PA EPA FINALIZES RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL CRITERIA FOR NM

PA EPA FINALIZES RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL CRITERIA FOR NM

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1996

EPA FINALIZES RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL

CRITERIA FOR NEW MEXICO WIPP SITE



EPA issued final criteria on Feb. 1 that will be used to certify the Department of Energy's (DOE) compliance with the Agency's radioactive waste disposal standards at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. EPA regulates the release of radioactivity from facilities for the management and disposal of radioactive waste to protect public health and the environment. Today's criteria apply to the disposal of transuranic radioactive waste, a long-lived radioactive waste (sludges, tools, rags) generated as by-products of nuclear weapons production. Congress authorized the development of the WIPP, located near Carlsbad, N.M., in l979, to address the issue of safe disposal of nuclear waste. DOE must apply to EPA for approval to dispose radioactive wastes and, if the WIPP is allowed to open, the Agency must recertify for compliance with the standards at five-year intervals thereafter. The compliance criteria implement the radioactive waste disposal regulations specifically for the WIPP. Requirements in the criteria include the following: general, containment, assurance, individual and ground-water protection and public participation. EPA's promulgation of the final criteria is in line with the intent of the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, which required EPA to finalize the rule one year after the proposal.

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