Opinion ID: 2567145
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: How does the exemption in RCW 70.105E.080 affect the application of the CPA to United States naval facilities?

Text: ¶ 20 The CPA provides an exemption related to naval activities, which states as follows: Nothing in [this act] shall affect existing permits for, or in any manner prohibit, the storage or disposal of sealed nuclear reactor vessels or compartments from retired United States navy submarines or surface ships at the existing disposal facility at Hanford, or affect existing permits for the operation of any facility by the federal government at which United States navy reactors are decommissioned or refueled. RCW 70.105E.080(2) (emphasis added). The only dispute is whether the CPA's definition of mixed waste encompasses materials produced at naval facilities other than sealed nuclear reactor vessels or compartments. The United States claims that, pursuant to its arguments concerning the scope of hazardous substances in question 1, the CPA will impact the shipment of low-level waste materials not listed in the naval exemption. For support, the United States provides the declaration of Captain John C. Orzalli, who states that [v]irtually all low level radioactive waste managed by PSNS [Puget Sound Naval Shipyard] & IMF [Intermediate Maintenance Facility] contains at least some amount of one or more hazardous substances as defined by the CPA. United States' Resp. Br., Decl. of Orzalli ¶ 5. This includes, but is not limited to, classified components such as pumps, reactor vessel heads, and reactor core barrels. Id. ¶ 2. In response, Ecology relies exclusively on its proposed circumscription of the hazardous substance definition discussed in question 1. ¶ 21 We decline any implicit invitation to delve into factual disputes concerning the types of materials shipped from the region's naval facilities to Hanford; that would be outside the scope of permissible issues under RAP 16.16(a). However, consistent with our response to questions 1(a)-(d), it is clear the naval exemption does not cover those materials (beyond reactor vessels or compartments) that may qualify as mixed waste under the CPA via the broad definition of hazardous substance. Ecology raises no persuasive argument to the contrary. Accordingly, the answer to this question is as follows: The naval exemption in RCW 70.105E.080 is limited to those materials specifically listed, including sealed nuclear reactor vessels and compartments, but does not extend to other materials that qualify as hazardous substances under the CPA's definition of mixed waste as described in question 1.