RE: NIRS and Atomic Train

["Weiner, Ruth" <rfweine@sandia.gov>]

No, there is nothing illegal about the WIPP shipments.  The State of New
Mexico has so far not given WIPP a RCRA Part B Permit to accept mixed waste,
so the waste that is being shipped there contains no RCRA-controlled
materials -- it's not mixed waste.  CAO just provided the State with about
17,000 pages of documentation that the waste contains no RCRA controlled
materials.  I am very familiar with this documentation, and if you want to
know more details, I can probably supply them.  The composition of the WIPP
shipments is thoroughly documented in CAO-94-1005, the WIPP TRU Baseline
Inventory Report (3 revisions).

The second question belies the NIRS distortion-to-hysteria approach.  WIPP
is legally limited to "defense waste" -- essentially the contaminated
materials from plutonium purification and weapons manufacture.  I really
know nothing about the Cassini power plant, and I'm certainly not going to
take NIRS' word for it.  The only plutonium separation that I know of that
is not defense-related is the work on EBR-II fuel, and to date, waste from
EBR-II purification is not headed for the WIPP.  The waste WIPP is intended
to handle is 95% (by volume) CONTACT-HANDLED TRU -- < 200 mrem/hr external
surface dose.  If there is some non-defense plutonium-contaminated material
that meets this criterion, I can see no reason why its disposition should
not be discussed rationally at some future time.

Clearly only my own opinion.

Ruth F. Weiner, Ph. D.
Sandia National Laboratories 
MS 0718, POB 5800
Albuquerque, NM 87185-0718
505-844-4791; fax 505-844-0244
rfweine@sandia.gov




-----Original Message-----
From: Burba, Michael (BURBAMJ) [mailto:BURBAMJ@UCMAIL.UC.EDU]
Sent: Friday, April 30, 1999 9:56 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: NIRS and Atomic Train


I have two questions for someone from WIPP:

Can anyone respond to the accusation that "illegal" shipments of plutonium
are being sent to WIPP?

Is WIPP only authorized to take "military" waste?

Mike Burba
Asst RSO
University of Cincinnati
Michael.Burba@uc.edu
(513)558-4110  FAX (9905)

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