A Reporter s
to the
Pilot Plant
(WIPP)
Environmental Health Center
A Division of the National Safety Council
1025 Connecticut--Avenue, NW, Suite 1200
Washington; DC 20036
: , .{202)293-2^76
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A Reporter's Guide
to the
Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant
(WIPP)
Environmental Health Center
A Division of the National Safety Council
1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 293-2270
-------
A Publication of the
Environmental Health Center
National Safety Council
1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20036
September 1997
This guidebook was produced with funds from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency under grant no. 828862-01
The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect that
agency's views or policies. This guidebook was produced
with support also from the Environmental Health Center's
parent organization, the National Safety Council, a not-for-
profit, nongovernmental public service organization.
Permission to reproduce portions of this guidebook is
granted with use of the accompanying credit line: "Reproduced
from A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant,
with permission from the Environmental Health Center of the
National Safety Council." This guide benefited substantially
from prepublication review by a range of experts, but their
review does not necessarily connote their or their organiza-
tions' endorsement of or support for all aspects of this guide.
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Table of Contents
Preface —....... 3
The WIPP Facility 6
Management of the WIPP Facility 6
A Brief Chronology of WIPP-Related Events 7
Site Characteristics 9
WIPP Construction ,. :. 11
Radiation 13
Types of Radiation... 13
Measurement of Radiation 14
Everyday Exposure to Radiation 14
Effects on Humans ., 15
Duration of Radioactivity of Waste at the WIPP 16
Transuranic Waste 19
Types of Transuranic Waste ..". 19
Transuranic Wastes Allowed at the WIPP 20
Certification and Public Participation......— 22
EPA Certification of the WIPP 22
Public Participation in WIPP Decision Making 23
Transporting Waste to the WIPP 24
Transportation Routes , 25
Transport Vehicles 27
Transport Containers 28
Driver Training 30
Vehicle Inspection 30
Tracking Waste Shipments...,. 31
Emergency Response 33
Future Management and Oversight of the WIPP 35
Recertification by EPA , 35
Permit Renewal by NMED 35
Post-Closure Oversight of the WIPP 36
Glossary of Terms and Acronyms 37
Appendix A: Expert WIPP Contacts 44
Appendix B: Other Resources, —............... 50
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Preface
"War stories." The term has a very special, and endearing,
meaning among reporters and editors.
And certainly no less so among environmental reporters in
particular.
But now the term may be taking on an entirely new meaning.
War story, as in Cold War story. As in legacy of the
five-decade-long Cold War.
As in the legacy of nuclear waste materials at sites throughout
the United States (and Europe and Asia too, for that matter) as a
result of the nation's military defense buildup.
There was a time when it was primarily a defense story, a
national security story. Or perhaps also a foreign affairs/foreign
policy story.
In the late 1990s, and well into the future it appears, it increas-
ingly will be in the environmental beat that the story falls.
Therefore the opportunity. And the challenge.
Make that challenges. And lots of them.
Reporters might see the nuclear waste storage, transportation,
and disposal story as being as remote and as far-removed as the
decades, and even centuries, it will take for much of that waste to
decay or reach its "half-life." They might see the issue as being as
remote in distance as are some of the projected disposal sites: as
far from readers and viewers in New York or Tacoma, for instance,
as Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is from Carlsbad, New Mexico.
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Page 4 A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
That would be a mistake.
Surely the long-term environmental, economic, and societal
challenges arising from sound management and disposal of this
Gold War nuclear legacy is a national story, indeed an international
story. Make no mistake about that.
But with temporary above-ground sites peppering the map, and
with transportation corridors lacing across thousands of miles of
interstate highways stretching from Washington State to South
Carolina and from Ohio to California, it's also a uniquely local
story in many regions of the country.
For enterprising environmental journalists, there's also lots of
new ground to plow. No pun.
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) that is the subject of
this guide is planned to be the first permanent repository of transu-
ranic waste, just one of the Cold War waste streams that will
command public interest and attention in coming decades. Careful
journalists will be quick to recognize the differences among vari-
ous Cold War nuclear wastes. But they also will recognize poten-
tial precedential implications of activities associated with transu-
ranic waste~the first type expected to begin the transition from
"temporary" to "permanent" storage.
That in itself will help make the WIPP transuranic waste story
newsworthy. (Will the time come when reporters will want to add
those terms-WIPP and transuranic waste-to their hard-disk
spell-checker dictionaries?)
It may be a tad presumptuous to suggest that the West-or for
that matter anyone really-actually won the Cold War. But in that
context and by some reverse logic, one could reasonably conclude
that having won the war, there now remain numerous, and com-
plex, "battles" still to be fought and won.
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Page 5
It's like having to deal with scattered and random land mines
long after the peace treaty has been signed.
Few ever thought that either the build-up or the eventual
build-down of the nuclear weapons stockpile would pose easy
public policy questions, ripe for simplified decision making. And
no one should suggest either that the costly and complex processes
of managing that stockpile will be without its own twists and turns.
Helping citizens better understand and effectively become
involved with that decision making is a role, and an opportunity,
the press alone can fulfill. If this reporter's guide helps citizens
reach that goal, it will have accomplished its most ambitious
hopes. And then some.
Bud Ward
Executive Director, Environmental Health Center
National Safety Council
September 1997
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PageS A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
The WIPP Facility
"WIPP" is the abbreviation for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant,
a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility in southeastern New
Mexico, 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad. The facility was built to
serve as Ae nation's first geological repository for permanent
disposal of transuranic wastes and transuranic mixed wastes, which
are transuranic wastes that also have hazardous chemical compo-
nents. If it receives approval to open, the WIPP would be the first
such facility in the world.
Transuranic wastes generally consist of protective clothing,
tools, glassware, equipment, soils, and sludge that have become
contaminated with radioactive materials at nuclear weapons pro-
duction facilities in the United States. Only defense-generated
transuranic wastes would go to the WIPP. Under federal law, the
WIPP is not authorized to accept high-level radioactive wastes or
spent nuclear fuel.
Management of the WIPP Facility
In 1993, DOE created the Carlsbad Area Office (CAO) to lead
its transuranic waste disposal efforts. CAO coordinates DOE's
transuranic program at waste-generating sites and national labora-
tories. The CAO manager reports to DOE's assistant secretary for
environmental management at DOE headquarters hi Washington,
D.C., and receives administrative support from DOE's Albuquer-
que Operations Office. Westinghouse Electric Corporation is the
WIPP program's managing and operating contractor. Sandia
National Laboratories is the program's lead technical contractor.
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Page 7
A Brief Chronology of
WIPP-Related Events
More than 40 years ago, in 1955, the U.S. Atomic Energy
Commission (AEC) asked the National Academy of Sciences
(NAS) to study permanent disposal methods for radioactive wastes
from nuclear weapons production in the United States. (AEC was
disbanded in 1974. Some of its functions, including those related
to disposal of transuranic waste, eventually became the responsibil-
ity of DOE.) A 1957 NAS report to the AEC recommended that
transuranic and high-level wastes be buried in geologic formations
and that the feasibility of using salt beds or salt domes as a dis-
posal medium be investigated.
