Introduction

The Secretary of Energy formally recommended the Yucca Mountain site to the President for the development of a nuclear waste repository on February 14, 2002, and on February 15 the President notified Congress that he considers Yucca Mountain qualified for construction permit application.

Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn submitted a notice of disapproval (veto) to Congress on April 9, 2002. On May 8 the House of Representatives voted 306-117 to override Governor Guinn's veto, and the Senate voted 60-39 to override the veto on July 9, 2002.

The U. S. Department of Energy may now submit a license application to the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Licensing Support Network
for Documents Relating to the Yucca Mountain Licensing Proceeding Conducted by the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) review process for the Department of Energy (DOE) license application on the proposed Yucca Mountain repository includes the opportunity for adjudicatory hearings conducted by the NRC. The Licensing Support Network (LSN) is an electronic system that can be accessed through the Internet by anyone.

The LSN contains all of the documents that may be used as evidence in the NRC licensing proceeding and meets the NRC's document "discovery" requirements associated with the Yucca Mountain repository hearings spelled out in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 2, Subpart J. It is the single place where the parties and potential parties to the licensing hearing can search for materials from any or all of those parties' documentary collections in a uniform way.

Public availability of the LSN was a key feature of a 1988 negotiated rulemaking that established the system. The parties and potential parties to the hearing must make their documents that may be used as evidence in the NRC licensing proceeding available via the LSN. Non-parties or non-potential parties may not enter documents.
Log on to the LSN Internet web site at www.lsnnet.gov.

The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel

Through the Atomic Energy Act, Congress made it possible for the public to get a full and fair hearing on civilian nuclear matters. Individuals who are directly affected by any licensing action involving a facility producing or utilizing nuclear materials may participate in a hearing before independent judges of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel (ASLBP or Panel).
Hearings often involve difficult, interdisciplinary questions at the cutting edge of science and technology. In addition, NRC hearings air local concerns about the consequences of severe accidents and continue the national debate over the role nuclear power should play in meeting the nation's energy needs.
Contested hearings at the NRC are conducted either by three judges or by a single administrative judge drawn from the Panel. Hearings before these judges are among the most complex, lengthy, and controversial administrative proceedings conducted by the Federal government.
The Panel considers issues arising out of the operation of the nation's more than 100 nuclear power plants and out of programs related to approximately 5,000 nuclear materials licensees. Hearings have shifted away from the large nuclear power plant operating licenses and construction permits and instead focus on license extensions, site decontamination, enforcement actions, and materials license amendments.
Future proceedings are also likely to involve plant life extensions, licensing of a high-level radioactive waste repository, and decommissioning activities. The proceeding to license a high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, in particular, will involve novel and complex scientific issues.
The Panel plans to make the initial decision in a formal hearing on whether the Department of Energy's (DOE) high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, satisfies applicable safety and environmental requirements before granting DOE a license to operate it.
The Panel is also responsible for developing and operating the Licensing Support Network, described above. Within the next few years, the Panel will adjudicate any disputes in connection with the millions of pages of documents that will be available electronically to all parties and participants prior to DOE's repository license application.
For more information, visit the Panel's home page at
http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc.html.

Code of Federal Regulations
Licensing Criteria

The licensing criteria are contained in the U. S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 10, Part 63 (10 CFR Part 63), "Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Wastes in a Proposed Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada."

This link will take you to an index of the sections of Part 63. 10 CFR Part 63

Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Keys to Judging the Safety of a proposed Repository at Yucca Mountain

The staff of the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) identified nine key technical issues to organize its review of the U. S. Department of Energy's (DOE) site characterization program at Yucca Mountain. These topics are the most important to understanding the long-term capability of a repository at Yucca Mountain to protect public health, safety and the environment. These key technical issues, or KTIs, are integrated in the NRC's standards and requirements applicable to Yucca Mountain. The KTIs also form the basis for the NRC's draft licensing guide, referred to as the Yucca Mountain Review Plan. If the DOE applies to the NRC for a license to construct a repository at Yucca Mountain, the DOE will need to show that the repository complies with NRC's regulations, and it will have to address these issues.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Yucca Mountain Review Plan

The Yucca Mountain Review Plan provides guidance to evaluate a license application for a geologic repository. The licensing criteria, as noted above, are contained in the U. S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 10, Part 63.

The principal purpose of the Yucca Mountain Review Plan is to ensure the quality, uniformity and consistency of U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff reviews of the license application and any requested amendments.

The Yucca Mountain Review Plan has separate sections for reviews of repository safety before permanent closure, repository safety after permanent closure, the research and development program to resolve safety questions, the performance confirmation program, and administrative and programmatic requirements.

Each of the above sections supports determining compliance with specific regulatory requirements from 10 CFR Part 63. According to the NRC, the regulations and the Yucca Mountain Review Plan are risk-informed, performance-based to the extent practical.

This link will take you to the entire document on line:
  "Yucca Mountain Review Plan, NUREG-1804, Revision 2, Draft Report for Comment."

This link will take you to the Executive Summary of the Yucca Mountain Review Plan:
Executive Summary

Written comments may be submitted to: