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Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

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Response<br />

13<br />

LICENSING AND THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS<br />

The Statement analyzes several parameters which are intended to represent possible<br />

future situations resulting from national decisions. Five different growth scenarios are<br />

examined:<br />

* Present inventory (equivalent to industry shutdown).<br />

* Present capacity to retirement (equivalent to licensing no new reactors).<br />

* Installed capacity <strong>of</strong> 250 GWe in year 2000 and declining to zero in year 2040.<br />

* Installed capacity <strong>of</strong> 250 GWe in year 2000 and continuing at 250 GWe to year 2040.<br />

* Installed capacity <strong>of</strong> 250 GWe in year 2000 and growing to 500 GWe in year 2040.<br />

The Statement also examines two fuel cycle alternatives (see Section 3.2). The once-<br />

through fuel cycle is consistent with the present administration policy on reprocessing.<br />

The uranium-plutonium recycle option that is addressed could become viable if the moratorium<br />

on reprocessing were to be lifted.<br />

Issue<br />

Several commenters noted that the Statement does not discuss the process and schedule<br />

being used to resolve radioactive waste management questions. (43, 97, 147, 154, 198,<br />

208-NRC)<br />

Response<br />

The Statement is intended to be the environmental input to the National <strong>Waste</strong> Manage-<br />

ment Plan which was called for by President Carter in his statement <strong>of</strong> February 12, 1980,<br />

and which will be issued for the public review in the near future. This plan will outline<br />

the programmatic structure for the management <strong>of</strong> radioactive wastes. The overall schedule<br />

and major milestones for implementation <strong>of</strong> the program will be identified in this plan. In<br />

his message <strong>of</strong> February 12, the President called for the Department <strong>of</strong> Energy to mount an<br />

aggressive research and development program over the next five years to support waste solid-<br />

ification and packaging, and repository design and construction including experimental test<br />

facilities. Selection <strong>of</strong> a site for the first full-scale repository should be accomplished<br />

by about 1985 and should be operational by the mid-1990's.<br />

Issues<br />

Several commenters questioned the use <strong>of</strong> an environmental impact statement at this<br />

stage <strong>of</strong> program development for waste disposal. (181, 217) A question was also raised as<br />

to the validity <strong>of</strong> using a generic approach in this particular EIS. (214)<br />

Response<br />

DOE has prepared this generic environmental impact statement in order to adequately<br />

examine the environmental impacts <strong>of</strong> alternative disposal strategies, including the

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