[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 146 (Tuesday, July 30, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49377-49378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-19146]


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

NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD


Notice of Meeting

    Board Meeting: September 10, 2002--Las Vegas, Nevada: The Nuclear 
Waste Technical Review Board will hold a meeting to discuss DOE 
technical and scientific activities related to the proposed development 
of a repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste 
disposal at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Issues to be discussed include 
performance assessment and repository system barrier analyses.
    Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203, 
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, on Tuesday, September 10, 
2002, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) will meet in Las 
Vegas, Nevada, to discuss U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) technical 
activities related to a proposed repository for spent nuclear fuel and 
high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. At the meeting, 
the DOE will present updates on important aspects of its technical and 
scientific program and will participate along with other interested 
parties in a round-table discussion of performance assessment and 
repository system barrier analysis. 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 Alexis Park Hotel, 375 Harmon 
Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109. The telephone numbers are (702) 796-
3300 or (800) 453-8000; the fax number is (702) 796-3354. The meeting 
will start at 8 a.m.

[[Page 49378]]

    A greeting by the Board's incoming chairman, Dr. Michael Corradini, 
will open the morning session followed by remarks by outgoing chairman, 
Dr. Jared Cohon. Four additional new Board members will be introduced, 
and four members departing the Board will be recognized. The greeting 
and introductions will be followed by a general overview of the DOE 
program and a briefing on the Yucca Mountain project's plans. The DOE 
will then provide an update on its science and engineering activities 
followed by a report on the proposed science and technology program. 
The final presentation before lunch will be given by a representative 
of Inyo County, California, who will report on the County's regional 
ground water monitoring program. Immediately following the lunch break, 
the chair of the DOE's Igneous Consequences Peer Review Panel will 
present an interim report from the Panel. This presentation will be 
followed by updates on corrosion testing and repository design. The 
final session of the afternoon will focus on performance assessment and 
barrier analysis, during which representatives of the DOE and the 
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will make presentations. A 
round-table discussion of these topics will follow the presentations. 
Round-table participants will include representatives from the State of 
Nevada, the DOE, the EPRI, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the 
Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, and others. Round-table 
participants will discuss underlying causes for differences in TSPA 
estimates, the significance of those differences, and issues related to 
different repository-system barrier analyses.
    A public comment period has been scheduled for 5:30-6:00 p.m. 
However, if members of the public are unable to comment at that time, 
time will be provided on as-needed basis before the lunch break. Those 
wanting to speak during the public comment period 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.
    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 October 
10, 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 Alexis Park Hotel. To 
obtain the meeting rate, reservations must be made by August 21, 2002. 
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 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: July 26, 2002.
William D. Barnard,
Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 02-19146 Filed 7-29-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-AM-M