RECERTIFICATION OF WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT

WIPP was certified for the disposal of Transuranic wastes (TRU) in May 1998, by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the first shipments arrived in March 1999. TRU wastes contain radionuclides and hazardous materials derived from the cleanup of defense related activities. The arrival of the first shipment of waste started a clock that will run until March 2004; by which time, the US Department of Energy must provide the EPA with documentation proving WIPP worthy of recertification. EPA must then make the decision as to whether or not WIPP continues to remain in compliance with the long-term regulatory standards of Title 40 CFR, Part 191. Recertification is a congressionally mandated regulatory checkpoint, required every five-years throughout the operational life of the repository, that determines if WIPP may continue to operate.

The original certification came about in response to DOE’s submittal of an enormous document - the Compliance Certification Application (CCA) - to the EPA for that agency’s consideration. Likewise, the “re-certification” of the repository will come about in response to the submittal of what DOE plans to be a condensed regulatory document - the Compliance Recertification Application (CRA).

In the repository vicinity, nature has not behaved precisely as predicted in the CCA, and human activity (drilling, mining, etc.) in the Delaware Basin continues to change as well. All of these changes must be taken into account by the writers of the CRA, and, ultimately, by the EPA. A smooth and complete CRA construction and submittal process, followed by diligent and efficient review by the EPA, will contribute to a straightforward determination by the EPA that WIPP continues to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

This presentation will introduce the audience to the WIPP project, the CRA process, and how the public may get involved in this process.