Hanford Environmental Report
Dedicated to the Goal of 100% Environmental Compliance

Volume 20, Number 11 - December 11, 1998

From Washington D.C.:

DOE ISSUES FINAL OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION RULE

On November 4, DOE published its final amendments to the Occupational Radiation Protection rule (63 FR 59662) under 10 CFR Part 835. The final revised rule culminates a series of actions intended to continue DOE's transition from a system of contractually-based nuclear safety standards to regulatory-based requirements. Several substantial changes to the rule have been made to:

• Codify radioactive sealed source control requirements;
• Revise area posting and labeling requirements;
• Add new requirements for receipt of radioactive materials;
• Revise radiation safety training requirements; and
• Address emergent radiation protection issues.

As a result of these amendments, the Radiological Protection Program (RPP) which describes how DOE activities at Hanford comply with the rule will be revised. The final rule amendments became effective December 4, 1998. The updated RPP with plans and schedules for achieving compliance must be submitted to DOE within 180 days after the effective date of the rule. In general, full compliance with the revised rule will be completed within 180 days of DOE approval of the RPP except for the radiobioassay program accreditation, which requires full compliance, by January 1, 2002. For more information, email or call Theodore_P_Ted_Giltz@rl.gov of Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc., Radiological Control at (509) 373-2134.

EPA ISSUES FINAL HAZARDOUS WASTE REMEDIATION WASTE OR HWIR-MEDIA RULE

On November 30, EPA published its final rule (63 FR 65874) establishing requirements for the management of hazardous remediation wastes under RCRA that are treated, stored or disposed of during cleanup actions. The final rule is intended to simplify cleanups and includes requirements that provide for:

• Streamlined permitting for treating, storing, and disposing of remediation wastes generated at cleanup sites that eliminates the requirement for facility-wide corrective action at remediation-only facilities;
• A new kind of unit called a staging pile which will allow for more flexibility in storing remediation waste during cleanup;
• An exclusion for dredged materials managed under the Clean Water Act or Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act permits; and
• Streamlined procedures for State authorization.

EPA also finalized the Land Disposal Restriction treatment standards for hazardous contaminated soil that were originally included in the proposed HWIR-media rule in a Federal Register published in May 1998. Additionally, EPA is deferring action on the Treatability Sample Exclusion Rule and is withdrawing other portions of the earlier proposal including the Bright line option that were also included in the proposed HWIR-media rule. EPA is leaving the corrective action management unit (CAMU) rule in place. The final rule is not applicable at Hanford until Ecology has gone through the rulemaking process to incorporate all or parts of it into the state regulations. For more information, email or call Wayne_E_Toebe@rl.gov of Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. at (509) 372-2359.

EPA ISSUES MEMORANDUM ON MANAGEMENT OF REMEDIATION WASTE UNDER RCRA

EPA recently issued a memorandum to its RCRA/CERCLA Senior Policy Managers and Regional Counsels entitled, "Management of Remediation Waste under RCRA". This memorandum is a consolidation of existing guidance on the RCRA regulations and policies that most often affect management of remediation wastes. The information in it is divided into three categories: regulations and policies that apply to all remediation waste; regulations and policies that apply only to contaminated media; and regulations and policies that apply only to contaminated debris. The memorandum includes guidance on:

• Area of contamination policy;
• Corrective action management units;
• Corrective action temporary units;
• Determination of when contamination is caused by listed hazardous waste;
• Site-specific LDR treatment variances;
• Contained-in policy;
• LDR treatment standards for contaminated soil; and
• LDR treatment standards for contaminated debris

The guidance can be obtained from the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/correctiveaction. For more information, email or call Wayne_E_Toebe@rl.gov of Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. at (509) 372-2359.

BRIEFLY

EPA recently released a memo which clarifies the effective dates of the different types of wastes that are subject to the requirements of the Phase IV LDR rule. The Phase IV LDR rule set new hazardous waste treatment standards for toxic metals, mineral processing wastes, and contaminated soils. EPA prepared this memo in an effort to answer numerous inquiries it was getting regarding the complex web of effective dates contained in the final rule. The memo can be obtained from the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/new.htm.

EPA recently released a document entitled, "Title III List of Lists". This document is an up-to-date inventory of chemicals that are subject to regulation under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act and Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act. The list is intended to assist companies in determining whether they are required to file chemical release estimates and accident management plans with EPA. The document can be obtained from the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ceppo/pubs/tosco.pdf.