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A Bottom's-Up Model for Siting and Developing Consent-Based Disposal Solutions for SNF and HLW in the USA - 17332

Conference ·
OSTI ID:22802359
 [1];  [2]
  1. Nuclear Waste Dispositions (United States)
  2. Pajarito Scientific Corporation, LLC. (United States)
At the end of 2016, the licensing and continued development of the USA's only candidate HLW-repository since 1987 at the Yucca Mountain (YM) site in Nevada had been on hold since 2010 pending the enactment of enabling legislation for one or more of the following paths forward: 1. Re-start of the YM HLW repository. 2. Consent-based siting and development (S and D) of new HLW-repositories for commingled disposal of commercially- (CHLW) and defense-generated (DHLW) HLW. 3. Consent-based S and D of a repository and/or deep boreholes for DHLW only. Public trust in the implementing and regulating entities and a definitive say in an apolitical S and D process by the directly affected parties (DAPs) are historical imperatives for gaining public acceptance and maintaining sustained support of any or all of them. However, due to the widespread negative legacy currently attributed to past politically-controlled S and D organizations, an even more politically controlled organizational structure and an amorphous, 'consent-based', S and D model like that introduced twice in proposed Senate bills since June 2013 will exacerbate, rather than mitigate, the main root causes to past contentions, lawsuits, delays, and cost-increases. We therefore recommend: 1) Assigning the responsibility for safe disposal of CHLW to an independent, chartered public corporation with requisite subject-matter expertise and adequate financial resources. 2) Enacting a related law that: a. Defines 'consent-based' in measurable terms; b. Assigns irrevocable veto rights to facility host state(s) based upon the majority opinion of its legal residents at pre-determined S and D milestones. c. Requires Congressional approval before the facility can open and close. (authors)
Research Organization:
WM Symposia, Inc., PO Box 27646, 85285-7646 Tempe, AZ (United States)
OSTI ID:
22802359
Report Number(s):
INIS-US--19-WM-17332
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English