Download or read book Approval of Yucca Mountain Site written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Approval of Yucca Mountain Site written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Energy and Commerce and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Strategic Basis for License Application Planning for a Potential Yucca Mountain Repository written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 10 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If Yucca Mountain, Nevada is designated as the site for development of a geologic repository for disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, the Department of Energy (DOE) must obtain Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval first for repository construction, then for an operating license, and, eventually, for repository closure and decommissioning. The licensing criteria defined in Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 63 (10 CFR Part 63) establish the basis for these NRC decisions. Submittal of a license application (LA) to the NRC for authorization to construct a repository at the Yucca Mountain site is, at this point, only a potential future action by the DOE. The policy process defined in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), as amended, for recommendation and designation of Yucca Mountain as a repository site makes it difficult to predict whether or when the site might be designated. The DOE may only submit a LA to the NRC if the site designation takes effect. In spite of this uncertainty, the DOE must take prudent and appropriate action now, and over the next several years, to prepare for development and timely submittal of a LA. This is particularly true given the need for the DOE to develop, load, and certify the operation of its electronic information system to provide access to its relevant records as part of the licensing support network (LSN) in compliance with NRC requirements six months prior to LA submittal. The DOE must also develop a LA, which is a substantially different document from those developed to support a Site Recommendation (SR) decision. The LA must satisfy NRC licensing criteria and content requirements, and address the acceptance criteria defined by the NRC in its forthcoming Yucca Mountain Review Plan (YMRP). The content of the LA must be adequate to facilitate NRC acceptance and docketing for review, and the LA and its supporting documents must provide the documented basis for the NR C findings required for a construction authorization. The LA must also support a licensing proceeding before an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board panel prior to NRC action on any decision to authorize construction. The DOE has established a strategic basis for planning that is intended to provide the framework for development of an integrated plan for activities leading to preparation and submittal of a LA.
Download or read book Approval of Yucca Mountain Site written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Preparing to Submit a License Application for Yucca Mountain written by M. D. Voegele and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1982, the U.S. Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, a Federal law that established U.S. policy for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Congress amended the Act in 1987, directing the Department of Energy to study only Yucca Mountain, Nevada as the site for a permanent geologic repository. As the law mandated, the Department evaluated Yucca Mountain to determine its suitability as the site for a permanent geologic repository. Decades of scientific studies demonstrated that Yucca Mountain would protect workers, the public, and the environment during the time that a repository would be operating and for tens of thousands of years after closure of the repository. A repository at this remote site would also: preserve the quality of the environment; allow the environmental cleanup of Cold War weapons facilities; provide the nation with additional protection from acts of terrorism; and support a sound energy policy. Throughout the scientific evaluation of Yucca Mountain, there has been no evidence to disqualify Yucca Mountain as a suitable site for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Upon completion of site characterization, the Secretary of Energy considered the results and concluded that a repository at Yucca Mountain would perform in a manner that protects public health and safety. The Secretary recommended the site to the President in February 2002; the President agreed and recommended to Congress that the site be approved. The Governor of Nevada submitted a notice of disapproval, and both houses of Congress acted to override the disapproval. In July 2002, the President's approval allowed the Department to begin the process of submittal of a license application for Yucca Mountain as the site for the nation's first repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Yucca Mountain is located on federal land in Nye County in southern Nevada, an arid region of the United States, approximately 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Las Vegas (Figure 1). The location is remote from population centers, and there are no permanent residents within approximately 14 miles (23 km) of the site. Overall, Nye County has a population density of about two persons per square mile (two persons per 2.5 square km); in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain, it is significantly less. Yucca Mountain is a series of north-south-trending ridges extending approximately 25 miles (40 km), and consists of successive layers of fine-grained volcanic tuffs, millions of years old, underlain by older carbonate rocks. The alternating layers of welded and nonwelded volcanic tuffs have differing hydrologic properties that significantly impact the manner in which water moves through the mountain. The repository horizon will be in welded tuff located in the unsaturated zone, more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) above the water table in the present-day climate, and is expected to remain well above the water table during wetter future climate conditions. Future meteorology and climatology at Yucca Mountain are important elements in understanding the amount of water available to potentially interact with the waste.
Download or read book Uncertainty Underground written by Allison Macfarlane and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experts from science, industry, and government discuss the unresolved scientific and technical issues surrounding the Yucca Mountain site as a geologic repository for high-level nuclear waste.
