[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 128 (Monday, July 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41110-41111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-16726]


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NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD


Board Meeting: August 1-2, 2000--Carson City, NV: Discussions of 
a Total System Performance Assessment for a Potential Yucca Mountain, 
Nevada, Repository for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive 
Waste; Update on Scientific and Engineering Studies Undertaken at the 
Yucca Mountain Site; and Update on the DOE's Development of a Safety 
Strategy for a Potential Yucca Mountain Repository

    Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203, 
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, on Tuesday, August 1, 
Wednesday, August 2, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) 
will meet in Carson City, Nevada, to discuss technical and scientific 
issues related to evaluating a possible site for a repository for spent 
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, 
Nevada. Among the issues that will be discussed are a total system 
performance assessment (TSPA), a safety strategy for the potential 
repository, and scientific and engineering studies being conducted to 
evaluate the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site. The Board is 
charged by Congress with reviewing the technical and scientific aspects 
of the Department of Energy's (DOE) civilian radioactive waste 
management program, including disposing of, packaging, and transporting 
the waste.
    The Board meeting will be held at Pinon Plaza Resort (Best 
Western), 2171 Hwy 50 East; Carson City, NV 89701. The telephone number 
is (775) 885-9000; the fax number is (775)-888-8018. The meeting will 
start at 8:30 a.m. on both days and will be open to the public.
    On Tuesday, August 1, the DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive 
Waste Management will present a general overview of the status of the 
program. The overview will be followed by

[[Page 41111]]

presentations by representatives of the State of Nevada, including 
comments on studies conducted by the state related to materials 
proposed for use in the waste package. The DOE will present updates on 
ongoing scientific and engineering studies at the Yucca Mountain site, 
including results of testing in the exploratory tunnels, isotope 
studies, and estimating volcanic hazard. In the afternoon, discussions 
will begin on the TSPA that is used by the DOE to estimate potential 
repository performance. In particular, the DOE will make presentations 
on TSPA results, their uncertainties, and the individual components 
that make up the TSPA. Critical assumptions underlying the models used 
to estimate the performance of a potential repository also will be 
discussed.
    The presentations on the TSPA will resume on Wednesday, August 2, 
and will continue until midafternoon, when the DOE will update the 
Board on the development of the DOE's safety strategy for a potential 
Yucca Mountain repository, including principal factors affecting 
repository performance, defense-in-depth, natural analogs, and the 
vulnerabilities, uses, and limitations of the safety case.
    Several opportunities for public comment will be provided: before 
the lunch break and at the end of the day on August 1 and at the end of 
the session on August 2. Those wanting to speak are encouraged to sign 
the ``Public Comment Register'' at the check-in table. A time limit may 
have to be set on individual remarks, but written comments of any 
length may be submitted for the record. Interested parties also will 
have the opportunity to submit questions in writing to the Board. As 
time permits, the questions will be answered during the meeting.
    A detailed agenda will be available approximately one week before 
the meeting. Copies of the agenda can be requested by telephone or 
obtained from the Board's Web site at www.nwtrb.gov. Transcripts of the 
meeting will be available on the Board's Web site, via e-mail, on 
computer disk, and on a library-loan basis in paper format from Davonya 
Barnes of the Board staff, beginning on September 4, 2000.
    A block of rooms has been reserved at the Pinon Plaza Resort. 
Reservations must be made by July 10 to receive the meeting rate. When 
making a reservation, please state that you are attending the Nuclear 
Waste Technical Review Board meeting. For more information, contact the 
NWTRB, Karyn Severson, External Affairs, 2300 Clarendon Boulevard, 
Suite 1300; Arlington, VA 22201-3367; (tel) 703-235-4473; (fax) 703-
235-4495; (e-mail) [email protected].
    The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board was created by Congress in 
the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987. The Board's purpose is 
to evaluate the technical and scientific validity of activities 
undertaken by the Secretary of Energy related to managing the disposal 
of the nation's spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. In 
the same legislation, Congress directed the DOE to characterize a site 
at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to determine its suitability as the location 
of a potential repository for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear 
fuel and high-level radioactive waste.

    Dated: June 26, 2000.
William D. Barnard,
Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 00-16726 Filed 6-30-00; 8:45 am]
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