Treatment of uncertainty in the NRC regulatory process

The information gained during the one to two decades of initial site characterization of Yucca Mountain, Nevada by the Department of Energy (DOE) will be used to make preliminary predictions about the suitability of the site to be developed as a geologic repository. If Yucca Mountain is designated as suitable for application for a construction authorization pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), as amended, then DOE will submit to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) an application for a construction authorization. Much of the information supporting site recommendation and a construction authorization will be subject to significant uncertainty. However, both the NWPA and applicable NRC regulations are structured to accommodate this uncertainty in the administrative decisionmaking process such that appropriate determinations can be made at each stage of repository development, operation and permanent closure