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NWTRB
ReportsUpdated September 24, 2008 |
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Note: The list
provided below is in reverse chronological order listing the most recent
reports first. These files are provided in PDF format for
reading by Adobe Acrobat reader, which can be downloaded free from Adobe File
sizes are provided.. |
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Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy September 2008.
Between March 1, 2006, and December 31, 2007, the period covered by this report, the Board focused its evaluation on five critical technical issues dealing with preclosure opera-tions of the waste management system and on six critical technical issues dealing with post-closure performance of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. The Board also explored in depth the crosscutting issue of thermal management. The Board’s views on these issues are summarized below and are explained in greater detail in the body of this report.
Available
as:
2007 Report (5,529 KB)
Appendices A thru D (1,030 KB)
Appendix E (51,720 KB)
Appendices F thru H (2,973 KB)
Entire Report (19,281 KB)
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Thermal-Response Evaluation of Yucca Mountain During the Preclosure and Postclosure Phases July 2008.
This study and report were prepared by Gene W. Rowe and Bruce Kirstein of the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board staff in support of the Board's analysis of issues associated with thermal management, an effort lead by Professor Andrew C. Kadak.
Available
as: Thermal White Paper
(823KB)
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Technical Evaluation of U.S. Department of Energy Yucca Mountain Infiltration Estimates: A Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy December 2007.
In this report, the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board presents its evaluation of revised DOE estimates of water infiltration at Yucca Mountain. The infiltration estimates were revised because violations of quality assurance procedures were alleged to have been committed by U.S. Geological Survey employees involved in gathering and analyzing infiltration data at Yucca Mountain in the 1990's.
Available
as: Infiltration Report
(4129KB)
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Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy. January 2007.
This report, which is the Board's second report of 2006, contains summaries of Board findings and recommendations contained in the following: letters to the Director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) following Board meetings held in February, May, and September 2006, a letter and enclosures sent to the Director of OCRWM following a Board workshop on deliquescence-induced localized corrosion in September 2006, and testimony presented in May 2006 by the Board's Chairman before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Available
as: Board's second report for 2006
(42KB)
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Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy. June 2006.
In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities from January 1, 2005, through February 28, 2006. During that period, the Board focused its attention on the Project's efforts to develop post-closure performance estimates for the repository it proposes to construct at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Correspondence and related materials are included in the appendices to the report along with the Board's strategic plan for fiscal years 2004-2009, its performance plans for fiscal years 2005-2006, and its performance evaluation for 2005.
Available
as: 2005 Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy
(63KB)
Appendices A thru D (291 KB)
Appendix E (1,961KB)
Appendix F (879KB)
Appendix G thru H (354KB)
Addendum A thru B (223KB)
Appendix I (224KB)
Entire Report (4,240 KB) |
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Letter report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy. December 2005.
In this letter report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy, the Board presents its views on the status of some important issues related to the technical basis for DOE activities related to the waste management system, the engineered system, the natural system, the repository system, and the assessment of the performance of the systems. The Board also outlines issues that it expects may continue to be of interest in the future.
Available
as: 2005 Letter report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy
(63KB)
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Report to
Congress and the Secretary of Energy. May 2005.
In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2004. During that period, the Board focused on the Department of Energy's efforts to develop a system for accepting, transporting, and handling high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel before disposal in the repository proposed for Yucca Mountain. Correspondence and related materials are included in the appendices to the report along with the Board's strategic plan for fiscal years 2004-2009, its performance plans for 2005, and its performance evaluation for 2004.
Available
as: Transmittal Letter, Table of Contents & Report
(386KB)
Appendices A thru D (196 KB)
Appendix E (6,312KB)
Appendix F (316KB)
Entire Report (7,033 KB) |
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Letter report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy. December 2004.
This letter and enclosure comprise the Board's second report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy for calendar year 2004. The letter briefly summarizes areas where the Board believes the DOE has made progress, areas requiring attention, and the Board's priorities for the coming year. The enclosure contains a more detailed discussion of these topics.
Available
as: Letter report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy
(54KB)
Errata: For both the letter (page 2) and the enclosure (page 5) "incompressible flow" should read "compressible flow".
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Report to
Congress and the Secretary of Energy. May 2004.
In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2003. During that period, the Board continued its evaluation and held meetings on a range of technical and scientific issues, including seismicity, DOE plans for transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, the design and operation of facilities at the proposed repository site, performance-confirmation activities, and the potential for localized corrosion. Correspondence and related materials are included in the appendices to the report along with the Board's strategic plan for fiscal years 2004-2009, its performance plans for 2004 and 2005, and its performance evaluation for 2003.