In 1970, the AEC tentatively selected a nuclear waste reposi-
tory site in salt deposits near Lyons, Kansas. In 1972, the federal
government withdrew that site from consideration for the reposi-
tory because of concerns that drilling in the vicinity had compro-
mised the salt deposits' geologic integrity.
In the mid-1970s, the U.S. Geological Survey identified a salt
formation east of Carlsbad, New Mexico, as a possible site. A first
borehole, drilled to 3,000 feet, found salt bed deformations and
pressurized brine; these conditions suggested that waste might
escape from the site. To avoid these problems, the site was moved
seven miles further southwest, to its current location.
After environmental studies of the new site were completed hi
1979, Congress authorized construction of the WIPP. In the
legislation that authorized the WIPP, Congress expressed its
intention that the facility be developed to demonstrate safe meth-
ods for disposal of transuranic waste. That legislation also speci-
fied that only certain amounts and types of defense-generated
transuranic waste could be disposed of at the WIPP.
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Page 8 A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
DOE drilled the first exploratory shaft at the current site in
1981 and two years later decided to proceed with full construction
of the WIPP. Construction and maintenance activities have contin-
ued at the site ever since.
Before the WIPP would be able to open, the 10,240 acres of
land surrounding the site had to be withdrawn from public use.
The site is owned by the federal government and had been under
the control of the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land
Management. In January 1991, the Department of the Interior
attempted to administratively transfer control of the site to DOE.
In October of the same year, the state of New Mexico filed a
successful lawsuit against DOE, arguing that Congress, and not the
executive branch alone, should make the transfer. In October
1992, Congress passed the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, which
assigned authority for the land to DOE and gave the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) substantial responsibility for
regulating many of DOE* s activities at the WIPP.
In September 1996, Congress passed and the President signed
into law the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act Amendments. The
amendments exempted the WIPP from Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA) land disposal restriction requirements.
Congress, DOE and EPA agreed that this exemption was appropri-
ate because the WIPP was already subject to comprehensive
regulation under the Atomic Energy Act, the WIPP Land With-
drawal Act, and other portions of RCRA. The amendments also
struck requirements in the original act that DOE conduct under-
ground tests onsite with transuranic waste to determine whether it
could be disposed of safely. In doing so, Congress ratified a
conclusion DOE and other agencies had reached several years
earlier-that the site's safety performance could be adequately
assessed with a combination of nonwaste tests at the site and
laboratory mathematical models.
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Page 9
Before the WIPP can open, DOE must obtain EPA certification
that the facility is in compliance with EPA disposal standards for
transuranie wastes. EPA is required to make a certification deci-
sion within one year of receiving a complete compliance certifica-
tion application. DOE applied for certification on October 29,
1996. After receiving the DOE application, EPA asked for addi-
tional information; on May 16,1997, EPA declared DOE's appli-
cation complete. If EPA certifies that the WIPP meets the disposal
standards and other legal requirements are satisfied, the facility can
begin accepting waste 30 days after receipt of certification, or as
early as May 1998.
Before the WIPP can open, DOE must also obtain a hazardous
waste permit from the State of New Mexico and issue a record of
decision on the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
Finally, Congress must fund the disposal activities it has autho-
rized.
Site Characteristics
Based on recommendations by NAS, DOE decided that deep
underground disposal in a suitable rock formation would be the
safest, most practical, and most cost-effective means of perma-
nently disposing of transuranic wastes. For a rock formation to be
suitable, it should be highly stable, contain no circulating ground-
water, be in an area where severe earthquakes or volcanic eruptions
are highly unlikely, and be deep enough to allow for buffers of the
same rock above and below the storage area.
NAS also recommended salt deposits as one of the disposal
media for radioactive waste. Salt, according to NAS, offers several
advantages: most salt deposits are in stable geological areas; the
presence of salt demonstrates the absence of flowing fresh water
(which would have dissolved the salt beds); salt is relatively easy
to mine; and salt formations will eventually "creep" and fill in
mined areas and seal the radioactive waste from the environment.
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Page 10 A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
Figure 1. WIPP Facility and Stratigraphic Sequence
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad Area Office,
The site chosen for the 2,150-foot-deep WIPP is a 16-square-
mile tract of federal land in the arid rangelands of southeastern
New Mexico. The site consists of a thick layer of rock salt depos-
ited about 225 million years ago. The low rainfall in the desert
environment limits the amount of water that will move through the
ground in the vicinity of the WIPP. Fewer than 30 people live
within 10 miles of the WIPP site.
Although the WIPP site is under the control of DOE and is in a
sparsely populated area, there is oil drilling, gas drilling, and
potash mining in the vicinity. Because transuranic waste remains
radioactive and must be kept isolated for thousands of years, some
have expressed concern that future drilling or mining could disturb
the site centuries from now, when government controls over the
repository may have deteriorated.
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
Page 11
In an October 1996 report, the Committee on the Waste Isola-
tion Pilot Plant of the National Research Council (which is admin-
istered by NAS) found that "provided it is sealed effectively and
remains undisturbed by human activity,... the WIPP repository-
has the ability to isolate [transuranicj waste for more than 10,000
years." It also found that "the only known possibilities of serious
release of radionuclides appears to be from poor seals or some
form of future human activity that results in intrusion into the
repository." The committee recommended that "speculative
scenarios of human intrusion should not be used as the sole or
primary basis on which to judge the acceptability of the WIPP,"
WIPP Construction
WIPP excavation began in 1982 and continued throughout the
1980s. Four vertical shafts provide access andVentilation to the
underground portion of the WIPP, where transuranic wastes will be
Figure 2. Layout of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
Salt Storage Piles
Air Intake Shaft
Salt-
handling Waste Handling
Shaft / Support Building
Exhaust Shaft
Panels 2-8 Not yet
excavated
Source: U.S. Department of Energy.
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Page 12 A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
deposited if the facility opens. This underground portion, which is
2,150 feet below ground level, is to consist of 56 large rooms-each
about 300 feet long, 33 feet wide, and 13 feet high. By 1988,
seven of these rooms had been constructed. Construction of
additional rooms will resume when-the need arises. Upon comple-
tion, the WIPP as currently designed could hold more than 6
million cubic feet of transuranic wastes or about 850,000 55-gallon
drums.
The above-ground portion of the WIPP facility includes the
Waste-Handling Building, where containers of transuranic wastes
are to be unloaded and their contents inventoried, inspected, and
prepared for disposal underground; a health physics laboratory; an
exhaust filter building; emergency electric generators; and staff
offices. The WIPP site also has its own fire department, ambu-
lance service, and mine rescue capability.
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Page 13
Radiation
Radiation is energy in the form of photons or high-speed
atomic particles (ionizing) or electromagnetic waves (nonionizing).
Atoms release radiation as they change from unstable, energized
forms to more stable forms. Ail matter is composed of elements,
and each element can take many different forms (called isotopes).
Some of these isotopes are unstable and emit radiation; these
unstable isotopes are known as radioisotopes or radionuclides.
Stable isotopes do not undergo radioactive decay and therefore do
not emit radiation.
Types of Radiation
Radiation is either ionizing or nonionizing. Ionizing radiation
has three main forms:
Alpha particles can travel only a few inches in the air and lose
their energy almost as soon as they collide with anything. They
are easily shielded by a sheet of paper or the outer layer of a
person's skin.
