Nuclear Waste

Nathan Jones and Joseph Smith Klein

What is Nuclear Waste

Byproduct of nuclear technology

Regulated by Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Regulated waste divided into 5 categories
Low-level Waste (LLW)- includes radioactively contaminated protective clothing, tools, filters
rags, medical tubes, and many other items
Waste incidental to reprocessing (WIR)- refers to certain waste byproducts that result from
reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, which the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has distinguished
from high-level waste
High-level Waste (HLW)- is "irradiated" or used nuclear reactor fuel
Uranium Mill Tailings- are the residues remaining after the processing of natural ore to extract
uranium and thorium
Current Storage Techniques

Reprocessing spent fuel for further usage

Cooling pools at the source of generation
Underground or aboveground in dry casks
 The Problem

Most waste is stored at source of generation

These sources near major metropolitan
No permanent repository for HLW
High-Level Waste in Texas

A Low-level storage site in Andrews County has an application to store High-Level

Waste
State legislature could help the process by expressing its consent to the project
Moves waste away from major cities
Waste easier for future transport by being in Dry Casks
Take Action

Emalied members of the Texas Senate on the Intragovernmental Relations and Natural
Resources and the Environment Committees
Also emailed AHS Alum Rep. Lloyd Doggett
No meaningful response
Letter

Dear Honorable Senator,

If you are not currently aware the United States lacks a permanent home for High-Level Waste produced our country's nuclear
program as a result of the stalled status of the facility at Yucca Mountain. This has left the United States in a precarious
condition on the matter, as the vast majority of High-Level Waste is being stored at the plants where it is produced in cooling
tanks. These tanks were intended to serve as a temporary measure which would bring the material to a manageable
temperature. High-Level Waste has a long half-life and therefore requires a long-term method of storage which these pools
aren't. In Texas, the plants and their pools are located near some of the state's largest cities. A solution to this problem is
present in Andrews County where Texas Waste Control Specialists is currently seeking a permit from the Department of Energy
to store High-Level Waste.

I'm a senior at the Academy for Global Studies and have been researching the topic mentioned above with a peer for our
Capstone project. We were wondering if it would be possible for us to schedule a meeting with your office in Austin sometime
during the October or November to discuss solutions that the Texas State Legislature could take on the matter.
Questions

Do you have any specific recommendations for getting in contact with offices of
lawmakers?
What hurdles do you see for Nuclear Waste from a political perspective?
Works Cited

Radioactive Waste. United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Protecting People and
the Environment, Nuclear Regulatory Commission , 14 Aug. 2017, www.nrc.gov/waste.html.