Analysis of the national low-level waste management compacting process

The Low Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 represents an unprecedented effort by states to deal with an intractable national political problem. The major provisions of the Act - including the assumption of responsibility for the disposal of commercial waste by individual states, the use of regional compacts, and exclusionary authority - were all endorsed by the National Governors' Association and subsequently adopted by Congress. This report is an effort to examine the origins and implementation to date of the Act and to provide guidance as to the improved use of interstate compacts in other situations. For this reason, the report will necessarily focus on the deficiencies in the Act and difficulties in implementation. This emphasis is not intended to suggest any fault on the part of those who shaped or promoted the Act or to question its long-term viability. There were political constraints and time limits in the fall of 1980 which dictated the content of the Act. It is evident, however, that a critical review of the Low-Level Waste Policy Act can eliminate in the future many of the delays and complications which have attended the implementation of this pioneering legislation