Figure 3. Three Types of Radiation and How They Are Contained
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
wvw wwwvwwww
wwwwwwwvwvx
Paper
or Skin
Aluminum
Foil
Concrete, Lead,
or Salt Rock
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad Area Office.
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Page 14 A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
Beta particles, which are identical to electrons, are more energetic
than alpha particles. They can travel in the air for a distance of a
few feet. Beta particles can pass through a sheet of paper but can
be stopped by a sheet of aluminum foil or glass.
Gamma rays are waves of pure energy and are similar to x-rays.
They travel at the speed of light through air or open spaces. Con-
crete, lead, or steel is necessary to block gamma rays.
Measurement of Radiation
Radiation is measured in different ways. Measurements used
in the United States include the following:
Roentgen is a measure of exposure; it describes the amount of
radiation energy, in the form of gamma or x-rays, in the air.
Rad (radiation absorbed dose) measures the amount of energy
actually absorbed by a material, such as human tissue.
Rem (roentgen equivalent man) measures the biological damage of
radiation. It takes into account both the amount, or dose, of radia-
tion and the biological effect of the type of radiation in question.
A millirem is one one-thousandth of a rem.
Curie is a unit of radioactivity. One curie refers to the amount of
any radionuclide that undergoes 37 billion atomic transformations
a second. A nanocurie is one one-billionth of a curie.
Everyday Exposure to Radiation
Individual exposures vary, but humans are exposed routinely to
radiation from both natural sources, such as cosmic rays from the
sun and indoor radon, and from manufactured sources, such as
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Page 15
televisions and medical x-rays. Even the human body contains
natural radioactive elements.
Because individual human exposures to radiation are usually
small, the millirem (one one-thousandth of a rem) is generally used
to express the doses humans receive. The following table shows
average radiation doses from several common sources of human
exposure.
Table 1. Sources and Doses of Radiation*
Radiation Source
Chest x-ray
Mammogram
Cosmic rays
Human body**
Household radon
Cross-country airplane flight
Dose (Milttrems)
10
30
31 (annually)
39 (annually)
200 (annually)
5
*This table illustrates average radiation doses from several common sources of
exposure. Reporters should note, however, that the public may not perceive similar
levels of exposure as comparable. Different perceptions arise in part because some
potential exposure sources, such as mammogratns and chest x-rays, are voluntary and
may provide more readily apparent benefits than exposures from other sources,
**From naturaEy occurring radioactive elements in the human body.
Effects on Humans
Ionizing radiation is powerful enough to alter cellular chemi-
cals and disrupt normal cell functioning. All three types of ioniz-
ing radiation are potentially harmful to humans. Alpha and beta
particles can cause damage to tissue primarily through inhalation
or ingestion. Inhaling or ingesting particles that emit gamma rays
is also potentially harmful; in addition, gamma rays from outside
sources can penetrate and cause damage throughout the human
body.
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Page 16 A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
Two types of cellular damage can result from exposure to
ionizing radiation;
Genetic damage, which alters-or mutates—reproductive cells,
resulting in damage to future generations.
Somatic damage, which alters ordinary, nonreproductive cells,
harms the exposed individual during his or her lifetime, but is not
passed on to offspring. Cancer, including some leukemias and
bone, thyroid, breast, skin, and lung cancer, is the dominant type of
somatic damage resulting from exposure to ionizing radiation.
Other types of somatic damage include burns and cataracts.
The nature and extent of damage caused by ionizing radiation
depend on a number of factors, including the amount of exposure,
the frequency of exposure, and the penetrating power of the radia-
tion to which an individual is exposed. Rapid exposure to very
large doses of ionizing radiation is rare but can cause death within
a few days or months. The sensitivity of the exposed cells also
influences the extent of damage. For example, rapidly growing
tissues, such as developing embryos, are particularly vulnerable to
harm from ionizing radiation.
Duration of Radioactivity
of Waste at the WIPP
A half-life measures the amount of time it takes for half the
radioactive atoms in a radioisotope to decay to a more stable form.
After one half-life, for example, half the radioactive atoms in a
sample remain radioactive; after two half-lives, one-quarter remain
radioactive; after three half lives, one-eighth remain radioactive;
and so on. Each element has a unique half-life. Half-lives range
from a fraction of a second to billions of years.
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Page 17
The half-lives of the radioisotopes in transuranic wastes vary,
but some transuranic elements have very long half-lives. For
example, the half-life of plutonium-239 (a predominant isotope in
transuranic waste) is approximately 24,000 years, and it takes
plutonium-239 nearly 240,000 years to decay by 99.9 percent.
Some small amount of radioactivity will remain in the waste
indefinitely, but the amount of radiation will continually decrease.
Table 2. Uramum-238 Decay Chain
Radiation Emitted
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
Radioactive Elements
Uranium-238
Half-Life
Minutes
Days
Years
4.5 billion
<=> Thorjum-234
24.1
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Page 20 A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
Contact-handled transuranic waste (CH-TRU) accounts for
about 97 percent of the volume of transuranic waste currently
destined for the WIPP. It is packaged in 55-gallon metal drums or
in metal boxes and can be handled under controlled conditions
without any shielding beyond the container itself. The maximum
radiation dose at the surface of a contact-handled transuranic waste
container is 200 millirems per hour. Contact-handled waste prima-
rily emits alpha particles that are easily shielded by a sheet of
paper or the outer layer of a person's skin.
Remote-handled transuranic waste (RH-TRU) has a higher
level of radioactivity than contact-handled transuranic waste and
must therefore be both handled and transported in shielded casks.
Surface radiation levels of unshielded containers of remote-
handled transuranic waste exceed 200 millirems per hour. Re-
mote-handled waste primarily emits gamma radiation, which is
very penetrating and requires concrete, lead, or steel to block it.
Transuranic Wastes Allowed at the WIPP
In addition to withdrawing the WIPP site from public use and
transferring the land to DOE control, the 1992 WIPP Land With-
drawal Act restricted the amount and types of transuranic wastes
than can be disposed of at the facility.
• Only defense-generated transuranic wastes that have been
stored for shipment since 1970 are to be disposed of at the WIPP.
Before 1970, transuranic wastes were not distinguished or
separated from low-level wastes. Since then, however, transuranic
wastes have been separated from other wastes and placed in
retrievable storage for eventual permanent disposal at the WIPP.
• DOE can store a maximum of 6.2 million cubic feet of
transuranic waste at the WIPP. The existing inventory of
defense-generated waste totals about 2.32 million cubic feet. In
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Page 21
addition, an estimated 3.7 million cubic feet of transuranie waste
will be generated over the next 35 years as DOE defense sites are
closed.
« The WIPP cannot accept remote-handled transuranie waste
with a surface dose rate in excess of '1,000 rems per hour,
• The WIPP can accept no more than 5 percent by volume of
remote-handled transuranie waste with a surface dose rate in
excess of 100 r ems per hour,
• The WIPP can accept no more than 5,1 million curies of
remote-handled transuranie waste. The State of New Mexico
and DOE have an agreement that no more than 7,079 cubic
meters (250,000 cubic feet) of remote-handled transuranie waste
can be emplaced in the WIPP.
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Certification and
Public Participation
DOE cannot dispose of transuranic waste at the WIPP until
EPA has certified that the facility complies with EPA disposal
standards, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has
issued a disposal permit regulating the hazardous constituents in
transuranic mixed waste, and DOE has issued a final
environmental impact statement for the WIPP.
