Managing Nuclear Waste-A Better Idea, A Report to the U.S. Secretary of Energy

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
alternative approaches to managing the construction and operation of all
civilian radioactive waste management facilities, including the
feasibility of establishing a private corporation for such purposes. In
conducting such study, the Secretary shall consult with the Director of
the Office of Management and Budget, the Chairman of the (Nuclear
Regulatory) Commission, and such other Federal agency representatives as
may be appropriate. Such study shall be completed, and a report
containing the results of such study shall be submitted to the Congress,
within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act.
To conduct the study, the Secretary empaneled 13 citizens from throughout the
United States, representing diverse backgrounds. The Advisory Panel on
Alternative Means of Financing and Managing Radioactive Waste Facilities was
established on December 16, 1983.
This is the report on its study.