May 17, 2006 yucca mountains facilities in the nevada desert are intended to house waste at 1,000 feet deep. The site is located on federal land adjacent to the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, about 80 mi km northwest of the las vegas valley. Surfacetounderground access study for prospective yucca. Department of energys responsibility for developing a geologic repository for used nuclear fuel. No request for yucca mountain in next white house budget. United states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit. The eis evaluates 1 projected impacts on the yucca mountain environment of.
Yucca mountain as a radioactive waste repository usgs. Some facts about yucca mountain geological repository are discussed. Spent nuclear fuel and highlevel radioactive waste have been accu mulating in the united states since the 1940s and 1950s, when nuclear materials were first. Doe intended repository for radioactive waste from the nations commercial nuclear power reactors.
However, the repository is designed to a certain capacity of nuclear waste. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository washington state. It is the site of the yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, which is currently identified by. It cant just stand in the middle of the streets with us because it wouldnt be healthy for our population and as such, yucca mountain as been proposed as a potential site to bury the nuclear waste. The site itself is incapable of isolating spent fuel and highlevel radioactive wastes. Solving a national problem now on june 3, 2008, the u. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, located on a piece of land adjoining the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, was designed to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and other high level radioactive waste, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of 1987. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of 1987, is a proposed deep geological repository. This report, called a viability assessment, is intended to support decisions on continuing the repository project and authorizing a waste storage facility near yucca mountain that may be made before the department has determined if the site is suitable for a repository. Modern day technology has placed energy in high demand. For a decade the us nuclear energy foundation has been an advocate of nuclear energy technology and completion of the yucca mountain study for americas nuclear waste. Since yucca mountain is on the nevada test site, and since the area is geologically stable, the location is suitable.
The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository was to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear reactor fuel and other high level radioactive waste, until the project was defunded by senator reid in 2010. Reid can continue to oppose yucca under the current plan and simultaneously offer a better solution that would put nevadas interests first. The yucca mountain nuclear waste dump, a political hot. The current status of nuclear waste issues new template. Apr 01, 2020 the nuclear waste policy act of 1982 nwpa codified the u. Yucca mountain is an ideal site for nuclear disposal the. Final environmental impact statement department of. Nm also could end up being considered for a repository, at. This eis concluded that a mined geologic repository was the most preferred5 concept.
Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, nevada bechtel. Yucca mountain the most studied real estate on the planet. The nuclear waste policy act of 1982, as amended, directs the department of energy doe to dispose of this waste in a repository at yucca mountain, nevada. For the purpose of this report, repository access is defined as the connection between the surface waste receiving facilities and the underground waste emplacement areas, and the connection between the surface mine facilities and the underground mine construction areas. Analyses of releases due to drilling at the potential. Petition for disqualification of yucca mountain from consideration as a nuclear waste repository in accordance with the nuclear waste policy act of 1982, as amended, and 10 c. Yucca mountain is not being looked at as a geologic repository at all. The repository is located in a desert on federal land adjacent to the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, within yucca mountain, a ridge line in the southcentral part of the u.
The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository jose garcia march 21, 2012 submitted as coursework for ph241, stanford university, winter 2012 nuclear waste. Geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and highlevel radioactive waste at yucca mountain, nye county, nevada. Viability assessment of a repository at yucca mountain. Yucca mountain project the united states currently. Nuclear regulatory commission nrc for a license to construct a repository at yucca mountain. Yucca mountain is a mountain in nevada, near its border with california, approximately 100 miles 160 km northwest of las vegas. Dec 16, 2010 yucca mountain and nuclear waste policy. Potential high level nuclear waste storage site for the next 10,000 years and beyond. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository infogalactic. United states, showing approximate locations of surface storage sites for spent nuclear fuel snf from commercial reactors and for other highlevel waste hlw. The viability assessment of a repository at yucca mountain describes the nuclear waste problem and explains why the united states and other nations are considering deep geologic disposal as the solution. Inside finlands onkalo nuclear waste repository duration.
