Nuclear Regulatory Commission's waste confidence rulemaking

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) commenced a rulemaking proceeding to assess generically the degree of assurance now available that radioactive waste can be safely disposed of, to determine when such disposal or off-site storage will be available, and to determine whether radioactive wastes can be safely stored on-site past the expiration of existing facility licenses until off-site disposal or storage is available. This proceeding has come to be known as the ''Waste Confidence Rulemaking.'' This paper attempts to explain its background and purposes, the types of issues which have been raised, and the potential impacts on any determinations reached by the NRC. 13 refs.