Site characterization and its role in repository licensing

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and the recently enacted Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987 (the Acts) specify a schedule and a process for the siting of a repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. A key step is the collection of geotechnical information as described in a site characterization plan (SCP). The information to be secured should fully support the technical data needs for a license application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for authorization to construct a repository. Although the Acts only require a general plan for site characterization, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has, as a matter of policy, prepared a comprehensive and detailed draft SCP that includes available geotechnical information about the site, a description of the conceptual design of the repository, a description of the waste package, and a detailed discussion of the plans for characterizing the site.