ABSTRACT
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 provides a set of rules for proceeding with the identification and selection of sites for a mined geologic repository as well as for interim storage facilities for high level waste in the event storage facilities are needed.1 The following paper summarizes the sequence of procedures in site selection, and presents the interaction of governmental agencies, the states, the public, and affected Indian tribes in this process. Several agencies have published regulations associated with the selection of high level waste sites. These regulations set down a diverse collection of requirements designed to ensure public safety. This paper identifies the organizations working to satisfy these requirements, and outlines the role of the geotechnical community in performing data collection activities to support these same requirements.
INTRODUCTION
Since 1977 the Department of Energy (DOE) has operated the National Waste Terminal Storage Program to provide for the safe disposal of commercially generated high-level waste, transuranic waste, and spent nuclear fuel. The program is now directed by the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM). The United States currently has 74 operational nuclear power plants. 2 By the year 2000, these plants and those under construction are currently expected to produce an inventory of 72,000 metric tons 3 of high level waste. The greater part of that inventory is expected to consist of spent fuel elements presently stored at the reactor sites in water-filled pools. This at-reactor storage has provided temporary storage since the 1950's. Through the years many concepts have been proposed for the permanent isolation of these high level wastes. For a variety of reasons, including safety, performance assessibility, and retrievability, the mined geologic method of disposal has been considered to be the preferred method of disposal and to have the fewest operational and postemplacement drawback4,5. In support of this concept, Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 - Public Law 97-425 (the Act) 6 to provide for the development of two deep geologic repositories for the disposal of solidified high-level nuclear waste and spent fuel. The subseabed emplacement program, however, has been retained as a possible backup method of disposal.
REGULATORY CRITERIA
The development of a mined geologic repository is controlled by regulations set down by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and DOE. The standards for the release of radioactivity to the environment from a repository are listed in draft regulation 40 CFR 191 published by the EPA. The performance allowed by EPA is based on a cumulative release limit by radionuclide to the accessible environment 10,000 years after disposal. These limits are listed in Table 1. The NRC is responsible for enforcing the EPA standards. The NRC has published its regulations in 10 CFR 60, which delineates the technical requirements and procedures which the DOE must satisfy in order to receive, handle and emplace nuclear materials in a repository.8 As in construction of nuclear power plants, the NRC regulation requires descriptions detailing site performance at all stages, from characterization through closure.