Download or read book Yucca Mountain Review Plan written by U.s. Nuclear Reglatory Commission and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-06-06 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Yucca Mountain Review Plan provides guidance for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff to evaluate a U.S. Department of Energy license application for a geologic repository. It is not a regulation and does not impose regulatory requirements. The licensing criteria are contained in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 10, Part 63 (10 CFR Part 63), “Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Wastes in a Proposed Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.” The Secretary of Energy has recommended the Yucca Mountain site to the President for the development of a Yucca Mountain repository. The President has notified Congress that he considers the Yucca Mountain site qualified for application for a construction authorization for a repository. Nevada filed a notice of disapproval of the President's recommendation; however, Congress later approved the site recommendation. The U.S. Department of Energy may now submit a license application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The principal purpose of the Yucca Mountain Review Plan is to ensure the quality, uniformity, and consistency of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff reviews of the license application and any requested amendments. The Yucca Mountain Review Plan has separate sections for reviews of general information, repository safety before permanent closure, repository safety after permanent closure, the research and development program to resolve safety questions, the performance confirmation program, and administrative and programmatic requirements. Each section addresses determining compliance with specific regulatory requirements from 10 CFR Part 63. The regulations and the Yucca Mountain Review Plan are risk-informed, performance-based to the extent practical.
Download or read book APPROVAL OF YUCCA MOUNTAIN SITE REPORT 107 425 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 107TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Approval of Yucca Mountain Site written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Energy and Commerce and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 13 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Public Interaction and Educational Outreach on the Yucca Mountain Project written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In July 2002, the U.S. Congress approved Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the nation's first long-term geologic repository site for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. This major milestone for the country's high-level radioactive waste disposal program comes after more than twenty years of scientific study and intense public interaction and outreach. This paper describes public interaction and outreach challenges faced by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Yucca Mountain Project in the past and what additional communication strategies may be instituted following the July 2002 approval by the U.S. Congress to develop the site as the nation's first long-term geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The DOE public involvement activities were driven by two federal regulations--the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982, as amended. The NEPA required that DOE hold public hearings at key points in the development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the NWPA required the agency to conduct public hearings in the vicinity of the site prior to making a recommendation regarding the site's suitability. The NWPA also provided a roadmap for how DOE would interact with affected units of government, which include the state of Nevada and the counties surrounding the site. Because the Department anticipated and later received much public interest in this high-profile project, the agency decided to go beyond regulatory-required public involvement activities and created a broad-based program that implemented far-reaching public interaction and outreach tactics. Over the last two decades, DOE informed, educated, and engaged a myriad of interested local, national, and international parties using various traditional and innovative approaches. The Yucca Mountain Project's intensive public affairs initiatives were instrumental in involving the public, which in turn resulted in thousands of comments on various aspects of the program. These comments were considered in the development of the EIS and weighed in the Secretary of Energy's decision to recommend the site.
Download or read book Preparing the Yucca Mountain Multimedia Presentation written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In July 2002, the U.S. Congress approved Yucca Mountain in Nevada for development as a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. This major milestone for the country's high-level radioactive waste disposal program comes after more than 20 years of scientific study and intense public interaction and outreach. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) public involvement activities were driven by two federal regulations-the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982, as amended. The NEPA required that DOE hold public hearings at key points in the development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the NWPA required the agency to conduct public hearings in the vicinity of the site prior to making a recommendation regarding the site's suitability. The NWPA also provided a roadmap for how DOE would interact with affected units of government, which include the state of Nevada and the counties surrounding the site. As the Project moves into the next phase--applying for a license to construct a repository-the challenge of public interaction and outreach remains. It has become increasingly important to provide tools to communicate to the public the importance of the Yucca Mountain Project. Sharing the science and engineering research with the general public, as well as teachers, students, and industry professionals, is one of the project's most important activities. Discovering ways to translate project information and communicate this information to local governments, agencies, citizens' groups, schools, the news media, and other stakeholders is critical. With these facts in mind, the authors set out to create a presentation that would bring the ''mountain'' to the public.
Download or read book Closing Yucca Mountain written by Todd Garvey and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2011-05 with total page 25 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Passed in 1982, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) was an effort to establish an explicit statutory basis for the Dept. of Energy (DoE) to dispose of the nation's most highly radioactive nuclear waste. The NWPA requires DoE to remove spent nuclear fuel from commercial nuclear power plants and transport it to a permanent geologic repository. In 1987, Congress designated Yucca Mountain, NV (YM), as the repository. Contents of this report: Intro.; Establishing a Permanent Geologic Repository for High-Level Nuclear Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel; YM and the Obama Admin.; Blue Ribbon Comm. on America's Nuclear Future; Withdrawal of the YM Construction License; NRC Halts YM License Review; The Future of YM. A print on demand report.
