[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 128 (Monday, July 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41110-41111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-16726]
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NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD
Board Meeting: August 1-2, 2000--Carson City, NV: Discussions of
a Total System Performance Assessment for a Potential Yucca Mountain,
Nevada, Repository for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive
Waste; Update on Scientific and Engineering Studies Undertaken at the
Yucca Mountain Site; and Update on the DOE's Development of a Safety
Strategy for a Potential Yucca Mountain Repository
Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203,
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, on Tuesday, August 1,
Wednesday, August 2, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board)
will meet in Carson City, Nevada, to discuss technical and scientific
issues related to evaluating a possible site for a repository for spent
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain,
Nevada. Among the issues that will be discussed are a total system
performance assessment (TSPA), a safety strategy for the potential
repository, and scientific and engineering studies being conducted to
evaluate the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site. The Board is
charged by Congress with reviewing the technical and scientific aspects
of the Department of Energy's (DOE) civilian radioactive waste
management program, including disposing of, packaging, and transporting
the waste.
The Board meeting will be held at Pinon Plaza Resort (Best
Western), 2171 Hwy 50 East; Carson City, NV 89701. The telephone number
is (775) 885-9000; the fax number is (775)-888-8018. The meeting will
start at 8:30 a.m. on both days and will be open to the public.
On Tuesday, August 1, the DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive
Waste Management will present a general overview of the status of the
program. The overview will be followed by
[[Page 41111]]
presentations by representatives of the State of Nevada, including
comments on studies conducted by the state related to materials
proposed for use in the waste package. The DOE will present updates on
ongoing scientific and engineering studies at the Yucca Mountain site,
including results of testing in the exploratory tunnels, isotope
studies, and estimating volcanic hazard. In the afternoon, discussions
will begin on the TSPA that is used by the DOE to estimate potential
repository performance. In particular, the DOE will make presentations
on TSPA results, their uncertainties, and the individual components
that make up the TSPA. Critical assumptions underlying the models used
to estimate the performance of a potential repository also will be
discussed.
The presentations on the TSPA will resume on Wednesday, August 2,
and will continue until midafternoon, when the DOE will update the
Board on the development of the DOE's safety strategy for a potential
Yucca Mountain repository, including principal factors affecting
repository performance, defense-in-depth, natural analogs, and the
vulnerabilities, uses, and limitations of the safety case.
Several opportunities for public comment will be provided: before
the lunch break and at the end of the day on August 1 and at the end of
the session on August 2. Those wanting to speak are encouraged to sign
the ``Public Comment Register'' at the check-in table. A time limit may
have to be set on individual remarks, but written comments of any
length may be submitted for the record. Interested parties also will
have the opportunity to submit questions in writing to the Board. As
time permits, the questions will be answered during the meeting.
A detailed agenda will be available approximately one week before
the meeting. Copies of the agenda can be requested by telephone or
obtained from the Board's Web site at www.nwtrb.gov. Transcripts of the
meeting will be available on the Board's Web site, via e-mail, on
computer disk, and on a library-loan basis in paper format from Davonya
Barnes of the Board staff, beginning on September 4, 2000.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Pinon Plaza Resort.
Reservations must be made by July 10 to receive the meeting rate. When
making a reservation, please state that you are attending the Nuclear
Waste Technical Review Board meeting. For more information, contact the
NWTRB, Karyn Severson, External Affairs, 2300 Clarendon Boulevard,
Suite 1300; Arlington, VA 22201-3367; (tel) 703-235-4473; (fax) 703-
235-4495; (e-mail) [email protected].
The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board was created by Congress in
the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987. The Board's purpose is
to evaluate the technical and scientific validity of activities
undertaken by the Secretary of Energy related to managing the disposal
of the nation's spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. In
the same legislation, Congress directed the DOE to characterize a site
at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to determine its suitability as the location
of a potential repository for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear
fuel and high-level radioactive waste.
Dated: June 26, 2000.
William D. Barnard,
Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 00-16726 Filed 6-30-00; 8:45 am]
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