EPA Certification of the WIPP
The WIPP Land Withdrawal Act gave EPA responsibility for
determining whether to issue a certification of compliance to the
WIPP. Without this certification, which indicates that the WIPP
will comply with all EPA disposal standards for transuranic
wastes, the WIPP cannot open. By law, EPA must make a
certification decision within one year of receiving a complete
application from DOE.
On October 29,1996, DOE applied for a certification of
compliance from EPA. After reviewing the DOE application, EPA
asked for additional information, which DOE submitted throughout
the following months. On May 16,1997, EPA declared DOE's
application complete. If the agency certifies that the WIPP meets
EPA disposal standards (and assuming no other legal issues are
pending), the facility can begin accepting waste 30 days after
receipt of certification, or as early as May 1998.
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Page 23
Public Participation in
WIPP Decision Making
Government decisions about the WIPP are constrained by a
wide range of laws and regulations covering nuclear waste,
hazardous waste, transportation, environmental pollution, and even
the procedures by which the government makes decisions. Some
decisions about the WIPP have already been made, and citizens
have been involved in the decision making through federal and
state government agencies, such as EPA, DOE, and NMED, and
also through their elected representatives in the White House,
Congress, and state government. The agencies involved have
sought public participation through public meetings, hearings,
comment periods, and other mechanisms.
EPA's decision on whether to certify that the WIPP complies
with its radioactive waste disposal standards will be made through
a public rulemaking process, in accordance with the Administrative
Procedures Act, and the agency's proposed decision on whether
the WIPP should open will be available for public comment. EPA
will hold public hearings on the proposed decision and will
consider and respond to public comments received before reaching
a final decision.
At the state level, before issuing DOE a hazardous waste
disposal permit for the WIPP, NMED will issue a draft permit for
public comment. NMED publishes notices in newspapers of
general and local circulation throughout New Mexico. It is likely
that NMED will also hold a public hearing to obtain comments on
the draft permit.
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
Transporting Waste
to the WIPP
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that over a 35-year
period the WIPP would receive 37,723 shipments of transuranie
wastes from the waste-generator sites (10 generator sites will be
the primary shippers) across the United States. Initial shipments,
which could begin as early as mid-1998, would consist of contact-
handled wastes only. Shipments of remote-handled wastes would
begin later.
Table 3. Estimated Number of Shipments to the WIPP
from Major Waste-Generator Sites
Generator Site
Los Alamos,
New Mexico
Idaho National
Engineering Lab
Rocky Flats,
Colorado
Savannah River Site,
South Carolina -
Hanford, Washington
Mound Laboratory,
Ohio
Argonne National
Lab-East, Illinois
Lawrence Livermore,
California
Nevada Test Site
Oak Ridge,
Tennessee
Totals
Number of Contact-
Handled Shipments
5,009
5,782
2,485
,2,238
13,666
59
28
162
86
251
29,766
Number of Remote-
Handled Shipments
367
3,136
0
0
3,178
0
0
0
0
1,276
7,957
Total
Shipments
5,376
8,918
2,485
2,238
16,844
59
28
162
86
1,527
37,723
Source: WIPP Disposal Phase Draft SEIS-II, DOE, DOE/EIS-002-S-2, November
1996, Chapter 5, Proposed Action. Numbers are subject to change. Table is adapted
from the Web site of the New Mexico WIPP Transportation Safety Program, http://
www. emnrd.state. nm. us/wipp.
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste isolation Pilot Plant
Page 25
The WIPP would also receive waste shipments from small-
quantity generator sites. The total volume of WIPP-bound waste
from these sites, however, would amount to only 6,038 cubic feet,
or less than 1 percent of the total waste to be transported to the
WIPP.
Table 4. Small-Quantity Sites
Site Name
Ames Laboratory
ARCO Medical Products Company
Babcock & Wilcox
Battelle Columbus Laboratories
Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory
Energy Technology Engineering Center
General Electric Vallecitos Nuclear Center
Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
Pantex Plant
Sandia National Laboratories
University of Missouri Research Reactor
U.S. Array Material Command
State
Iowa
Pennsylvania
Virginia
Ohio
Pennsylvania
California
California
New York
California
Kentucky
Texas
New Mexico
Missouri
Illinois
Source: Adapted from the Web site of the New Mexico WIPP Transportation
Safety Program, http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/wipp.
Transportation Routes
An individual shipment bound for the WIPP could pass
through as many as eight states, including New Mexico and the
shipment's state of origin. Approximately thirty states are to have
designated routes for shipments of transuranic wastes.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued
regulations that set guidelines for routing of highway route control
quantities of radioactive waste to the WIPP, in Part 397, Subpart D
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Figure 4. Proposed WIPP Shipment Routes
Highway Legend
Interstate
U S. Highway
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad Area Office, January 1997.
in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. Those regulations give
state routing agencies and Indian tribes authority to designate
routes within their borders. Different departments make the
decision in different states, ranging from the Department of Health
in Texas to the Public Service Commission in Indiana. DOT
regulations require that carriers transporting shipments from
storage and generator sites follow the most direct interstate
highway route, using bypasses and beltways when available
around highly populated areas.
In 1991, the New Mexico State Highway Commission
designated WIPP shipment routes within the State of New Mexico.
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Figure 5. WIPP Shipment Routes in New Mexico
Utah
Colorado
Oklahoma
. Vaughn
New Mexico
Roswell I
Artesia i
Carlsbad1
Texas
Waste
k Isolation
Pilot Plant
Mexico
Carls
Cave
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad Area Office.
Transport Vehicles
A dedicated fleet of trucks, operated under contract to DOE,
would transport waste to the WIPP. These trucks are modified
flatbed trailers attached to conventional diesel tractors, each with
the capacity to haul up to three containers specifically designed to
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transport contact-handled transuranic waste. Special safety
measures applicable to WIPP transport vehicles include
independent mechanical and radiological inspections; weather
checks prior to dispatch; satellite tracking and communications
with the vehicle; designation of safe parking areas for use en route
in the event of bad weather; and procedures for quickly (within
eight hours) replacing or repairing vehicles that malfunction en
route; and routine replacement of tractors at three-year or 300,000-
mile intervals.
Transport Containers
Contact-handled transuranic waste would travel in special
containers, called the Transportation Packaging Transporter Model
2, or TRUPACT-II, which are designed to prevent radioactive
releases, even in the event of a severe accident or omer.emergency.
Each stainless steel TRUPACT-II container is eight feet in
diameter and 10 feet high, airtight, and constructed with inner and
outer containment vessels.
To demonstrate durability under extreme conditions, the
TRUPACT-II container has been subjected to and has passed a
series of tests: dropping the container 30 feet onto a steel-
reinforced concrete pad; submitting it to jet fuel flames at
temperatures greater than 1,475 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30
minutes; and dropping it onto a steel spike to test puncture
resistance.
