Press Release-02-115, NRC Amends Regulation on Unlikely Events at Potential Waste Repository

Press Release-02-115: NRC Amends Regulation on Unlikely Events at Potential Waste Repository

ML022730373
Person / Time
Site:	WM-00011
Issue date:	09/30/2002
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
HLWR Press Release-02-115
Download: ML022730373 (1)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov Web Site: www.nrc.govNo.02-115September 30, 2002NRC AMENDS REGULATION ON UNLIKELY EVENTS AT POTENTIAL WASTE REPOSITORY The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is amending its regulations regarding a potential nuclearwaste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to set out numerical values for deciding when a geological, hydrological or climatological feature, event or process is unlikely and therefore need not be considered in determining whether the repository would meet radiation dose standards for groundwater protection and human intrusion in NRC's regulations. Unlikely events would still have to be considered in determining whether the repository wouldmeet the overall 15-millirem radiation dose limit for protection of individuals.Environmental Protection Agency standards, adopted by the NRC, require naturally occurring"unlikely" features, events, and processes or sequences of processes (such as volcanoes) to be excluded from determining compliance with radiation dose standards for groundwater protection and human intrusion (for example, if someone drills into the repository).The new NRC regulation defines "unlikely" as having less than a 10 percent chance of occurringwithin 10,000 years of waste disposal.A proposed rule on this subject was published in the Federal Register for public comment onJanuary 25. No changes were made as a result of the comments received, and the Commission decided to finalize the rule as originally proposed.