various routing scenarios. The major effort in FY 1985 will center on the development of high-level and remote handled transuranic waste transportation systems.

TERMINAL STORAGE--WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT

(Chart 45) The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, now under development near Carlsbad, New Mexico, will provide a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive waste from national defense programs. WIPP is authorized by Public Law 96-164 and is exempt from licensing by the Nuclear Regulatory

Commission.

The primary objectives of WIPP are to demonstrate, through a full-scale pilot plant, the technical and operational methods for permanent isolation of defense-generated transuranic radioactive waste and to provide a facility for experiments on the behavior of high-level waste in bedded salt. The facility is designed to receive, inspect, emplace, and store defense waste. It will have the capability of disposing of defense transuranic waste and conducting experiments with defense-generated high-level wastes. The construction of permanent surface and underground facilities started in July 1983 following an extensive exploratory program. This exploratory program included two large diameter shafts and mining over 2 miles of drifts (tunnels) to confirm the subsurface geology. Construction completion is scheduled for December 1986. A test and checkout period will follow with waste receiving operations targeted for October 1988.

and FY 1985.

Construction, which began in late-1983, will peak during FY 1984 Enlarging the 6 foot diameter exploratory shaft to its final 19 foot diameter has started. Sinking the third shaft for facility ventilation has also started. Major contracts for constructing access roads, a rail spur, and a 31-mile water

pipeline are in progress.

be started in mid-1984.

The main waste handling building will

With site characterization and site validation complete, Sandia research and development activities will emphasize in-situ experiments. These experiments and demonstrations will establish the technical basis for defense waste disposal in bedded salt. This work will be based on an extensive background of predictive model development and laboratory/field testing. Specific

technology experiments will include:

The experiments will be conducted in areas already mined during

the exploratory program and in areas now being mined.

Good relations with the State of New Mexico are important in continuing construction of WIPP. Issues of concern to the State are being actively negotiated within the framework of the Consultation and Cooperation Agreement.

One primary State concern is the mission of WIPP. Our mission is limited to the demonstration of transuranic waste disposal and experiments with defense high-level waste. We are committed to removing this high-level waste upon completion of the experiments or decommissioning of the facility. This mission is consistent with Public Law 96-164, its Conference Report (House Report 96-702), and subsequent budget authorization legislation. We want to reemphasize that the WIPP facility is not being designed for the permanent disposal of high-level waste, nor has the site been characterized for such permanent disposal. Our site

characterization program was directed toward the statutory mission of demonstration of disposal of transuranic waste and the high-level waste experiments.

On February 10, 1984, the Secretary directed that negotiations with the State of New Mexico continue so that a timely agreement will be reached which defines the WIPP mission within the bounds

described above. When that agreement is complete, its content

will be included in testimony before the appropriate committees of

Congress.、

The Administration is supporting the WIPP Project with a request for $87.5 million. FY 1985 will be a peak year of construction at

the WIPP site. The last of 3 shafts, a 6-mile rail spur, 15 miles of access roads, and a 31-mile water pipeline will be completed. The primary waste handling building, started in FY 1984, will be under construction and completed in FY 1986. Assuming project activities continue successfully, as they have in the past, WIPP will be ready to receive radioactive waste on schedule in October 1988.

Byproducts and Beneficial Use

The objective of the byproducts and beneficial use program is to identify and develop safe, beneficial, and cost-effective applications of radioisotopes and materials from the defense fuel cycle. Also included is the development of power, light, heat, and electrical sources that are long-lived, reliable, and secure for our national defense needs. DOE-funded projects will be completed or terminated with funding from prior years. Specifically, the prior year funds for completion of the City of Albuquerque irradiator project will be made available to the City DOE commitments to provide continuing assistance

of Albuquerque.

to the City of Albuquerque will be reassessed. The operation of the transportable irradiator will be turned over to users, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or terminated. Research using the Sandia irradiator and studies involving New Mexico State University will be completed and final reports issued. The shipping cask developed to economically transport cesium and strontium capsules from storage at Hanford will be available for lease. Pork and fruit pilot plant irradiators will be completed with prior year funds and turned over to users for pilot operation.

With regard to prototype power generators using the defense waste byproduct, strontium-90, fabrication of a high power 500 watt

radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) will be completed in FY 1984. In FY 1985 the RTG will be fueled and turned over to DOO for demonstration such as in the emergency shelter of the unmanned short-range radar station of the North Warning System. In FT 1984 tritium infrared assault landing lights were successfully used by the Joint Special Forces in the invasion of Grenada, and test and evaluation by the Alaskan Air Command established acceptable pilot runway light acquisition at distances of greater than 6 miles for C-130, A-10, and KC-135 aircraft (Chart 46). In FY 1985 previous developmental work in radioluminescent lighting (Chart 47) will be brought to conclusion, and future efforts turned over to the DOD, CIA, FAA, and the States of Alaska, Virginia, and Washington.

This completes my presentation. I shall be happy to answer

questions.