2023 Texas Statutes › Health and Safety Code › Title 5 - Sanitation and Environmental Quality › Subtitle D - Nuclear and Radioactive Materials › Chapter 401 - Radioactive Materials and Other Sources of Radiation › Subchapter F. Special Provisions Concerning Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal › Section 401.207. Out-of-State Waste; Nonparty Compact Waste

Sec. 401.207.  OUT-OF-STATE WASTE; NONPARTY COMPACT WASTE.  (a)  The compact waste disposal facility license holder may not accept low-level radioactive waste generated in another state for disposal under a license issued by the commission unless the waste is:
(1)  accepted under a compact to which the state is a contracting party;
(2)  federal facility waste that the license holder is licensed to dispose of under Section 401.216; or
(3)  generated from manufactured sources or devices originating in this state.
(b)  The compact waste disposal facility license holder may accept for disposal at the compact waste disposal facility approved nonparty compact waste that is classified as Class A, Class B, or Class C low-level radioactive waste in accordance with the compact waste disposal facility license to the extent the acceptance does not diminish the disposal volume or curie capacity available to party states.  The license holder may not accept any nonparty compact waste for disposal at the facility until the license has been modified by the commission to specifically authorize the disposal of nonparty compact waste.
(c)  The compact waste disposal facility license holder may not accept waste of international origin for disposal at the facility.
(d)  The compact waste disposal facility license holder may not accept for disposal at the compact waste disposal facility nonparty compact waste that does not meet the waste characteristics and waste forms for disposal applicable to compact waste as set forth by the commission in the compact waste disposal facility license.  Before the license holder may accept nonparty compact waste for disposal, the commission must certify through a written evaluation that the waste is authorized for disposal under the license.  If the disposal is not authorized under the license, the commission must inform the license holder of the license amendments necessary to authorize the disposal.
(d-1)  Beginning September 1, 2015, the compact waste disposal facility license holder may accept nonparty compact waste for disposal at the facility only if:
(1)  the waste has been volume-reduced, if eligible, by at least a factor of three in a manner consistent with this subchapter as provided by commission rule; and
(2)  the compact waste disposal facility license holder collects a surcharge under Subsection (g).
(d-2)  If volume reduction of a low-level radioactive waste stream would result in a change of waste classification to a class higher than Class C, the payment of the fee and compliance with other requirements of Subsection (d-1) do not apply.
(d-3)  The commission may assess an additional fee on a nonparty compact waste generator for failing to comply with the volume reduction requirements established under this section.  The fee shall be deposited to the credit of the low-level radioactive waste fund under Section 401.249.  Fees deposited under this subsection may be transferred and used only to support the operations of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission under Section 401.251.
(e)  The compact waste disposal facility license holder may not collect a fee under this section or enter into a contract for the disposal of nonparty low-level radioactive waste that has been designated as Class A low-level radioactive waste under 10 C.F.R. Section 61.55 and commission rule unless the waste is containerized.  The compact waste disposal facility license holder may collect a fee and dispose of:
(1)  not more than the greater of:
(A)  1.167 million curies of nonparty compact waste; or
(B)  an amount of nonparty compact waste equal to 30 percent of the initial licensed capacity of the facility; and
(2)  not more than 275,000 curies of nonparty compact waste in any fiscal year.
(e-1)  The legislature by general law may establish revised limits under Subsection (e) after considering the results of the study under Section 401.208.
(e-2)  The commission's executive director, on completion of the study under Section 401.208, may prohibit the license holder from accepting any additional nonparty compact waste if the commission determines from the study that the capacity of the facility will be limited, regardless of whether the limit under Subsection (f) has been reached.
(f)  Of the total initial licensed capacity of the compact waste disposal facility:
(1)  not more than 30 percent of the volume and curie capacity shall be for nonparty compact waste; and
(2)  of the remaining capacity, not less than 80 percent of the volume and curie capacity shall be for compact waste generated in the host state and 20 percent of the volume and curie capacity shall be for compact waste generated in Vermont.
(g)  The commission shall assess a surcharge for the disposal of nonparty compact waste at the compact waste disposal facility.  The surcharge is 20 percent of the total contracted rate under Section 401.2456 and must be assessed in addition to the total contracted rate under that section.
(h)  A surcharge collected under Subsection (g) shall be deposited to the credit of the environmental radiation and perpetual care account.
(h-1)  The commission shall conduct a study of the surcharge described by Subsection (g) and, not later than December 1, 2016, shall issue the results of the review to the legislature.  The commission shall review the operations and expenses of the compact waste disposal facility license holder and shall require the compact waste disposal facility license holder to provide justification of disposal expenses and historical costs associated with the facility through appropriate evidentiary and empirical records, studies, and other applicable methodologies.  The commission shall consider the impact of the surcharge on the overall revenue generated for the state and may request the assistance of the comptroller in conducting the analysis of the impact of the surcharge.
(i)  The Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission by rule shall adopt procedures and forms for the approval of the importation of nonparty compact waste.
(j)  An application for the approval of the importation of nonparty compact waste may be submitted to the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission only by the generator of the waste.
(k)  The commission, in coordination with the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission, shall adopt rules establishing criteria and thresholds by which incidental commingling of party state compact waste and waste from other sources at a commercial processing facility is considered and reasonably limited.  The criteria and thresholds for commingling under this subsection established by commission rule are binding on any criteria and thresholds that may be established by the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission.
Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.  Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 11.231, eff. Sept. 1, 1995;  Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1367, Sec. 21, eff. Sept. 1, 1999;  Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1067, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1244 (S.B. 1504), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1159 (S.B. 347), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 790 (H.B. 2662), Sec. 1(a), eff. June 15, 2017.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 790 (H.B. 2662), Sec. 1(b), eff. September 1, 2019.