Welcome to Mineral County's Yucca Mountain Oversight Program on-line:
Mineral County Yucca Mountain Oversight Program was created when the Nuclear Waste Policy Act as amended NWPA, designated the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada as the only site to be considered for a geologic repository for disposal of spent fuel and high-level nuclear waste. The NWPA also provided for the Affected Units of Local Government (AULG) within the vicinity of Yucca Mountain to oversee and participate in the Yucca Mountain Project. By affording AULG participation rights, Congress sought to increase public confidence in the scientific integrity of the repository program, provide citizens the means to interact with the federal government, and demonstrate a commitment to external oversight.
What's happening with Yucca Mountain?
2012 - Final BRC report - BRC Report to the Secretary of Energy - January 2012
Timeline of the Yucca Mountain Project updated through December 2011
September 2011
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published three NUREG technical evaluation reports (TERs) detailing the agency staff's review of the Department of Energy's license application for a high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
Publication of the TER provides the staff's technical review of the postclosure information in the Yucca Mountain application. The TER's do not include findings as to whether NRC's regulatory requirements have been satisfied.
"Technical Evaluation Report on the Content of the U.S. Department of Energy's Yucca Mountain Repository License Application; Postclosure Volume: Repository Safety After Permanent Closure," is part of the agency's orderly closeout of the Yucca Mountain license review process and is intended as a public record of the staff's scientific and technical work in preparing for and reviewing the application. It was developed using the draft Volume 3 of the staff's Safety Evaluation Report on the application.
The TER's were prepared as part of the agency's knowledge management activities during the closeout of the Yucca Mountain licensing review.
- NUREG-1949, Volume 1, "Safety Evaluation Report Related to Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Wastes in a Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada; Volume 1: General Information"
- (July 21, 2011) NUREG-2107, “Technical Evaluation Report on the Content of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Yucca Mountain Repository License Application; Postclosure Volume: Repository Safety After Permanent Closure.” (ML11223A273)
- NUREG-2108, “Technical Evaluation Report on the Content of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Yucca Mountain Repository License Application; Preclosure Volume: Repository Safety Before Permanent Closure” (ML11250A093)
Mineral County's programs on-going task and goals:
We review activities of:
- The Department of Energy (DOE), Yucca Mountain Project (YMP),
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC),
- Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB),
- Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW), and;
- Other related agencies to analyze any potential economic, social, public health and safety impacts the proposed repository might have on Mineral County residents under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.
We continue to review and analyze project activities which include tracking national transportation routes and modes of transportation and any other transportation activities that have potential impacts to Mineral County residents and/or visitors regarding the possible shipment of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel through Mineral County along the U.S. 95 highway corridor.
We are conducting analysis with respect to property value impacts and other potential land use impacts that have probable economic and health and safety issues related to the DOE EIS supplemental for, and environmental impacts regarding high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel that may be shipped through Mineral County en route to Yucca Mountain. (Please see our publications page)
We are preparing optimal land use analyses utilizing the Mineral County’s GIS data that will incorporate findings of the risk perception and property value impacts regarding high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel that may be shipped by truck through Mineral County and provide this information to the Mineral County elected officials and the public.
Funding provided to Mineral County and all the Affected Units of Local Government (AULG) is paid by users of electricity generated by nuclear power plants. Under a general contract with nuclear generating utilities, the federal government collects a fee of one-mill (one-tenth a cent) per kilowatt-hour from utility companies for nuclear generated electricity. The money goes into the nuclear waste fund which is used to fund all program related activities.
Contact us:
Mineral County Nuclear Projects Office
Linda Mathias, Director
P.O. Box 1600
Hawthorne, NV 89415
