ML19331D090
| ML19331D090 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/08/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Grage L AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19331D091 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8008270243 | |
| Download: ML19331D090 (12) | |
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%.".....o' The Reverend Loren Grage. Chairman The Board of Church and Society, MN Conference United Methodist Church 325 Sheman N. Mankato, Minnesota 56001 This is in reply to your letter of June 30, 1980, to the Executive Director for Operations of the Nuclear Regulatory Consiission (NRC). You asked for response to your concerns about responsibility, health, safety, and waste disposal with regard to nuclear power.
The NRC is consiitted to protect the public health and safety. After the accident at Three Mile Island, the NRC decided not to license new nuclear power plants until criteria for improved safety had been developed. It found that actions recommended by its own staff and by the President's Casuiission on the Accident at Three Mile Island in the areas of human factors, operational safety, emergency planning, nuclear power plant design and siting, health effects and public information are necessary and feasible.
Interim measures have been taken, and an Action Plan has been developed to include other safety improvements, detailed criteria for their implemen-tation, and various implementation deadlines. Meanwhile, in order to avoid unnecessary delays, the NRC approved the issuance of licenses for three nuclear power units to load fuel and, under specified conditions, to operate at low power levels for testing.
A detailed discussion of the Three Mile Island accident and the measures being taken to prevent such accidents in the future is contained in the 1979 Annual Report of the NRC, a copy of which is enclosed. Also enclosed is a statement of December 7, 1979, by the President on the Kemeny Ccammission Report on Three Mile Island.
With respect to waste disposal, enclosed is a message of February 12, 1980, to the Congress from the President, in which he announced the establishment of a comprehensive radioactive waste management program. He stated the primary objective of isolating existing and future radioactive waste from the biosphere so that it will pose no significant threat to public health and safety. He said that the capability now er.ists to characterize and evaluate a number of geologic envirorgents for use as repositories built with conventional mining technology. The lead agency in carrying out a waste management program is the Department of Energy. The role of the Nuclear Regulatory Comunission is discussed in Chapter 6 of the enclosed Annual Report.
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS POOR QUALITY PAGES
e The Reverend Loren Grage There are, of course, numerous reports of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Cort:issicn pertaining to the six major issues involving ruclear energy that were addressed in your Task Force report, "A Response to Nuclear Power." We attempted without success to reach you by phone to learn more specifically the nature and timir.g of your needs for additional information. We did make contact with Rev. Eric Hucke, a member of your task force, and learned of the general outcome of the moratorium vote of the 1980 session of the Minnesota Annual Conference. However, Rev. Hucke said he was unable to advise regarding your specific needs for further infomation.
Two additional doc:anents are enclosed which would appear to cover a number of concerns raised in your letter. One of these is a paper recently presented by Dr. Roger Mattson, Director of the Division of Safety Technology on the topic, "NRC Lessons Learned fra Three Mile Island: A Time for Action and New Direc-tions in Safety Policy for Nuclear Pos.e Plants." This paper provides a sur.ary of our short and long-tem action plans for improving nuclear safety and reflects our thinking on new directions for safety policy. The second paper by Dr. Miller Spangler, Special Assistant for Policy Analysis, is on the setject,
" Federal Initiatives to Improve Federal-State Cooperation in Nuclear Dovar Plant Licensing." This paper has numerous references of possible interest to your group as well as sunnaries of: (1) generic studies, methodological procedures, and confimatory research efforts of the NRC, and (ii) NRC inhouse efforts to improve the licensing process. Af ter reading these docu::ents I would suggest that yog contact Dr. Spangler directly for any additional infomation requirements.
We appreciate very much the sincere efforts of your study group and conference members to become better infomed on nuclear safety issues and the obvious objectivity of the study report in attempting to develop a comprehensive review l
of the pros and cons of nuclear energy and its alternatives.
In conclusion. I assure you that every effort is being made to protect the public health and safety at all nuclear powar plants that are currently in oceration or that may start operating in the future. Any plants tnat are fcund to be unsafe will not be allowed to operate.
Sincerely, Od$: fit;of3gt I. 3. t;.:s Harold R. Denton, Director l
Office of Muclear Reactor Regulation l
Enclosures:
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Enclosures:
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1979 Annual Report 2.
