Press Release-09-120, Commission Acts on High Level Waste Contention Appeals

Press Release-09-120: Commission Acts on High Level Waste Contention Appeals

ML091810952
Person / Time
Site:	06300001
Issue date:	06/30/2009
From:	Office of Public Affairs
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Press Release-09-120
Download: ML091810952 (1)

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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov Site: http://www.nrc.gov No.09-120 June 30, 2009 COMMISSION ACTS ON HIGH LEVEL WASTE CONTENTION APPEALS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 4-0 today to uphold the decisions of three Construction Authorization Boards (CABs) conducting a hearing on the Department of Energys application to build and operate a high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.

The Commissions decision includes several rulings, including a rejection of most of the NRC staffs appeal of several admitted contentions, or arguments, as well as the rejection of two Nevada contentions challenging DOEs managerial competence and institutional integrity.

DOE submitted its application June 3, 2008; on Sept. 9, 2008, the NRC staff determined that the 8,600-page application contained sufficient technical information for the agency to docket it and initiate its comprehensive safety review. The NRC announced an opportunity to participate in a hearing in October 2008, and the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel created three CABs to examine the 317 contentions filed by 12 petitioners, including the states of Nevada and California, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and other parties.

The Yucca Mountain application, minus some classified portions, is available on the NRC Web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/waste/hlw-disposal/yucca-lic-app.html.

News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.