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

Nuclear waste

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6076405
The Department of Energy is proposing the construction of a monitored retrievable storage facility primarily for waste preparation and packaging rather than for long-term storage as envisioned by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. While the MRS would be capable of storing spent fuel for long periods, most of the storage that would take place at the facility would be temporary until the spent fuel could be shipped to the repository. GAO does not believe that DOE's proposal is sufficiently comprehensive for the Congress to make an informed decision on the cost of, need for, or consequences of integrating an MRS into the waste management system, or whether the benefits attributed to the MRS can be better achieved by other means. The Congress needs to be aware of the consequences of not approving an MRS as well as the implications of authorizing it. DOE's proposal does not identify the most effective configuration of the authorized waste management system for the Congress to use as a basis for comparison in deciding if the benefits of the proposed MRS facility are worth its added cost to the waste program.
Research Organization:
General Accounting Office, Washington, DC (USA). Resources, Community and Economic Development Div.
OSTI ID:
6076405
Report Number(s):
GAO/RCED-87-92
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English