April 2017 gao17340 united states government accountability office. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, located on a piece of land adjoining the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, was designed to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and other high level radioactive waste, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of. The probability that a drilling event intersects a waste package is a function of the sizes of the drill bit and the waste package, and the density of placement of the containers in the repository. Yucca mountain project the united states currently obtains. Fukushima aftermathyucca mountain wikibooks, open books. Federal register office of civilian and radioactive. Radionuclide releases due to drilling into the potential yucca mountain nuclearwaste repository have been evaluated as part of a recent totalsystem performance assessment. Site characterization progressed through 1 nonintrusive evaluation and. Abstract the nation has over 40,000 metric tonnes mt of nuclear waste destined for disposal in a geologic repository at yucca mountain.
Department of energy doe to dispose of this waste in a repository at yucca. Yucca mountain as a nuclear waste repository neither myth nor millennium by isaac j. Assuming the doe eventually licenses the yucca mountain repository in nevada, this waste will eventually be stored deep underground. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository 2002 youtube. Department of energys doe site characterization activities at yucca mountain, report on potential impacts from the transportation of nuclear waste to yucca mountain, and monitor impacts of actual operation of a proposed repository at yucca mountain. The united states has over 50,000 metric tons of nuclear waste located across the country rogers and kingsley, 2007. Between the two, they are meant to entomb tens of thousands of metric tons of nuclear waste, most of which will remain dangerous for centuries. Yucca mountain project history and timeline on february 14th, 2002, energy secretary spencer abraham officially recommended to the president that a nuclear waste repository be developed at yucca mountain. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of 1987, is a proposed deep geological repository storage facility within yucca mountain for spent nuclear fuel and other highlevel radioactive waste in the united states. The book does not pass judgment on the suitability of the site but provides reliable sciencebased information to support open debate and inquiry into its safety. In 2002, the president and congress approved yucca mountain in nevada as the site for this repository.
Winograd many thanks, bill wilson, for your kind introduction. However, the nuclear regulatory commission nrc or the courtsas. The proposed action addressed in this final eis is to construct, operate and monitor, and eventually close a geologic repository at yucca mountain in southern nevada for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and highlevel radioactive waste currently in storage or. The overview describes why the unites states is considering yucca mountain and how a monitored geologic repository would work in the mountain. Department of energy doe submitted an application to the u. The decision to site yucca mountain as a waste repository was based on politics, not science. Yucca mountain s characterization as a nuclear waste repository had received questions from the nuclear regulatory commission in comments on the 1988 u. The disposal of highlevel waste hlw and spent nuclear fuel are governed under the nuclear waste policy act of 1982, as amended nwpa. Yucca mountain as a nuclearwaste repository neither myth nor millennium by isaac j. On february 14, 2002, the secretary of energy recommended to the president that the yucca mountain site in the state of nevada be approved for development as a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and highlevel radioactive waste. Trump budget revives plan to store nuclear waste inside. Doe today publishes the text of the letter from the.
If you want to understand the full range of technical issues related to yucca mountain and nuclear wastefrom rainwater flow through the mountain to corrosion of nuclear waste containers and the consequent movement of radioactive material to nevadas amargosa valley this is the place to start. It is common sense, and sound science, to site and build a nuclear waste repository to isolate radioactive waste as completely as possible from the human environment for the hazardous lifetime of the waste. Resuming licensing of the yucca mountain repository would require rebuilding capacity at doe and nrc, among other key steps. Yucca mountain project, 2001 after years of studying several sites congress chose to speed up the process by deciding on yucca mountain as the lone destination to be studied and eventually turned into a nuclear waste repository figure 1. The nrcs september 2008 docketing of the does application to construct the repository at yucca mountain began a threeyear, two. Introduction the federal government plans to excavate more than 100 miles of tunnels deep under the. Do supreme court vacillations on the tenth amendment provide nevada with a constitutional argument against the high level nuclear waste repository. Yucca mountain is debated and passed first in the house of representatives and then more narrowly in the senate.
Under the nwpa, if the president recommends to the congress the yucca mountain site and the site designation is permitted to take effect the secretary shall. Litigation over does application for water rights for construction and operation of a repository at yucca mountain is still ongoing. Yucca mountain repository nye, nevada atlas obscura. I, in turn, would like to extend welldeserved kudos to you and the committee for advancement of science at yucca mountain casy for encouraging an interdisciplinary dialogue among u. Yucca mountains characterization as a nuclear waste repository had received questions from the nuclear regulatory commission in comments on the 1988 u. In june 2008, doe submitted a license application for the repository, but in march 2010 moved to withdraw it. May 10, 2018 a look at the attempt to establish yucca mountain in nevada as a site for a nuclear waste repository.
