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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

A monitored retrievable storage facility: Technical background information

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5584425· OSTI ID:5584425

The US government is seeking a site for a monitored retrievable storage facility (MRS). Employing proven technologies used in this country and abroad, the MRS will be an integral part of the federal system for safe and permanent disposal of the nation's high-level radioactive wastes. The MRS will accept shipments of spent fuel from commercial nuclear power plants, temporarily store the spent fuel above ground, and stage shipments of it to a geologic repository for permanent disposal. The law authorizing the MRS provides an opportunity for a state or an Indian tribe to volunteer to host the MRS. The law establishes the Office of the Nuclear Waste Negotiator, who is to seek a state or an Indian tribe willing to host an MRS at a technically-qualified site on reasonable terms, and is to negotiate a proposed agreement specifying the terms and conditions under which the MRS would be developed and operated at that site. This agreement can ensure that the MRS is acceptable to -- and benefits -- the host community. The proposed agreement must be submitted to Congress and enacted into law to become effective. This technical background information presents an overview of various aspects of a monitored retrievable storage facility, including the process by which it will be developed.

Research Organization:
USDOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Washington, DC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI ID:
5584425
Report Number(s):
DOE/RW-0311P; ON: TI91016704
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English