Statment dtd 12/7/79 by the President on the Keeny Comission Report on TMI 3.
Message to Congress dtd 2/12/80 4.
Paper by Roger Mattsen 5.
Paper by Miller Spangler 4
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4 D I m.: A 7,. 9 73 TOR I!r 20! ATE 72 LEASE OTTICE OF THE WITE HCUSE F72SS SEOFiTARY I
i THE WHITE HCUSE STATEMENT BY THC PRESICENT CN THE FEXENY
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b REPCRT CN THREE MILE ISL.*ND I
Rects 450, old Executive office Building f
(AT 2:45 P.M. EST)
The purpcse of this brief stat..ent this THE PRESIDENT:
in this country af ternoon is to outline to you and to the public, both f the, Kemeny and in other nations of the world, my cwn assessment o d
d I would Report recoruendations on the Three Mile Island acci ent anin th like to add, of course, of my cun.
I have reviewed the report of the Coraission, which IMile Island nuc established to investigate the acci, dent at the ThreeThe Cc d the utility pcwer plant. serious shortcomings in the way that both the Government an industry regulate and manage nuclear pcwer.
The steps that I am taking today will help to assure that Safety, as it always has nuclear pcwer plants are operated safely.
As I have said before, in and will remain, is my top priority.
f las t resort. 3y this this country nuclear power is an energy source oas we reach o been fuels, and of coal, on development of solar pcwer and synthetic I meant th at reach these enhanced production of American oil and natural gas, as we goals, then we can minimire our reliance en nuclea. power.
Many of our foreign allies must place much greater reliance do not have the vast natural than we do on nuclear power, because they We must get en with the resources that give us so many alternatives.
jcb of developing alternative energy resources and we must als Cengrer-in order to do this, the legislation that I have propcsed to the gy.
To making an effort at every level of soelety to conserve ener t
are the conserve energy and to develcp energy rescurces in our coun :y But we cannot shut the two basic answers for' which we are seeking.
door on nuclear power for the United States.
i The recent events in Iran have shown us the clear, stark i
dangers that excessive dependence on imported oil holds for our security.
We must make every ef fort t'o lead this country to energy including nuclear pcwdr, is critical if Every domestic energy source,f ree as a country from our present over-dependence i
il.
and uncertain sources of high priced fore gn o are to be we i
unstabIe We do not have the luxury of abandening nuclear pcwer or i
A nuclear pc.er i
Imposing a lengthy mccatoriur. on its further use.
hly 13 millicn l
plant can displace 35,000 barrels of oil per day, or rougWe must tak l
barrels of oil per year.
I agree fully with the letter the safety of nuclear power production.and the intent of the Xeceny carn I
others of which and the spirit seme of which are within my cwn power to imp ement, ility rely on the Nuclear Regulatory Cctraission, or the N30, or the ut j
l indus try itself.
the Govercent's ewn house in or:!er I will take To g e t i
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1 6
I will send to tho C:ngress a rec gani:atien plan
- First, to clarify assign ant ssveral stsps.
to strengthen the role of the Chaiman of the NRC, of authority and responsibility and provide this person with the peser autherity to l
to set on a daily basis as a chief executive of ficer, with put needed safety recuire 4nts in place and to implement betterTh i
f.
procedures.
act en behalf of the Cocolssion during any e:ergency.
I fecond, I intend to appoint a new Chairpersen of the someone f cm outside that agency, in the Nuclear Regulatory Cc: mission, In the meantime, I have spirit of the Xemeny Cer..ission reecrmendation.Ahearne, now on the NRC, asked Cocaissione:
Mr. Ahearne will stress safety and the p cmpt imple=entation of the needed reforms.
In addition, I will establish an independent advisory ceraittee to help keep me and the public of the United States informed of the progress of the NTsc and the industry in achieving and in making clear the recc=.endaticas that nuclear pcwer will be safer.
Third, I am transferring responsibility to the Tederal to head up all off-site Era rgency Management Agency, the TC'A, emergency activities, and to : mplete a thorough review of emergency plans in all the states of our count:y with operating nuclea:
reactors by June, 1933.
