[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 250 (Monday, December 31, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67561-67562]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-32025]
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NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD
Board Meeting: January 29-30, 2002--Pahrump, Nevada: The Nuclear
Waste Technical Review Board Will Hold a Meeting To Discuss Issues
Related to the Department of Energy's (DOE) Characterization of a
Potential Repository Site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. A Program Overview
and Scientific Updates Will Be Presented. Other Topics Included
recently Issued DOE Documents Related to Site Recommendation and
Analyses of the DOE's Total System Performance Assessment
Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203,
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, on Tuesday, January 29,
and Wednesday, January 30, 2002, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review
Board (Board) will hold a meeting in Pahrump, Nevada, to discuss the
status of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) efforts to characterize a
site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the possible location of a permanent
repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.
Among other things, representatives of the DOE and other agencies and
groups will present scientific updates on research related to Yucca
Mountain and on the results of recently issued studies related to the
technical basis for a decision by the Secretary of Energy on whether to
recommend Yucca Mountain for repository development. The meeting is
open to the public, and opportunities for public comment will be
provided. The Board is charged by Congress with reviewing the technical
and scientific validity of DOE activities related to managing spent
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.
The meeting will be held at the Bob Ruud Community Center, 150
North Highway 160, Pahrump, Nevada 89048. The pay-phone number for the
community center is (775) 727-9991. The meeting sessions will begin at
8:30 a.m. on both days.
The full-day session on Tuesday will begin with a general overview
of the DOE program and a briefing on the regulatory framework for a
site recommendation. These presentations will be followed by scientific
updates in several areas, including fluid inclusions, chlorine-36
studies, saturated zone modeling, and other scientific investigations.
Discussions of findings of the U.S. Geological Survey, and comments on
the DOE's Total System Performance Assessment by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission's (NRC's) Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, an
international peer review group, and others, will follow.
On Wednesday, discussions will continue on recently released
documents, including a report by the DOE on uncertainty and the DOE's
Technical Update Information Letter Report. Following these
presentations, representatives of the NRC will comment on the NRC's
``sufficiency'' review. The meeting is scheduled to adjourn at
approximately 12:30 p.m.
Opportunities for public comment will be provided before lunch on
Tuesday and before adjournment on both days. Those wanting to speak
during the public comment periods 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. In
addition, on Wednesday, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., Board members will
host a ``coffee and donuts'' get together for members of the public
attending the meeting at the Bob Ruud Community Center.
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. Beginning on March
4, 2002, 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.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Best Western Pahrump
Station, 1101 South Highway 160, Pahrump, Nevada 89048; (tel) 775-751-
5100; (fax) 775-751-1325. 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
[[Page 67562]]
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: December 21, 2001.
William D. Barnard,
Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 01-32025 Filed 12-28-01; 8:45 am]
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