The NRC is announcing a 6-month extension to its schedule for the Integrated Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Rulemaking. The schedule to deliver a proposed rule to the Commission has been extended from November 2023 to May 2024, and the schedule for delivering a final rule to the Commission has been extended from May 2025 to November 2025.

Through this rulemaking, the NRC staff will provide the Commission with a proposed rule to amend NRC’s regulations to revise the licensing requirements for low-level radioactive waste disposal and to add disposal requirements for Greater-Than-Class-C (GTCC) per direction in SRM-SECY-20-0098, “Staff Requirements – SECY-20-0098 – Path Forward and Recommendations for Certain Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Rulemakings,” dated April 5, 2022. The proposed rule would ensure that the low-level radioactive waste streams that are significantly different from those considered during the development of Part 61, “Licensing Requirements for Land Disposal of Radioactive Waste,” of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 61), such as depleted uranium, would continue to be disposed of safely and meet the performance objectives for land disposal of low-level radioactive waste.

Additional details of the rulemaking can be found on the NRC’s public rulemaking website at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/rulemaking-ruleforum/active/ruledetails.html?id=34.

Please contact George Tartal at George.Tartal@nrc.gov or (301) 415-0016 with any questions.