Nuclear Waste Stalemate: Political and Scientific Controversies

Abstract

Acknowledgments – Preface – 1. Introduction – 2. Alternatives for the management of radioactive waste – Surface storage and deep geological disposal – Reprocessing of spent fuel – Transmutation of radioactive waste – 3. Overview of legislative and executive actions concerning high-level radioactive waste – Early efforts regarding waste disposal – The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 – The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987 – The Energy Policy Act of 1992 and Yucca Mountain radiation standards – The years between 1992 and presidential approval in 2002 – The clock starts ticking : 2002 approval of Yucca Mountain – Setbacks on the way to a licensing application – 4. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 : adoption of a policy for the disposal of spent fuel from commercial reactors – Factors leading up to the adoption of a disposal policy for high-level nuclear waste – The politics of the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act – Analysis of the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act – Political aftermath of the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act – Narrowing the list of candidate sites for the first repository. 5. The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987 – Postponement of the second repository – Candidate states for the first repository object – Monitored retrievable storage – Offering incentives for a repository – Udall proposes a moratorium – The Nuclear Water Technical Review Board – Selection of Yucca Mountain for the first repository – Political aftermath of the 1987 Act – 6. Attempts to store waste on Indian reservations – 7. Yucca Mountain as a repository – Description – Local government environment : Nye County – Political environment : Nevada and Yucca Mountain – 8. The Energy Act of 1992 and Yucca Mountain radiation standards – Introduction of nuclear waste provisions into the Energy Act of 1992 – The National Academy of Sciences Report – Public health and environmental radiation protection standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada – 9. The 2002 approval of the Yucca Mountain Repository – House action – 10. Senate action – Political aftermath of the 2002 Act. 10. Court appeals – The Nevada suit against the Department of Energy, Secretary Abraham, and President Bush – Nevada challenges the constitutionality of the Joint Resolution – Nevada and the Natural Resources Defense Council v. the Environmental Protection Agency – Nevada v. the Nuclear Regulatory Commission – The courts hear oral argument – The court decides – 11. Transportation of spent fuel to Yucca Mountain – 12. High-level nuclear waste disposal in other countries – Canada – France – Germany – United Kingdom – Sweden – Finland – Japan – Russia – India – China – International repository proposals – Overview – Appendix A : Organizations concerned with nuclear waste issues – Appendix B : Principles guiding radioactive waste management – Appendix C : A visit to Yucca Mountain – Appendix E : U.S. Department of Energy guidelines for repository site recommendations – Appendix F : Organizations opposed to the Yucca Mountain repository – Appendix G : Supporters of the Yucca Mountain repository – Selected bibliography – Index.