Environmental: Post-Closure: Uncertain, Unsettled, and Underestimated Session | Room 255A
Title II of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 addressed siting, design, operations, decommissioning and long-term surveillance and control of tailings produced at conventional uranium milling operations licensed in 1978 or later. Appendix A to 10 CFR Part 40 defines technical, financial and long-term site surveillance criteria. Given the radiological hazard associated with uranium mill tailings, the criteria include reasonable assurance of effective engineering control for 1,000 years, to the extent reasonably achievable, and, in any case, for at least 200 years. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has federal licensing authority for uranium tailings operations and closure. The NRC granted licensing authority to five Agreement States (Colorado, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming). There are 20 Title II facilities in decommissioning, including 15 under the authority of Agreement States. Six additional Title II facilities are fully decommissioned and transferred to the U.S. Department of Energy for long-term monitoring. This presentation surveys post-closure care and maintenance activities at the Title II sites approaching or under long-term surveillance.
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