Program Drivers

The Office of Spent Fuel Management was created to plan and coordinate the management of Department of Energy-owned spent nuclear fuel. It was established as a result of a 1992 decision to stop spent nuclear fuel reprocessing and was chartered to safely and efficiently manage Department of Energy-owned spent nuclear fuel and prepare it for disposal. The Spent Nuclear Fuel Program is based upon numerous program drivers and must be managed in accordance with them. These drivers have origins in laws, regulations, policies, and agreements at the federal, state, and local levels. The drivers serve two purposes. They establish the structure in which the program must work to accomplish its goals, and they dictate what the program must do. The major program drivers are listed below.

In general, the requirements have their origins in:

• Federal Laws
• Presidential Orders
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations and guidance
• Environmental Protection Agency regulations
• Department of Transportation requirements
• DOE Orders, policies, and guidance
• Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board recommendations
• Office of Environmental Management requirements
• State and Local regulations and agreements

Specific Documents

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• Settlement Agreement on Spent Nuclear Fuel Between the State of Idaho, Department of Energy, and the U. S. Navy
• EM/RW Memorandum of Agreement furthers section 302(b)(4) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982, as amended. It defines the terms and conditions for federal agencies equivalent to those set forth in the NWPA for non-federal agencies. 
• Waste Acceptance System Requirements Document contains Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Waste Acceptance Criteria for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. These criteria are based on the best available data and repository designs as of publication.
• The Record of Decision of the DOE Programmatic SNF Management and INL Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Programs Final Environmental Impact Statement, May 1995; Including the Amendment, March 1996
• Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement)
• Supplement Analysis for a Container System for the Management of DOE Spent Nuclear Fuel Located at the INL 
• Environmental Impact Statement for the Management of SNF Currently Stored in the K-Basins (Hanford Site)
• Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable Fissile Materials Programmatic Final Environmental Impact Statement
• Environmental Impact Statement for a Multi-Purpose Canister System for the Management of Civilian and Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel
• Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada
• Environmental Impact Statement on the Transfer and Disposition of Surplus Highly Enriched Uranium
• Savannah River Site Specific Environmental Impact Statement (Notice of Intent in Federal Register)
• Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Decommissioning and/or Long-Term Stewardship at the West Valley Demonstration Project and Western New York Nuclear Service Center (November 2008)
• Finding of No Significant Impact for the Environmental Assessment, Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Tennessee (DOE/EA-1117, February 1996)
  

Other Documents

• Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended; Energy Reorganization Act of 1974
  These laws and their implementing regulations (primarily in 10 CFR Chapter 1) specify the fundamental framework for the safety and licensing of nuclear activities and facilities for both domestic and foreign applicants. The functions of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are identified in the Energy Reorganization Act.
• Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (and 1987 amendments and the Energy Policy Act of 1992)
  This law and its primary implementing regulations in 10 CFR 60 and 40 CFR 191 specify the requirements for characterization and licensing of a federal high-level waste repository.
• National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
  This law and its implementing regulations in 40 CFR 1500-1508 (on a government-wide basis) and 10 CFR 1021 (for DOE) specify the requirements for soliciting public participation in all federal actions that impact the environment. In conjunction with the passage of this law, a Presidential Order was issued in 1970 specifying the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Federal environmental laws
  A number of federal environmental statutes have direct and/or indirect impact on the management of DOE-owned SNF. Examples include the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
• Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) recommendations
  The DNFSB is an independent review board responsible for providing advice and recommendations to the President and the Secretary of Energy regarding public health and safety issues at nuclear facilities associated with defense programs.