Nuclear waste disposal: the North American perspective

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management has implemented a new program approach to fulfill the government's obligation to permanently dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. This approach encompasses goals and a schedule consistent with the resources that will be allocated to the program. The key components of the approach are: (1) dialogue with utilities and other stakeholders concerning their expectations with respect to Department of Energy acceptance of spent fuel; (2) development and integration into all program elements, including storage, transportation and disposal overpacks of a multi-purpose canister subsystem to facilitate pre-disposal storage at any location; and (3) focused site characterization activities to advance measurable progress toward a technical decision about the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site. Following an historical overview of the civilian radioactive waste management program, this paper discusses the reasons we developed the new approach; the steps we will take to evaluate the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site for a permanent repository, and to ensure progress in our waste acceptance, storage and transportation capabilities. It will also discuss our plans for complying with National Environmental Policy Act requirements. (author)