Managing the Nation's Commercial High-Level Radioactive Waste

This report presents the findings and conclusions of OTA's analysis of Federal policy
for the management of commercial high-level radioactive waste. It represents a major update
and expansion of the analysis presented to Congress in our summary report, Managing
Commercial High-Level Radioactive Waste, published in April of 1982 during the
debate leading to passage of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA). This new
report is intended to contribute to the implementation of NWPA, and in particular to
congressional review of three major documents that DOE will submit to the 99th Congress:
- Mission Plan for the waste management program;
- a monitored retrievable storage (MRS) proposal; and
- a report on mechanisms for financing and managing the waste program.
The assessment was originally undertaken at the request of the House Committee
on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and focused on the ocean disposal of nuclear waste.
OTA later broadened the study to include all aspects of high-level waste disposal after
expressions of interest and support by the Senate Committees on Energy and Natural Resources
and on Commerce, Science, and Technology; by the Senate National Ocean Policy
Study; and by the House Committees on Science and Technology and on Foreign Affairs.
Additional requests for related analysis were later received from the Senate Committee
on Environment and Public Works and from the House Committees on Interior and Insular
Affairs and on Energy and Commerce. The major findings of the original analysis
were published in OTA’s 1982 summary report.