Available
as: Transmittal Letter, Table of Contents & Report
(783KB)
Appendices A thru D (150 KB)
Appendix E (5,304KB)
Appendix F (1,149KB)
Appendices G thru J (233KB)
Entire Report (7,044 KB) |
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Report to
Congress and the Secretary of Energy. December 19,
2003.
This
letter and attachments constitutes the Board's second report to Congress
and the Secretary of Energy for calendar year 2003. This letter report
is composed of letters on localized corrosion sent to the director of
the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) on October
21, 2003, and November 25, 2003.
Available
as: Cover
letter, Oct. 21 letter, Nov. 25 letter
(433KB)
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Board
Technical Report on Localized Corrosion. November 25,
2003.
Technical report supporting Board conclusions in October 21, 2003
letter to the DOE related to the potential for localized corrosion of
waste packages during the thermal pulse.
Available
as: Cover
letter, Report, Additional Comments
(239KB)
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Report to
the Secretary of Energy and the Congress. April 2003.
This
report summarizes the Board's major activities between January 1, 2002,
and December 31, 2002. During this period, the Board focused on
evaluating the technical basis of the DOE's work related to analyzing a
planned repository site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Included in an
appendix to the report are letters to the DOE related to technical
issues identified by the Board as part of its ongoing review in 2002.
Also included in the appendices are the Board's strategic plan for
fiscal years 2003-2008, its performance plans for FY 2003 and FY 2004,
and its performance evaluation for FY 2002.
Available
as: Transmittal Letter,
Table of Contents, Report (244KB) Appendices A thru
D (177KB) Appendix E and F
(3.56MB) Appendices G thru
J (254KB) |
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Report to the Secretary of Energy and the
Congress. April 2002.
This
report summarizes the Board's major activities between February 1, 2001,
and January 31, 2002. During this period, the Board focused on
evaluating the technical basis of the DOE's work related to a site
recommendation, including the DOE's characterization of the Yucca
Mountain site, the DOE's design of the repository and waste package, and
the DOE's estimates of how a repository system developed at the site
might perform. The report includes a description of activities
undertaken by the Board in developing its assessment of the technical
basis for the DOE's current performance estimates.
Available
as: Transmittal Letter,
Table of Contents, Report (388K) Appendices A thru
D (200K) Appendix E
(1.8M) Appendix
F (764K) Appendices G thru
J (372K) |
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Letter report to Congress and the Secretary of
Energy. January 24, 2002.
Letter report summarizing the Board's evaluation of the DOE's
technical and scientific investigation of the Yucca Mountain site.
Available
as: Letter
report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy
(135K)
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Proceedings from an International Workshop on Long-Term
Extrapolation of Passive Behavior, July 19-20, 2001, Arlington,
Virginia. December 2001.
The
Board conducted a workshop on issues related to predicting corrosion
behavior for periods of unprecedented duration. The workshop was held on
July 19 and 20, 2001, in Arlington, Virginia. The workshop consisted of
a panel of 3 Board members and 14 internationally recognized corrosion
scientists, 8 of whom were from outside the United States. Following the
workshop, most panelists submitted brief papers giving their views on
issues related to predicting very long term corrosion. This publication
is a compilation of those submissions.
Available
as: Workshop
Proceedings (2.4M)
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Report to the Secretary of Energy and the
Congress. April 2001.
In
this report, the Board summarizes its major activities in calendar year
2000. During 2000, the Board identified four priority areas for
evaluating the potential repository at Yucca Mountain. The areas are the
following:
- meaningful quantification of conservatisms and uncertainties in
the DOE's performance assessments
- progress in understanding the underlying fundamental processes
involved in predicting the rate of waste package corrosion
- an evaluation and a comparison of the base-case repository design
with a low-temperature design
- development of multiple lines of evidence to support the safety
case of the proposed repository, the lines of evidence being derived
independently of performance assessment and thus not being subject to
the limitations of performance assessment.
The report summarizes the Board's views on each priority area. A more
detailed discussion of the priorities can be found in letters to the DOE
included among the appendices to the report.
Available
as: Transmittal Letter,
Table of Contents, Report (201K) Appendices A thru
D (58K) Appendices E thru
F (6M) Appendices G thru
J (92K) |
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Report
by letter to the Secretary of Energy and the Congress. December
2000.
