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High-Level Waste DisposalOn June 3, 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) submitted a license application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), seeking authorization to construct a deep geologic repository for disposal of high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The NRC's review of that application will require evaluation of a wide range of technical and scientific issues. The NRC will issue a construction authorization only if DOE can demonstrate that it can safely construct and operate the repository in compliance with the NRC's regulations. See What We Regulate and How We Regulate (on this page) for the latest news and information about the NRC's high-level waste disposal activities and the process the agency will use to decide whether to authorize DOE to construct a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. What We RegulateUnited States policies governing the permanent disposal of HLW are defined by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA). This Act specifies that HLW will be disposed of underground, in a deep geologic repository, and that Yucca Mountain, Nevada, will be the single candidate site for characterization as a potential geologic repository. Under the Act, the NRC is one of three Federal agencies with a role in the disposal of spent nuclear fuel, as well as the HLW from the Nation's nuclear weapons production activities:
How We RegulateIn accordance with its mission, the NRC focuses its regulatory actions on protecting the health and safety of the public and the environment both before and during the active life of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository, and after the facility has been decommissioned. The NRC staff accomplishes this mission by performing the following activities:
For additional information about the NRC's role in regulating the proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, see the following pages:
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