To establish a new organization to manage nuclear waste, provide a consensual process for siting nuclear waste facilities, ensure adequate funding for managing nuclear waste, and for other purposes.

By the end of this century, the United States plans to begin operating the first geologic repository for the permanent disposal of commercial spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive Waste. Public Law 97-425, the Nuclear waste Policy Act of 1982 (the Act), specifies the process for selecting a repository site, and constructing, operating, closing, and decommissioning the repository.

As nuclear power plants began to run out of storage capacity in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) storage pools, many nuclear operating companies added higher density pool storage racks to increase pool capacity. Most nuclear power plant storage pools have been re-racked one or more times. As many spent fuel storage pools were re-racked to the maximum extent possible, nuclear operating companies began to employ interim dry storage technologies to store SNF in certified casks and canister-based systems outside of the storage pool in independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs).

Independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs) are currently licensed for 20 years. However, delays in developing permanent spent fuel disposal capability require continued ISFSI storage beyond the 20-year term. This report provides a technical basis for demonstrating the feasibility of extended spent fuel storage in ISFSIs.

The Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2013 discussion draft is intended to implement the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future to establish a nuclear waste administration and create a consent-based process for siting nuclear waste facilities. The bill enables the federal government to fulfill its commitment to managing nuclear waste, ending the costly liability the government bears for its failure to dispose of commercial spent fuel.

Presented at the NEI Used Fuel Management Conference, St. Petersburg, FL, May 7-9, 2013

In General: The Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2013 includes most of the language of S.3469, the Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2012. The most significant change in the 2013 bill is the provision linking construction and siting of a consolidated storage facility to progress on a repository. The 2012 Act prohibited storage of any spent nuclear fuel beyond 10,000 metric tons until the Administration concluded a repository consent agreement.

Presented at the NEI Used Fuel Management Conference, St. Petersburg, FL, May 7-9, 2013

Presented at the NEI Used Fuel Management Conference, St. Petersburg, FL, May 7-9, 2013

In February, 2011 the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) on America’s Nuclear Future requested the Department of Energy
(DOE) to provide a white paper summarizing the quantities and characteristics of potential waste generated by various
nuclear fuel cycles. The BRC request expressed interest in two classes of radioactive wastes:
 Existing waste that are or might be destined for a civilian deep geologic repository or equivalent.
 Potential future waste, generated by alternative nuclear fuel cycles (e.g. wastes from reprocessing, mixed-oxide

Presented at the NEI Used Fuel Management Conference, St. Petersburg, FL, May 7-9, 2013

The Congressional Research Service prepared a report in August titled "Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal." It contains a summary of the radioactive waste management program, and includes an update with recent developments on YM licensing, consent based siting, legislation, volunteer private storage sites, and current policy.

The work reported here is an investigation of the sensitivity of component temperatures in a specific storage system, including fuel cladding temperatures, in response to modeling assumptions that differ from design-basis, including age-related changes that could degrade the thermal behavior of the system. Preliminary evaluations of representative horizontal and vertical storage systems at design basis conditions provides general insight into the expected behavior of storage systems over extended periods of time.

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When Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, it created the
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management within the Department of
Energy to spearhead the implementation of this landmark legislation.
In Section 303 of the Act, however, Congress directed the Secretary of Energy
to study alternative approaches to managing the radioactive waste program, as
follows:
ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF FINANCING
SEC. 303. The Secretary shall undertake a study with respect to