Public Meetings on Proposed Licensing Criteria for the Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Wastes in a Proposed Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, NV

Résumé

On May 5, 1999, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) extended the public comment period on NRC's proposed rule for evaluating a possible future U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) license application requesting NRC approval of a potential repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada (64 FR 24092). The NRC has regulatory responsibility over any DOE facility for commercial high-level waste disposal. The proposed NRC regulations would establish the criteria and standards against which NRC would evaluate a DOE license application for the Yucca Mountain site. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on February 22, 1999 (64 FR 8640). The Commission's extended public comment period expires June 30, 1999. In view of the extension, during the week of June 14, 1999, the NRC staff will hold three additional public meetings in the State of Nevada to: (1) Engage the public in a discussion of the proposed rule; (2) outline the roles and responsibilities of government and the public in the licensing process; and (3) listen to the safety issues and concerns presented by the citizens of Nevada in order to ensure that the process for devel