Lesson 3 Plan

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act

Purpose:

This lesson will introduce students to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act and our nation’s plans for managing highly radioactive nuclear waste. Students will gain insight into the legislation that addresses the complex task of safely siting a repository, and transporting and disposing of this waste.

Concepts:

1. The federal government has determined that the management of nuclear waste is the responsibility of the present generation and should not be left for future generations.
   
   
2. For decades, scientists have explored many options for permanently disposing of nuclear waste. Today the majority of informed technical experts hold that disposal in deep geologic formations is the preferred option.
   
   
3. The purpose of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, and its amendments, is to provide for the safe handling, storage, and disposal of our nation’s highly radioactive nuclear waste.
   
   
4. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act assigns this responsibility to a federal agency, the Department of Energy, but also provides for independent oversight and review.

Duration of Lesson:

One to two 50-minute class periods

Objectives:

As a result of participation in this lesson, the student will be able to

1. Name key provisions of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act
   
   
2. Identify the key federal agencies involved in the waste management program
   
   
3. Discuss whether this generation or future generations should provide for disposal of nuclear waste currently in storage
   
   
4. Discuss provisions in the Act to reduce health and safety risks and to address perceived risks
   
   
5. Identify ways in which the Act provides for public input
   
   
6. Identify ways in which the Act provides for independent oversight of the repository program
   
   
7. Identify the key steps in the repository decision process

Skills:

Analyzing, critical thinking, discussing, taking notes, reading, summarizing

Vocabulary:

Affected parties, certification, environmental impact statement, Environmental Protection Agency, notice of disapproval, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Waste Fund, Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, site characterization, Yucca Mountain

Materials:

Reading Lesson: “The Nuclear Waste Policy Act”

Activity Sheet: “Dealing With a National Problem”

Newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and web pages expressing various points of view regarding the Yucca Mountain Project and nuclear waste issues.

Current articles in the press can be found at: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/info_library/newsroom/ocrwmnews.shtml

Web pages expressing different points of view can be found at: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/links/index.shtml

Suggested Procedure:

1. Review the reading lesson entitled “The Nuclear Waste Policy Act,” given as a homework assignment in Lesson 2.

   Note: If students have access to the Internet, you may supplement the reading lesson by having students browse through the pages in the “About the Project” section on the Yucca Mountain Project web site at:
   http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ym_repository/about_project/index.shtml.

2. Review the instructions for the activity sheet titled “Dealing With a National Problem” and give students about 15 minutes to answer the questions in Parts I and II.

3. Engage students in a discussion about the reading lesson and their answers on the activity sheet (see discussion points below).

4. Assign to each student a different article expressing a point of view regarding the Yucca Mountain Project. Have students share the point of view expressed in their article with the class and discuss whether they agree or disagree with the author. As an alternative, the students could do one of the following:
   1. Role-play the authors of the newspaper articles they have read.
      
      
   2. Conduct a mock public hearing with students representing the point of view expressed in the article they have read. You may wish to ask students with very strong opinions on the matter to also research and present the point of view opposed to their own and indicate why their views are more credible to them.
      
      
   3. Communicate the point of view expressed in a student’s article by creating an editorial cartoon.
      
      
   4. Discuss the role of the news media in addressing controversial issues in a democratic society.
      
      
5. As a culminating exercise for this unit, you may wish to have students write an essay on their personal views of our nation’s nuclear waste management policies, including whether their views have changed as a result of studying this unit.

For class discussion:

a) Where is nuclear waste stored now? How is it stored?

(Spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste are stored in temporary facilities at over 120 sites in 39 states. These storage sites are located in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. Most are located near large bodies of water.

Every nuclear reactor site in the United States stores spent nuclear fuel in pools of water. In addition, some sites supplement their fuel storage capacity with aboveground dry storage facilities that are made of lead, steel, and concrete. All high-level nuclear waste is currently stored at government-owned or licensed facilities.)

b) Why is permanent disposal considered necessary?

(Our national interests require a more permanent solution to the radioactive waste problem. A small fraction of this waste will remain dangerously radioactive for tens-of-thousands of years. Some of the structures for temporarily storing the waste are located above ground in densely populated areas and some structures are close to rivers, lakes, and seacoasts. The surface structures must be continually maintained and safeguarded to keep the waste safely isolated.)

c) What disposal option has been chosen? What others were considered?

(Scientists worldwide have studied a variety of options for permanently disposing of radioactive waste. Some of these options included shooting the waste into outer space, storing it in polar ice caps, placing it on remote islands, and burying it in the ocean floor.

