Strategy for assessing the technical, environmental, and engineering feasibility of subseabed disposal

This chapter presents the strategy and management techniques used in the development of the U.S. Subseabed Disposal Program (SDP) for possible disposal of high-level wastes and spent fuel. These have been developed through joint efforts of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Division of Waste Isolation, the Sandia Technical Program Manager, the Technical Program Coordinators, the Advisory Group, and the Principal Investigators. Three subsections of this chapter address the various components that make up the SDP strategy and management techniques. The first section summarizes the DOE high-level waste and spent-fuel disposal program and the position that the SDP occupies within that program. The second section, the Subseabed Disposal Program Plan, addresses the technical and administrative tools that would be employed to facilitate the day-to-day operation of the SDP. The third section describes the current studies and future plans for addressing the legal, political, and international uncertainties that must be resolved before the SDP reaches the final engineering phases