Download or read book Nuclear waste technical schedule and cost uncertainties of the Yucca Mountain Repository Project written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2001 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recognizing the critical need to address the issue of nuclear waste disposal, the Congress enacted the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to establish a comprehensive policy and program for the safe, permanent disposal of commercial spent fuel and other highly radioactive wastes in one or more mined geologic repositories. In the act, the Congress stated that federal efforts to devise a permanent solution for disposing of radioactive waste had been inadequate. The act charged DOE with (1) establishing criteria for the recommendation of sites for repositories; (2) "characterizing" (investigating) three sites to determine each site's suitability for a repository; (3) recommending one suitable site to the President who, if he considers the site is qualified for a license application, submits a recommendation of such site to the Congress; and (4) upon approval of a recommended site, seeking a license from NRC to construct and operate a repository at the approved site. The act created the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management within DOE to manage its nuclear waste program. When the act was passed, it was expected that a repository could be operational in 1998. Amendments to the act in 1987 directed DOE to investigate only the Yucca Mountain site. These amendments also established the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (the Board). The Board's decision is to review the technical and scientific validity of DOE's activities associated with investigating the site and packaging and transporting wastes, and to report its findings and recommendations to the Congress and DOE at least twice each year. The act does not require DOE to implement the Board's recommendations.
Download or read book Commercial Nuclear Waste Resuming Licensing of the Yucca Mountain Repository Would Require Rebuilding Capacity at Doe and Nrc Among Other Key Steps written by U.s. Government Accountability Office and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-07-25 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: " Spent nuclear fuel from commercial power reactors can pose risks to humans and the environment, if not properly contained, and is a source of billions of dollars of liabilities. In 2008, DOE applied to NRC for approval to build a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada for permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste. As part of NRC's licensing process to review DOE's application and potentially approve construction, NRC initiated a public hearing-or adjudication-with DOE, NRC staff, and nonfederal parties. However, in March 2010, after announcing plans to terminate its proposal for Yucca Mountain, DOE submitted a motion to NRC to withdraw its application. In September 2011, NRC formally suspended the adjudication. GAO was asked to examine the likely steps needed to resume the Yucca Mountain licensing process. This report examines (1) the actions that took place after DOE submitted its motion to withdraw its application and any plans by DOE or NRC to resume the licensing process, and (2) the likely key steps needed to resume and complete the process and the factors that may influence these steps' success. GAO reviewed federal laws and documents; interviewed DOE and NRC officials and contractors; and interviewed or received written remarks from 15 of the 17 nonfederal parties"
Download or read book Commercial Nuclear Waste written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-09-21 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spent nuclear fuel from commercial power reactors can pose risks to humans and the environment, if not properly contained, and is a source of billions of dollars of liabilities. In 2008, DOE applied to NRC for approval to build a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada for permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste. As part of NRC's licensing process to review DOE's application and potentially approve construction, NRC initiated a public hearing-or adjudication-with DOE, NRC staff, and nonfederal parties. However, in March 2010, after announcing plans to terminate its proposal for Yucca Mountain, DOE submitted a motion to NRC to withdraw its application. In September 2011, NRC formally suspended the adjudication. GAO was asked to examine the likely steps needed to resume the Yucca Mountain licensing process. This report examines (1) the actions that took place after DOE submitted its motion to withdraw its application and any plans by DOE or NRC to resume the licensing process, and (2) the likely key steps needed to resume and complete the process and the factors that may influence these steps' success. GAO reviewed federal laws and documents; interviewed DOE and NRC officials and contractors; and interviewed or received written remarks from 15 of the 17 nonfederal parties.
Download or read book Site Characterization Plan written by and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 847 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Yucca Mountain site in Neavada is one of three candidate sites for the first geologic repository for radioactive waste. On May 28, 1986, it was recommended and approved for detailed study in a program of site characterization. This site characterization plan (SCP) has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to summarize the information collected to date about the geologic conditions at the site;to describe the conceptual designs for the repository and the waste package;and to present the plans for obtaining hte geologic information necessary to demonstrate the suitability of the site for a repository, to design the repository and the waste package, to prepare and environmental impact statement, and to obtain from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) an authorization to construct the repository. This introduction begins with a brief section on the process for siting and developing a repository, followed by a discussion of the pertinent legislation and regulations. A description of site characterization is presented next;it describes the facilities to be constructed for the site characterization program and explains the principal activities to be conducted during the program. Finally, the purpose, content, organizing principles, and organization of this site characterization plan are outlined, and compliance with applicable regulations is discussed.
Download or read book Disposition of High Level Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-07-05 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focused attention by world leaders is needed to address the substantial challenges posed by disposal of spent nuclear fuel from reactors and high-level radioactive waste from processing such fuel. The biggest challenges in achieving safe and secure storage and permanent waste disposal are societal, although technical challenges remain. Disposition of radioactive wastes in a deep geological repository is a sound approach as long as it progresses through a stepwise decision-making process that takes advantage of technical advances, public participation, and international cooperation. Written for concerned citizens as well as policymakers, this book was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and waste management organizations in eight other countries.
