1 of 10

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board Overview

Tribal Radioactive Material Transportation Committee

St. Louis, Missouri

May 22, 2023

Daniel Ogg

Executive Director

NWTRB

www.nwtrb.gov

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

Presented to:

Presented By:

2 of 10

Independent Federal Agency

2

The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) was established by Congress as an independent federal agency in the 1987 amendments to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA)

NWTRB

www.nwtrb.gov

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

3 of 10

Board Mission

  • The Board evaluates the “technical and scientific validity” of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) activities related to implementing the NWPA
  • These DOE activities include:
    • Packaging of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) and transportation of the wastes to a storage or disposal facility
    • Site characterization, design, and development of facilities for disposing of SNF or HLW

​

3

NWTRB

www.nwtrb.gov

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

4 of 10

Board Members

At full strength, the Board has eleven members:

  • Candidates nominated by National Academy of Sciences solely on the basis of eminence and expertise
  • Appointed by the President
  • Serve part time for four-year, staggered terms
  • May serve until replaced
  • Supported by permanent, full-time staff

​

4

NWTRB

www.nwtrb.gov

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

5 of 10

About the Board

  • Required to report its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy
  • By law, has access to draft DOE documents – allows Board recommendations to be made during decision-making, not after the fact
  • Provides congressional testimony at the invitation of Congress

​

5

NWTRB

www.nwtrb.gov

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

6 of 10

About the Board (cont.)

  • Holds public meetings several times per year in different geographic locations in the United States
  • The meetings are webcast
  • Provides technical and scientific comments in letters to DOE following public meetings
  • Makes all official documents (meeting transcripts and materials, reports, correspondence, congressional testimony, etc.) available on its website: www.nwtrb.gov

​

6

NWTRB

www.nwtrb.gov

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

7 of 10

Current Board Members

  • Nathan Siu, Ph.D., Chair – Consultant, Risk Assessment
  • Ronald Ballinger, Sc.D. – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, emeritus
  • Steven M. Becker, Ph.D. – Old Dominion University
  • Allen G. Croff, Graduate Nuc. Engr. Degree – Vanderbilt University
  • Teresa Fryberger, Ph.D. – Consultant, Chemical and Environmental Sciences
  • Tissa Illangasekare, Ph.D. – Colorado School of Mines
  • Kenneth Lee Peddicord, Ph.D. – Texas A&M University, emeritus
  • Paul J. Turinsky, Ph.D., Deputy Chair – North Carolina State University, emeritus
  • Scott Tyler, Ph.D. – University of Nevada, Reno
  • Brian Woods, Ph.D. – Oregon State University
  • (One position vacant)

​

7

NWTRB

www.nwtrb.gov

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

8 of 10

Recent Board Meetings

  • Summer 2022 Meeting – September 13-14, 2022
    • Location: Arlington, Virginia / Virtual
    • Topic: DOE R&D activities related to geologic disposal of SNF and HLW in clay-bearing host rocks and R&D on clay-based engineered barriers

​

  • Spring 2023 Meeting – March 28, 2023
    • Location: Orlando, Florida
    • Topic: DOE activities to evaluate the removal of commercial spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plant sites
    • Included a Tribal panel, offering insights from several Tribes

8

NWTRB

www.nwtrb.gov

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

9 of 10

Future Board Meetings

  • Summer 2023 Meeting – August 28-29, 2023
    • Location: Idaho Falls, Idaho
    • Topic: DOE activities to develop a consent-based siting process for a federal interim storage facility; issues related to management of spent nuclear fuel

​

  • Winter/Spring 2024 Meeting – Date TBD
    • Location: TBD
    • Topic: DOE generic disposal studies in crystalline rock types; spent nuclear fuel degradation models

9

See: https://www.energy.gov/ne/consent-based-siting

NWTRB

www.nwtrb.gov

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

10 of 10

Recent Board Reports

  • Six Overarching Recommendations for How to Move the Nation’s Nuclear Waste Management Program Forward – April 2021
  • Evaluation of the Department of Energy’s Research Program to Examine the Performance of Commercial High Burnup Spent Nuclear Fuel during Extended Storage and Transportation – July 2021
  • Survey of National Programs for Managing High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel: 2022 Update – July 2022
  • Report to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy: Board Activities for the Period January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2021 – November 2022

10

NWTRB

www.nwtrb.gov

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board