[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 226 (Monday, November 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 74768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25724]


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NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD


Board Meeting

    December 2-3, 2020--The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board 
will hold an online virtual public meeting to review information on the 
U.S. Department of Energy's non-site-specific geologic disposal 
research and development program.
    Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203, 
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act (NWPAA) of 1987, the U.S. Nuclear 
Waste Technical Review Board will hold an online virtual public meeting 
on Wednesday, December 2, 2020, and Thursday, December 3, 2020, to 
review information on U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) non-site-specific 
geologic disposal research and development (R&D) program.
    The meeting will begin on both days at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard 
Time (EST) and is scheduled to adjourn at 5:00 p.m. EST on both days. 
Speakers representing the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy and the national 
laboratories conducting the work for DOE will report on DOE's non-site-
specific geologic disposal R&D program. Speakers will describe DOE's 
program, including its purpose, scope, goals, technical approach, and 
prioritization of activities. Three presentations will address the 
reference disposal concepts and key considerations for a repository 
sited in either crystalline, salt, and argillite rock. Two speakers 
from abroad will describe geologic disposal research strategies in 
Europe. Next, speakers from the national laboratories will present 
DOE's R&D activities, and their prioritization, in other program areas 
that address multiple disposal concepts. These speakers will address 
the disposal of dual-purpose canisters, geologic disposal safety 
assessment, engineered barrier systems, and will describe a disposal 
concept and key considerations for an unsaturated alluvium reference 
case. The last presentation will address prioritization of 
international activities and DOE's Disposal Research 5-year Plan. A 
detailed meeting agenda will be available on the Board's website 
approximately one week before the meeting.
    The meeting will be open to the public, and opportunities for 
public comment will be provided. Details on how to comment publicly 
during the meeting will be provided on the Board's website along with 
the details for viewing the meeting. A limit may be set on the time 
allowed for the presentation of individual remarks. However, written 
comments of any length may be submitted to the Board staff by mail or 
electronic mail. All comments received in writing will be included in 
the meeting record, which will be posted on the Board's website after 
the meeting. An archived recording of the meeting will be available on 
the Board's website following the meeting. The transcript of the 
meeting will be available on the Board's website by February 3, 2021.
    The Board was established in the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments 
Act of 1987 as an independent federal agency in the Executive Branch to 
evaluate the technical and scientific validity of DOE activities 
related to the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-
level radioactive waste, and to provide objective expert advice to 
Congress and the Secretary of Energy on these issues. Board members are 
experts in their fields and are appointed to the Board 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. All Board 
reports, correspondence, congressional testimony, and meeting 
transcripts and related materials are posted on the Board's website.
    For information on the meeting agenda, contact Bret Leslie at 
[email protected] or by phone 703-235-9132; or Jo Jo Lee at 
[email protected] or by phone 703-235-4485. For information on logistics, 
or to request copies of the meeting agenda or transcript, contact 
Davonya Barnes at [email protected] or by phone 703-235-9141. All three 
may be reached by mail at 2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 1300, 
Arlington, VA 22201-3367; or by fax at 703-235-4495.

    Dated: November 17, 2020.
Nigel Mote,
Executive Director, U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
[FR Doc. 2020-25724 Filed 11-20-20; 8:45 am]
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