Effects of policy and other changes on transuranic waste disposal at WIPP

Policy decisions by the Department of Energy have both driven and delayed the WIPP project. Factors which have hindered progress include changes in mission, construction of the facility prior to completing the safety analyses, expenditure of resources on bringing a small quantity of waste for experimentation at WIPP rather than focus on disposal, the lack of an early commitment of resources to demonstrating compliance with EPA disposal standards for hazardous waste (40 CFR 268) and for transuranic waste (40 CFR 191), and reluctance to abandon a shipping container for CH-TRU waste that did not meet safety standards. The new policy initiatives undertaken by the DOE since October, 1993, appear to set the most appropriate course for the WIPP to accomplish its mission. This paper describes the impact of the past and present policies on the WIPP project