I have directed the Nuclear Regulatory C: missien and
- Tourth, place the other agencies cf the Covernment to accelerate our p gram to a resident Tederal inspectc; at every reactor site.
Government agencies. to Tifth, I am asking all relevant implement virtually all of the 'other recommandations of the Ker.enyA detailed fac I believe there were 44 in all.
being issued to the puhlic and a more extended briefing will be gi"en Cercission.
to ce press this af terncon.
With clear leadership and improved organi:stien, the and the NRC will be better able to Government Executive Stanch of d d act quickly en the crucial issues of imp;cved training and stan ar s,
l safety procedures, and the other Xemeny Ceraission recc mendati:ns.
responsibility to make nuclear pcwer safer does not step with the the primary day by day respcnsibility But In fact, fer safety rests with utility company management and with supp Federal Gove:nment.
l d
cf nuclear equipment.
and c: mitted people working on the construction, the operation, an I
the inspectica of nuclear pcwer plants.
Some one persen
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Personal responsibility must be stressed.the ec : crate level and l
always be designated as in charge, both atThe industry cwes it to the Americ l
must l
also at the pcwer plant site.
to safety.
people to s trengthen its ceraitsent I call on the utilities to implement the fo11cwing changes:
first, building en the steps already taken, the indust.y must c gani:e itself to develop enhanced standards for safe design, cperation, construction of plants j
ii to devel:p and to maintain in operation a ce=prehensive tra n ng, i
examinati:n and evaluati:n program for operat::s and for supervisers.
l This training p:: gram must pass muster with the NRC through accreditation i
of the trai.ing pecg:ss.s to be established.
hird, centroi :: ss in nuclear pcwer plants =iust be i
to permit moderni:ed, standardized, and simplified as =uch as pessible, l
M3.C.
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e infor ad dscisien-making an ng regular cperating h urs and, cf bctto:
course, during cr-e:gencies.
challenge our utility en panies to tend every ef fert to improve the safety cf nuclear pcwer.
j rinally, I would like to discuss how we nanage this I
a transition period during which the Ke=eny reccenenfations are being l
awaiting There a:e a nu;ter of new nuclear plants new implerented.
Under law, the Nuclear
{
cperating IIcenses or cons truction per=its.
Licensing de:isions l
Coraission is an independent agency.
l rest with the Nuclear Regulatory C : ission, and as the Keneny Cer:-ission Regulate:f noted, it has the authority to proceed wir.h licensing these plants en a case by case basis, which may be used as circunstances surrou. ding a plant or its application dictate.
indicated, hewever, that it will pause in The NRC ha:
licenses 2nd construction permits in order to devote issuing any new its full attention to putting its cwn house in order and tightening up I endorse this approach which the NRC has safety requirssents.
adepted, but I urge the NRC to c0=plete its wc:k as quickly as pcssible Cnce we have and in no event later than six months ft:m today.
instituted the necessa:7 reforms to assure safety, 'we must resume the licensing pecesss p :cptly so that the new plants we need to reduce cur dependence on foreign oil -2n be built and cperated.
am announcing today will help to insure the safety The steps :
Nuclear power does have a future in the United states.
of nuclear plants.
I will join with the utilities '
It is an optica that we must keep epen.
Ccraissicn, the executive and their suppliers, the Nuclear Regula ?m and also the s ate departments and agencies of the Federal Gevernment,the future is a safe'ene.
and local gover==ents to assure that and Jchn Oeutsch will New Dr. Frank Press, Stu Ei:enstat, be glad to answer your questions about these decisions and abent Trank?
nuclear pcwer and the future of it in our ecuntry.
END (AT 3:C0 P.M. EST) t i
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Febr.:ary 12, 1980 Cfficeof#kheWhiteRcusePressfecretary
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- R! VMI?! wCCSE TO TRE CONORISS Cy *HE CN:"I3 STA*IS:
Today I as establishing thir*Matton's first eca rehensive radioactive vaste sanagement program. My parascunt objective in sanaging nuclear wastes is to protect the health and safety of all Americans, both now and in the future. I share this responsibility with elected =fficials at all levels of our go vernm ent. Cur cititans have a deep cencern that the beneficial uses of nuclear technology. including the generatien of electricity, not be allowed to is;ertl ;utli: health ce safety new or in the future.
