Yucca Mountain; Policy, progress and politics

Conference · Thu Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:138875

Gertz, C P ^[1]; Larkin, E L ^[2]

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1. Site Characterization Project Office, US DOE, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
2. Science Applications International Corp., Las Vegas, NV (United States)

This paper reports on the U.S. Department of Energy`s (DOE) office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) continuing study of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to determine the mountain`s suitability for isolating high-level nuclear waste. As mandated by the Congress of the United States in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act as amended in 1987, DOE is studying the rocks, climate, and water table at Yucca Mountain to ensure the site is suitable before building a potential repository about 305 meters (1,000 feet) underground. The object of the scientific studies is to determine if Yucca Mountain can isolate solid radioactive materials by using natural barriers, such as the mountain itself--and engineered barriers, such as the waste package container, to isolate the waste.

• OSTI ID: 138875
• Report Number(s): CONF-9209226--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
CLIMATES
CONTAINERS
EVALUATION
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY ACTS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
ROCKS
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
US DOE
WATER TABLES
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project