United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1994-08-04 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:RCED-94-172 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-172 P0b002ee180388a3c f:rc94172 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-172 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-172 RCED-94-172 Nuclear waste disposal Nuclear waste storage Nuclear waste management Foreign governments Comparative analysis Radioactive wastes Site selection Energy research Nuclear facility safety Sweden DOE Yucca Mountain Project (NV) Hanford (WA) Deaf Smith County (TX) France Germany Switzerland Canada Japan United Kingdom Letter Report RCED Some features of other countries' approaches to nuclear waste disposal may offer insight for the United States, but a variety of economic, political, geographic, and other factors must be considered in deciding whether these features warrant further exploration and possible adaptation to the U.S. program. Governments around the world support the use of geologic repositories as the best method for disposing of highly radioactive waste, but no country has yet build an operational facility. All the countries GAO visited had experienced problems with their waste management programs, and most do not plan to have a repository until 2020 or later. Differences exist between the U.S. and foreign approaches to repository development. For example, all the countries GAO visited have addressed the issue of temporary waste storage, thereby relieving pressure to quickly build a repository. Also, other countries often involve nuclear facilities in their repository development programs and allow waste managers much flexibility in developing their technical and engineering repository concepts. Finally, several countries are exploring the use of long-lived engineered barriers--fabricated components, such as waste containers--for containing radiation in the repositories they are designing. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-172/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-172.htm GAO/RCED-94-172 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-172 Letter Report GAO/RCED-94-172; Nuclear Waste: Foreign Countries' Approaches to High-Level Waste Storage and Disposal; Nuclear waste disposal Nuclear waste storage Nuclear waste management Foreign governments Comparative analysis Radioactive wastes Site selection Energy research Nuclear facility safety Sweden DOE Yucca Mountain Project (NV) Hanford (WA) Deaf Smith County (TX) France Germany Switzerland Canada Japan United Kingdom