Any container used to transport radioactive waste must be
tested and approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC). The TRUPACT-II has received NRC approval for
transport of contact-handled transuranic waste. Prototypes of a
new transuranic waste transport container, called the HALFPACK,
have been developed; an application for certification of the
container is pending before NRC. The HALFPACK, a shorter
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Page 29
Figure 6. TRUPACT-II
Protective Stainless
Steel Skin
1/4" to 3/8" Thick
Honeycomb Impa
Limiter
Lythenn Insulation
1/4" Thick
Inner Containment
Vessel 72.6" Inner*"""
Diameter 1/4" Thick
Outer Containment
Vessel 73.6" Outer
Diameter 1/4" Thick
Foam 10" Thick
Honeycomb
Impact Limiter
Weight
12,705 Ibs. empty
19,250 Ibs. loaded
Material
Stainless Steel
Polyurethane Foam
Ceramic Fiber Insulation
Source: U.S. Department of Energy.
version of the TRUPACT-II, is designed to carry heavy drums of
waste more efficiently and would therefore reduce the number of
shipments necessary and, in turn, the potential for accidents.
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DOE is developing a transport container specifically designed
for remote-handled transuranic waste. This container would also
be tested and licensed by the NRC.
Driver Training
Drivers of vehicles transporting transuranic waste would be
required to comply with all DOT training requirements for
transporting radioactive materials. They would be required to
cleanly pass all substance abuse tests, and be trained arid retrained
each year to tackle a variety of transport conditions and situations,
including rough terrain, severe weather conditions, and sabotage.
Drivers would also be required to satisfactorily complete a First
Responders Course, which is comparable to training provided
emergency response personnel along designated WIPP routes, to
prepare them to take proper steps in case of an accident or incident.
Additionally, DOE would require the drivers to have more than
100,000 miles of trucking experience.
Finally, there are strong incentives for drivers to operate WIPP
transport vehicles safely at all times. For example, if a driver were
convicted of even a single moving violation, he or she would be
fired. In addition, drivers would be trained to use radiation
detection instruments so they could reliably determine the presence
or absence of radiation.
Vehicle Inspection
Before a shipment bound for the WIPP can be loaded onto the
truck, it will have been inspected and certified as safe for travel.
Certified state inspectors would check the vehicle, the cargo, and
the driver. These inspectors could prevent a shipment from being
dispatched if they determined that it did not meet the applicable
inspection standards. Vehicles that passed this inspection would
be identified with a special decal.
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Figure 7. Inspection Decal
Source: Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
Tracking Waste Shipments
To track and communicate with vehicles transporting
radioactive and certain other types of hazardous wastes, DOE has
developed the Transportation Tracking and Communication
System, known as TRANSCOM. All shipments to the WIPP are
to be tracked through this system. TRANSCOM, which has a 24-
hour control center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, uses satellite
communications and computer networks to track shipments from
start to end. The control center is to house and maintain a database
containing scheduling, routing, shipment content, and emergency
response information about each shipment to the WIPP. Federal,
state, and tribal officials are to have access to this database.
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Figure 8. TRANSCOM Tracking System
Communications
Satellite
DOB Central
Operator
Back-up
DOE State and
Users Tribal Users
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad Area Office.
Vehicles transporting waste to the WIPP would be tracked by
two satellites. The vehicle's position would be transmitted to a
satellite receiving station and relayed to the TRANSCOM control
center, where the information would be displayed on computer-
generated maps. Officials with access to TRANSCOM would be
able to monitor this information on their computers.
Drivers and others with access to the system could
communicate with one another through TRANSCOM's central
operator. State police, for example, could transmit a message to
drivers through the TRANSCOM central operator about driving
conditions along a route, and drivers, in turn, could respond
through the operator.
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Emergency Response
The DOE Albuquerque Field Office Emergency Operations
Center is to be in charge of any incident involving a shipment of
transuranic waste, regardless of where the incident occurs. DOE's
response would be automatic and not contingent on a state request
for assistance, DOE maintains regional offices that can receive
calls for assistance 24 hours a day and are prepared to send trained
personnel and equipment to incident sites.
The initial response to an incident would most likely come
from local "first responders," such as state or local police
departments, fire departments, and other emergency response
personnel. State and local governments have emergency response
plans that outline specific procedures for handling a hazardous
materials transportation accident safely and effectively.
Local first responders are trained in material identification,
regulations, response procedures, and personal protection. In the
event of an incident, local responders would usually contact state
public health agencies, and, if necessary, the first response team
would be followed by the appropriate DOE Radiological
Assistance Team and eventually augmented by the DOE Carlsbad
Area Office's Incident/Accident Response Team, which would be
on standby while transuranic waste shipments are in progress.
DOE's States and Tribal Education Program (STEP), which
began in 1988, offers courses on responding to potential incidents
involving shipments of waste to the WIPP. In 1993, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration reviewed and
certified the STEP courses. Through STEP, DOE has trained more
than 11,000 emergency response personnel.
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The six STEP courses consist of:
* an eight-hour First Responder Course;
* a four-hour First Responder Refresher Course;
• a two-day Command and Control Course for individuals
who may be in charge at the scene of a WIPP transportation
incident;
• a twelve-hour Train-the-Trainer Course that teaches
state-certified instructors how to incorporate WIPP-specific
information from the First Responder Course into their
hazardous materials training programs;
« a Mitigation Course, aimed at state health, safety,
environmental, and radiological personnel who have
radiological monitoring and assessment responsibilities in
the event of a WIPP transportation incident; and
* an eight-hour Medical Management Course for hospital
emergency room doctors and nurses who may have to treat
patients contaminated with radioactive material.
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Future Management and
Oversight of the WIPP
Recertification by EPA
Throughout its operation of the WIPP, DOE is to submit a
recertifieation application to EPA every five years. EPA is to
review the recertifieation applications to determine whether the
facility remains in compliance with applicable standards, and the
public is to have an opportunity to inspect and comment on the
applications. By law, EPA must consider all relevant public
comments before issuing a final recertifieation decision on the
WIPP's continued operation. In addition, EPA can inspect the
WIPP and generator sites at any time to ensure compliance with
the agency's standards. EPA has the authority to modify, suspend,
or revoke the certification with cause.
Permit Renewal by NMED
The hazardous waste disposal permit issued to DOE by NMED
is effective for no more than ten years and, to ensure compliance,
is subject to a mandatory review five years after issuance. Before
the existing permit expires, DOE is to submit an application to
renew the permit. Permit renewal follows the same procedures as
an initial permit application, with opportunities for public
comment before NMED issues a renewal. Besides requiring DOE
to perform environmental monitoring, NMED will also conduct
regular inspections of the WIPP to ensure compliance with the
permit. As is the case with EPA, NMED can revoke the permit
with cause.
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Post-Closure Oversight of the WIPP
If and when the WIPP reaches its legal storage capacity (6.2
million cubic feet) in an estimated 35 years, it is precluded by
current federal law from accepting more waste. The repository is
to be sealed with backfill, cement, and other materials to isolate the
waste from the accessible environment. Then begins the long-term
process of keeping the waste isolated from the environment.
During the first hundred years or so after the repository is
sealed, it is to be monitored, fenced, and guarded by DOE. But
because it is difficult to predict which government institutions may
evolve or disappear over many hundreds of years, DOE is also to
use "passive" measures to warn future generations against
disturbing the site. Drilling poses the greatest potential danger of
releasing material from the repository. Monuments, berms,
warning markers, and widely distributed records are to be designed
to inform future generations of the contents of the site and to keep
people from drilling into the WIPP site.
