Los Alamos National Laboratory Transuranic Waste Management Public Hearing

In this public hearing, the Board wishes to gather information regarding the hazards to the public and workers posed by the management of transuranic (TRU) waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) as well as the Department of Energy’s (DOE) plans to address those hazards. The Board will also examine DOE’s actions taken or planned to resolve known inadequacies in the current safety basis of the various facilities that manage or store TRU waste at LANL, and actions to improve TRU waste management at LANL in response to the challenges caused by the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) accident and the associated investigation findings. A senior Board technical staff employee will present information to the Board regarding TRU waste management at LANL, including safety issues identified at Area G including issues with inappropriately remediated nitrate salt-bearing waste, corrective actions resulting from the WIPP accident, and federal oversight. The Board will then receive testimony from senior officials from DOE Headquarters and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Headquarters regarding federal oversight of LANL transuranic waste management. After a brief recess, the Board will receive testimony from DOE and NNSA Los Alamos Field Office leadership as well as LANL leadership regarding technical resolution of safety issues. Public participation in the hearing is invited during the public comment period of the agenda. The Board is setting aside time for presentations and comments from the public. Persons interested in speaking during the public comment period are encouraged to pre-register by submitting a request in writing to the Board’s address or by telephone to the Office of the General Counsel at (202) 694–7062 prior to close of business on March 18, 2016. Following the public comment period, the hearing will conclude with statements from senior officials from DOE and NNSA as well as the Board Chairman. The public hearing portion of this proceeding is authorized by 42 U.S.C. 2286b.