Basalt waste isolation project institutional activities

The Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP) was established in 1976 as part of the National Waste Terminal Storage Program, and characterization studies to evaluate the Hanford Site have been ongoing since that time. In early 1983, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) became law and established the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, which includes the BWIP as part of that program. This paper describes the interaction process required by the NWPA and has been ongoing for the past 3 to 4 yr with the State of Washington, Yakima Indian Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Nez Perce Tribe, other federal agencies, city and county governments, the public and news media, and many other organizations. It identifies the issues that the state and the US Department of Energy (DOE) have noted during the consultation and cooperation (C and C) process. In addition, this paper covers the site recommendation/nomination process for the first repository, including number of sites, location, and types of media being investigated. It covers the site recommendation/nomination process for the second repository, including types of media and where those investigations are being performed. Discussion covering the OCRWM program strategy, which includes documentation being prepared for site recommendation/nomination, site investigations required to determine site suitability, the licensing process for the first repository, etc., are provided