Overview of the US program for developing a waste disposal system for spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA)

OSTI ID:5494939

Kay, C E

Safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive high-level waste (HLW) has been a matter of national concern ever since the first US civilian nuclear reactor began generating electricity in 1957. Based on current projections of commercial generating capacity, by the turn of the century, there will be >40,000 tonne of spent fuel in the Untied States. In addition to commercial spent fuel, defense HLW is generated in the United States and currently stored at three US Department of Energy (DOE) sites: The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987 provided for financial incentives to host a repository or a monitored retrievable storage (MRS) facility; mandated the areas in which DOE's siting efforts should concentrate (Yucca Mountain, Nevada); required termination of site-specific activities at other sites; required a resisting process for an MRS facility, which DOE had proposed as an integral part of the waste disposal system; terminated all activities for identifying candidates for a second repository; established an 11-member Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board; established a three-member MRS commission to be appointed by heads of the US Senate and House; directed the President to appoint a negotiator to seek a state or Indian tribe willing to host a repository or MRS facility at a suitable site and to negotiate terms and conditions under which the state or tribe would be willing to host such a facility; and amended, adjusted, or established other requirements contained in the 1982 law.

• OSTI ID: 5494939
• Report Number(s): CONF-880601--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA) Journal Volume: 56
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ENERGY SOURCES
FUELS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
LAWS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MONITORED RETRIEVABLE STORAGE
MOUNTAINS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY ACTS
PLANNING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REACTOR MATERIALS
REGULATIONS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
SPENT FUELS
STORAGE
US DOE
US NRC
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
WASTES
YUCCA MOUNTAIN