Year
1990
Abstract
Good morning. I appreciate the opportunity provided by Chairman John Lemming, Ed Johnson, and conference organizers to address this plenary session of the 31st Annual Meeting of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to share with you our plans for the siting, development, licensing, and orderly deployment of high-level radioactive waste management facilities. Our primary objective is safe, efficient, and environmentally acceptable waste management on a timely basis. Your organization represents an impressive spectrum of nuclear-related disciplines, and I applaud your contributions. You have been instrumental in identifying issues in the nuclear fuel cycle and contributing to sensible solutions by providing a forum for the exchange of information by experts in the field. These efforts have been particularly relevant in the areas of nuclear materials accountability, materials control, physical protection, transportation, and high-level radioactive waste management. I understand that INMM has increased its focus on waste management, including spent nuclear fuel handling, transport, and storage. We at the Department appreciate your contributions and consider it vitally important to keep you fully informed of our efforts. More specifically, I would like to update you on progress, problems, and challenges in the U.S. effort to provide timely waste acceptance and disposal; explain what is happening to secure the necessary institutional approvals for the program; and provide a brief overview of the integral fast reactor concept as it relates to the need for a high-level radioactive waste repository. Lastly, I will discuss potential safeguards implications for the waste management system, and application of safeguards technology to high-level waste disposal issues.