Title:	Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites
Authors:	The National Academy of Sciences
Keywords:	Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites
Issue Date:	2000
Publisher:	National Academy
Description:	This study examines concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in its planning for transition from active waste site management and remediation to what the department terms “long-term stewardship.” It examines the scientific, technical, and organizational capabilities and limitations that must be taken into account in planning for the long-term institutional management of the department’s numerous waste sites that are the legacy to this country’s nuclear weapons program. It also identifies characteristics and design criteria for effective longterm institutional management. Of the sites in DOE’s inventory, few will be cleaned up sufficiently to allow unrestricted use. At many sites, radiological and non-radiological hazardous wastes will remain, posing risk to humans and the environment for tens or even hundreds of thousands of years. In some cases, contaminants have migrated off site or are likely to do so in the future. Future changes in the uses of sites and nearby areas make predicting risks even more difficult. In response to the technological, budgetary, and societal problems posed by these sites, DOE plans to rely on institutional controls and other stewardship measures to prevent exposure to residual contaminants following activities aimed at stabilization and containment. One message that emerges from this study, however, is that effective long-term stewardship will likely be difficult to achieve
URI:	http://10.6.20.12:80/handle/123456789/29113
ISBN:	0-309-07186-0
Appears in Collections:	Environmental and Development Studies

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