Management and Disposal of High-Level Nuclear Waste

There is no guarantee storage will be temporary Once a "temporary" facility is constructed, it is likely to become a de facto permanent repository for these wastes. There are no legal, political, or financial mechanisms to ensure waste would ever be removed. This is because there is no permanent disposal solution for this waste, despite decades of efforts by the federal government. In 1987 Congress amended the NWPA to link the operation of an interim facility to milestones of progress with the permanent repository precisely to prevent such a de facto situation. In fact, many experts warn that if such a "temporary" site were approved anywhere, it would likely halt the politically difficult effort of creating a permanent disposal solution. There is no need for temporary nuclear waste storage. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that spent nuclear fuels can be safely stored at the reactor sites for 100+ years. Our experience in Congress in 1987 should warn everyone of the possibility of an MRS facility becoming a de facto repository. Should the Yucca Mt. site prove unsuitable, the existence of an MRS facility would make it almost politically irresistible to remove restrictions on timing for acceptance of waste - because in doing so citizens from other regions and their elected representatives could ensure that their area would not be considered to host a repository. The singling out of Nevada in 1987 is amble illustration of this. - U.S. Rep. James Clark (NC) before the MRS Review Commission 7

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