[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 107 (Monday, June 4, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 30029]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-13868]


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NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD


Joint Panel Meeting: June 20-21, 2001--Las Vegas, Nevada

    Discussions of the Department of Energy's Supplemental Science and 
Performance Analyses (SSPA) report, which is expected to be released 
around the time of the meeting. Presentations on how the SSPA addresses 
four priority areas previously identified by the Nuclear Waste 
Technical Review Board as essential elements of any recommendation of 
the possible repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.
    Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203, 
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, on Wednesday, June 20, and 
Thursday, June 21, 2001, members of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review 
Board's (Board) Panel on Performance Assessment and its Panel on the 
Repository will hold a joint meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, to discuss 
the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Supplemental Science and 
Performance Analyses (SSPA). The SSPA, which is expected to be released 
around the time of the meeting, will cover recent scientific and 
engineering studies and analyses not reported in previous DOE 
publications related to the possible repository site at Yucca Mountain, 
Nevada. The meeting will be 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 civilian radioactive waste management.
    The joint panel meeting will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 
4255 South Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109. The telephone number 
is (702) 369-4400; the fax number is (702) 369-3770. Meeting times are 
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20, and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 
p.m. on Thursday, June 21.
    On June 20, the DOE will present the purpose, content, and overall 
results of the SSPA.
    On June 21, the DOE will describe in detail how the SSPA addresses 
four priority areas identified by the Board at its January 2001 meeting 
in Amargosa Valley, Nevada, as essential elements of any potential site 
recommendation:
     Meaningful quantification of conservatisms and 
uncertainties in the DOE's performance assessments
     Progress in understanding the underlying fundamental 
processes involved in predicting the rate of waste package corrosion
     An evaluation and a comparison of the base-case repository 
design with a low-temperature design
     Development of multiple lines of evidence to support the 
safety case of the proposed repository. The lines of evidence should be 
derived independently of performance assessment and thus not be subject 
to the limitations of performance assessment.
    Time will be set aside at the end of each day for public comments. 
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.
    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 July 30, 2001.
    A block of rooms has been reserved at the Crowne Plaza. 
Reservations must be made by May 25 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, Virginia 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: May 17, 2001.
William D. Barnard,
Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 01-13868 Filed 6-1-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-A-M