| The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
will hold a meeting on November 5 with Environmental Protection Agency staff
to discuss the implementation of the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding
on the radiological decommissioning and decontamination of NRC-licensed sites.
The meeting will be held from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the Two White Flint North
Auditorium at NRC Headquarters, located at 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland. The public is invited to meet informally with NRC and EPA staff
beginning at 12:30 p.m. and to participate in the meeting at designated points
identified on the agenda.
The MOU provides that EPA will defer exercise of authority under the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund) for the
majority of facilities decommissioned under NRC authority. The MOU includes
provisions for NRC and EPA consultation for certain sites, when, at the time
of license termination, 1) groundwater contamination exceeds EPA-permitted
levels; 2) NRC contemplates restricted release or alternate criteria for release
of the site; or 3) residual radioactive soil concentrations exceed levels
defined in the MOU.
The MOU does not impose any new requirements on NRC licensees and will reduce
the involvement of EPA with NRC licensees who are decommissioning. Most sites
are expected to meet the NRC criteria for unrestricted use, and NRC believes
that only a few sites will have groundwater or soil contamination in excess
of the levels specified in the MOU which trigger consultation with EPA. If
there are hazardous materials on the site, EPA may be involved in the cleanup.
A copy of the MOU between NRC and EPA can be accessed at NRC’s web
site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2002/mou2fin.pdf  .
For more information about the meeting, contact Patricia Santiago at 301-415-7269,
or by e-mail at pas2@nrc.gov; or contact
Eric Pogue at 301-415-6064, or by e-mail at erp@nrc.gov.
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