EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste: Volume III --Review of National Repository Programs

The effective termination of the Yucca Mountain program by the U.S. Administration in 2009
has left the U.S. program for management of used fuel and high level radioactive waste (HLW)
in a state of uncertainty. In concert with this major policy reset and in response to the resulting
policy vacuum, the President directed the Energy Secretary to establish the Blue Ribbon
Commission on America’s Nuclear Future (BRC) “…to conduct a comprehensive review of
policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle and to provide recommendations for
developing a safe, long-term solution to managing the Nation’s used nuclear fuel and nuclear
waste” (http://brc.gov/pdfFiles/BRC_Charter.pdf). The BRC has been given until January 2012
to complete its review and deliver a final report to the Energy Secretary. Most nations pursuing a
permanent disposal path for used fuel and HLW are now considering or implementing a deep
geologic disposal program. These programs represent a collective source of experience and
knowledge that may prove useful for informing the development of a post-Yucca-Mountain
disposal strategy and program in the United States.