[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 4451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-1615]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Availability of Final Staff Technical Position on Concentration 
Averaging and Encapsulation

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is announcing the 
availability of a final revision, in part, to the 1983 Staff Technical 
Position on Radioactive Waste Classification. The revision is entitled, 
``Technical Position on Concentration Averaging and Encapsulation,'' 
and has involved from earlier proposals that were noticed in the 
Federal Register on June 30, 1992 (57 FR 29105) and September 22, 1993 
(58 FR 4933). The final position has been developed after considering 
the comments received on the two earlier proposals. The position 
provides guidance on the interpretation of Sec. 61.55(a)(8) of 10 CFR 
Part 61 as it applies to the classification (e.g., Class A, B, or C 
waste) of a variety of different types and forms of low-level 
radioactive waste.
    The Technical Position on Radioactive Waste Classification was 
initially developed in 1983 to provide guidance to low-level 
radioactive waste generators on four specific topics regarding waste 
classification: (1) Acceptable Materials Accountability Programs; (2) 
Determination and Verification of Radionuclide Concentrations and 
Correlations; (3) Concentration Volumes and Masses; and (4) Reporting 
on Manifests. Because of the desirability of attempting to achieve 
consistent waste classification positions among the Commission and 
Agreement State regulatory authorities, and because of the impact of 
waste classification positions on other programs (e.g., the Department 
of Energy's program to accept greater-than Class C waste), a need was 
identified to expand upon, further define, and replace guidance on the 
third of the four topics, ``Concentration Volumes and Masses.'' Copies 
of the two initial proposed Positions were distributed to licensees, 
Agreement States, Non-Agreement States, State Liaison Officers, and 
others who are on the NRC's Compact Distribution List, and the second 
proposal was also distributed to those who specifically submitted 
comments on the initial proposal. In response to the requests for 
comments on these earlier proposed Positions, thirty three comment 
letters were received. Consideration of these comments has led to the 
final Technical Position that is the subject of this notice. The 
Technical Position defines a subset of concentration averaging and 
encapsulation practices that the NRC staff would find acceptable in 
determining the concentrations of the 10 CFR 61.55 tabulated 
radionuclides in low-level waste. Because all unique waste types or 
waste packaging methods are not addressed, an ``Alternative 
provisions'' paragraph is included in the Technical Position that 
defines the bases and procedures through which other classification 
averaging or encapsulation positions may be judged acceptable.
    Copies of this final Technical Position, together with an NRC 
summary of major comments received on the latest proposal and NRC staff 
responses, are again being distributed (under separate cover) to the 
aforementioned addresses.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the final Technical Position and the ``NRC Staff's 
Analysis of and Response to Comments'' may be obtained by writing to 
W.R. Lahs to Mail Stop T 7F-27, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
W.R. Lahs, Division of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555, telephone (301) 415-6756.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 17th day of January, 1995.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John E. Glenn,
Chief, Low-Level Waste and Decommissioning Projects Branch, Division of 
Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 95-1615 Filed 1-20-95; 8:45 am]
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