NRC seeks public comment on draft report on spent fuel storage

摘要

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on January 3 announced that it is seeking public comment on a draft report-Background and Preliminary Assumptions for an Environmental Impact Statement-Long-Term Waste Confidence Update, dated December 2011-that updates preliminary assumptions for an environmental impact statement (EIS). The NRC will develop the EIS to evaluate the impacts of storing spent nuclear fuel from the nation's commercial power reactors for as long as 200 years, and will include analyses of environmental impacts directly related to the long-term handling, storage, and transportation of commercial spent fuel and high-level waste. The EIS will be part of the NRC's effort to update its Waste Confidence Decision and Rule, last updated in 2010. "Waste Confidence" refers to the decision that the NRC has made to express its assurance level about managing spent fuel. Through the decision, the NRC indicates that disposal is technically feasible and will be made available for U.S. commercial spent nuclear fuel. The decision also conveys the NRC's confidence that until disposal is available, spent fuel and HLW can be managed safely under continued NRC regulatory oversight.