The United States has chosen to permanently dispose of highly radioactive wastes in a deep underground geologic repository. Most countries agree that geologic repositories are the best solution.)

d) Is nuclear waste transported safely? Give evidence to support your answer.

(The shipment of nuclear materials in the United States is highly regulated and subject to the utmost scrutiny. Over the past 30 years, more than 2,700 shipments of highly radioactive material have been safely carried out in the United States. Extensive federal and state laws designed to protect public safety and the environment control every aspect of the transportation process — packaging, loading, transporting, and unloading.

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act requires that the U.S. Department of Energy use shipping casks that are certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for shipments to a repository. These casks are extremely rugged metal containers that are designed to shield radiation and withstand severe transportation accidents, fires, and explosions without releasing any radioactive contents.

To ensure safety, every step of the transportation process will be regulated by the Department of Transportation and by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Workers at each stage of the process, including drivers and emergency responders, are required by law to be properly trained to handle any emergency resulting from tranport of nuclear waste. And, by law, the Department of Energy must provide money to train emergency responders.

All rail and truck shipments will be equipped with a satellite tracking system. At a command center staffed 24 hours a day, experts will know the status and location of every shipment the entire time it is in transit. For added security, armed escorts will accompany each shipment.

Because of the scope of the transportation program needed for the Yucca Mountain Project, and the fact that it is unprecedented, accidents may happen. However, radiation releases resulting from accidents are not likely.)

e) Who pays for the waste disposal program?

(Customers who use nuclear power pay for the disposal of spent fuel. The federal government collects a fee of one mil —onetenth of a cent— per kilowatt-hour of nuclear-generated electricity from utilities. This money goes into the Nuclear Waste Fund. In addition, Congress makes an annual appropriation from the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury to pay for disposal of defenserelated high-level radioactive waste.

The Department of Energy, the State of Nevada, and local governments that could be affected by the proposed repository receive money from the Nuclear Waste Fund through congressional appropriations. The Government Accountability Office, an arm of the U.S. Congress, is required by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to conduct annual audits of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. Additionally, financial audits are conducted annually by a public accounting firm.)

f) The Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, state and local governments, Native American tribes, and the general public have all been involved in the repository process. Why do you think so many different bodies, agencies, and individuals have been involved in this?

(Answers may vary.)

g) According to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, what decisions have been made regarding the repository program? What steps remain before waste can be put in the repository?

(Decisions:

1. The Department of Energy performed site characterization studies at Yucca Mountain for over two decades. Based on these studies, in February 2002, the secretary of energy recommended Yucca Mountain to the president.
   
   
2. In April 2002, the Nevada governor disapproved the site.
   
   
3. In July 2002, the U.S. Senate cast the final legislative vote overriding Nevada’s disapproval and approving the development of a repository at Yucca Mountain.
   
   
4. Later in July 2002, President George W. Bush signed House Joint Resolution 87, approving Yucca Mountain as the future site for a repository.

Remaining steps:

1. The Department of Energy will submit a license application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for approval to build a repository.
   
   
2. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will review the department’s application and will conduct extensive technical assessments and legal hearings during which it will consider the scientific and design information on the repository. This process may take up to four years.
   
   
3. If the commission grants a construction authorization, it would take approximately four years to build the repository.
   
   
4. When the repository is near completion, the Department of Energy will amend its application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to receive and possess spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.
   
   
5. If the Nuclear Regulatory Commission determines that the repository complies with applicable federal regulations, it will grant the license. The department cannot begin placing waste in a repository until after it receives this license from the commission.)

Teacher Evaluation of Student Performance:

Student completion of reading review and participation in activity will indicate level of comprehension.

Extra Credit:

1. Have students research the Code of Federal Regulations, Volume 10, CFR Part 960. (Search online through the federal government’s Web portal: www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html) This might include preparation of a short paper discussing what the Code of Federal Regulations is and an application of this to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.
   
   
2. In the League of Women Voters publication The Nuclear Waste Primer the chapter entitled “Roles for Citizens” includes readings on the role of the public in the high-level waste management program and what citizens can do to stay informed on the issues and influence the development of the program. You may wish to have students read this and prepare a role-playing activity to simulate interaction of the public and the various government agencies involved in the execution of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. (The Nuclear Waste Primer may be ordered free of charge from the Yucca Mountain Information Center at 1-800-225-6972.)