LICENSING A U.S. GEOLOGICAL REPOSITORY

WILLIAM BORCHARDT Executive Director for Operations U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1

• Current U.S. Policy • History • Process and Timeline • Technical Review • Resources • Conclusion

Overview

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Current U.S. Policy and Law

• The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 established permanent geological disposal as national policy for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste • The Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for repository design and operation • The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has regulatory licensing authority • If Yucca Mountain cannot be licensed, DOE must seek new Congressional direction 3

History

• 1987 - Congress amended the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to focus resources and licensing on one site, Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

• June 2008 - DOE submitted an application to the NRC to build a repository at Yucca Mountain.

• February 2009- President Obama announced his intent to end the Yucca Mountain repository and to establish a Panel to identify alternatives.

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Process and Timeline

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Technical Review

NRC regulations require that the proposed repository: – Protect workers and the public during repository operations period; – Rely on a system of multiple natural and engineered barriers for long-term performance; – Protect public and the environment after permanent closure by: • complying with environmental dose standards • resisting intrusion • protecting groundwater • providing reasonable expectation of safety for up to one million years

1. Canisters of waste, sealed in special casks, are shipped to the site by truck or train. 2. Shipping casks are removed, and the inner tube with the waste is placed in a steel, multilayered storage container. 3. An automated system sends storage containers underground to the tunnels. 4. Containers are stored along the tunnels, on their side.

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Technical Review

• Review by NRC staff and an independent contractor • Technical Experts include: – Geochemists, Hydrologists, Climatologists, Structural Geologists, Volcanologists, Environmental Scientists, Biologists – Chemical, Mechanical, Nuclear, Mining, Materials, Geological, and Quality Assurance Engineers – Health Physicists – Material Control, Emergency Preparedness, and Physical Protection Specialists – Transportation Specialists – Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice, Cultural Resources Specialists 7

• Currently, approx. sixty (60) NRC technical staff and fifty (50) contractor staff • Review progress will be commensurate with resource allocation

Resources

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Conclusion

• NRC’s licensing review and hearing process will continue in compliance with existing law and commensurate with available funding • NRC will base its decision on – NRC staff’s comprehensive, independent review and, – The results of a full and fair public hearing that follows formal, well-established rules to ensure an open, objective decision 9