The Nation's Nuclear Waste--Proposals for Organization and Siting

Over the last 30 years, the Federal Government has generated vast quantities of highly radioactive contaminated waste. Spent fuel from commercial reactors has also accumulated. Both are characterized by high levels of radiation and a long toxic life. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Energy (DOE) have major responsibilities for managing and disposing of these wastes. Several attempts by the DOE and its predecessor agencies to permanently dispose of nuclear waste in deep underground repositories have failed because of public and political opposition, rather than technical reasons. The Federal Government has never articulated a firm policy on how it intends to manage nuclear waste over the long term, and consequently there has never been a clearly defined, technically feasible waste management plan.