This
report, in the form of a letter, presents a brief update of the Board's
views on the status of the DOE program.
Available
as: 2000
Letter Report - PDF Format |
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Report
to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy. April
2000.
In
this report, the Board summarizes its major activities in calendar year
1999. Among the activities discussed in the report is the Board’s 1999
review of the DOE’s viability assessment (VA) of the Yucca Mountain
site. The Board’s evaluation of the VA concludes that Yucca Mountain
continues to warrant study as the candidate site for a permanent
geologic repository and that work should proceed to support a decision
on whether to recommend the site for repository development. The Board
suggests that the 2001 date for a decision is very ambitious, and
focused study should continue on natural and engineered barriers. The
Board states that a credible technical basis does not currently exist
for the above-boiling repository design included in the VA. The Board
recommends evaluation of alternative repository designs, including
lower-temperature designs, as a potential way to help reduce the
significance of uncertainties related to predictions of repository
performance.
Available
as: Transmittal Letter,
Table of Contents, Introduction, and Executive Summary (640K) Report (1.5M) Appendices
(138K) Appendix
H - NWTRB/OCRWM correspondence
(6.8M) |
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Report
to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy. April
1999.
In
this report, the Board summarizes its major activities during calendar
year 1998. The report discusses the research needs identified in the
DOE’s recently issued Viability Assessment of the Yucca Mountain site,
including plans to gather information on the amount of water that will
eventually seep into repository drifts, whether formations under the
repository will retard the migration of radionuclides, the
flow-and-transport properties of the groundwater that lies approximately
200 meters beneath the repository horizon, and long-term corrosion rates
of materials that may be used for the waste packages. The report
describes other activities undertaken by the Board in 1998, including a
review of the hypothesis that there were hydrothermal upwellings at
Yucca Mountain, a workshop held to increase understanding of the range
of expert opinion on waste package materials, and a review of the DOE’s
draft environmental impact statement for the Yucca Mountain
site.
Available
as: Transmittal Letter,
Table of Contents, Introduction, and Executive Summary (127K) Chapter 1 - Board
Oversight of DOE's Activities at Yucca Mountain (1.5M) Chapter 2 - Other Board
Activities (89K) Appendices
(107K) Appendix F
- NWTRB/OCRWM correspondence (2.4M) |
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Report to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy: Moving Beyond
the Viability Assessment. April 1999.
In
its report, the Board offers its views on the DOE’s December 1998
Viability-Assessment of the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada. The Yucca
Mountain site is being characterized to determine its suitability as the
location of a permanent repository for disposing of spent nuclear fuel
and high-level radioactive waste. The Board discusses the need to
address key uncertainties that remain about the site, including the
performance of the engineered and natural barriers. The Board addresses
the DOE’s plans for reducing those uncertainties and suggests that
consideration be given to alternative repository designs, including
ventilated low-temperature designs that have the potential to reduce
uncertainties and simplify the analytical bases for determining site
suitably and for licensing. The Board also comments on the DOE’s total
system performance assessment, the analytical tool that pulls together
information on the performance of the repository system.
Available
as: Moving Beyond
the Viability Assessment (36K) |
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Report
to the U.S. Congress and The Secretary of Energy. November
1998.
In
its report, the Board offers its views on the direction of future
scientific and technical research under way and planned by the DOE as
part of its program for characterizing a site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada,
as a potential repository for spent fuel and high-level radioactive
waste. The Board discusses some of the remaining key scientific and
technical uncertainties related to performance of a potential
repository. The Board’s report addresses some of these uncertainties by
examining information about the proposed repository system presented to
it in meetings and other technical exchanges. The Board considers and
comments on some of the important connections between the site’s natural
properties and the current designs for the waste package and other
engineered features of the repository.
Available
as: Transmittal Letter,
Table of Contents, Executive Summary (104K) Chapter 1 Overview
(329K) Chapter 2
Unsaturated Zone (101K) Chapter 3 Engineered
Barrier Systems (68K) Chapter 4 Saturated
Zone (176K) Abbreviations and
References (39K) |
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Board
Completes Review of Material on Hydrothermal Activity. July 24,
1998.
This
series of documents concerns the Board’s review of material related to
Mr. Jerry Szymanski’s hypothesis of ongoing, intermittent hydrothermal
activity at Yucca Mountain and large earthquake-induced changes in the
water table there. The series includes a cover letter, the Board’s
review, and the reports of the four consultants the Board contracted
with to assist in the review.