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Glossary of Terms
and Acronyms
AEC. Abbreviation for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
AEC was disbanded in 1974, and its' functions were assumed by
the Energy Research and Development Administration (EKDA)
and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). ERDA later
became the Department of Energy (DOE).
alpha particle. A positively charged particle, consisting of two
neutrons and two protons, emitted by certain radioactive materials.
Alpha particles can travel only a few inches in the air and lose their
energy almost as soon as they collide with anything. They are
easily shielded by a sheet of paper or the outer layer of a person's
skin. Contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) waste primarily
emits alpha particles.
atom. The smallest part of an element that still has all properties
of that element. Its nucleus consists of protons and neutrons and is
surrounded by orbiting electrons.
beta particle. A negatively charged particle, emitted by certain
radioactive materials. Beta particles have the same properties
(mass and charge) as electrons. They can travel in the air for a
distance of a few feet and can pass through a sheet of paper. They
can be shielded by aluminum foil or glass.
CAO. Carlsbad Area Office. In 1993, DOE created the Carlsbad
Area Office to lead its transuranic waste disposal efforts. CAO
coordinates DOE's transuranic program at waste-generating sites
and national laboratories.
certification of compliance. EPA must grant a certification of
compliance indicating that the WIPP has complied with the
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agency's disposal standards for transuranic wastes before the
WIPP can open.
contact-handled transuranic waste (CH-TRU). Transuranic
waste with a surface radiation dose rate that does not exceed 200
millirems per hour. Contact-handled transuranic waste can be
safely handled without any shielding other than that provided by
the waste container itself. About 97 percent by volume of the
waste scheduled to go to the WIPP is considered contact-handled.
cosmic rays, A stream of ionizing radiation (chiefly of protons,
alpha particles, and other atomic nuclei).
curie. A measure of radioactivity. One curie of radioactive mate-
rial will have 37 billion transformations of atoms (disintegrations)
in one second. One curie of radium weighs approximately one
gram.
defense-generated transuranic waste. Transuranic waste result-
ing from weapons research and development, the operation of
naval reactors, the production of weapons material, the reprocess-
ing of defense spent fuel, and the decommissioning of nuclear-
powered ships and submarines,
disposal. Permanent isolation of transuranic waste from the
accessible environment with no intent of recovery; occurs when the
WIPP repository is backfilled and sealed.
DOE. Abbreviation for the United States Department of Energy.
WIPP is a DOE facility.
DOT. Abbreviation for the United States Department of Transpor-
tation. DOT regulates the transport of radioactive materials.
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element. A substance composed of atoms with a unique number
of protons in each nucleus. There are 92 naturally occurring and
15 manmade elements,
environmental impact statement. A document that describes the
potential environmental impacts of a project. The National Envi-
ronmental Policy Act (NEPA) mandates that all federal agencies
and departments consider potential environmental impacts before
beginning projects or implementing rules and regulations. DOE
must finalize its environmental impact statement for the WIPP
before the facility can open.
EPA. Abbreviation for the United States Environmental Protec-
tion Agency. EPA has responsibility for ensuring DOE's compli-
ance with the radioactive waste disposal regulations.
gamma rays. Waves of pure energy, similar to x-rays. Gamma
rays travel at the speed of light through air or open spaces. Con-
crete, lead, or steel will block gamma rays.
genetic damage. A type of cellular damage that can result from
ionizing radiation. Genetic damage refers to the alteration or
mutation of reproductive cells, resulting in potential damage to
future generations.
half-life. Measure of the amount of time it takes for half the
radioactive atoms in an element to decay to a more stable form.
The half-life of plutonium-239, for example, is about 24,000 years.
After one half-life, half the radioactive atoms in a sample remain
radioactive; after two half-lives, one quarter remain radioactive;
after three half lives, one-eighth remain radioactive; and so on.
Half-lives range from a fraction of a second to billions of years.
HALFPACK. A prototype of a new transuranic waste transport
container that has been developed; an application for certification
of the container is pending before NRC.
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hazardous waste. A solid waste, or combination of solid wastes,
which because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical,
or infectious characteristics may (1) cause, or significantly contrib-
ute to, an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irrevers-
ible, or incapacitating reversible serious, illness or (2) pose a
substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the
environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or
disposed of, or otherwise managed,
Mgh-level waste. Highly radioactive material resulting from the
reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, or other highly radioactive
material that is determined to require permanent isolation.
ionizing radiation. Radiation that is powerful enough to alter
atoms by removing one or more electrons, leaving positively
charged particles. Alpha and beta particles, gamma rays and x--
rays are forms of ionizing radiation.
isotopes. Different forms of the same element. Isotopes of an
element have different numbers of neutrons in the nuclei of their
atoms, but the same number of protons. Some isotopes, called
radioisotopes, are unstable and emit radiation.
low-level waste. Radioactive waste that consists of contaminated
industrial or research waste. Most low-level waste is short-lived
and has low levels of radioactivity.
mixed waste. Waste which contains both radioactive contamina-
tion and hazardous constituents defined under RCRA.
NAS. Abbreviation for the National Academy of Sciences.
NMED. Abbreviation for the New Mexico Environment Depart-
ment.
nonionizing radiation. Includes visible light, ultraviolet light,
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infrared light, and radio waves.
NRC. Abbreviation for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Rad (radiation absorbed dose). The amount of ionizing radiation
absorbed by a material, such as human tissue.
radiation. Energy in the form of high-speed particles (ionizing) or
electromagnetic waves (nonionizing).
radioactivity. The spontaneous emission of radiation from the
nucleus of an atom. Radioisotopes of elements lose particles and
energy through the process of radioactive decay.
radioisotope. An unstable isotope of an element undergoes
radioactive decay toward a more stable form.
radionuclide. A radioactive atomic nucleus.
radon. A cancer-causing gas produced by the breakdown of
uranium in soil, rock, and water.
RCRA. Abbreviation for the Resource Conservation and Recov-
ery Act (RCRA).
remote-handled transuranic waste (RH-TRU). Transuranic
waste with a surface dose rate of 200 millirems per hour or greater.
Because of its higher level of radioactivity, remote-handled transu-
ranic waste must be handled and transported in shielded casks.
rem (roentgen equivalent man). A measure of the actual biological
effects of radiation absorbed in human tissue. A millirem is one-
thousandth of a rem.
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somatic damage. A type of cellular damage that can result from
exposure to ionizing radiation. Somatic damage refers to the
alteration of ordinary, nonreproduetive cells. Cancers, including
some leukemias and bone, thyroid, breast, skin, and lung cancer,
are the most common type of somatic damage resulting from
exposure to ionizing radiation.
spent nuclear fuel. Irradiated fuel from a nuclear plant's reactor.
Spent nuclear fuel is thermally hot and highly radioactive. Spent
fuel is not authorized to be shipped to the WIPP.
STEP. Acronym for DOE's States Tribal Education Program.
The program offers courses on responding to potential incidents
involving shipments of waste to the WIPP.
