Abstract |
The United States of America ratified the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention) on April 9, 2003. The Joint Convention establishes an international peer review process among Contracting Parties and provides incentives for nations to take appropriate steps to bring their nuclear activities into compliance with general safety standards and practices. The first U.S. National Report was presented at the first Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties under the Joint Convention in November 2003 in Vienna, Austria. This second U.S. National Report updates the first report, which documented spent fuel and radioactive waste management safety in the United States under the terms of the Joint Convention. It also incorporates additional information and responses to questions raised at the November 2003 meeting of the Contracting parties. This report does not reflect developments in the U.S. status after August 17, 2005, e.g., subsequent to the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and publication of proposed revisions to certain radiation standards for Yucca Mountain. |