Available
as: Cover
Letter and Board Review (15 pages) - PDF format (42K) Consultants Reports (46
pages) - PDF format (5.2Mb) |
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1997
Findings and Recommendations. April 1998.
This
report details the Board’s activities in 1997 and covers, among other
things, the DOE’s viability assessment, due later this year; underground
exploration of the candidate repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada;
thermal testing underway at the site; what happens when radioactive
waste reaches the water table beneath Yucca Mountain; transportation of
spent fuel; and the use of expert judgment. The Board makes four
recommendations in the report concerning (1) the need for the DOE to
begin now to develop alternative design concepts for a repository, (2)
the need for the DOE to include estimates of the likely variation in
doses for alternative candidate critical groups in its interim
performance measure for Yucca Mountain, (3) the need for the DOE to
evaluate whether site-specific biosphere data is needed for license
application, and (4) the need for the DOE to make full and effective use
of formally elicited expert judgment.
Available
as: 1997
Findings and Recommendations - PDF format (543K) 1997 Findings and
Recommendations - Appendix- PDF format (247K)
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Report
by letter to the Secretary of Energy and the Congress. December 23,
1997.
This
report, in the form of a letter, addresses several key issues, including
the DOE’s viability assessment of the Yucca Mountain site, design of the
potential repository and waste package, the total system performance
assessment, and the enhanced characterization of the repository block
(east-west crossing).
Available
as: 1997
Report by letter - PDF format (14K) |
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Report
to the U.S. Congress and The Secretary of Energy: 1996 Findings and
Recommendations. March 1997.
This
report summarizes Board activities during 1996. Chapter 1 provides an
overview of the Department of Energy’s high-level nuclear waste
management program from the Board’s perspective, including the viability
assessment, program status, and progress in exploration and testing. The
chapter ends with conclusions and recommendations. Chapter 2 examines
the three technical issues-hydrology, radionuclide transport, and
performance assessment-and provides conclusions and recommendations.
Chapter 3 deals with design , including the concept for underground
operations, repository layout and design alternatives, construction
planning, thermal loading, and engineered barriers. The Board also makes
conclusions and recommendations. Chapter 4 provides an overview of
recent Board activities, including the international exchange of
information, the Board’s visit to the River Mountains tunnel, and a
presentation to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Appendices include
information on Board members, the organization of the Board’s panels,
meetings held in 1996 and scheduled for 1997, the DOE’s responses to
previous Board recommendations, a list of Board publications, references
for the report, and a glossary of technical terms.
Available
as: 1996
Summary Report - PDF format (777K) |
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Nuclear Waste Management in the United States - The Board's
Perspective. June 1996.
This
publication was developed from remarks made by Dr. John Cantlon,
Chairman of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, at Topseal ’96, an
international conference on nuclear waste management and disposal. The
meeting was sponsored by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management
Company (SKB) and the European Nuclear Society. The publication
highlights the Board’s views on the status of the U.S. program for
management and disposal of commercial spent nuclear fuel and provides a
brief overview of the program’s organization. It summarizes the DOE’s
efforts to characterize the Yucca Mountain site and to develop a waste
isolation strategy for the site. The publication also outlines
legislative and regulatory changes under consideration at that time and
the Board’s views on the technical implications of those possible
changes.
Available as: Nuclear Waste
Management - PDF format (40K) |
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Report to the U.S. Congress
and the Secretary of Energy: 1995 Findings and Recommendations. April
1996.
This
report summarizes Board activities during 1995. Chapter 1 provides an
overview of the DOE's high-level waste management program, including
highlights, current status, legislative issues, milestones, and
recommendations. Chapter 2 reports on Board Panel activities and Chapter
3 provides information on new Board members, meetings attended,
interactions with Congress and congressional staff, Board presentations
to other organizations, interactions with foreign programs, and a review
of the Board’s report on interim storage of spent nuclear fuel.
Appendices include Board testimony and statements before Congress, Board
correspondence of note, and the Department of Energy’s responses to
recommendations in previous Board reports.
Available
as: 1995
Summary Report - PDF format (587K) 1995 Summary Report
Appendix - PDF format (1MB) |
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Disposal and Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel - Finding the
Right Balance. March 1996.
