Abstract |
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing environmental standards for the management and disposal of spent nuclear reactor fuel and high-level and transuranic radioactive wastes. Subpart A of the standards would limit the radiation exposure of members of the public from management and storage of spent fuel and of waste prior to disposal. Subpart B would establish both quantitative containment requirements for disposal systems and qualitative requirements to assure that these containment requirements will be met. The containment requirements would limit the amount of radioactivity that may enter the environment for 10,000 years after disposal. The assurance requirements provide seven principles necessary for developing confidence that these long-term containment requirements will be complied with. These principles call for well-designed, multiple-barrier disposal systems that would not rely upon future generations for maintenance and would not be located near potentially valuable resources. They also require that future generations be provided information about the location and dangers of the wastes and an option to recover the wastes if they need to. In addition, Subpart B, contains procedural requirements to ensure that the containment requirements are properly applied. |