[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 30, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75292-75293]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-32046]


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NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD


Panel Meetings

    January 20 and 21, 2004--Las Vegas, Nevada: The U.S. Nuclear Waste 
Technical Review Board's panel on the Engineered Barrier System and 
Panel on the Waste Management System will meet to discuss issues 
related to the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, 
including design of the engineered system and information needed to 
plan for a system to transport high-level radioactive waste spent 
nuclear fuel to the proposed repository.
    Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203, 
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, members of the U.S. 
Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board's Panel on the Engineered Barrier 
system and Panel on the Waste Management System will meet in Las Vegas, 
Nevada, on Tuesday, January 20, and Wednesday, January 21, 2004, 
respectively. The panels will discuss issues related to the proposed 
repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, including design of the 
engineered system and information needed as the Department of Energy 
(DOE) plans a system for transporting high-level radioactive waste and 
spend nuclear fuel to the proposed repository. The meetings 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 activities undertaken by the DOE as 
stipulated in the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act.
    The panel meetings will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4255 
South Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109; (tel.) 702-369-4400; (fax) 
702-369-3770. The Panel on the Engineered Barrier System is scheduled 
to meet from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 20. The Panel on 
the Waste Management System is scheduled to meet from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
on Wednesday, January 21. Meeting times will be confirmed when agendas 
are issued, approximately one week before the meeting dates.
    At the Engineered Barrier System Panel meeting on Tuesday, the DOE 
will begin with a project update, followed by presentations on 
preclosure safety analysis and surface and subsurface facility design. 
In the afternoon, the DOE will present information on the design of the 
waste package, the drip shield, and the invert. Representatives of Nye 
County, Nevada, will then present an update on county oversight 
activities related to the engineered system. The final presentation of 
the day will be an update on the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste 
Management's science and technology program.
    On Wednesday, the Waste Management System Panel will consider the 
information the DOE will need as it plans its transportation system. 
Invited participants include representatives of the DOE and state and 
local governments; utilities; truck, rail, and barge operators; and 
those involved in other transportation campaigns, including WIPP and 
naval spent fuel.

[[Page 75293]]

During the session related to information flow, participants will be 
asked to address four questions:
    1. What are your Key Yucca Mountain transportation safety and 
security concerns?
    2. How have you been able to address those concerns on the basis of 
the information and resources that the DOE has provided to date?
    3. What concerns have you been unable to address? What does the DOE 
need to provide to allow this to happen?
    4. How long will it take you to address those outstanding concerns 
once the DOE has provided what you need?
    A second session on Wednesday will focus on lessons learned in 
transporting spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive materials. During 
that session, participants will be asked to address three questions:
    1. What were (or are) the objectives and characteristics of the 
shipping campaign?
    2. From a safety and security perspective, what worked (works) well 
and what did not (does not)?
    3. What experiences and lessons learned may be transferable to the 
Yucca Mountain transportation program?
    Time will 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 
individuals 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, questions relevant to the discussion may be asked by Board 
members.
    Detailed agendas will be available approximately on week before the 
meeting. Copies of the agendas can be requested by telephone or 
obtained from the Board's Web site at http://www.nwtrb.gov. Transcripts 
of the meetings will be available on the Board's Web site, by e-mail, 
on computer disk, and on a library-loan basis in paper format from 
Davonya Barnes of the Board's staff, beginning on February 24, 2004.
    A block of rooms has been reserved at the St. Tropez Hotel for 
meeting participants. The St. Tropez is located at 455 E. Harmon 
Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89109; (tel.) 702-369-5400 and (fax) 702-369-
1150. When making a reservation, please state that you are attending 
the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board meeting. To receive the 
meeting rate, reservations should be made by December 31, 2003.

FOR FURTHER 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].

    Dated: December 19, 2003.
William D. Barnard,
Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 03-32046 Filed 12-29-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-AM-M