[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 42 (Thursday, March 4, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 10405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5336]
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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:
[email protected]
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
