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Demonstration of Safety for Geologic Disposal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

Edward C. Taylor
Affiliation:
TRW Environmental Safety Systems, 2650 Park Tower Drive, Suite 800, Vienna, VA 22180
Lawrence D. Ramspott
Affiliation:
TRW Environmental Safety Systems, P. O. Box 808, Livermore, CA 94550
William M. Sprecher
Affiliation:
U. S. Department of Energy, Washington DC 20585
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Abstract

The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) is developing a nuclear waste management system that will accept high-level radioactive waste, transport it, store it, and ultimately emplace it in a deep geologic repository. The key activity now is determining whether Yucca Mountain, Nevada is suitable as a site for the repository. If so, the crucial technological advance will be the demonstration that disposal of nuclear waste will be safe for thousands of years after closure. This paper assesses the impact of regulatory developments, legal developments, and scientific developments on such a demonstration.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1994

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References

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