TRANSCOM. Abbreviation for the Transportation Tracking and
Communication System developed by DOE. TRANSCOM tracks
and communicates with vehicles transporting radioactive and
certain other types of hazardous waste. All shipments to WIPP are
to be tracked through TRANSCOM, which has a 24-hour control
center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and uses satellite communications
and computer networks to track shipments from beginning to end.
transuranic (TRU) waste. Waste that generally consists of protec-
tive clothing, tools, glassware, equipment, soils, and sludge that
have been contaminated with manmade radioactive elements
heavier than uranium on the periodic table of elements. These
elements include plutonium, neptunium, americium, curium, and
californium. Transuranic waste is produced during nuclear fuel
assembly and during nuclear weapons research, production, and
cleanup.
TEUPACTII. Abbreviation for Transportation Packaging Trans-
porter Model 2, a special container constructed to hold contact-
handled transuranic waste. The container is designed to prevent
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radioactive releases, even in the event of an accident or other
emergency.
uranium mill tailings. Waste from the mining and milling of
uranium ore,
WIPP. Abbreviation for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a DOE
facility located in southeastern New Mexico.
WIPP Land Withdrawal Act. A law, passed by Congress in
October 1992 and amended in September 1996. The act trans-
ferred the land occupied by the WIPP to DOE and gave EPA
regulatory responsibility for determining whether the facility
complies with radioactive waste disposal standards.
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Appendix A
Expert WIPP Contacts
Federal, State and Local
Government
Andrea Alexander
President
Intertribal Transportation Association
814 West Sixth St.
Stfflwater, OK 74074
Phone: 405/372-0303
Fax: 405/372-0808
Expertise: Provides technical
assistance to tribes
Bill Brabaker
WIPP Coordinator
Motor Transportation Division
New Mexico Taxation & Revenue
Dept
P.O. Box 1028
Santa Fe,NM 87504-1028
Phone: 505/827-0644
Fax: 505/827-0324
Expertise: Hazardous materials expert
and transportation aspects of WIPP
George Chavez
State Fire Marshal's Office
P.O. Box 1269
Santa Fe,NM 87504-1269
Phone: 505/827-3721
Fax: 505/827-3778
E-mail: stsccgc@technet.nm.org
Expertise: Hazardous materials
response and emergency coordination
Ralph Davis
New Mexico Dept. of Health
Emergency Medical Services Bureau
P.O. Box 26110
Santa Fe,NM 87502-6110
Phone: 505/827-1400x123
Fax: 505/827-1410
E-mail: drdavis@ix.netcom.com
Expertise: Emergency medical
preparedness
Paul Dickman
DOE Albuquerque Operations
U.S. Department of Energy
P.O. Box 5400
Albuquerque, NM 87185-5400
Phone: 505/845-4313
Fax: 505/845-5508
E-mail: pdickman@doeal.gov
Expertise: Waste management and
transportation
Ralph Harris
Certified Emergency Manager
Emergency Management, Eddy
County
P.O. Box 1139
Carlsbad, NM 88220
Phone: 505/887-9511
Fax: 505/887-1039
E-mail: ralph@carlsbadnm.com
Expertise: Local Emergency Planning
Committee (LEPC) and response
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Page 45
Dennis Hurtt
Team Leader
Office of Public Affairs
DOE, Carlsbad Area Office
P.O. Box 3090
Carlsbad, NM 88221-3090
Phone: 505/234-7327
Fax: 505/887-5419
E-mail: hurrtd@wipp,carlsbad.nm,us
Expertise: Public affairs and commu-
nications
Thomas J, Koglin
State Highway and Transportation
Dept,
Transportation Planning Division
P.O. Box 1149
Santa Fe,NM 87504-1149
Phone: 505/827-3228
Fax: 505/989-4983
Expertise: Highway routing
Mary Kruger
Acting Director
Center for WIPP ORIA/RPD (6602J)
U.S. EPA
401 M St., SW
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: 202/233-9310
Fax: 202/233-9626
E-mail:
Kruger.Mary@epamail.epa.gov
Expertise: EPA regulatory process,
WIPP Certification and WIPP
Compliance Criteria
Bobby Lopez
New Mexico Environment Depart-
ment
Hazardous & Radioactive Materials
2044 Galisteo Street
Santa Fe,NM 87505
Phone: 505/827-1566
Fax: 505/827-1544
E-mail: blopez@nmenv.state.nm.us
Expertise: Health physics
Lindsay Lovejoy, Jr.
New Mexico Attorney General's
Office
State of New Mexico
P.O. Drawer ISO'S
Santa Fe.NM 87504-1508
Phone: 505/827-6695
Fax: 505/827-4440
E-mail: LLovejoy@ago.state,nm.us
Expertise: Legal issues
Frank Marcinowski
Acting Director
Radiation Protection Division/ORIA
(6602J)
401 M St., SW
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: 202/233-9290
Fax: 202/233-9629
E-mail:
Marcinowski.Frank@epamail.epa.gov
Expertise: Radioactive waste dis-
posal, WIPP Certification and WIPP
Compliance Criteria
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John Shea
New Mexico Dept, of Public Safety
Emergency Management Operations
BBataanBlvd.
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1628
Phone; 505/476-9628
Fax: 505/476-9695
E-mail: twoshea@ix.netcom.com
Expertise: WIPP safe transportation,
plans, operations, and training
Les Shephard
Director
Sandia National Laboratories
Nuclear Waste Mgmt. Program Center
115 N. Main St.
Carlsbad, NM
Phone: 505/234-0033
Fax: 505/887-1691
E-mail: lesheph@sandia.gov
Expertise: Regulatory compliance,
radioactive waste disposal and risk
assessment
Richard A. Swedberg
Health Physicist
U.S. Dept. of Transportation
Office of Motor Carriers
555 Zang St., Suite 190
Lakewood,CO 80228-1010
Phone: 303/969-6744 ext. 363
Fax: 303/969-6967
E-mail:
Richard.S wedberg @ fhwa.dot.gov
Expertise: Transportation
Tim Sweeney
Transportation Manager
DOE, Carlsbad Area Office
P.O. Box 3090
Carlsbad, NM 88221-3090
Phone: 505/234-7350
Fax: 505/887-0707
E-mail:
sweenet@wipp.carlsbad.nm.us
Expertise: Transportation of TRU
waste
Nathan Wade
Communications Director
New Mexico Environment Depart-
ment
P.O. Box 26110
Santa Fe.NM 87502-6110 ^
Phone: 505/827-2855
Fax: 505/827-2836
E-mail:
Nathan_Wade @ nmenv. state.nm.us
Expertise: Communications
Larry Weinstock
Acting Director
Office of
Radiation and Indoor Air
U.S. EPA, ORIA/RPD (6602J)
401 M St., SW
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: 202/233-9320
Fax: 202/233-9650
E-mail:
Weinstock, Larry @ epamail.epa.gov
Expertise: Radioactive waste dis-
posal, WIPP Certification and WIPP
Compliance Criteria
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Page 47
Christopher Wentz
Coordinator
New Mexico Radioactive Waste Task
Force
c/o Energy, Minerals and Natural
Resources Dept. 2040 Pachecho St.
Santa Fe.NM 87505
Phone: 505/827-1372
Fax: 505-827-1150
E-mail: Cwentz@state.nm.us
Expertise: Site issues, licensing,
performance assessment and, trans-
portation
Steve Zappe
RCRA Permit Writer
New Mexico Environment Dept.
