INFORMATION: Management Alert on Environmental Management's Select Strategy for Disposition of Savannah River Site Depleted Uranium Oxides Page: 3 of 10
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In response, the Department evaluated its options and issued a draft decision paper on March 1,
2010, which outlined an alternative for temporary storage until the final disposition issue could
be resolved. Under the terms of the proposed option, the remaining shipments from SRS are to
be sent on an interim basis to a facility owned by Waste Control Specialists (WCS) in Andrews,
Texas. Clearly, this choice carries with it a number of significant logistical burdens, including
substantial additional costs for, among several items, repackaging at SRS, transportation to
Texas, storage at the interim site, and, repackaging and transportation to the yet-to-be-
determined final disposition point.
The Department source expressed the concern that the proposal to store the material on an
interim basis in Texas was inefficient and unnecessary, asserting: (i) that the materials could
remain at SRS until a final disposition path is identified, and that this could be done safely,
securely and cost effectively; and, (ii) that the nature of the material was not subject to existing
compliance agreements with the State of South Carolina, suggesting the viability of keeping the
material in storage at SRS until a permanent disposal site is definitively established. We noted
that, while the Department's decision paper referred to "numerous project and programmatic
factors...that make it impractical to retain the remaining inventory at Savannah River," it did not
outline the specific issues involved nor did it provide any substantive economic or environmental
analysis supporting the need for the planned interim storage action. The only apparent driver in
this case was a Recovery Act-related goal established by the Department to accelerate the
general disposition of the SRS material.
We recognize that decisions such as the one proposed for the SRS inventory of DU oxides are
often more complex and nuanced than might appear on the surface. Consideration of factors
such as cost, state interest, posture of local regulators, etc., are important elements in this
process. Although, we have not completed sufficient work to reach an independent judgment on
the merits of this matter, we wanted to ensure that the Department was aware of the concerns that
have been raised before imminent decisions and resource commitments were made regarding the
path forward. To the credit of the employee who brought these concerns to our attention, the
hope was expressed that the decision reached would be both sensitive to the needs of the people
in and around the SRS as well as the best interests of the taxpayers and citizens of the Nation.
In that light, we suggest that the Department consider the expressed concerns as it evaluates the
economic feasibility and programmatic impact of the planned or pending move of the SRS DU
oxides to the WCS facility in Texas.
MANAGEMENT COMMENTS AND AUDITOR RESPONSE
Management stated that although a final decision on the storage and disposal of the DU oxides
has not been made, they are aware of the concerns that a decision to pursue interim storage at
WCS may result in increased cost to the Department. In response to those concerns,
management requested a cost assessment analysis of various interim storage alternatives.
However, they emphasized that cost is only one among multiple factors that must be balanced
with issues such as potential impacts to other site efforts, community input, leveraging existing
resource investments, and future Environmental Management liabilities. They concluded that
the Department intends to permanently dispose of the DU oxides off-site while delivering the2
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INFORMATION: Management Alert on Environmental Management's Select Strategy for Disposition of Savannah River Site Depleted Uranium Oxides, report, April 1, 2010; United States. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc935129/m1/3/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.