Feasibility Assessment Grants in Support of Volunteer Siting of a Monitored Retrievable Storage Facility

Benson, Allen; Weisman, Naomi M.; Morgan, William; ,

Feasibility Assessment Grants in Support of Volunteer Siting of a Monitored Retrievable Storage Facility

by Allen Benson, DOE/OCRWM, Washington, United States,
Naomi M. Weisman, DOE/OCRWM, Washington, United States,
William Morgan, DOE/OCRWM, Washington, United States,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: High Level Radioactive Waste Management 1993

Abstract:

The Monitored Retrievable Storage facility (MRS) is an integral component of the planned Federal radioactive waste management system. The MRS will temporarily store spent fuel from commercial nuclear power plants prior to shipment to a geologic repository for permanent disposal. To facilitate voluntary siting of an MRS facility, Congress, in 1987, authorized the award of feasibility assessment grants by the Department of Energy to assist potentially interested jurisdictions to consider the possibility of hosting an MRS. This paper addresses the experience with MRS feasibility assessment grants to date, reviewing the current status of grant applications and presenting observations on the grant program and the voluntary siting approach, which it supports. The authors note that although the voluntary siting process has yet to identify an MRS host, the feasibility assessment grants have been successful in generating interest and active consideration and debate regarding MRS siting among States, Indian Tribes, and affected units of local government. Continued information efforts about the grant process and more proactive DOE support for and participation in the voluntary siting process are among the recommendations offered.

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