Subpart H: Department of Energy Facilities
Rad NESHAPs
Subpart H protects the public and the environment from the hazards of radionuclide emissions, other than radon, from U.S. Department of Energy facilities. The regulation pertaining to subpart H is 40 CFR 61. It sets a limit on the emission of radionuclides that ensures no member of the public receives an effective dose equivalent of more than 10 mrem/year. Radon emissions are addressed in Subpart Q.
The DOE administers about 30 major and other smaller facilities. They include government-owned, contractor-operated facilities across the country, and their activities vary:
- conducting nuclear energy and weapons research and development
- enriching uranium and produce plutonium for nuclear weapons and reactors
- processing, storing, and disposing of radioactive wastes.
These facilities may be large sites covering hundreds of square miles in remote locations, large stockpiles of waste ore which emit large quantities of radon, or smaller sites resembling typical industrial facilities in suburban areas. The type of radionuclide emitted and the pathways affected vary among the facilities.
In addition, there are general requirements that all facilities subject to any NESHAP must meet, 40CFR61, Subpart A: General Provisions .
Electronic Reporting
Owners/operators of each facility have specific responsibilities:
- continuously monitoring and tracking emissions
- calculating the highest effective dose equivalent to a member of the public at an offsite point where there is a residence, school, business or office
- reporting this information annually to EPA, their EPA Regional office, or the state.
Calculations use data from all release points with a potential to contribute an effective dose equivalent of more than 0.1mr/year.
Facilities may now submit data electronically as well as in hard copy. Reviewers may also view and certify data electronically. Information for submitters and reviewers is in the table below
Submitters | Reviewers | |
---|---|---|
Link for Reports | http://cdx.epa.gov | https://yosemite.epa.gov/rpd/neshaps.nsf |
User Guides | Submitter
Guide MS Word 5.28MB |
Reviewer Guide MSWord 6217Kb |
User names and passwords are required for login. You can find instructions for obtaining them in the user guides.
Models
All sampling must follow EPA-approved procedures. Computer models CAP-88 and AIRDOS-PC are approved for calculating effective dose equivalents, and EPA may approve other procedures with advanced notice. EPA's COMPLY model may be used under some conditions.