Abandoned Uranium Mine Waste Remediation

Background

Beginning in the 1940s, uranium mining occurred throughout the Western United States. The majority of these sites used conventional methods to mine uranium, such as open pit mining, that generate large volumes of mine waste material (rock, soils, overburden) containing traces of naturally-occurring uranium, thorium, and radioactive decay products. Many of these mines ceased operations prior to the 1970s and were abandoned by their operators without completion of appropriate waste reclamation. At many of these abandoned uranium mine (AUM) sites, AUM waste material remains that may present potential radiological risks to public health, safety, and the environment.

Approximately 15,000 AUM waste sites have been identified across the Western United States, many of which occur on Federal and/or Tribal Lands, such as lands of the Navajo Nation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) leads the Federal Government’s response to AUM waste.

Recent Activities

Recent heightened stakeholder interest concerning the remediation of AUM waste prompted the Commission to evaluate options for addressing this issue. In February 2023, through SRM-M230126, the Commission directed staff to develop a commission paper evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of different options for the licensing of emerging technologies used for remediation of AUM waste. Staff submitted SECY-23-0055 to the Commission on June 28, 2023. On September 24, 2024, the Commission approved Option 2B, which would license emerging technologies used for mine waste remediation under the source material framework in 10 CFR Part 40, via a service provider license.

Two related NRC guidance documents are RIS-2000-23 “NRC Regulatory Issue Summary of Recent changed to Uranium Policy” and RIS-2012-06 “NRC Regulatory Issue Summary: NRC Policy Regarding Submittal of Amendments for Processing of Equivalent Feed at Licensed Uranium Recovery Facilities.”