Economic impacts of 10 CFR part 61 on the land disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW)

The new regulations for land disposal of radioactive waste, 10 CFR Part 61, as promulgated by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) are effective as of December 27, 1983. These new rules have required modifications to the previous practices in commercial burial of LLRW which increased the costs associated with disposal. This paper addresses the requirements of the new regulations, and describes the efforts of one burial site operator to minimize the economic impact of the regulations. Each of the requirements addressed has economic impacts relative to increased paperwork and documentation, increased inspection time, increased labor and equipment costs, increased site construction requirements and decreased disposal efficiency. Discussed in the paper are the relative cost impacts, and the actions and the degree of success of US Ecology, Inc., to minimize cost increases through license negotiations, computerized record keeping and reporting, computerized class verification, and site management and operating procedures