[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 67 (Friday, April 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18321-18322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8476]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD


Board Meeting: May 8-9, 2001--Arlington, Virginia

    Discussions of questions on important technical issues related to 
the DOE's Yucca Mountain site-evaluation efforts, including analysis of 
alternative repository designs, performance assessment of the natural 
and engineered components of a repository system, and evaluation of the 
effects of corrosion products on the waste package environment. Updates 
on scientific and engineering studies and on studies dating fluid 
inclusions at Yucca Mountain.
    Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203, 
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, on Tuesday, May 8, and 
Wednesday, May 9, 2001, the Nuclear Waste Technical Board (Board) will 
hold a meeting in Arlington, Virginia, to discuss U.S. Department of 
Energy (DOE) efforts to characterize a site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, 
as the possible location of a permanent repository for spent nuclear 
fuel and high-level radioactive waste. At the meeting, the DOE will 
present updates on important aspects of its technical and scientific 
program by answering questions posed by the Board on important 
technical issues related to the evaluation of the Yucca Mountain site. 
The meeting is open to the public, and opportunities for public comment 
will be provided. The Board is charged by Congress with reviewing the 
technical and scientific validity of DOE activities related to managing 
spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.
    The Board meeting will be held at the Hilton Arlington & Towers; 
950 North Stafford Street; Arlington, Virginia 22203. The telephone 
number is (703) 528-6000; the fax number is (703) 812-5127. The meeting 
sessions will start at 8 a.m. on both days.
    The morning session on Tuesday, May 8, will begin with a general 
overview of the DOE program and a

[[Page 18322]]

briefing on revisions to the Yucca Mountain project's fiscal year 2001 
work plan. These presentations will be followed by updates on the DOE's 
analysis of alternative repository designs, including the criteria used 
to compare and evaluate the designs, and on the DOE's uncertainty study 
interim report. After lunch, the DOE will discuss efforts to develop 
multiple lines of evidence for increasing confidence in the repository 
safety case. The DOE then will address Board questions related to 
performance assessment; first on aspects of the natural system and then 
on the engineered system. The questions on the natural system involve 
the long-term climate model and its possible effects on several aspects 
of repository performance assessment. The questions on the engineered 
barrier system (EBS) relate to differences in the performance of EBS 
components as designed and their performance as installed, to the 
potential consequences if weld treatment technologies needed for the 
waste packages are not perfected, to the effects of failure of the drip 
shields on repository and waste package performance, to the effects of 
corrosion products on the postclosure waste package environment, and to 
the effects on certain design parameters of a cooler repository design.
    The session on Wednesday, May 9, will begin with an update of 
scientific and engineering activities at the Yucca Mountain site and 
will be followed by a briefing on corrosion investigations conducted by 
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory 
Analysis. The Board then will hear from scientists from the University 
of Nevada-Las Vegas, the State of Nevada, the U.S. Geological Survey, 
and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University on a joint 
DOE-State of Nevada study dating fluid inclusions at Yucca Mountain. 
The session is scheduled to end at approximately 1:15 p.m.
    Opportunities for public comment will be provided before 
adjournment on both days. Those wanting to speak during the public 
comment periods 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. Beginning on June 
11, 2001, 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.
    A block of rooms has been reserved at the Arlington Hilton & 
Towers. 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: April 2, 2001.
William D. Barnard,
Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 01-8476 Filed 4-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-AM-M