[en] Due to the decrease in expected nuclear reactor capacity growth, all portions of the fuel cycle can fulfill reactor needs throughout the 1980's with no expansion required except for fuel fabrication, where such expansion is already in the permit and regulatory system. As a result, fuel cycle costs should not increase faster than the rate of inflation with the possible exception of enrichment costs. It is likely that uranium will remain very competitive with coal as a fuel on a dollars per million Btu basis. However, increasing capital costs for reactors may change this scenario. It is unlikely that any new reactor orders will be placed before the mid 1980's as forecast by Electrical World owing to a directive by Congress to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to rewrite the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 50, 51 and 100 to better define siting regulations

[en] Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) proposes using Department of Transportation (DOT) specification 17H drums (55-gal) for transporting low-level waste (LLW) to Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) for interim storage. This container type was tested and found to be in compliance with DOT specifications for Type A packaging

[en] This study evaluates the degree to which surface impoundments at licensed facilities comply with significant changes in NRC requirements initiated by enactment of EPA's final environmental standards for uranium recovery facilities (40 CFR Part 192). Impoundment liner requirements, ground-water protection standards, ground-water monitoring and corrective action programs, and site closure standards are the most significant regulatory modifications. The compliance status of 30 conventional mills and 31 in-situ mines is determined from a review of Nuclear Regulatory Commission and agreement state docket files through November, 1983. Results of this review show that a majority of conventional uranium mill tailings management systems are deficient with respect to liner requirements for new impoundments or proposed expansions to existing impoundments, as well as with respect to some aspects of ground-water monitoring and compliance programs. Furthermore, the status of conventional mill site closure plans is highly uncertain at this time. Although surface impoundments at in-situ uranium mines also are deficient with respect to ground-water monitoring programs, they generally comply with other changes in requirements imposed by 40 CFR Part 192

[en] This report, the ORNL Long-Range Environmental and Waste Management Plan, is the annual update in a series begun in fiscal year 1985. Its primary purpose is to provide a thorough and systematic planning document to reflect the continuing process of site assessment, strategy development, and planning for the current and long-term control of environmental issues, waste management practices, and remedial action requirements. The document also provides an estimate of the resources required to implement the current plan. This document is not intended to be a budget document; it is, however, intended to provide guidance to both Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., and the US Department of Energy (DOE) management as to the near order of magnitude of the resources (primarily funding requirements) and the time frame required to execute the strategy in the present revision of the plan. As with any document of this nature, the near-term (one to three years) part of the plan is a pragmatic assessment of the current program and ongoing capital projects and reflects the efforts perceived to be necessary to comply with all current state and federal regulations and DOE orders. It also should be in general agreement with current budget (funding) requests and obligations for these immediate years. 55 figs., 72 tabs