Wastes


Wyoming Becomes 38th NRC Agreement State

The agreement signed Sept. 25 transfers regulatory authority over certain radioactive materials to the state. NRC transferred responsibility for licensing, rulemaking, inspection, and enforcement activities needed to regulate source material involved in uranium or thorium milling and the management and disposal of milling waste.

NRC Resumes Review of Application to Build Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility in Texas

NRC is accepting additional public comments through Oct. 19 on environmental issues to be considered in its environmental impact statement, and the agency has given stakeholders until Oct. 29 to request a hearing.

What EPA's New e-Manifest System Means for Businesses in Every Industry

While the e-Manifest is overall beneficial for the entire waste management industry, there is a lot to understand about the new system and other ever-changing regulations.

New Executive Director Appointed for PA Citizens Advisory Council

"Keith has provided outstanding legal counseling to DEP for the past four years," said Patrick McDonnell, Pennsylvania DEP secretary. "His broad experience within DEP and his extensive knowledge of environmental law will serve the council very well as they explore big-picture issue areas affecting the commonwealth."

$200 Million More Approved for Hanford Cleanup

"This land and groundwater cleanup is an important puzzle piece in the larger Hanford Project," said EPA Regional Administrator Chris Hladick. "Since these areas are virtually on the banks of the Columbia River, this work to further reduce toxic and radiological threats to the river is particularly important."

Wyoming Seeks to Be NRC Agreement State

The agency would transfer responsibility for licensing, rulemaking, inspection, and enforcement activities related to the extraction and concentration of uranium and thorium milling and also the management and disposal of milling waste.

SWANA Launches Safety Toolkit for Solid Waste Haulers

The toolkit includes safety guidance and material such as the "5 to Stay Alive" safety tips and "Top 10 Backing Best Practices." There is also a Safety Pledge for workers to sign and a Pledge to Get Home Safe mini poster.

New Underground Ventilation System Under Construction at WIPP

The system will provide approximately 540,000 cubic feet per minute of air to the WIPP underground, significantly more than the current ventilation system. At an estimated cost of $288 million, the new ventilation system is expected to be completed by early 2021.



American Chemistry Council's CEO Staying On

CEO Cal Dooley has agreed to stay through 2019 after the council's board of directors agreed that the chemicals and plastics industry must take a global leadership role to reduce and ultimately eliminate plastic waste.

Hearing Concerns Proposed California Regulations for Metal Shredders

Currently there are six metal shredding facilities in the state. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control plans to set enforceable operating requirements for metal shredding facilities through a hazardous waste permit.

New Orleans Holds 8th Annual Household Hazardous Materials Cleanup

Orleans Parish residents were able to bring paint, pesticides, antifreeze, garden chemicals, flammable liquids, muriatic acid, small mercury devices, aerosols, pool shock, household cleaners, motor oil, automobile batteries, and motorcycle batteries for disposal or recycling.

Nominations Sought for 2018 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards

Nominations for innovations in six categories are due by July 2, 2018. The categories are academic, small business, greener synthetic pathways, greener reaction conditions, designing greener chemicals, and climate change.

Montana Issues Bid Package for First Phase of Butte Cleanup

Gov. Steve Bullock on March 28 announced the next steps for the Parrot Tailings Waste Removal Project in Butte, saying the Montana Natural Resource Damage Program has issued the bid package for the first phase of the project.

NNSA Team Wins Project Management Award

The presentation took place during the 2018 DOE Project Management Workshop held in Arlington, Va. The TWF project at Los Alamos National Laboratory is NNSA's first Hazard Category 2 Nuclear Facility project completed under budget.

A nuclear waste cask is loaded onto a barge during the Sandia National Laboratories "triathlon." (Photo courtesy Sandia National Laboratories)

Sandia Details 'Transport Triathlon' Results

The eight-month test involved a waste transportation and storage cask fresh off the assembly line being loaded with three surrogate fuel rod assemblies from the United States, Spain, and South Korea and then traveling from Spain to Colorado and back again by truck, ship, and train.

Home Depot to Pay $27.84 Million for Hazardous Waste and Record Disposal Violations

The company's stores and facilities were found to have improperly managed the disposal of aerosol cans, batteries, electronics, pesticides, paint, and other items, as well as customer information.

European Commission Acts on Croatian Waste Site, Flood Plans

The commission on March 8 referred Croatia to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to adequately protect people and the environment at the Biljane Donje landfill.

Proposal to Store Nuclear Waste in New Mexico Advances

The proposal comes from Holtec International, who is seeking an initial 40-year license for an underground storage facility that could accept and temporarily store used nuclear fuel accruing at reactors across the United States.

Hanford Sets Meeting on Tunnel 2 Plans

A public meeting has been scheduled for March 14 at 5 p.m. in Richland, Wash., so area residents can learn more about the plans to finish filling and stabilizing two large tunnels there that have been used to store contaminated waste.