19th Annual Symposium-Geological Disposal of Nuclear Waste

The importance of social and institutional issues in the siting of nuclear waste facilities has been recognized in recent years. Limited evidence from a survey of rural Wisconsin residents in 1980 indicates that incentives may help achieve the twin goals of increasing local support and decreasing local opposition to hosting nuclear waste facilities.

JAEA Brochure

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.

Isolation in a geologic setting has been the generally favored solution to the high-level radioactive waste (HLW) problem since a scientific basis for nuclear waste management began to be formulated over half a century ago. Although general features of suitable settings have been enumerated, quantitative measures of the safety of geologic isolation of HLW are challenging to devise and to implement.

A program leading to the establishment in FY I983 of a pilot plant for storing radioactive wastes in bedded salt is described. The program consists of laboratory and field investigations of factors affecting the suitability of a specific site in southeastern New Mexico; of more generally applicable problems associated with geohydrology and rock mechanics; and of considerations bearing on the operational safety of a pilot plant repository. Tasks concerned with the engineering development and design of the facility are also included.

The disposal of radioactive waste in the proper geologic environment offers a high potential for isolating the waste from man's environment for the period of time required for the waste to decay to innocuous levels. As part of the National Waste Terminal Storage Program, the Savannah River Laboratory has responsibility for studies related to the storage of waste in the geologic environment in the Southeast.

This report describes the history, recent developments and the current situation of the management of highly radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel in the Czech Republic, with a particular focus on the development of geological disposal for this kind of waste. Special attention is given to the interplay of social and technical aspects of the process. The first chapter gives an overview of the state of affairs and sketches out the trajectories leading to it.

Proposals to site, construct and operate a radioactive waste disposal facility in Sweden will be supported by performance assessments (PAs). Such PAs will require a range of expert judgements to be made. As part of SKI’s preparation for reviewing SKB’s Pas and for conducting independent PAs, SKI has identified a need for further research on the treatment of expert judgement in PA.

The report begins with a consideration of the factors which have led to a growth in the use of dialogue processes, a clarification of key concepts and a classification of dialogue processes. A description of recent and current activities in Europe and North America is followed by discussion of the relationship of processes and contexts. This then leads to an identification of the key aims and evaluation criteria which will be used in the design of dialogue processes to be conducted in subsequent phases of the project.

For more than half a century, since nuclear science helped us win World War II and ring in the Atomic Age, scientists have known that the Nation would need a secure, permanent facility in which to dispose of radioactive wastes. Twenty years ago, when Congress adopted the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA or "the Act"), it recognized the overwhelming consensus in the scientific community that the best option for such a facility would be a deep underground repository.

This paper is a first consideration of the MRWS White Paper on the framework for geological disposal. It is based primarily on discussions in Working Group D on July 21 2008 but also draws on CoRWM’s informal comments on the draft White Paper, on CoRWM’s recommendations as reported in 2006 and on an overview of the responses to the consultation that preceded the White Paper. There have been few opportunities, as yet, to discuss the White Paper through the CoRWM PSE process.

Frances Planning Act for Radioactive Materials and Waste

Work Package 3 (WP 3) set out to provide practical recommendations for the design and implementation of a “robust” decision-making process (DMP) in radioactive waste governance/governance of radioactive waste management (RWG).

The creation of high-activity, long-lived radioactive waste is an inevitable consequence of generating electricity in nuclear power plants. It also is an inevitable consequence of engaging in a set of activities associated with national defense, ranging from propelling nuclear submarines to producing the fissionable materials needed to construct nuclear weapons. Early in the nuclear era, the very-longterm management and the ultimate disposition of those wastes was not a high priority.

This paper summarises CoRWM’s understanding of:<br><br>The roles and responsibilities of the organisations that are involved in the management of radioactive waste, <br>Decision-making on Government policy, <br>Decision-making on the governance of the NDA, <br>Decision-making on waste conditioning, packaging and storage and <br>Decision-making in the implementation of geological disposal.