Providing a Scientific and Technical Basis for Repository Decisions
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982 directed the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) to research sites and design a deep geologic repository for the disposal of our nation's spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. In 1987, Congress amended the NWPA and directed the DOE to focus only on Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to determine whether it is a suitable site for a repository. For more than 15 years, the DOE has been studying Yucca Mountain and has accumulated an enormous amount of scientific and technical information about the mountain and the area surrounding it. The secretary of energy will decide whether to recommend Yucca Mountain to the president as a suitable site for a repository. This decision will be based on the scientific and technical information resulting from the Department of Energy's studies of Yucca Mountain and on the views and comments submitted by other governmental groups and the public. One required basis for the secretary's decision will be a scientific analysis called a total system performance assessment.
- Research Organization:
- Yucca Mountain Project, Las Vegas, Nevada (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 786476
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Site characterization progress report, Yucca Mountain, Nevada. [Nuclear Waste Policy Act (Section 113). October 1, 1998 - March 30, 1999. Number 20]
Regulatory Framework for the Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada, USA