This
special report caps more than two years of study and analysis by the
Board into the issues surrounding the need for interim storage of
commercial spent nuclear fuel and the advisability and timing of the
development of a federal centralized storage facility. The Board
concludes in the report that the DOE’s efforts should remain focused on
permanent geologic disposal and the site investigations at Yucca
Mountain, Nevada; that planning for a federal centralized spent fuel
storage facility and the required transportation infrastructure be begun
now, but actual construction delayed until after a site-suitability
decision is made about the Yucca Mountain site; that storage should be
developed incrementally; that limited, emergency backup storage capacity
be authorized at an existing nuclear facility; and that, if the Yucca
Mountain site proves unacceptable for repository development, other
potential sites for both centralized storage and disposal be
considered.
Available
as: Disposal
and Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel - PDF format
(217K) |
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Report
by letter to the Secretary of Energy and the Congress. December 13,
1995.
This
report, in the form of a letter, addresses the DOE’s progress in
underground exploration with the tunnel boring machine, advances in the
development of a waste isolation strategy, new work on engineered
barriers, and progress being made in performance
assessment.
Available as: 1995 Report by letter -
PDF format (16K) |
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Report
to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy: 1994 Findings and
Recommendations. March 1995.
This
report summarizes Board activities during 1994. It covers aspects of the
DOE’s Program Approach, their emerging waste isolation strategy, and
their transportation program. It also explores the Board’s views on
minimum exploratory requirements and thermal-loading issues. The
report<->focuses a chapter on the lessons that have been learned
in site assessment from projects around the world. Another chapter deals
with volcanism and resolution of difficult issues. The Board also
details its observations from its visit to Japan and the Japanese
nuclear waste disposal program. Findings and recommendations in the
report centered around structural geology and geoengineering,
hydrogeology and geochemistry, the engineered barrier system, and risk
and performance analysis.
Available
as: 1994
Summary Report - PDF format (659K) 1994 Summary Report
Appendix - PDF format (1.1MB) |
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Report
to The U.S. Congress and The Secretary of Energy: January to December
1993. May 1994.
This
report summarizes Board activities primarily during 1993. It reviews the
nuclear waste disposal programs of Belgium, France, and the United
Kingdom; elaborates on the Board’s understanding of the radiation
protection standards being reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences;
and, using “future climates” as an example, examines the DOE’s approach
to “resolving difficult issues.” Recommendations center on the use of a
systems approach in all of OCRWM’s programs, prioritization of
site-suitability activities, appropriate use of total system performance
assessment and expert judgment, and the dynamics of the Yucca Mountain
ecosystem.
Available
as: 1993
Summary Report - PDF format (605K) 1993 Summary Report
Appendix - PDF format (624K) |
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Letter
Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy. February
1994.
This
report is issued in letter format due to impending legislative hearings
on the DOE’s fiscal year 1995 budget and new funding mechanisms sought
by the Secretary of Energy. The 8-page report (ninth in the NWTRB
series) restates a recommendation made in the Board’s Special Report,
that an independent review of the OCRWM’s management and organizational
structure be initiated as soon as possible. Also, it adds two additional
recommendations: ensure sufficient and reliable funding for site
characterization and performance assessment, whether the program budget
remains level or is increased, and build on the Secretary of Energy’s
new public involvement initiative by expanding current efforts to
integrate the views of the various stakeholders during the
decision-making process-not afterward.
Available
as: Letter
Report - PDF format (245K) |
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Underground Exploration and Testing at Yucca Mountain A
Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy. October 1993.
This
report (eighth in the NWTRB series) focuses on the exploratory studies
facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: the conceptual design, planned
exploration and testing, and excavation plans and schedules. In addition
to a number of detailed recommendations, the Board makes three general
recommendations. First, the DOE should develop a comprehensive strategy
that integrates exploration and testing priorities with the design and
excavation approach for the exploratory facility. Second, underground
thermal testing should be resumed as soon as possible. Third, the DOE
should establish a geoengineering board with expertise in the
engineering, construction, and management of large underground
projects.
Available
as: Underground Exploration
and Testing - PDF format (160K) |
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Special Report to Congress and the Secretary of
Energy. March 1993.
The
Board’s seventh report provides a nontechnical approach for those not
familiar with the details of the DOE’s high-level nuclear waste
management program. It highlights three important policy issues: the
program is driven by unrealistic deadlines, there is no integrated waste
management plan, and program management needs improvement. The Board
makes three specific recommendations: amend the current schedule to
include realistic intermediate milestones; develop a comprehensive,
well-integrated plan for the overall management of all spent nuclear
fuel and high-level defense waste from generation to disposal; and
implement an independent evaluation of the Office of Civilian
Radioactive Waste Management’s (OCRWM) organization and management.