The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of 1987, was to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and other high level radioactive waste. From this point forward, the problem of highlevel radioactive waste. This place is not a place of honor damn interesting. History and status the united states, as well as many other nuclear nations, has generally followed a path for nuclear waste that relies upon geologic disposal to isolate the waste from humans and the environment. It was to be located on federal land adjacent to the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, about 80 mi km northwest of the las vegas valley. Geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and highlevel. Also info on transportation of highlevel radioactive waste.
Performance assessment for the proposed highlevel radioactive waste repository at yucca mountain, nevada. The current status of nuclear waste issues, policy, and legislative developments. Yucca mountains facilities in the nevada desert are intended to house waste at 1,000 feet deep. Yucca mountain is located approximately 90 miles northwest of las vegas. A number of other lawsuits relating to the yucca mountain repository and to nuclear waste storage and disposal are also ongoing.
Jul 23, 2015 nuclear waste is a product of the nuclear power plants and even though we would love not to have it, we still have to deal with it. Doe begins work on its application for a license to build and run the repository. Nuclear yucca mountain nuclear waste repository nuclear power. The proposed yucca mountain site is in the southern great basin approximately 100 miles. Mar 16, 2017 a no trespassing sign outside the proposed nuclear waste dump site of yucca mountain in nevada. Includes recent news articles, maps, photos, links, faq, timeline, publications, and legislative information related to the proposed nuclear waste repository at yucca mountain, nevada. Located in the great basin, yucca mountain is east of the amargosa desert, south of the nevada test and training range and in the nevada national security site. Jun 25, 2017 yucca mountain is an ideal site for nuclear disposal. Although does motion to withdraw the yucca mountain license application was denied by the. Dry cask onsite storage at nuclear reactor locations for the near term 100 years onsite storage is the best, most. A look at the attempt to establish yucca mountain in nevada as a site for a nuclear waste repository. Article are arid regions always that appropriate for waste. Apr 09, 2002 members spoke to reporters about their opposition to storing nuclear waste material at a location under yucca mountain in nevada and about potential challenges to the presidents announced policy. Washington hosts and oversees the cleanup of nearly twothirds of the nations defenserelated, highlevel radioactive waste at hanford.
Highlevel radioactive waste spent nuclear fuel radioactive waste repository performance assessment yucca mountain abstract this paper summarizes the investigations conducted to characterize the geologic barrier of the yucca mountain disposal system. The issues include understanding what nuclear waste is, and the area of yucca mountain itself. The act dictates that hlw and spent fuel will be disposed of underground, in a deep geologic repository, at yucca mountain, nevada. Researchers have recently proposed a new twist on an old idea. Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository wikimili, the. Without the repository, waste would not be transported to yucca mountain. Currently, the doe controls and manages spent nuclear fuel policy and the yucca mountain repository. Scientists dont wonder whether nuclear waste will leach out of its containers at the proposed yucca mountain repository in nevada, but when. Petition for disqualification of yucca mountain from. Effects of a termination of the yucca mountain repository. President bush signs the joint resolution into law, officially designating yucca mountain as the nations nuclear waste repository site. It is estimated that for hundreds to thousands of years after the repository is closed, heat from the encapsulated waste would. The trump administration does not plan to request any funding in fiscal 2021 for licensing the planned nuclear waste repository under yucca mountain, nev.
Between 1944 and 1989, the us produced plutonium for use in nuclear weapons at the does hanford nuclear reservation in the tricities. Over time, the federal government has effectively foreclosed every potential solution other than building the repository at yucca mountain. Department of energy deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear reactor fuel and other radioactive waste. A bechtelled team studied yucca mountain as the site for the united states first national nuclear waste repositorywhere spentfuel rods from nuclear power plants and solidified highlevel radioactive waste from nuclear defense activities could be stored permanently. That document, entitled viability assessment of a repository at yucca mountain, brings together thousands of technical investigations conducted by federal, state, university.
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