| Regulatory
Requirements for Licensing a Repository at Yucca
Mountain
DOE’s siting
criteria. DOE has proposed, in
accordance with the requirements of the Nuclear Waste Policy
Act, amendments to the General Guidelines for Nuclear Waste
Repositories. These amendments establish criteria, specific to
Yucca Mountain and based on the most advanced and up-to-date
science, for judging the suitability of the proposed
repository. During the summer of 2001, DOE will issue a
Preliminary Site Suitability Report addressing these criteria
in a comprehensive assessment of Yucca Mountain’s projected
future performance and its ability to meet applicable
radiation protection standards. (This draft rule, 10 CFR Part
963, is published in the Federal Register, Vol. 64, No.
229, dated November 30, 1999.)
EPA’s
Radiation Standard. EPA has proposed a standard that
specifies radiation limits to protect public health and safety
as well as groundwater for the next 10,000 years. (This draft
rule, 40 CFR Part 197, is published in the Federal
Register, Vol. 64, No. 166, dated August 27,
1999.)
NRC’s
Repository Licensing Standard. NRC has proposed a risk and
performance-based regulation that specifies the detailed
requirements that Yucca Mountain must meet in order to obtain
a license to build, operate, and subsequently close a
repository at Yucca Mountain. This regulation will govern the
comprehensive performance assessment that DOE must conduct, in
accordance with NRC quality assurance requirements, to
demonstrate that the radiation limits established by EPA will
not be exceeded. (This draft rule, 10 CFR Part 63, is
published in the Federal Register, Vol. 64, No. 34,
dated February 22, 1999.)
NRC’s
Licensing Support Network. To facilitate public
participation in the Yucca Mountain Licensing Process, NRC and
DOE have established an Internet-based Licensing Support
Network. This network will make information relevant to the
licensing process electronically available to all parties.
(This network is defined in final rule 10 CFR Part 2 Appendix
J, published in the Federal Register, Vol. 63, No. 250,
dated December 30, 1998.) |
