EPA issues “Million Year Rule” for Yucca Mountain Radiation Standards

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on 9/30/08 its Final Yucca Mountain Radiation Standards.  To say this rule is “far-reaching” is putting it mildly; EPA now has the distinction of promulgating a regulatory limit that reaches 1 million years into the future.  The Yucca Mountain facility is a US Department of Energy (DOE) project.

The DOE has recommended Yucca Mountain as a potential repository for radioactive waste.  If approved, the site would be the nation's first geologic repository for permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes.  Yucca mountain is located in Nye County, Nevada, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas on federally-owned land on the edge of the Nevada Test Site.  EPA's only role in Yucca Mountain is to establish environmental and public health radiation protection standards for the repository. 

EPA was required to set standards consistent with the findings and recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and satisfy a July 2004 court decision to extend the standards' duration. The Yucca Mountain standards are in line with approaches used in the international radioactive waste management community. The final standards will:

·        Retain the dose limit of 15 millirem per year for the first 10,000 years after disposal;

·      Establish a dose limit of 100 millirem annual exposure per year between 10,000 years and 1 million years;

·      Require the DOE to consider the effects of climate change, earthquakes, volcanoes, and corrosion of the waste packages to safely contain the waste during the 1 million-year period; and

·      Be consistent with the recommendations of the NAS by establishing a radiological protection standard for this facility at the time of peak dose up to 1 million years after disposal.

Human exposure to radiation varies from natural sources, such as radon and ultraviolet radiation from the sun, and other sources, such as medical X-rays. The average annual radiation exposure from both naturally occurring and manmade sources for a person living in the United States has been estimated to be 360 millirem per year.

Role of Other Federal Agencies at Yucca Mountain

The DOE is responsible for the construction, management, and operation of the potential geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. DOE follows Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations to ensure the safety and health of workers at the site. The Department is also working with the U.S. Geological Survey, part of the Department of the Interior, on site characterization issues and activities.

If the site is licensed and approved to accept radioactive waste, DOE would obtain a license, construct, operate, monitor, and close the repository. Before any waste could be transported to the site, DOE would route the carriers using Department of Transportation and Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations and guidelines.

NRC is responsible for determining whether DOE will receive the necessary licenses to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the potential Yucca Mountain repository.

Now that EPA’s standards are finalized, NRC must revise its regulations to be consistent with our Public Health and Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Yucca Mountain. 

If waste transportation to Yucca Mountain is authorized, the DOT would be charged with ensuring that waste carriers comply with routing regulations and guidelines. Radioactive waste carrier drivers must be trained and retrained each year to tackle a variety of transport conditions and situations, including rough terrain and severe weather conditions. Drivers must complete a First Responders Course to help them prepare for incident prevention and response. Additional emergency response support would be provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of underground workers at the Yucca Mountain facility. MSHA provides technical assistance and consultation services and conducts on-site safety and health visits at the facility.

To learn more about this EPA action go to: www.epa.gov/radiation/yucca

The DOE comprehensive web site about the planned Yucca Mountain Repository is located at:  http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ym_repository/index.shtml

This article was excerpted from EPA and DOE public sources of information, and was authored by Rick Wilson, Acacia Environmental Group LLC. This article was authored by Rick Wilson, Acacia Environmental Group LLC. For more information on the author see here.