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

Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Notice of public meetings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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; (2) outline the roles and responsibilities of government and the public in the licensing process; and (3) ensure that the process for developing the final rule gives full consideration to the views and concerns of the public. Copies of the proposed rule will be available at the public meeting and can also be obtained from Judy Goodwin, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. The meetings will open with an NRC presentation on the proposed rule, followed by comments from DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (invited). The public discussion will begin with a panel of representatives of the major interests affected by the proposed regulations, including local county governments, the State of Nevada, Native American tribes, the Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force, and the Nuclear Waste Study Committee. The meetings will be facilitated by Francis X. Cameron, Special Counsel for Public Liaison, of the NRC.

The first public meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 23, 1999, from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm. The second public meeting will be held on Thursday, March 25, 1999, fron 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm.

The first meeting will be held at the Richard Tam Alumni Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada. The second meeting will be held at the Beatty Community Center in Beatty, Nevada.

Francis X. Cameron, Special Counsel for Public Liaison, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by telephone: (301) 415-1642, or by e-mail: fxc@nrc.gov.