Texas Nuclear Safety: WCS Dump Sites

Low-level Radioactive Waste Disposal License – R04100 – by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) – 9/10/09

Accepts Class A, B and C from Texas Compact and Federal generators
Can accept any and all radionuclides, including for example plutonium, which remains hazardous for half a million years
"Low-level" is a deceptive term – No radioactive elements are excluded from a "low-level" facility, including those that could be sent to "high-level" site
Accepts all nuclear reactor parts (except fuel rods): Includes reactor containment vessels, poison curtains that absorb radioactivity, piping, sludges, residues and can also accept medical waste
Licensed for 2.31 million cubic feet of waste and up t3.89 million curies of radioactivity
Decommissioning Vermont Yankee and four Texas reactors would require 3 times the licensed volume
The Texas Legislature "privatized" the disposal of low-level radioactive waste in 2003 and allowed import of DOE "low-level" radioactive waste and WCS was the only applicant
The Lone Star Sierra Club was denied the opportunity for a contested case hearing and appealed the decision ta Texas State District Court in March, 2009

Low-level Radioactive Waste Disposal License – R04100 9/10/09

Will accept wastes from reactors and weapons plants managed by the federal government
Licensed for 26,000,000 cubic feet of radioactive federal facility waste, up to 5,600,000 curies

By-Product Material Disposal Facility License – R05807 – May 29, 2008

Authorized for receipt and disposal of by-product material as defined in Title 30 of the Texas Administrative Code, Section 336.1105
Not to exceed volume of 30,000 cubic yards (810,000 cubic feet) in 3,776 canisters, and a total radioactivity not to exceed 13,400 curies. ¹
Can accept uranium mill tailings or "yellowcake", as well as radioactive equipment
3776 containers of highly radioactive "K-65" weapons waste were sent from Fernald, Ohifor shallow land burial. K-65 ore has a record 65% uranium content, where typical ore contains only .1% uranium
Twof three TCEQ Commissioners refused tallow a either a public meeting or a contested case hearing. Lone Star Sierra Club has appealed the decision not to grant a hearing. Health concerns raised included risks from accidents, high winds, tornados and leaching of wastes intwaterways.

Processing / storage of radioactive transuranic (TRU) wastes, Greater than Class C wastes, sealed sources
Treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous industrial waste (over 2,000 RCRA waste codes) with a RCRA part B equivalent permit to receive ignitable, corrosive, toxic and selective hazardous wastes
Treatment, storage, and land disposal of PCBs and PCB contaminated materials
Receipt of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants from CERCLA (Superfund sites)

1.http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/permitting/radmat/uranium/wcs_byproduct_app.html#currentstatus,
Note: License and permit data has been excerpted from http://www.wcstexas.com/cap_licenses_permits.html, where more complete permit information is available. Relevant comments regarding the permits have been added based on information provided by Sierra Club and other sources.