The U.S. Department of Energy is responding to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff's comments on the topical report, "Evaluation of the Potentially Adverse Condition 'Evidence of Extreme Erosion During the Quaternary Period' at Yucca Mountain, Nevada" and providing additional information supporting the conclusions reached in the report.

Waste siting gridlock in the United States and Canada has led to experimentation with voluntary and hybrid or "mixed mode" siting. We review nuclear and hazardous waste voluntary siting (VS) results for selected cases in the U.S. and Canada. Findings indicate that VS is not a panacea. but that current siting efforts are inadequate tests of its potential. We suggest trials of improved VS protocols and more effort on hybrid approaches in which the developer chooses the site but is required to reach agreement on conditions with local stakeholders.

This report analyzes public participation as a key component of this openness, one that provides a means of garnering acceptance of, or reducing public opposition to, DOE's radioactive waste management activities, including facility siting and transportation.

The subject of this letter is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's acceptance review of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Topical Report, Evaluation of the Potentially Adverse Condition of Extreme Erosion. During the Quaternary Period' at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, dated March 1993. This review was conducted in accordance with the guidelines established in the NRC Division of High-Level Waste Management Topical Report Review Position Paper (TRPP), provided to DOE on April 7, 1993.