[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 184 (Wednesday, September 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57404-57405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24043]


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 NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD


Board Meeting

    October 20-21, 2015--The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board 
will hold an international technical workshop on the potential deep 
borehole disposal of high-level radioactive waste.

    Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203, 
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, and in accordance with its 
mandate to review the technical and scientific validity of U.S. 
Department of Energy (DOE) activities related to implementing the 
Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), the U.S. Nuclear Waste 
Technical Review Board will hold an international technical workshop on 
Tuesday, October 20, and Wednesday, October 21, 2015, to evaluate 
technical and scientific issues associated with the potential use of 
deep boreholes to dispose of some radioactive wastes. The workshop is 
open to the public and there is no charge for attendance.
    In June 2015, the Board issued a report: Evaluation of Technical 
Issues

[[Page 57405]]

Associated with the Development of a Separate Repository for U.S. 
Department of Energy-Managed High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent 
Nuclear Fuel. In its report, the Board reviewed two DOE reports, one of 
which was released in October 2014 and the other in March 2015. The DOE 
reports recommended implementing a strategy for disposal of some DOE-
managed high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and possibly some DOE-
managed spent nuclear fuel (SNF), in a separate geologic repository 
rather than commingling the DOE wastes in a single repository with 
commercial HLW and SNF. The October 2014 report also recommended that 
DOE retain the flexibility to consider options for disposal of smaller 
DOE-managed waste forms in deep boreholes rather than in a mined, 
geologic repository. DOE identified cesium and strontium capsules as 
candidates for disposal in deep boreholes.
    The Board's October workshop will look at issues associated with 
the design and implementation of a program for deep borehole disposal 
of solid radioactive wastes. In particular, the objective of the 
workshop will be to identify the technical and scientific issues 
associated with DOE's research and development program to assess the 
viability of the deep borehole disposal concept and, more broadly, to 
identify issues associated with implementation of deep borehole 
disposal.
    The workshop will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1250 22nd 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20037; (Tel) 202-857-3388, (Fax) 202-293-
3173. A block of sleeping rooms has been reserved at the hotel for 
meeting attendees. To make a reservation, attendees may call 1 800-445-
8667. The group code name for the workshop is ``NUC.'' Reservations 
also may be made on the hotel Web site: http://embassysuites.hilton.com/en/es/groups/personalized/W/WASDNES-NUC-20151019/index.jhtml. Reservations must be made by Monday, September 
28, 2015, to receive the group rate.
    The first day of the workshop will begin at 8:00 a.m. and is 
scheduled to wind up at about 5:30 p.m. The agenda on Tuesday will 
begin with presentations by DOE managers and experts on DOE's plans for 
studying deep borehole disposal, including a field test program being 
planned by DOE to provide information on the geoscience of the deep 
borehole disposal concept and the technical issues associated with its 
implementation. Following the DOE presentations, panels of experts from 
this and other countries will discuss issues such as:
     Expected hydrogeological and geochemical conditions at the 
proposed disposal depth and their associated characterization methods;
     Waste forms to be disposed of, durability of waste-
disposal canister and overpack materials, and effectiveness of borehole 
seals;
     Challenges to deep drilling in crystalline rocks and to 
operations related to emplacing the waste canisters in boreholes;
     Regulatory framework for deep borehole disposal of solid 
radioactive wastes;
     Advantages and disadvantages of deep borehole disposal 
compared with other disposal concepts.
    There will be a lunchtime presentation on Tuesday titled 
``International Perspective on Deep Borehole Disposal.'' Those who wish 
to attend the lunchtime presentation should send an email no later than 
October 15 to [email protected] with the words ``Working 
Lunch RSVP'' in the subject line. Information on arrangements for the 
lunch will be provided in response to the email.
    The panel discussions will resume at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday and 
continue throughout the day until the conclusion of the workshop at 
approximately 5:00 p.m.
    Opportunities for public comment will be provided on both days 
before the lunch break and at the end of the day. It may be necessary 
to set a time limit on individual remarks in order to maintain the 
schedule, but written comments of any length may be submitted during 
and after the workshop and will be entered into the record of the 
meeting posted on the Board's Web site. The meeting will also be 
webcast through a link that will be posted on the Board's Web site.
    The workshop agenda will be available on the Board's Web site 
(www.nwtrb.gov) approximately one week before the meeting. The 
transcript of the workshop discussions, the presentation materials, and 
any comments and other documents submitted for the record will be 
available on the Board's Web site after November 20, 2015. The Webcast 
recording also will be available on the Board's Web site for a period 
of one year after the workshop.
    The Board was established in the 1987 Nuclear Waste Policy 
Amendments Act as an independent federal agency in the Executive branch 
to perform an ongoing objective evaluation of the technical and 
scientific validity of activities undertaken by DOE related to 
implementing the NWPA. Board members are experts in their fields and 
are appointed by the President from a list of candidates submitted by 
the National Academy of Sciences. The Board reports its findings, 
conclusions, and recommendations to Congress and the Secretary of 
Energy. Board reports, correspondence, congressional testimony, and 
meeting transcripts and materials are posted on the Board's Web site.
    For information on the workshop, contact Bret Leslie at 
[email protected], Roberto Pabalan at [email protected], or Karyn 
Severson at [email protected]. For information on meeting logistics, 
contact Linda Coultry at [email protected]. They can be reached by 
phone at 703-235-4473.

     Dated: September 17, 2015.
Nigel Mote,
Executive Director, U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 2015-24043 Filed 9-22-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE P