NRC SEEKS COMMENTS ON BLENDING
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is seeking comments on issues related to blending low-level radioactive waste (LLRW). Input will be solicited at a public meeting on January 14, 2010 in Rockville, Maryland. Stakeholders are also invited to submit written comments.
A notice issued in the Federal Register on November 30, 2009, blending is defined as “mixing of LLRW of different concentrations. It does not involve mixing radioactive waste with non-radioactive waste, (i.e. dilution) and concerns only disposal in a licensed facility, not release of radioactivity to the general environment.”
The notice states that blending is not prohibited or explicitly addressed in NRC regulations. However, NRC staff guidance discourages blending in some circumstances and recognizes that some blending may be appropriate in other circumstances.
For further information, go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for documents filed under Docket ID NRC-2009-0520 or contact Brooke Traynham at 404-729-3366 or Brooke.Traynham@nrc.gov.