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High-Level Waste Disposal

Yucca Mountain · Photo and Location · DOE Website ·   EPA Website · Conceptual Design of Yucca Mountain Disposal Plan Regulatory Initiatives   · Resolution of Key Technical Issues   · Licensing Criteria   · Review of DOE's Draft Environmental Impact Statement   · Review of DOE's HLW Repository Site Recommendation

What We Regulate

United States policies governing the permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste are defined by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 as amended. This act specifies that high-level radioactive waste will be disposed of underground, in a deep geologic repository and that Yucca Mountain, Nevada, will be the single candidate site for characterization as a potential geologic repository.

The NRC is one of three Federal agencies under the Act with a role in the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and other high-level radioactive waste.

Briefly these roles are:

• Department of Energy (DOE) has the responsibility for developing permanent disposal capacity for spent fuel and other high-level radioactive waste.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has responsibility for developing environmental standards to evaluate the safety of a geologic repository.
• NRC has responsibility for developing regulations to implement the EPA safety standards and for licensing the repository.

For more on the roles of DOE, EPA, and NRC, see our diagram and information sheets .

Pre-Licensing Activities

NRC's regulatory program for high-level waste disposal is currently focused on pre-licensing activities and on activities to determine how NRC will regulate the high-level waste repository throughout its lifecyle if a license is issued to DOE.

Before submitting a license application to the NRC, DOE must complete a site characterization process. The DOE has decided to recommend the site. The site recommendation process includes preparation of an environmental impact statement. If the site is approved by the President and Congress, DOE must then submit a license application to the NRC. These steps are outlined in a schedule.

For more information, see NRC's Role in the Pre-Licensing Process.

How We Regulate

• High-Level Waste Disposal Regulations, Guidance, and Communications
• High-Level Waste Disposal Licensing - how NRC will license construction authorization, repository operation, and permanent repository closure
• High Level Waste Disposal Oversight - how NRC will regulate repository operations
• Public Involvement in NRC's High-Level Waste Program - opportunities for public participation