Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves funds supporting activities to resume Yucca Mountain license review
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) prepared to resume the licensing review process for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage site on Aug. 8 by approving funding to support information gathering and coordination of public hearings.
In a move backed by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the NRC authorized up to $110,000 from the Nuclear Waste Fund to convene a virtual hearing of the Licensing Support Network Advisory Panel and to explore venues for public hearings in Nevada, where Yucca Mountain is located.
“These activities will enable efficient, informed decisions in support of executing any further appropriations of funds for the High-Level Waste Program,” the NRC said in a statement.
The virtual hearing will enable NRC staff to brief members of the advisory panel on recent developments. Staff will also solicit feedback on whether to reconstitute or replace the Licensing Support Network (LSN), an online database of nearly 4 million documents supporting adjudicatory hearings on the Yucca Mountain application.
“The nuclear industry is pleased to see concrete progress toward reviving the Yucca Mountain licensing process,” Baker Elmore, the director of federal programs and NEI, said. “President Trump and (Energy Secretary Rick Perry) have made it clear that solving our country’s nuclear waste situation is a priority, and this is another step in the right direction.”
Additionally, funds authorized by NRC will be used to explore the possibility of using virtual courtroom technology and existing agency facilities in Rockville, Maryland, if proceedings resume.
“In the coming months, the industry looks forward to continuing to work across the aisle with both houses of Congress to resolve this long overdue issue,” Elmore said.
The Department of Energy ended license review activities for the Yucca Mountain storage site in 2010, and NTC suspended licensing proceedings and decommissioned the LSN in 2013. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that proceedings must resume in 2013, and NRC staff has since conducted a technical review, a safety evaluation report and a final supplemental environmental impact statement.
