NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Record Of Decision Issued |
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OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The U.S. Department of Energy has completed a major step in preparation for the treatment of transuranic waste at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the issuance of a Record of Decision under the National Environmental Policy Act. DOE has decided to proceed with the low-temperature drying technology for waste treatment, with final offsite disposal of transuranic waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, and disposition of low-level waste at the Nevada Test Site. "This drying technology was our preferred alternative and we view it as the method offering the best technology and greatest efficiency for treating the Laboratory's transuranic waste," said Bill Cahill, DOE's Document Manager for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) covering the project. This action will allow DOE to reduce risk to human health and the environment by properly treating both liquid and solid transuranic waste that is located in trenches, vaults and metal buildings at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Transuranic waste includes clothing, tools, rags, debris and residues and other disposable items contaminated with radioactive elements, mostly plutonium. The Record of Decision is the final step in the National Environmental Policy Act review which began with the issuance of a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS on January 27, 1999. A draft EIS was issued for public comment on March 3, 2000. Stakeholder involvement was an integral part of the development of the Final EIS, which was issued on June 30, 2000. Comments on the draft document were submitted by the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board, Local Oversight Committee and the City of Oak Ridge. Comments were also received from regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. In August 1998, DOE awarded a contract to Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp. to construct a transuranic waste treatment facility adjacent to the Melton Valley Storage Tanks at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This selection was contingent upon completion of the NEPA review and the selection of Foster Wheeler's proposed technology (low temperature drying) process and the decisions incorporated in the subsequent ROD. "With issuance of the ROD, Foster Wheeler can proceed with construction of the treatment facility," said Gary Riner, DOE's Transuranic Waste Program Manager. Construction of the treatment facility is expected to begin in 2001 with waste processing to start in January 2003. "We are delivering on our commitment to regulators in our Site Treatment Plan to move forward with the treatment of our transuranic waste now in storage," Riner said. For more information about the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the final disposal site for the transuranic waste covered in this ROD, call 1-800-336-9477 or visit the web site at www.wipp.carlsbad.nm.us.
-DOE- R-00-032 |
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