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U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board Overview

Tribal Radioactive Material Transportation Committee

St. Louis, Missouri

May 22, 2023

Daniel Ogg

Executive Director

NWTRB

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U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

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Presented By:

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Independent Federal Agency

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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

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U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

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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

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NWTRB

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U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

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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

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NWTRB

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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

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NWTRB

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U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

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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

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NWTRB

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U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

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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)

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U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

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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

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NWTRB

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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

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NWTRB

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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

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NWTRB

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U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board