[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 250 (Monday, December 31, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67561-67562]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-32025]


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

NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD


Board Meeting: January 29-30, 2002--Pahrump, Nevada: The Nuclear 
Waste Technical Review Board Will Hold a Meeting To Discuss Issues 
Related to the Department of Energy's (DOE) Characterization of a 
Potential Repository Site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. A Program Overview 
and Scientific Updates Will Be Presented. Other Topics Included 
recently Issued DOE Documents Related to Site Recommendation and 
Analyses of the DOE's Total System Performance Assessment

    Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203, 
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, on Tuesday, January 29, 
and Wednesday, January 30, 2002, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review 
Board (Board) will hold a meeting in Pahrump, Nevada, to discuss the 
status of 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. 
Among other things, representatives of the DOE and other agencies and 
groups will present scientific updates on research related to Yucca 
Mountain and on the results of recently issued studies related to the 
technical basis for a decision by the Secretary of Energy on whether to 
recommend Yucca Mountain for repository development. 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 meeting will be held at the Bob Ruud Community Center, 150 
North Highway 160, Pahrump, Nevada 89048. The pay-phone number for the 
community center is (775) 727-9991. The meeting sessions will begin at 
8:30 a.m. on both days.
    The full-day session on Tuesday will begin with a general overview 
of the DOE program and a briefing on the regulatory framework for a 
site recommendation. These presentations will be followed by scientific 
updates in several areas, including fluid inclusions, chlorine-36 
studies, saturated zone modeling, and other scientific investigations. 
Discussions of findings of the U.S. Geological Survey, and comments on 
the DOE's Total System Performance Assessment by the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission's (NRC's) Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, an 
international peer review group, and others, will follow.
    On Wednesday, discussions will continue on recently released 
documents, including a report by the DOE on uncertainty and the DOE's 
Technical Update Information Letter Report. Following these 
presentations, representatives of the NRC will comment on the NRC's 
``sufficiency'' review. The meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 
approximately 12:30 p.m.
    Opportunities for public comment will be provided before lunch on 
Tuesday and 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. In 
addition, on Wednesday, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., Board members will 
host a ``coffee and donuts'' get together for members of the public 
attending the meeting at the Bob Ruud Community Center.
    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 March 
4, 2002, 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 Best Western Pahrump 
Station, 1101 South Highway 160, Pahrump, Nevada 89048; (tel) 775-751-
5100; (fax) 775-751-1325. 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

[[Page 67562]]

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: December 21, 2001.
William D. Barnard,
Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 01-32025 Filed 12-28-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-AM-M