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Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

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400<br />

ALTERNATIVE DISPOSAL CONCEPTS<br />

Earth could be accomplished with present vehicles by using planetary swing-by trajec-<br />

/torips. However, this approach is considered not practical because <strong>of</strong> limited opportuni-<br />

ties to launch from the Earth.<br />

It is highly unlikely (see Section 6.1.8 <strong>of</strong> the final Statement) that waste success-<br />

fully placed in a solar orbit situated halfway between that <strong>of</strong> the Earth and Venus and<br />

inclined to the plane <strong>of</strong> the ecliptic would pose significant hazards to the Earth's envi-<br />

ronment and to human health and safety.<br />

Draft p. 3.10.1-48<br />

Issue<br />

This well written section makes it clear that this option cannot be used soon enough<br />

to be a candidate for initial disposal and the Final EIS should so state. It is unfortu-<br />

nate that the candid.admission from page 3.9.9 "However, there is no firm technical basis<br />

at this time for asserting that the disposal <strong>of</strong> any or all <strong>of</strong> these elements in geologic<br />

form (Section 3.1) is either inadequate or undesirable" was not included in this section<br />

also. (154)<br />

Response<br />

The commenter's points are well taken. The reader is referred to Section 6.2 <strong>of</strong> the<br />

final Statement for a comparative assessment <strong>of</strong> the attributes <strong>of</strong> the alternative concepts<br />

and the mined repository.<br />

Draft p. 3.10.1<br />

Issue<br />

Ohio has previously indicated its dissatisfaction with this aspect <strong>of</strong> the report. It<br />

should be added that experimental data should exist on plutonium dispersion from space due<br />

to the SNAP reactor breakdown in the early sixties, and, from upper atmospheric bomb test-<br />

ing data from about the same period. (35)<br />

Response<br />

Specific experimental or empirical information collected from atmsopheric dispersal <strong>of</strong><br />

radioactive materials following nuclear weapons tests; or following the accidental reentry<br />

and burnup <strong>of</strong> a plutonium heat source in the 1960's; or following the recent reentry <strong>of</strong> the<br />

Russian Cosmos satellite, was not used directly in the preparation <strong>of</strong> Section 6.1.8 <strong>of</strong> the<br />

final Statement. The reader is referred, however, to Section 6.1.8.4 for a discussion <strong>of</strong><br />

the impacts <strong>of</strong> accidents, including accidental reentry and launch pad accidents, that.might<br />

cause atmospheric dispersal <strong>of</strong> radioactive materials.

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