Greater-than-class C Low-level Radioactive Waste: The Elastic Waste Stream

The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 (the Act) made the Department of Energy responsible for disposal of greater-than-Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive waste (LLW). A recent DOE study projects that some 3,240 cubic meters of GTCC LLW will be generated through 2035. As important as the projection, however, are the caveats about the uncertainties involved in the projection. GTCC LLW is labeled the elastic waste stream, not because of characteristics of the waste, but because legal interpretations and regulatory policies will have a major affect on the volume of waste ultimately considered GTCC LLW. For the past several years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has implemented a three-phase strategy for implementing its responsibilities for GTCC LLW. Under the strategy, DOE would provide for interim storage of GTCC LLW that poses a potential threat to public health and safety, would plan for a dedicated storage system that would accept GTCC LLW on a less restricted basis, and would plan for eventual disposal of the waste. Based on information developed by the GTCC LLW over the past several years, the DOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management and the Idaho Operations Office have directed that the program reassess whether this is the most effective strategy to meet DOE's responsibilities under the Act.