Fuel Cycle to Nowhere

Jane Bloom Stewart, Richard Burleson Stewart

Description

For twenty-five years, the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada was designated as the sole destination for disposal of the nation's accumulated stockpiles of highly radioactive nuclear power and weapons wastes. Now the Obama administration has abandoned Yucca, and Congress must pass new laws to solve the resulting disposal crisis. Even as the federal government seeks to expand nuclear power, local communities and states are demanding a credible program for disposal of the wastes that we already have. The Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, appointed by the Obama administration to develop a plan, is currently conducting hearings.

The first comprehensive history and overview of U.S. nuclear waste law and regulation, Fuel Cycle to Nowhere traces sixty years of nuclear weapons programs, the growth of nuclear power, and their waste legacies, the rise of environmentalism, and the responses of federal agencies. Richard and Jane Stewart expertly analyze the changing policies for storing low-level waste, transuranic waste, spent nuclear fuel, and high-level waste and for regulating their transport by rail and by truck. They also chronicle "a tale of two repositories"--one, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, known as WIPP, the world's only operating deep geologic nuclear waste disposal facility, which emerged from a contentious but ultimately successful struggle between federal and state interests; the other, Yucca Mountain, mandated top down by Congress and a failure.

Fuel Cycle to Nowhere provides the critical information and analysis on the waste disposal issues and solutions that the commission, Congress, the administration, journalists, policymakers, and the public so urgently need.

This book is a project of the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), a Vanderbilt University-led, multi-university consortium supported as a cooperative agreement by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental This book is a project of the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), a Vanderbilt University-led, multi-university consortium supported as a cooperative agreement by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management to support safe, effective, publicly credible, risk informed management of existing and future nuclear waste from government and civilian sources through independent strategic analysis, review, applied research and education.

Sujets

• Public Policy
• Sciences et techniques
• History of the United States
• Physics
• Nuclear
• Science

Informations

• Publié par: Vanderbilt University Press
• Date de parution: 15 août 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9780826517760
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

FUEL CYCLETO NOWHERE U.S. Law and Policy on Nuclear Waste

RICHARD BURLESON STEWART

JANE BLOOM STEWART

Fuel Cycle to Nowhere

Fuel Cycle to Nowhere U.S. Law and Policy on Nuclear Waste

Richard Burleson Stewart Jane Bloom Stewart

Vanérbî Unîvérsîy Préss Nasvîé

© 2011 by Rîcar Buréson Séwar an Jané Boom Séwar Pubîsé by Vanérbî Unîvérsîy Préss Nasvîé, Ténnésséé 37235 A rîs résérvé Fîrs prînîn 2011

hîs book îs prîné on acî-réé papér maé rom 30% pos-consumér récycé conén. Manuacuré în é Unîé Saés o Amérîca

Covér ésîn: Gary Goré Téx ésîn: Darîé Mayér

îbrary o Conréss Caaoîn-în-Pubîcaîon Daa

Séwar, Rîcar B. Fué cycé o nowéré : U.S. aw an poîcy on nucéar wasé / Rîcar B. Séwar an Jané B. Séwar. p. cm. ïncués bîbîorapîca rééréncés an înéx. ïSBN 978-0-8265-1774-6 (co éîîon : ak. papér) 1. Hazarous wasés—aw an éîsaîon—Unîé Saés. 2. Raîoacîvé wasé îsposa—aw an éîsaîon—Unîé Saés. 3. Raîoacîvé wasés—Transporaîon—aw an éîs- aîon—Unîé Saés. 4. Raîoacîvé wasés—Unîé Saés. ï. Séwar, Jané B. ïï. Tîé. KF3946.S78 2011 344.7304′622—c22 2011003004

For our cîldren

Contents

1

2

3

Acronyms and Abbreviations Acknowledgments Introduction

The Evolution of U.S. Nuclear Waste Law and Policy Nuclear Weapons Buildup and the  Rise of Nuclear Power, 1946–1970 The Rise of the Environmental Movement  and the End of Reprocessing Federal Nuclear Waste Disposal Initiatives and Legislation Yucca Abandoned: Repository Limbo, Orphan Waste Challenges

Radioactive Waste Classification and Regulation Nuclear Wastes and Their Regulatory Classification Nuclear Waste Regulatory Classification and Requirements HLW Reclassification Initiatives Mixed Waste Toward a More RiskBased System of Radioactive  Waste Classification and Regulation Conclusion

Nuclear Waste Transport The Evolution of Nuclear Waste Transport Regulation The Current Nuclear Waste Transport Regulatory Structure Experience with Nuclear Waste Transport Transportation of TRU for Disposal at WIPP Transportation of SNF and HLW to Yucca Mountain Assessing the Nuclear Waste Transportation Regime Conclusion

xi xv 1

15

17

30 56 73

84 85 95 102 111

113 122

123 124 129 133 135 140 142 143

viii

Fuel Cycle to Nowhere

4

5

6

LowLevel Waste Disposal Early Developments The 1980 LowLevel Radioactive Waste Policy Act The 1985 LowLevel Radioactive Waste Policy Act Amendments The Current LLW Disposal Situation Options for Addressing LLW Disposal Problems Conclusion

WIPP: The Rocky Road to Success The Origins of WIPP Restriction of WIPP to Defense TRU New Mexico’s Successful Efforts to Gain a Role in Decision Making Regarding WIPP New Mexico: Federal Interactions and Resolution of Conflicts, 1980–1992 Controversy over Land Withdrawal for WIPP, 1989–1992 Restoring WIPP’s Credibility, 1992–1996 WIPP Moves into FullScale Operation as a TRU Repository Conclusion

Yucca Mountain: Blueprint for Failure The 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act and Its Implementation by DOE DOE’s Implementation of the NWPA Siting Process Crisis in the NWPA Siting Scheme The 1987 Nuclear Waste Policy Act Amendments and Resistance to a Yucca Repository Nevada’s Legal Actions to Thwart a Repository at Yucca Mountain The Battle for Public Opinion Responses to Repository Delay Twists and Turns in the Technical Debate over Yucca Federal Designation of Yucca for a Repository, and Nevada’s Continuing Resistance DOE’s Yucca License Application to NRC Obama’s Election as President: Political Victory for Nevada Conclusion

145 146 147 149 154 157 160

162 162 163

168

171 175 179 180 184

186 187 195 201

207 210 214 216 217

222 225 226 230

7

8

Options for Orphan Wastes Continued SNF Storage at Reactors Consolidated SNF Storage Evaluating Interim Storage Options SNF Reprocessing Conclusion

Nuclear Waste in the United States: Lessons Learned and Future Choices Evolution of U.S. Nuclear Waste Policy: Recapitulation Current Nuclear Waste Dilemmas and Options Lessons Learned and Future Strategies for U.S. Nuclear Waste Policy

Appendix A Operating U.S. Nuclear Power Units by Year

Appendix B Uranium Oxide Spot Prices

Appendix C The Hanford Waste Cleanup Agreement and Program

Notes Bibliography Index

231 232 235 239 242 253

254 254 258

272

307

309

311

315 397 413

Contents

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