INDEPENDENT, OBJECTIVE, AND TRANSPARENT REGULATORY DECISION MAKING

The proposed disposal of high-level nuclear waste by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is scientifically challenging and controversial. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was tasked by Congress to make a licensing decision based on whether DOE has demonstrated compliance with regulations for the proposed waste disposal site at Yucca Mountain.

NRC, as an independent regulatory agency, is ensuring that its decision is scientifically sound and unbiased by (i) working within the framework of rules and guidance that were subject to public comment and (ii) using qualified technical experts that are free from conflict of interest. The Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA^®) was established in 1987 as a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the NRC to provide technical assistance related to evaluating a geologic repository for high-level nuclear waste. The technical experts in relevant earth science and engineering fields at CNWRA undergo stringent conflict of interest screenings, ensuring that their evaluations are unbiased and contribute effectively to a robust licensing decision. The NRC staff, together with CNWRA staff, review the DOE’s license application and opposing information provided through the hearing process to ensure that NRC’s safety decision is scientifically defensible.

NRC’s regulatory decision will be made such that the underlying scientific reasoning is transparent to the public. NRC and CNWRA use a public outreach program to engage and inform the public on the technical and regulatory issues. The outreach effort combines various types of meetings, written materials, and electronic media to promote understanding of the scientific reasoning and regulatory basis for the decision.

This abstract is an independent product of the CNWRA and does not necessarily reflect the view or regulatory position of the NRC. The NRC staff views expressed herein are preliminary and do not constitute a final judgment or determination of the matters addressed or of the acceptability of a license application for a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.