"Is 'Trust Us, We're the Government' Really A Guarantee? A Review of Financial Assurance Options for Long-Term Stewardship at the Mixed Waste Landfill, Sandia National Laboratories" - by W. Paul Robinson, Research Director, Southwest Research and Information Center.

Conclusions

" Recent policy initiatives and considerations by the Department of Energy (DOE) related to long-term stewardship (LTS) do not provide a clear path to solve the LTS dilemma;
" Transfer of waste sites to other federal agencies does not solve the LTS dilemma nor dies it address questions about potential long-term risks associated with specific sites;
" Clean up without removal of hazards will result in a greater emphasis on LTS;
" LTS necessitates the use of a financial assurance mechanism or other guarantees to ensure that all post closure activities and contingency plans will be implemented;
" Trust funds have been established at DOE facilities such as the Oak Ridge model.

Recommendations

1. The Corrective Measures Study (CMS) that is being conducted for the Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL) should include costs of full remediation to minimize or eliminate LTS requirements;
2. The CMS should identify the FULL COST for closure and post-closure plans including periodic evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed evapotranspiration (ET) cap, monitoring, maintenance, and repair of cap on a PERPETUAL basis;
3. A financial assurance mechanism should be included as part of the post closure remedies in the CMS as an option to guarantee that the full cost of LTS at the MWL will be available when needed.