In 1982, the
U.S. Congress enacted a law called
the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. The
Act established a comprehensive national
program for the safe, permanent disposal
of highly radioactive wastes.
This law is based on the principle
that our society is responsible for
safely disposing of the nuclear wastes
we create.
The Act directed the U.S.
Department of Energy to study
suitable sites for a geologic repository.
The geologic repository envisioned
by the Act is an engineered disposal
facility located deep underground.
After more than two decades of
scientific study, in 2002, Congress
and the President approved the
development of a geologic repository
at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.
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