The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) contains the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Program (LLRW Program) created to administer the NDEQ's responsibilities as outlined in Nebraska State Statute through the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Act. The NDEQ's 1996 Annual Report to the Legislature details the LLRW Program activities from 1990 to the present regarding their review of the license application of US Ecology.
The LLRW Program is a cooperative effort on behalf of NDEQ and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NHHS). Their technical review of the license application covers eight functional areas including Site Characterization, Performance Assessment, Quality Assurance, Design and Construction, and Facility Operations. In addition to state personnel, the LLRW Program organized and contracted for a team of more than 100 technical reviewers with expertise in more than 20 technical and professional disciplines to assist the NDEQ and NHHS in the review of the application.
According to the LLRW Program's Annual Report, issued December 1, 1996, the license application submitted by USE in July, 1990, contained a two-volume Environmental Report and an 11-volume Safety Analysis Report. These documents contained more than 4,000 pages of information. By October, 1990, reviewers had identified 34 alleged deficiencies. USE responded between November, 1990, and July, 1991. Eight additional outstanding alleged deficiencies were reported to USE in August, 1991, and responded to in November, 1991. On December 24, 1991, the State determined the application to be complete. The Safety Analysis Report generated 1,350 comments and the Environmental Report generated 355 comments. There were four rounds of comments from the State which were responded to by USE.
In 1993, the State issued an Intent to Deny action, citing the presence of wetlands at the proposed site. In August, 1993, USE submitted a revision to its license application, changing the boundary size of the proposed site to respond to the Intent to Deny. This revision prompted the technical review team to re-evaluate all areas of the revised application prior to issuing Final Technical Review Comments. This final round of comments was forwarded to USE by the State in October, 1994, and USE completed its response in May, 1995. On July 11, 1995, the LLRW Program initiated its final review activities and was continuing that review process at the completion of the Commission's last fiscal year on June 30, 1997.