Administrator Air/Radiation Docket
Environmental Protection Agency, West Room B108
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20460
Attention Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0095

RE: My comments on proposals concerning "low-activity" radioactive waste

Dear EPA,

I am extremely concerned with the proposals outlined in the EPA's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding "low-activity" radioactive waste. It should not be the priority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce the so-called "regulatory burden" on companies that produce wastes and contaminants, to relax the standards by which nuclear waste can be dumped, or to increase the number of possible dump sites for waste generators, particularly when doing so may increase the number of hazards to which a member of the public could be exposed, or when such relaxations would create new potential for irresponsible waste management or otherwise diminish the Agency’s ability to effectively regulate.

While proper management of nuclear waste becomes an increasing challenge as more is produced every day, it is the EPA's obligation to meet this challenge without fail, and to implement policies and procedures which completely isolate and contain all radioactive waste that is generated throughout the nuclear fuel cycle, and all naturally occurring radioactive sources that pose new or increased hazards to the public due to technological enhancement or other human intervention (mining, milling, oil exploration, etc.).

It is obvious in the rulemaking notice that the EPA is attempting to carve out a particular deregulation at the urging of the nuclear waste-generating industry. I am completely opposed to any and all moves towards deregulation. Instead, the EPA must implement and maintain policies that ensure minimization, isolation and containment of all nuclear waste materials, and the prevention of forced exposures to radiation upon the public. In relation to the EPA’s current proposed rulemaking, such policies should do the following:

• Minimize production of "low-activity" radioactive wastes and "low-activity" mixed wastes
• Minimize or eliminate transportation of "low-activity" radioactive wastes and "low-activity"
mixed wastes. All such transportation of these wastes should be fully documented, manifested, labeled and should be monitored and traceable by regulatory agencies.
• Restrict the disposition of "low-activity" wastes to fully protective, fully monitored, licensed waste storage facilities.

I do NOT want additional radioactive contamination to enter the public sphere, to contaminate the soil, air or groundwater in my community, or elsewhere.