NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC WORKSHOPS IN MARYLAND AND UTAH ON 

SAFE DISPOSAL OF DEPLETED URANIUM AND 

OTHER UNIQUE WASTE STREAMS 

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct two public workshops in September to 

solicit public views on major issues for new regulations for land disposal of unique radioactive 

wastes, including but not limited to significant quantities of depleted uranium. 

 The workshops will be held Sept. 2-3 in Rockville, Md., and Sept. 23-24 in Salt Lake City, 

Utah. Exact locations and final agendas for the workshops will be announced closer to those dates. 

 The Commission directed the agency staff March 18 to initiate rulemaking to specify a 

requirement for a site-specific analysis for the disposal of large quantities of depleted uranium, and 

other unique waste streams, such as reprocessing wastes and the technical requirements for such an 

analysis. The Commission also directed the staff to develop a guidance document for public 

comment that outlines the parameters and assumptions to be used in the site-specific analyses. The 

Commission said the staff should “promptly” conduct a public workshop to discuss issues 

associated with disposal of depleted uranium and other unique waste streams, potential issues to be 

considered in rulemaking, and technical parameters of concern in the analysis so that informed 

decisions can be made in the interim before the rulemaking is final. 

 In a Federal Register notice published June 24, the agency staff discussed several questions 

relating to disposal of unique waste streams such as depleted uranium to be addressed at the public 

workshops. The agency also requested public comment on potential agenda items for the workshops 

as well as substantive issues for the rulemaking. 

 Public comments may be submitted to Chief, Rulemaking and Directives Branch, Division 

of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail 

Stop TWB 5B01M, Washington, D.C., 20555-0001, or by fax at (301) 492-3446. Comments may 

also be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov using docket ID NRC-2009-0257. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 

E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 09-115 June 24, 2009
 Comments on agenda items for the public workshops should be postmarked no later than 

Aug. 1. Comments on the issues and questions presented in the Federal Register notice and 

discussed at the workshops should be postmarked by Oct. 30. Public comments made at both 

workshops will be transcribed and considered part of the record. The Federal Register notice also 

discusses how members of the public may inquire about direct participation in roundtable 

discussions at the workshops. 

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