| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| EPA_Response_to_Comments_document_final.pdf (1.7 MB) | 1.7 MB |
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated amendments to its public health and safety standards for radioactive material stored or disposed of in the potential repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada (40 CFR Part 197). Section 801 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 [(EnPA, Public Law 102-486, 42 U.S.C. § 10141 n. (1994)] directed EPA to develop these standards. Section 801 of the EnPA also required EPA to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a study to provide findings and<br/>recommendations on reasonable standards for protection of the public health and safety. The health and safety standards promulgated by EPA are “based upon and consistent with” the findings and recommendations of NAS in its 1995 report titled: "Technical Bases for Yucca Mountain Standards"(NAS Report, Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0083-0076).<br/>"Public comments reproduced in this document were taken from submittals to Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0083 (in Regulations.gov) and records from public hearings. EPA is solely responsible for the identification and categorization of comments. While we have attempted to preserve original comments, in some cases, we may have combined or paraphrased comments. However, we have not revised or corrected any quoted comments for readability or other reasons. Also, in reproducing oral testimony from public hearings, EPA has relied upon the official transcript and has not changed any text. Where words<br/>appear to have been transcribed incorrectly, EPA has consulted the whole of the testimony to discern the intended meaning."<br/>The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will incorporate EPA’s final standards into its licensing regulations. The Department of Energy (DOE) must demonstrate compliance with these standards based upon the license application it submitted to NRC on June, 2008. The NRC will use its licensing regulations to determine whether DOE has demonstrated compliance with standards prior to issuing the necessary authorization and license to store or dispose of radioactive material at Yucca Mountain.
