of Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste4 Department of Energy's Proposed Characterization Plan5 Assessment of the Proposed Characterization PlanReferencesAppendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee MembersAppendix B: Information-Gathering MeetingsAppendix C: Excerpt from the Committee's Interim Report: Chapter 5Appendix D: DOE's Response to the Committee's Interim ReportAppendix E: Information About Selected Transuranic Waste Generator SitesAppendix F: Overview of the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Characterization PlanAppendix G: Non-Destructive Techniques for Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste CharacterizationAppendix H: Waste Dose Rates and Characterization Cost EstimatesAppendix I: GlossaryAppendix J: Acronyms