Questions and Answers - USA - Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management

History shows that the search for sites for radioactive waste management facilities has been marred by conflicts and delays. Affected communities have often objected that their concerns and interests were not addressed. In response, institutions have progressively turned away from the traditional “decide, announce and defend” model, and are learning to “engage, interact and co-operate”. This shift has fostered the emergence of partnerships between the proponent of the facility and the potential host community, as shown in a recent NEA study.

On January 13, 1993, Governor of the State of Utah, Mike Leavitt officially announced that he was opposing a MRS Facility in the State of Utah and informed San Juan County of his decision which will preclude the County from applying for a Phase IIa feasibility grant. A copy of the policy statement made by Governor Leavitt is attached for your information.

Fifty-four objectives were identified to guide the screening of the Nevada Research and Development Area of the Nevada Test Site for relatively favorable locations for the disposal of nuclear waste in a mined geologic repository. The objectives were organized as a hierarchy composed of 4 upper-level, 12 middle-level, and 38 lower-level objectives. The four upper-level objectives account for broad national goals to contain and isolate nuclear waste in an environmentally sound and economically acceptable manner.

The study of geosciences and their relation to nuclear waste disposal and<br/>management entails analyzing the hydrology, chemistry, and geometry of the<br/>nuclear waste migration process. Hydrologic effects are determined by<br/>analyzing the porosity and permeability (natural and induced) of rock as well,<br/>as pressures and gradients, dispersion, and aquifer length of the system.<br/>Chemistry parameters include radionuclide retardation factors and waste<br/>dissolution rate.

The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel<br/>Management and on the Safety of Radioactive<br/>Waste Management was adopted on 29 September<br/>1997 in the Vienna Diplomatic Conference. Finland<br/>signed the Convention on 2 October 1997 and deposited<br/>the tools of acceptance on 10 February<br/>2000. The Convention entered into force on 18 June<br/>2001.<br/>The fulfilment of the obligations of the<br/>Convention and the developments after the second<br/>Review Meeting are assessed in this report.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $20 million to conduct detailed siting studies for public or commercial entities interested in hosting DOE’s Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) facilities. Entities could qualify to receive up to $5 million per site. DOE also announced that it is seeking expressions of interest to obtain input from U.S.

Draft Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, DOE/EIS-0396

Letter to The Honorable Nancy L. Kassebaum from J. Dexter Peach, Director, U.S. General Accounting Office

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations governing the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes in a proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The final rule implements the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) revised standards for doses that could occur after 10,000 years, but within the period of geologic stability.

Deep geologic repositories are being widely studied as the most favored method of disposal of nuclear waste. Scientists search for repository sites in salt, basalt, tuff and granite that are geologically and hydrologically suitable. The systematic evaluation of the safety and reliability of deep geologic disposal centers around the concept of interacting multiple barriers. The simplest element to describe of the geologic barrier is the physical isolation of the waste in a remote region at some depth within the rock unit.

The State of Mississippi has compiled this comment document on the Draft Environmental Assessment for the Richton Dome site, which is being considered by the Department of Energy for a possible nuclear waste repository. The comments in this document are based on contributions from state officials and state agencies, private contractor organizations, other state institutions and members of the public. DOE has of course received additional comments from members of the public and others in the public hearings on the subject that have been held in the State.