[en] The federal government was not informed of the planned transport of 1 ton of plutonium by Japan, France and Great Britain because the transport route does not cross German territorial waters. For such a transport, the countries involved will adhere to the international transport regulations provided. (orig./HSCH)

[en] The United States, as well as other countries facing the question of how to handle high-level nuclear waste, has decided that the most appropriate means of disposal is in a deep geologic repository. In recent years, the Radioactive Waste Management Committee of the Nuclear Energy Agency has developed several position papers on the technical achievability of deep geologic disposal, thus demonstrating the serious consideration of deep geologic disposal in the international community. The Committee has not, as yet, formally endorsed disposal in a deep geologic repository as the preferred method of handling high-level nuclear waste. The United States, on the other hand, has studied the various methods of disposing of high-level nuclear waste, and has determined that deep geologic disposal is the method that should be developed. The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the United States' decision on selecting deep geologic disposal as the preferred method of addressing the high-level waste problem. It presents a short history of the steps taken by the U.S. in determining what method to use, discusses the NRC's waste Confidence Decision, and provides information on other issues in the U.S. program such as reconsideration of the final disposal standard and the growing inventory of spent fuel in storage

[en] The question of international transboundary movements of radioactive wastes have been discussed within several organizations, leading to the adoption of different texts from among which we can mention the LOME IV Convention, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Code of Practice for International Transactions involving Radioactive Wastes and the draft of the European Directive about transboundary transfers of radioactive wastes. Each of these texts has a different source and emphasis, and much duplication occurs, leading to unnecessarily complex regulations on the nuclear industry. (author)

[en] Following the important analysis presented at International Nuclear Law Association Conference in 1989, the 1991 Working Group Number 5 aimed to answer a number of questions, including the choice of a disposal site and information to the public and legal aspects of site closures. In the first topic, the emphasis was laid on technical criteria, the importance of licensing coordination and especially on the necessity of early public information. In the second topic, a distinction was made between closure and post-closure periods and the necessary measures and responsibilities were mentioned. (author)

[en] Details are given about the actual situation and legal background of final radioactive waste disposal in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Federal Government must see to the installation of repositories. The Committee of Undersecretaries appointed by the Ministers Presidents to find a final-disposal consensus passed the following resolution: Irrespective of the differing views on the utilization of nuclear power, and irrespective of the issue of a future disposal scheme to undersecretaries strongly advocate that high priority be given to the installation and commissioning of a Federal repository which ensures a reliable disposal of radioactive wastes whose heat development is negligible. The committee's activities will be continued. The nuclear phase-out must do not delay the development of solutions to the radioactive waste diposal problem. (HSCH)

[en] The contribution discusses the scope of the regulations laid down by the Mining Laws, the plan-of-working procedures stipulated by these laws, the significance of the clause which watches over the conservation of resources ('Rohstoffsicherungsklausel', Paragraph 48/I/p, 2 BBergG) as a clause watching over the availability of repositories, and the responsibilities of the Government and the Lands for administrative procedures within the Mining Laws. The deficiencies of the system with regard to the administrative synchronization of the Atomic Energy Laws and the Mining Laws suggest a reform of the Atomic Energy Law. Although the elimination of such deficiencies has never been the subject of the respective preparatory discussions the reform intends to relieve the Government of any obligation laid down by Paragraph 9a, section 3 of the Atomic Energy Law by putting repository installation and operation into private hands. In view of this target one must be aware of the fact that the Federal Government may have to succumb to the Lands when it comes to executing the regulations of the Mining Laws. A solution of that kind cannot be recommended in view of the fact that one plans to treat every case by applying one kind of licensing procedure in accordance with paragraph 7 of the Atomic Energy Laws and to extend the Government's authority to issue directives (section 85, 3 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany) to legal matters which are wound up by the very Lands. (orig./HSCH)

[en] The order requires that a container be locked up and seald up when it is used for the transporation of certain special nuclear fuel substances as specified in Article 3 and Paragraph 1 of Article 13 of the Rules on Transporation of Nuclear Fuel, etc., Outside Plants and Business Establishments and also specified in Paragraph 3 or Article 17 of the enforcement regulations for the Law Concerning Control of Nuclear Material, Nuclear Fuel and Nuclear Reactor. Such nuclear fuel substances include material comprising plutonium, uranium or their compounds. When natural uranium material of Groups 1 - 3 or containing 500 kg or more uranium is to be transported, agreements should be concluded concerning one or more of the following items depending on the category under which the transported substance falls: date, place and procedure for the transfer of the responsibility for the transportation of the material concerned; the planned date of shipment and delivery and the means to used for transportation; notification given upon delivery or when the material has not been delivered prior to the planned date of delivery; and implementation of measures for regular monitoring and temporary custody. (N.K.)

[en] In Switzerland the legislative and regulatory provisions governing the management of radioactive wastes are contained in the 1959 Atomic Energy Act, the 1978 Ordinance supplementing the Act and the 1984 Atomic Energy Ordinance (definitions and licences). The article briefly reviews this legislation and its historical background and goes on to analyse in depth the relevant provisions and their requirements regarding treatment, storage and disposal of such waste, including the construction of waste repositories. The text of these provisions is reproduced in the Annex. (NEA)

[en] The European repercussions of a scandal involving the illegal movement of plutonium and cobalt 60 in canisters in which it was claimed there was only low-level radioactive waste, from West Germany to the reprocessing centre at Mol, Belgium are considered. Large bribes were paid to employees of the nuclear industry and government inspectors to allow this illicit transport to carry on over a number of years. It is not yet clear where the plutonium came from or where it was going. The suggestion that it may have been sold to Libya or Pakistan for nuclear weapons is very damaging to the nuclear safety argument. Even if the plutonium was being disposed of because it could not be accounted for, the safeguard procedures do not give confidence to the European public more aware of nuclear safety than ever. (UK)

[en] The regulations applying to the transport of nuclear fuel materials by vehicles, mentioned in the law for the regulations of nuclear source materials, nuclear fuel materials and reactors. The transport is for outside of the factories and the site of enterprises by such modes of transport as rail, trucks, etc. Covered are the following: definitions of terms, places of fuel materials handling, loading methods, limitations on mix loading with other cargo, radiation dose rates concerning the containers and the vehicles, transport indexes, signs and indications, limitations on train linkage during transport by rail, security guards, transport of empty containers, etc. together with ordinary rail cargo and so on. (Mori, K.)