United
Environmental Protection
Agency
AH- and Radiation
(6602J)
EPA 402-f-98-00?
August 1999
Fact Sheet
Yucca
EPA's Public
Environmental
What is Yucca Mountain?
Yucca Mountain is the Department of Energy's
proposed geologic repository designed to accept
spent nuclear fuet and high-level radioactive waste.
If approved, the site would be the nation's first
geological repository for permanent disposal of this
type of radioactive waste.
(t is located in Nye County, Nevada, 100 mites
northwest of Las Vegas on fecteraBy-
owned land on the western of the
Department of Energy's Nevada Test
Site. The repository will be built
approximately 1,000 feet betow the top
of the mountain and 1,000 feet above
the ground water.
J
Yucca^f
Mountain
What kind of radioactive are
proposed for disposal at Yucca
Moyntain?
Spent nuctear fuel and high tevei radioactive waste
make up most of the material to be disposed at
Yucca Mountain. Approximately 90% of the waste
proposed for disposal is from commercial nuclear
power plants, with the remainder coming from
defense programs.
What Is
As required by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of
1992, EPA has the responsibility for developing site-
specific radiation protection standards for Yucca
Mountain, NV. These standards protect public health
and the environment from harmful exposure to the
radioactive waste that would be stored and disposed
in the proposed underground geologic repository,
implementing the standards developed by EPA is the
responsibility of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
How does EPA's rule protect public
health?
To ensure protection, EPA's proposed standards
address al! environmental pathways: air, ground
water, food, and soil. The standards are designed to
protect the ctosest residents to the repository to 15
miirwn per year, or a risk of no greater than a 3 in
10,000 chance of contracting a cancer - a level
within the Agency's acceptable risk rang© for
environmental pollutants,
The closest residents to the repository in the path of
any potential releases are at Lathrop Wells, NV,
which is 20 kilometers (about 12 mites) from the site.
The potential risk for those at greater distances
would be even less.
How will ground water be protected?
EPA is committed to protecting ground water.
Because the proposed repository sits above an
important ground water resource, we are proposing
that the ground water be protected to the standards
established under the Safe Drinking Water Act,
EPA's rule provides protection for this aquifer, since
it currently provides water for drinking, irrigation,
dairy cattle and, in the future, couid supply water to
many people in the fast growing Las Vegas area.
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What has EPA done to develop the
standards?
Yucca Mountain is a unique site with many complex
technical, scientific, and policy issues. It was
important that we fully understood the complexities in
order to issue proposed standards that are protective
of public health and the environment, technically
sound, and could ba reasonably tmptemanted,
EPA conducted extensive information gathering
activities and analyses to understand the technical
aspects of Yucca Mountain. Among oyr activities
were: commissioning recommendations from the
National Academy of Sciences, as required by the
Energy Policy Act; soliciting comments from
stakeholders and the scientific community on the
NAS report; hokjing technical discussions with DOE
and its scientists; and working with the President's
Office of Science and Technology Policy. In addition,
we considered other federal agencies' actions, other
countries" regulations, and guidance from national
and international organizations.
How is EPA's proposed rule different
from that proposed by the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission?
The differences in the rules reftect the different rotes
of the Agencies. EPA's rute establishes the
environmental standards. The Nuclear Regulatory
Commission's rute establishes the processes for
determining whether Yucca Mountain will meet EPA's
standards.
When will Yucca Mountain be ©p®n?
The site needs to undergo a complex NRC licensing
process to determine whether it can safely contain
the waste. DOE expects to complete the process
and begin placing the waste in the repository in
2010.
How will tti© waste be transported to the
repository?
DOE's current plan is to transport the waste by truck
and rail to Nevada. The waste will be shipped in
casks that are heavily shielded to contain the
radioactive material and are certified to withstand
extreme accidents, impacts, puncture, and exposure
to fire and water. In addition, NRC ancf Department
of Transportation regulations must be met before any
waste is shipped to the sits.
The transportation routes go through 43 states. The
federal government will be working with States, local
governments, and Tribes in developing emergency
response plans.
How can the pub He be involved In EPA's
final rote decision process?
Once the rule is published in the Pmtitnl Aegfofer, a
90 day public comment period wil begin. During that
time, we wHI hold public hearings in Nevada and
Washington, DC.
Once the specifics are set, we will announce that
information on our the Yucca Mountain
Information Line, in major Nevada newspapers, and
in the J^dsffif Higltlir 15-30 days before the
hearings,
How can I get a copy of EPA's and supporting documentation"
There am Jfm rute are on ow
wufc site end
Printed of the proposed rute wtt ba approximately weeks from if s
publication In the f®0®ml ftagbfer. Cafl our toll-free Yucca Mountain information Line at:
1.800.331.9477
Register your request along with your name and complete mailing address, and we will mail a
copy to you.
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