Strategy for development of NRC regulations for the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) as well as legislation recently passed in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have distinct and significant implications for the regulation of high-level waste disposal at a proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada (YM). Although differences exist between the approach recommended by the NAS and those contemplated by the Congress, all will necessitate changes to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) regulatory framework - changes that are expected to present significant implementation and regulatory challenges. The Commission has directed its staff to pursue the development of site-specific, performance-based regulations to implement forthcoming Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for YM. To issue final regulations within the short time allotted under existing law (i.e. the Energy Policy Act of 1992), NRC's rulemaking development will have to be undertaken in parallel with the development of EPA's new standards for YM