Hazardous Materials
2044 Galisteo
Santa Fe,NM 87505
Phone: 505-827-1557
Fax: 505-827-1544
E-mail:
steve.zappe® nmenv.state.nm.us
Expertise: NMED regulations and
storage and disposal of hazardous
waste
State of New Mexico Environment
Department
Hazardous and Radioactive Materials
Bureau
2044 Galisteo
P.O. Box 26110
Santa Fe,NM 87502
Phone: 505/827-1557
Expertise: WIPP RCRA permit
U.S. Department of Energy
Carlsbad Area Office
Public Information Line
P.O. Box 3090
Carlsbad, NM 88221
Phone: 800/336-WIPP
Expertise: WIPP design, construction
and operation
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency OWA/RPD
Center for Federal Guidance, Air
Standards and Communications
401 M St., SW (6602J)
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: 202/233-9677
Expertise: General radioactive waste
disposal regulations, WIPP Compli-
ance Criteria, WIPP certification
decision, WIPP operational phase
guidance, Biennial Compliance
determination; and WIPP communica-
tions "
Physician
Dr. Daniel Kerlinsky
President
NM Physicians for Social
Responsibilty
1001 Yale Blvd,NE
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Phone: 505/272-9772
Fax: 505/272-0052
E-mail: dkerlins@cph.unm.edu
Expertise: Containers, waste stabili-
zation options and retrievable,
monitored above-ground storage
versus geological "confinement";
hospital and EMT preparedness for
waste transportation accidents; and
pyschological stress effects of waste
shipment by public roads
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
Private Organizations
Tom Cochrati
Senior Scientist
Natural Resources Defense Council
1200 New York Ave., NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202/289-6868
Fax: 202/289-1060
E-mail: Tcochran@NRDC.org
Expertise: Nuclear weapons issues
Janet Greenwald
CARD-Citizens for Alternatives to
Radioactive Dumping
144 Harvard, SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
Phone: 505/266-2663
Fax: 505/262-1864 CARD
E-mail: Rekp@unm,edu
Expertise: All aspects of WBPP and
retains hydrological and geological
consultants
Don Hancock
Southwest Research & Information
Center
P.O. Box 4524
Albuquerque, NM 87106
Phone: 505/262-1862
Fax: 505/262-1864
E-mail: sric@igc.org
Expertise: Citizens group perspective
onWIPP
Cynthia Hilton
Association of Waste Hazardous
Materials Transporters (AWHMT)
2200 Mill Road
Alexandria, VA 22314-4677
Phone: 703/838-1703
Fax: 703/519-1866
E-mail: chilto@tracHine.com
Expertise: Federal and state regula-
tions affecting hazardous or radioac-
tive waste transportation
Sharon Kerrick
American Nuclear Society
555 North Kensington Avenue
La Grange Park, IL 60526
Phone: 708/579-8230
Fax: 708/352-0499
E-mail: skerrick@ans.org
Expertise: High-level/low-level waste,
nuclear energy, and radioactivity
Darlene Logan & James Thompson
Directors
Compadres for a Safe WTPP
P.O. Box 511
Roswell,NM 88202-0511
Phone: 505/622-1669
Fax: 505/622-1669
E-mail: jankso@aol.com
Expertise: Public information
Lee Lysne
Executive Director
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear
Safety
107 Cienga
Santa Fe.NM 87501
Phone: 505-986-1973
Fax: 505/986-0997
E-mail: ccns@nets.com
Expertise: Los Alamos National
Laboratory and WIPP
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Page 49
National Safety Council
Environmental Health Center
1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202/293-2270
Fax: 202/293-0032
E-mail: mccaulek@Bsc.org
Expertise: WIPP general information
University
Rod Ewing
University of Michigan
Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
& Radiological Sciences
2355 Bonisteel Blvd
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2104
Phone: 313/647-8529
Fax: 313/647-8531
E-mail: rodewing@umich.edu
Expertise: Geochemistry and
materials science
Other
Dr. Lokesh Chaturvedi
Deputy Director
NM Environmental Evaluation Group
7007 Wyoming Blvd., ME
Albuquerque, NM 87109
Phone: 505/828-1003
Fax: 505/828-1062
E-mail: lchatur@aol.com
Expertise: Geology and WIPP
performance assessment
BethFulmer
Southern States Energy Board
6325 Amherst Court *
Norcross,GA 30092
Phone: 770/242-7712
Fax: 770/242-0421
E-mail: Fulmer@clever.net
Expertise: Transportation policy
Robert H. Neill
NM Environmental Evaluation Group
7007 Wyoming Blvd NE, Suite F-2
Albuquerque, NM 87109
Phone: 505/828-1003
Fax: 505/828-1062
E-rnail: rhneill@eeg.org
Expertise: Radiological health and
radioactive waste disposal
Mary Olson
Nuclear Information and Resource
Service
1424 16th St., NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202/328-0002
Fax: 202/462-2183
E-mail: maryo@igc.apc.org
Expertise: Radioactive waste
Ronald Ross
Program Manager
Western Governors' Association
600 17th St., Suite 1705
South Tower
Denver, CO 80202-5452
Phone: 303/623-9378
Fax: 303/534-7309
E-mail: rross@westgov.org
Expertise: Transportation
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Appendix B
Other Resources
Books & Periodicals
Closing the Circle on the Splitting of the Atom: The Environmental
Legacy of Nuclear Production in the United States and What the
Department of Energy is Doing About It, U.S. Department of
Energy, January 1995.
Compliance Application Guidance for the Waste Isolation Pilot
Plant: A Companion Guide to 40 CFR Part 194, March 1994.
EPA and the WIPP, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, July
1994.
EPA Fact Sheet: Final Compliance Criteria for the Waste Isola-
tion Pilot Plant (40 CFR Part 194),, Document Number EPA 402-
F-95-008, (Document Number EPA 402-F-95-001 (Spanish
Translation).
Frequently Asked Questions on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant,
Environmental Health Center, A Division of the National Safety
Council, Washington, DC, 1997.
Implementation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Land With-
drawal Act: FY1996 Report to Congress, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Living in the Environment, G. Tyler Miller, Jr., Wadsworth Pub-
lishing Company, Belmont, CA, 1992.
The Nuclear Waste Primer: A Handbook for Citizens, The League
of Women Voters, Lyons & Burford, New York, NY, 1993.
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A Reporter's Guide to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Page 51
Public Participation: EPA and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
(WIPP), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, December 1995.
Radiation: Risks and Realities, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, August 1993,
Radioactive Waste Disposal: An Environmental Perspective, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, August 1994.
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: A Potential Solution for the
Disposal ofTransuranic Waste, National Research Council,
Washington, DC, 1996.
On-Line Resources
Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive Dumping (CARD)
www.unm.edu/~rekp/card.html
National Safety Council/Environmental Health Center*
http://www.nsc.org/ehc.htm
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
http://www.nrc.gov
State of New Mexico's WIPP Transportation Safety Program
http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/wipp
U.S. Department of Energy
http://www.wipp.carlsbad.nm.us
U.S. Department of Energy/Albuquerque Operations, National
Transportation Program
http://www.ntp.doe.gov
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U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Motor Carriers
http://www.fliwa.dot.gov/ome/omchome.html
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp
*This guide will be available at the National Safety Council's Web
site; http://www.nsc.org/ehc.htm
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