re: AP LLRW Story

["David W. Lee" <lee_david_w@lanl.gov>]

	RADSAFERS more knowledgeable in LLW disposal history than me:

	This LLW disposal thread yesterday and today has been interesting.  From
my fuzzy recollection, I seem to recall that before this whole
congressionally mandated COMPACT business, there were two or three sites
where LLW could be disposed of that were operated by commercial companies.
Then magically, congress intervened and basically left it up to the States
to figure out a way to dispose of LLW which gave rise to the COMPACT
system.  What I have not yet heard elaborated upon, however, is the
distinct possibility that Congress, itself, made yet another political
blunder (the first was killing nuclear fuel reprocessing).  This blunder
was simply failing to realize that there was not ENOUGH LLW generated in
this country to ever make it profitable for even 3 companies to stay in the
commercial LLW disposal business, let alone make the naive assumption that
forming almost a dozen additional COMPACT sites--that they all could at
least pay their own way to stay financially afloat!  IMHO, Congress,
itself, bears the lion's share of responsibility for the status of the
present LLW disposal situation.

REGARDS  David W. Lee, Los Alamos National Laboratory, lee_david_w@lanl.gov
 (505) 667-8085 Los Alamos, NM  87545  



At 02:08 PM 16-07-97 -0500, you wrote:
>     Radsafers -
>
>     I was wondering when people where going to notice that we have spent
>     almost half a billion dollars on this "process" with nothing to show
>     for it!  When the Supreme Court struck down the "take title' provision
>     to the Siting Act, the states had no reason to seriously pursue siting
>     with any sense of urgency.  As a result we (taxpayers and llrw
>     generators) have wasted hundreds of millions of dollars on
>     consultants, lawyers, state siting boards, regional compact
>     commissions, and other bureaucracies so the sited states would not
>     deny access to their facilities.  Well, South Carolina bailed out of
>     the process last year.  The Midwest Compact has voted not to pursue a
>     site and Illinois has delayed everything for nine years.
>
>     It has been seventeen years - it's time to admit the process has not
>     worked and never will.  Since I cant' think of any way to fix it, the
>     Siting Act should be repealed.  Let the free market determine how many
>     disposal sites are needed and where.  South Carolina is earning about
>     $80 million a years in surcharges alone.  Perhaps somewhere in this
>     nation there is an enlightened community willing to accept a disposal
>     site for a mere $40 million a year.
>
>     The larger pharmaceuticals has begun discussions among themselves to
>     address this issue at the federal level.  We have not decided on a
>     course of action yet, but I suggested to repeal the Act.  I would be
>     greatly interested in hearing anyone's opinion or ideas.  I am
>     particularly interested in how South Carolina may react to the repeal
>     of the Siting Act as well as Texas and California.
>
>     We will be better off with the Siting Act or without it?  Hope to hear
>     from you.
>
>     Mike Vala
>     Bristol-Myers Squibb
>     mvala@usccmail.bms.com
>
>     ****************************************************************
>
>     Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 05:11:03 +0000
>     From: Jim Muckerheide <muckerheide@mediaone.net>
>     Subject: LLW status according to AP: a fair story
>
>     Nothing to show for millions spent toward nuclear waste disposal
>
>     The Associated Press
>
>     RALEIGH, N.C. (July 5, 1997 12:38 p.m. EDT) -- It's the same story
>     everywhere -- regional compacts Congress created 17 years ago to bury
>     low-level radioactive waste have spent hundreds of millions of dollars
>     with virtually nothing to show.
>     ******************************************************************
>
>
David W. Lee
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Radiation Protection Services Group (ESH-12)
PO Box 1663, MS K483
Los Alamos, NM  87545
PH:   (505) 667-8085
FAX:  (505) 667-9726
lee_david_w@lanl.gov