Partnerships under pressure. Managing commercial low-level radioactive waste

The report provides an overview of progress made by nine compacts and the remaining unaffiliated States in developing disposal facilities. Disposal costs have more than tripled while LLW volumes have dropped by more than half over the last decade. Since many costs associated with developing and operating a disposal facility are fixed, unit disposal costs will increase substantially as new facilities open, leading States to consider the economics of cooperative arrangements, which would permit them to trade waste services and construct fewer full-service disposal facilities. A small percent of LLW is labeled mixed LLW because it also contains components classified as hazardous under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Jurisdiction over mixed LLW disposal falls jointly to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. Unfortunately, some regulations aimed at mixed LLW are unattainable, inconsistent, or duplicative. Unless current regulations are revised, generators of mixed LLW (e.g., industries, hospitals, nuclear power plants, and laboratories) are left with three options: stop producing the waste (which can mean going out of business), illegally store the waste or illegally dispose of the waste. The report presents options on how the dilemma may be addressed