Yucca Mountian

Yucca Mountain Licensing Standard Options for Very Long Time Frames -EPRI

admin — Mon, 14 May 2007 18:07:14 GMT

This independent study investigates the technical implications and options associated with longer regulatory compliance periods in light of the U.S. Court of Appeals decision on July 9, 2004 ordering the EPA and NRC to rewrite their regulations to consider timeframes beyond 10,000 years.

The Economic Impact of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository on the Economy of Nevada

admin — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:58:47 GMT

Current Yucca Mountain Project (YMP) operations provide relatively high-wage employment to the Nevada economy and constitute an economically stable proportion of the total gross state product (GSP). If the YMP were discontinued, econo mic losses, relative to the current economy, would be substantial. In 2000, the YMP contributed $195.7 million to the Nevada economy and an additional $188.6 million in 2001. The YMP was responsible for 3,650 jobs in 2000. This translates into a real disposable income of roughly $131 million earned each year in the state of Nevada.

If the YMP is approved, future economic impacts will occur as a result of constructing the facility and transportation routes, transporting the waste, and operating the storage facility. At present, the methods and route for transporting the waste to YMP are not finalized. However, the ‘mostly rail’ scenario is the preferred alternative according to the Department of Energy Repository Final Environmental Impact Statement (DOE EIS)2. This scenario assumes that most – if not all - of the waste will enter Nevada via existing rail lines. We assume that once inside Nevada, waste will continue traveling by train over a new rail spur. There are five alternative new rail spur impacts considered in this report: the Caliente Rail Alternative, the Caliente-Chalk Mountain Alternative, the Carlin-Big Smokey Alternative, the Valley Modified Alternative, and the Jean Alternative.

NRC - The Yucca Mountain Review Plan

admin — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:54:27 GMT

The Yucca Mountain Review Plan provides guidance for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff to evaluate a U.S. Department of Energy license application for a geologic repository. It is not a regulation and does not impose regulatory requirements. The licensing criteria are contained in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 10, Part 63 (10 CFR Part 63), “Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Wastes in a Proposed Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.” The Secretary of Energy has recommended the Yucca Mountain site to the President for the development of a Yucca Mountain repository. The President has notified Congress that he considers the Yucca Mountain site qualified for application for a construction authorization for a repository. Nevada filed a notice of disapproval of the President’s recommendation; however, Congress later approved the site recommendation. The U.S. Department of Energy may now submit a license application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The principal purpose of the Yucca Mountain Review Plan is to ensure the quality, uniformity, and consistency of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff reviews of the license application and any requested amendments. The Yucca Mountain Review Plan has separate sections for reviews of general information, repository safety before permanent closure, repository safety after permanent closure, the research and development program to resolve safety questions, the performance confirmation program, and administrative and programmatic requirements. Each section addresses determining compliance with specific regulatory requirements from 10 CFR Part 63. The regulations and the Yucca Mountain Review Plan are risk-informed, performance-based to the extent practical.

Draft Revision 2 of the Yucca Mountain Review Plan was made available for public comment in March 2002. This Final Revision 2 reflects revisions to address those comments, as appropriate.

DOE’s Planned Nuclear Waste Repository Faces Quality Assurance and Management Challenges

admin — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:50:23 GMT

The Department of Energy (DOE) is working to obtain a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to construct a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The project, which began in the 1980s, has been beset by delays. In 2004, GAO raised concerns that persistent quality assurance problems could further delay the project. Then, in 2005, DOE announced discovery of employee e-mails suggesting quality assurance problems. Quality assurance, which establishes requirements for work to be performed under controlled conditions that ensure quality, is critical to making sure the project meets standards for protecting public health and the environment.

This testimony, which summarizes GAO’s March 2006 report (GAO-06-313), provides information on (1) the history of the project’s quality assurance problems, (2) DOE’s tracking of these problems and efforts to address them since GAO’s 2004 report, and (3) challenges facing DOE as it continues to address quality assurance issues within the project.

ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION PROTECTION STANDARDS FOR YUCCA MOUNTAIN, NEVADA

admin — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:45:48 GMT

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued radiation protection standards for the potential spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste disposal system in Yucca Mountain, Nevada. These standards are found in Part 197 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR Part 197). The Energy Policy Act of 1992 directed, and gave the authority to, EPA to take this action based upon input from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The final standards were published in the Federal Register (66 FR 32073) on 13 June 2001.

The 40 CFR Part 197 standards have four major parts: (1) individual-protection during storage activities; (2) individual-protection following closure of the repository; (3) human-intrusion; and (4) ground-water protection. The storage standard is 150 microsieverts (FSv) annual committed effective dose equivalent (CEDE) to any member of the general public. The disposal standards are: (1) 150 FSv annual CEDE for the reasonably maximally exposed individual (RMEI) for 10,000 years after disposal; (2) 150 FSv received by the RMEI within 10,000 years after disposal as a result of human intrusion; and (3) the levels of radionuclides in the ground water cannot exceed 40 FSv from beta and gamma emitters, 5 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of radium-226 and -228, and 15 pCi/L of gross alpha activity. There are also requirements related to the post-10,000-year period, the basis of compliance judgments, and performance assessments.

The Agency has published its responses to the comments received, its technical background document, and its economic impact analysis. In addition to printed form, the documents are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.epa.gov/radiation/yucca/index.html.