Licensing A Geologic Repository At Yucca Mountain, Nevada

After completing more than twenty years of intensive scientific and engineering investigations at the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has determined that the site is suitable for development of a geologic repository for disposal of the Nation's spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Following this determination, the site was recommended to the President for repository development. The President approved the recommendation and forwarded it to the U.S. Congress for site designation. The Governor of Nevada vetoed the recommendation with a notice of disapproval to the U.S. Congress. Congress subsequently over-rode the Governor's veto with a joint resolution which the President signed into law. With site designation in effect, DOE is now focusing its work on the development of a license application for repository construction. This paper will summarize the work that had been done to support site recommendation, work that is currently being done for license application, and the necessary next steps that may be required to allow repository operations to begin in 2010