Nuclear Waste - Funds Spent to Identify a Monitored Retrievable Storage Facility Site

The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987 established the federal<br/>Office of the Nuclear Waste Negotiator for a 5-year period. The Nuclear<br/>Waste Negotiator, appointed by the President and confirmed by the<br/>Senate, was empowered to attempt to find a state or Indian tribe willing<br/>to host a repository or a monitored retrievable storage (MB) facility for the<br/>permanent or temporary storage of nuclear waste, respectively. The<br/>Negotiator was also empowered to negotiate with a Governor of a state or<br/>the governing body of an Indian tribe the terms and conditions under<br/>which the prospective host would accept either facility at a technically<br/>qualified site on reasonable terms.<br/>Pursuant to your January 25, 1993, letter, we agreed to review the<br/>accounts of the Office of the Nuclear Waste Negotiator to determine if the<br/>office’s expenditures were consistent with the administrative provisions of<br/>the legislation that created the office. We also agreed to ascertain whether<br/>grants made by the Department of Energy (DOE) to identify a volunteer<br/>host for a temporary storage facility for nuclear waste were in keeping<br/>with the objectives of the temporary storage program and were properly<br/>monitored.