For more than 30 years, radicactive wastes have been generated by pectrass for nati:nal defense, by the ccanercial nuclear power progras, and by a variety of sedical, industrial and resear:h activities. Yet past govern = ental efforts to sanage radicactive wastes have not been te=anically adecuate.
Moreover, they have failed to involve successfully the states, local governments, and the public in pclicy or ;regras decister.s.
My actions today lay the foundation for both a tecnnically superior program and a full scoperative Federal. State partner.
ship to ensure public confidence in a wasta management ;r gram.
My program is censistent with the bread consensus that has orcised frem the efforts of the Interagency Review Orcup on Radicactive Waste Management (IRO) whien I established.
- he 130 findings and analysis were : s;rehensive, tacecugh and widely reviewed by public, industry and =1tizen grcups, State and local governments, and sesbers of the Cengress.
Evaluations of tne scientific and technical analyses were obtained thr.ough a bread and rig:rcus peer review by the scientific eca= unity. The final rec===endations benefited from and reflect this input.
My objective is to establish a ecaprehensive program for the managesent of all tyyes of radioactive wastes. My policies and programs establish sechanisas to ensure that elected officials and the public fully participate in vaste decisions, and direct rederal departments and agencies to implement a vaste managesent strategy which is safe, technically sound, conserestive, and open to continuous public review.
This approach will help ensure that we will res=3 our objective - the safe storage and disposal of all forss of nuclear wasta.
Our primary objective is to isolate existing and futurt radioactive vast 4 free military and =ivilian activities from the biosphere and pose no significant threat te public health and safety. The responsibility for resolving silitary and civilian vaste sanagssent probless shall not be deferred to future generations. The technical pecgras sust seet all relevant radiological protection criteria as well as all other applicable regulatory requirements.
- his effort sust proceed regsrdless of future develoceents within the nuclear industry --
its future size, and resolution of stecific fuel eyele and reactee design issues.
- he specific ste;s outlined bel:w are each aimed at acces;11shing this overall objective, o
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First,* sy Asataistration is cosaitted to providing an effec tive role for State and local governments in the devoicpsent and implementation of our nuclear waste sanagement progras. I as therefore taking the following actions o
By Executive Ceder. I na establishing a State Planning Council which will strengthen our intergovernmental relationships and help fulfill cur joint responsibility to protect public hea.th and safety in radicactive waste satters. I have asked Covernor Riley of South Carolina to serve as Chairman of the Council. The Council will have a totaA of 19 sesters: 15 who are Governors or other elected officials, and 4 from the Executive, departments and agencies. It will advise the Executive Branch and work with the Congress to address radioactive vaste management issues, such as planning and siting, construction, and operation of facilities. I will submit legislation during this session to make the Council permanent.
O In the past. States have not played an adequate part in the waste sanagement planning process -- for example in the evaluation and location of potential waste disposal sites. The States need better access to inforsation and expanded opportunity to guide waste sanagement planning. Cur relaticeship with the States will be based on the principle of censultation and concurrence in the siting of high level waste repost-tories. Under the framework of consultation and concurrence, a host Stato will have a continuing role in Federal decisionmaking on the siting, design and constructson of a high level waste repository.
State consultation and concurrence, however, will lead to an acceptable solution to our waste disposal probles only if all the States participate as partners in the program I as putting forth. yhe safe disposal of radioactive waste, defense and commercial, is a national, not just a Federal, responsittlity.
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I as directing the Secretary of Energy to provide
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- o financial and technical assistance to States and other jurisdictions to f acilitate the full participatter
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of State and local government in review and licensing proceedings.
l Second, for disposal of high level radioactive vaste, I as adopting an Interis planning strategy focused on the use of mined geologic repositories capabla of accepting both waste free reprocessing and unreprocessed consercial stent fuel.
An interia strategy is needed since final decisions on aany steps which need to be taken should be preceded by a full environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act.
