Released : August 27, 2003

Jackson, WY - Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free (KYNF) today warned the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering Lab (INEEL) that it would strongly fight any effort to treat more than 1 million gallons of liquid radioactive waste through use of high-temperature thermal processes and those which produce high levels of toxic air emissions.

INEEL will choose from five potential technologies being considered to treat the radioactive waste. KYNF President Tom Patricelli warned officials from the DOE and INEEL that KYNF and Jackson residents would oppose any treatment technology that would expose the radioactive waste to extremely high temperatures and create significant off-gas emissions.

Commenting on the possibility that the DOE might choose to restart the New Waste Calcine Facility, which KYNF was instrumental in closing, Patricelli said "any effort to restart the Calciner would be met with the most stringent opposition. The Calciner is essentially an incinerator and I think the DOE knows how residents of this community feel about incineration."

KYNF also opposed direct vitrification, steam reformation, and direct evaporation because of the high temperature used to treat the waste and the danger of radioactive emissions being released into the air.

Subsequently, KYNF gave its qualified endorsement of the technology known as cesium-ion exchange with grouting. This treatment method uses ion exchange to remove radioactive cesium from the waste and then injects a cement-like grout into the remaining waste, forming a solid waste packet ready for transport out of INEEL.

Patricelli sounded a note of caution, however, saying that "KYNF remains concerned about the proper handling and disposition of the radioactive cesium after the ion exchange process. Our endorsement of this technology hinges upon the proper handling and treatment of the highly dangerous cesium."

Go to : Current News | Archived News