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

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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently proposed licensing criteria for disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes in the proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA) gives the NRC regulatory responsibility and the Department of Energy (DOE) operational responsibility for high-level waste disposal. The proposed regulations would establish the criteria and standards against which NRC will evaluate a DOE license application for the Yucca Mountain site. The proposed criteria will apply specifically and exclusively to the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain. The proposed requirements are designed to implement a health-based, safety objective for long- term repository performance that is fully protective of public health and safety, and the environment, and is consistent with national and international recommendations for radiation protection standards. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on February 22, 1999 (64 FR 8640), for a 75-day comment period. The following meetings have been scheduled in the State of Nevada to: (1) Engage the public in a discussion of the proposed rule; (