These recommendations should be implemented without slowing the progress
of site-characterization activities at Yucca
Mountain.
Available
as: Special
Report - PDF format (70K) |
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Sixth Report to
the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. December 1992.
The
sixth report begins by summarizing recent Board activities,
congressional testimony, changes in Board makeup, and the Little Skull
Mountain earthquake. Chapter 2 details panel activities and offers seven
technical recommendations on the dangers of a schedule-driven program;
the need for top-level systems studies; the impact of defense high-level
waste; the use of high capacity, self-shielded waste package designs;
and the need for prioritization among the numerous studies included in
the site-characterization plans. In Chapter 3, the Board offers candid
insights to the high-level waste management program in five countries,
specifically those areas that might be applicable to the U.S. program,
including program size and cost, utility responsibilities, repository
construction schedules, and alternative approaches to licensing.
Appendix F provides background on the Finnish and Swiss
programs.
Available
as: Sixth
Report - PDF format (528K) Sixth Report Appendix -
PDF format (1.1M) |
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Fifth
Report to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. June
1992.
The
Board’s fifth report focuses on the cross-cutting issue of thermal
loading. It explores thermal-loading strategies (U.S. and others) and
the technical issues and uncertainties related to thermal loading. It
also details the Board’s position on the implications of thermal loading
for the U.S. radioactive waste management system. Also included are
updates on Board and panel activities during the reporting period. The
report offers fifteen recommendations to the DOE on the following
subjects: ESF and repository design enhancements, repository sealing,
seismic vulnerabilities (vibratory ground motion and fault
displacement), the DOE approach to the engineered barrier system, and
transportation and systems program status.
Available
as: Fifth
Report - PDF format (572K) Fifth Report Appendix -
PDF format (275K) |
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Fourth
Report to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. December
1991.
The
fourth report provides update on the Board’s activities and explores in
depth the following areas: exploratory studies facility (ESF)
construction; test prioritization; rock mechanics; tectonic features and
processes; volcanism; hydrogeology and geochemistry in the unsaturated
zone; the engineered barrier system; regulations promulgated by the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC), and the DOE; the DOE performance assessment program; and quality
assurance in the Yucca Mountain project. Ten recommendations are made
across these diverse subject areas. Chapter 3 offers insights from the
Board’s visit with officials from the Canadian nuclear power and spent
fuel disposal programs. Background on the Canadian program is in
Appendix D.
Available
as: Fourth
Report - PDF format (425K) Fourth Report Appendix -
PDF format (310K) |
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Third Report to
the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. May 1991.
The
third report briefly describes recent Board activities and congressional
testimony. Substantive chapters cover exploratory shaft facility
alternatives, repository design, risk-benefit analysis, waste package
plans and funding, spent fuel corrosion performance, transportation and
systems, environmental program concerns, more on the DOE task force
studies on risk and performance assessment, federal quality assurance
requirements for the repository program, and the measurement, modeling,
and application of radionuclide sorption data. Fifteen specific
recommendations are made to the DOE. Background information on the
German and Swedish nuclear waste disposal programs is included in
Appendix D.
Available
as: Third
Report - PDF format (361K) Third Report Appendix -
PDF format (388K) |
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Second Report to
the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. November
1990.
The
Board’s second report begins with the background and framework for
repository development and then opens areas of inquiry, making 20
specific recommendations concerning tectonic features and processes,
geoengineering considerations, the engineered barrier system,
transportation and systems, environmental and public health issues, and
risk and performance analysis. The report also offers concluding
perspectives on DOE progress, the state of Nevada’s role, the project’s
regulatory framework, the nuclear waste negotiator, other oversight
agencies, and the Board’s future plans.
Available
as: Second
Report - PDF format (450K) Second Report Appendix -
PDF format (213K) |
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First
Report to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. March
1990.
The
first report sets the stage for the Board’s evaluation of the Department
of Energy’s (DOE) program to manage the disposal of the nation’s spent
fuel and high-level waste. The report outlines briefly the legislative
history of the nation’s spent fuel and high-level waste management
program including its legal and regulatory requirements. The Board’s
evolution is described, along with its protocol, panel breakdown, and
reporting requirements. The report identifies major issues based on the
Board’s panel breakdown, and highlights five cross-cutting
issues.
Available
as: First
Report - PDF Format (394K) |