Public Meetings on Proposed Licensing Criteria - Yucca Mountain

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

For Information ---

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 63

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

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.
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SUMMARY: 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.  

DATES: 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.  

ADDRESSES: 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.  

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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.  

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Members of the public who 
are unable to attend the meeting are invited to send written 
comments on the proposed rule to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: 
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff. Comments may be hand-
delivered to 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland between 
7:30 am and 4:15 pm on Federal workdays. Comments may also 
be provided via the NRC's interactive rulemaking web site through 
the NRC home page (http://www.nrc.gov). This site provides the 
availability to upload comments as files (any format), if your web 
browser supports that function. For information about the interactive 
rulemaking site, contact Ms. Carol Gallagher by telephone: (301) 
415-5905, or by e-mail: CAG@nrc.gov.  

Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 26th day of February, 1999.  

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. John T. Greeves, 
Director, Division of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards. [FR Doc. 99-5336 Filed 3-3-99; 8:45 am]  
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

------------------------
Sandy Perle
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/1205

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