Dive Brief:
- The hazardous waste violations at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) involve tank farm facilities on the site containing three 300,000 gallon below ground containers. Seven of the original 11 tanks and uses one as a back-up tank.
- A Notice of Violation was received at the lab in January; violations stemmed from failure to remove “mixed” liquid waste from the three tanks.
- The Consent Order modification requires the DOE to create a new timeframe for the removal of the tanks, to be completed no later than Dec. 31, 2018. A fine totaling $648,000 was levied against the DOE.
Dive Insight:
Additional fines will be filed against the DOE if specified deadlines are not met. An Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU), a treatment facility, was built at the lab, and is capable of converting liquid waste into a solid materials that can be discarded at a different facility. Delays in the construction led to issues with missing the deadlines