In its search for suitable sites for high level waste repositories, the Department of Energy has sounted an expanded and diversified program of geologio investigations that recognize the importance of the interaction among geologic aetting, repository host rock, vaste fors and other engineered barriers on a site-specific basis. Immediate attention will fo'us c
on research and development, and on locating and characterizing a number of potential repository sites in a variety of different geologic environments with diverse rock types. When four to five sites have been evaluated and found potentially suitable, one or more will be selected for further development as a licensed full-scale repository.
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3 It is laportant to stress the follcwing two points: First, because the suitability of a geolcO c disposal site can te verified only through detailed and tise-cc.~.ausing si te s:e=1 tic evaluations, actual sites and their geologic environ =ents nust be carefully examined. Second, the development of a repest: cry will proceed in a careful step-by-step aanner. Exper: ence and internation gained at each phase will be reviewed and evaluated to determine if there is sufficient knowled!;e to proceed with the next stage of development. We shoul:t be ready to select the site for the first full-scale repssitory by about 1985 and have it operational by the mid-1990's.
For reasons of ecer.cey, the first and subsequent repositories should accept both defense and commercial wastes.
Consittent with s'y decision to expand and diversify the Departasnt of Energy's program of geologic investigation before selecting a specirle site for repository development. I ha ve decided that the Waste Isolation Filot Plant project should be cance11ed. This project is currently authoriced for the unlicensed disposal of transuranic waste fres our National defense program, and for research and development using h!gn level defense waste.
This project is inconsistent with ay policy that all repositories for highly radicactive waste te licensed, and that they accept both defense and commercial wastes.
The site near Carlsbad, New Mexico, which was being considered for this project, will continue to be evaluated along with other sites in other parts of the country. If qualified, it will be reserved as one of several candidate sites for possible use as a licensed repository for defense and commercial hign level wastes. My fiscal year 1981 budget contains funds in the cessercial nuclear wasta prog. as for protection and continued investigation of the Carlstad site. Finally, it is important that we take the tise to cespare the New Mexico site with other sites now under evaluation for the first waste repository.
Over the next five years, the Departaent of Energy will carry out an aggressive prog-as of scientific and technical investigations to support waste solidification, packaging and repository design and construction including several experimental, retrievable esplacements in test facilities.
This supporting research and development program will call uoan the knowledge and experience of the Nation's very best people in science, engineering and other fields of learning and will include participation of universities, indus try, and the government departaents, agencies, and national laborateries Third, during the lateria period before a disposal facility N#
is available, vaste sust and will continue to be cared for safely. Management of defense waste is a Federal responsibilityt tae Department of Energy will ensure close and seticulous control over defense waste facilities whica are vital to our national security. I as coesitted to maintaining safe interia storage of these vastes as long.as necessary and to asking adequate funding available for that purpose. We will also proceed with research and development at the various defense sites that will lead the processing, packaging, and ultimate l
transfer to a persanent recesitory of the hign level and
.ransuranie wastes froa defense progrnas.
In contrast, storage of commeretal spent fuel is primarily a responsibility of the utilities. I want to stress that 1steria spent fuel storage capacity is noi an alternative to persanent disposal. However, adequate stcra;e is necessary o
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I until repositoriet;are available. I urge the utility industry to continue to take all actions necessary to stcre spent fuel in a sanner that will protect the public and ensure effielent and saf e operation of power reactors. However, a limited amount of government stcrage capacity would provide flexibility to our national waste disposal program and an alternative i
for those utilities which are unable to expand their storage capabilities.
I reiterate the need for early enactment of my proposed
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spent nuclear fuel legislation. This proposal would authorize the Department of Energy tos (1)-design, acquire or construct, and operate one or more away-froa-reactor storage facilities, and (2) accept for storage, until persanent disposal facilities are available, domestic spent fuel, and a limited amount of foreign srent fuel in cases when such action would further our non-proliferation policy objectives. All costs of storage, including the cost of loca:Ing, constructing and operating persanent geologic repositories, will be recovered througn fees paid by utilities and other users of the services and will ultimately be borne by those who benefit from the activities generating the vastes.
Fourth, I have directed the Department of Energy to work jointly with states, other government agencies, industry and other organizations, and the public, in developing national plans to establish regional disposal sites for co=mercial low level vasta. We must work together to resolve the se,rious near-ters probles of low level waste disposal. While this task is not inherently difficult from the standpoint Lf safety, it requires better planning and coordinatien. 1 endorse the actions being taken by the Nation's governors to tackle this probles and direct the Secretary of Energy to work with them in support of their effort.
Fif th, the Federal programs for regulating radioactive waste storage, transportation and disposal are a crucial coa-ponent of our efforts to ensure the health and safety of Americans. Although the existing authorities and structures are basically sound, improvements aust be made in several areas. The current authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to license the disposal of high level waste and lov level waste in cessercial facilities should be extended to include spent fuel storage, and disposal of transuranic waste and non-defense low level vaste in any new government facilities. I as directing the Environmental Protection l
Agency to consult with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to
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resolve issues of overlapping jurisdiction and pnasing of regulatory actions. They should also seek ways to speed up l
the promulgation of theti* saf ety regulations. I as also
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directing the Departaest of Transportation and the Environ.
sental Protection Agency to taprove both the efficiency of their regulatory activities and their relationships with other Federal agencies and state and local governments.
31rth, it is essential that all aspects of the waste management program be conducted with the fullest possible disclosure to and participation by the public and the technical community. I an directing the departments and agencies to develop and laprove sechanises to ensure such participation and public involvement consistent with the need to protect national security information. The vaste management program will be carried out in full compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
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Seventh, becacse nuclear waste management is a probles shared my many other countries and decister.s :n waste sanage-sent alternatives hase nuclear proliferation incli:sticas, i
I will continue to encourage and support tilateral and suiti-lateral efforts which advance both our technical ca;atilities and our understanding of spent fuel and waste sanagement cpticas, which are consistent wi*h our acn-proliferaticc policy.
In 1*s role as lead agency for the sanagement and dia;csal of radicactive wastes and with ccoperati:n of the other relevant Federal agencies, the Oe:artment.sf Energy is preparing a detailed National Plan for Nuclear Waste Management to imple-sent these policy guidelines and the otner recessendations of the 13C. This Plan will provide a clear road map for all partiac and will give the puolic an esportunity to review tse entirety of our program. It will include specific progras goals and silestones for all aspects of nuclear waste sanage-sent. A draft of the ces;rehensive National Plan will be distributed by 13e Secretary of Esergy later tais year for public and Cengr,1ssidnal review. The State Planning Council will be directly involved in the devel psent of this plan.
The Nuclear Regulatory 0:ssissica new has underway an important preceeding to provide the Nation vita its judgment on whether er not it has confidence that radicactive wastes produced by nuclear scwer reactors can and will be disposed of safely. 1 urge that the Nuclear Regulatcry Ccssission do 30 in a thoroug3 and timely manner and that it provide a full a;pertunity for putlic, technical and government agency participation.
Over the past two years as I have reviewed various aspects of the radicactive wa:te pecules, the cesplexities and diffi-culties of the issues 9 ave Deccae evident -- both ft s a technical and, sore in;ortantly, fece an instituti:nal and political perspective. Ecwever, based on tae technical con-clasions reacted by tre IRC, I as persuaded taat tne capatility now exists to characterize and evaluate a nutter of geologic environments for use as repositories tuilt vita =caventional mining teennology. We have already sade sutstantial pecgress and ctanges in our prograss. With this comprehensive policy and its implementation snrough the FY 1981 tucget and other actions, we will cesplete the tast of recrienting our effsets in the right directica. Many c1*12 ens t=ow and all sust under-stand that this prooles will me with us for sany years. We sust proceed steadily and with determination to resolve 13e remaining technical issues while ensuring f all putlic partici-pation and saintaining the full cooperstten of all levels of government. We will act surely and without delay, tut we will not =ompromise our technical or scientific standards out of haste. 1 look forward to worwing with the Congress and the states to impitsent tais policy and build putlic confidence in the ability of the government to do wnat is required in this area to protect tae healta and safety of our citizens.
J1NMT CARTE 2 TIE WHITE HCC3E, t0ie9 o
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