Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Update

1. Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Update Presented to: Western Interstate Energy Board High-Level Waste Committee Presented by: Alexander Thrower Office of Logistics Management September 25, 2007 Santa Fe, NM

2. Introduction • Program strategic objectives • Schedule • Budget • Status of Yucca Mountain Project • Status of transportation projects

3. Program Strategic Objectives License Application • Submit a high-quality License Application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) no later than June 30, 2008 Staffing • Design, staff and train the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) organization so it has the skills and culture needed to design, license, and manage the construction and operation of the Yucca Mountain Project with safety, quality, and cost effectiveness Liability • Address the Federal Government’s mounting liability associated with unmet contractual obligations to move spent fuel from nuclear plant sites Transportation • Develop and begin implementation of a comprehensive National Transportation Plan (NTP) that accommodates state, local and tribal concerns and input to the greatest extent practicable

4. Yucca Mountain Repository License Application Schedule* Schedule dependent on factors outside DOE’s control: i.e., funding, NRC and Congressional actions, issuance of authorizations and permits, and potential litigation * Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada (DOE/EIS-0250F) **Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada - Nevada Rail Transportation Corridor (DOE/EIS-0250F-S2D; the Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS); Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Rail Alignment for the Construction and Operation of a Railroad in Nevada to a Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada (DOE/EIS-0369D; the Rail Alignment EIS)

5. Best Achievable Schedulefor Yucca Mountain* * These milestones are based on a best achievable schedule and are dependent upon appropriations, timely issuance of all necessary authorizations and permits, the absence of litigation-related delays, and enactment of legislation proposed by the Administration

6. FY 2008 Budget Request Summary(dollars in millions) FY 2007 CR FY 2008 Request FY 2007 Request FY 2006 Approp $305.9 $355.4 $ - $378.4 19.9 67.7 0.0 15.0 119.7 121.4 0.0 101.0 49.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 495.0 544.5 445.5 494.5 99.0 156.4 99.0 202.5 49.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 346.5 388.1 346.5 292.0 Yucca Mountain Transportation Prog Mgmt & Integration/Prog Direction Integrated Spent Fuel Recycling Facilities TOTAL PROGRAM Nuclear Waste Fund Integrated Spent Fuel Recycling Facilities Defense Nuclear Waste Disposal

7. Supplement to Final Repository EIS • Since the 2002 EIS was issued, OCRWM has continued to develop repository design and associated plans • Repository will be operated using a primarily canistered approach • Most commercial spent nuclear fuel would be packaged in transport, aging and disposal canisters (TADs) • OCRWM is preparing a supplement to the Yucca Mountain final EIS

8. Licensing Support Network (LSN) • LSN is a web-based information system established by the NRC that provides public access to documentary material relevant to the licensing proceeding for Yucca Mountain • NRC requires DOE to certify its LSN collection • DOE’s plans to certify its LSN collection no later than Dec. 21, 2007 • LSN website: http://www.lsnnet.gov.

9. Transportation Priority Activities • Issue National Transportation Plan • Complete draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and draft Rail Alignment EIS • Continue work on routing criteria for a preliminary national suite of routes • Expand benchmarking efforts to identify best practices • Coordinate with TAD development effort

10. Development of the NTP • Developing the NTP is one of four strategic OCRWM Program objectives • Elements of the plan include • Requirements • Infrastructure development • Stakeholder involvement • Operations planning • OLM will reach out to state, local, and tribal governments and industry to solicit their input • A formal comment and response document will be issued when the plan is finalized • The draft NTP is currently being reviewed internally • A release date has not been set

11. Nevada Transportation Project Status • October 2007 - Issue draft Nevada Rail CorridorSEIS and draft Rail Alignment EIS • OLM is looking forward to working with its stakeholders and welcomes their input • June 2008 - Issue final Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS and Rail Alignment EIS • Comments provided on the draft Rail SEIS will be addressed in the final Rail SEIS • Start of rail line construction and operations is subject to available appropriations

12. Section 180(c) Policy • Revised proposed policy was issued in the July 23, 2007 Federal Register Notice (FRN) • Comments due by October 22, 2007 • DOE is working on a supplement to the FRN addressing the funding allocation for tribes in the grant program • Expected in 2008 • DOE will conduct a pilot program of the Section 180(c) policy and grant procedures • After review of comments on the current revised proposed policy and implementation of the pilot program, DOE will issue a new revised proposed policy for public comment and thereafter will finalize the policy prior to issuance of the first 180(c) grants

13. Objectives of Routing Process • Meet OCRWM Program goals and address stakeholder concerns • Continue collaborative process with stakeholders • Implement strategic objective of OCRWM Director • Provide information to support implementation of Section 180(c) • Address National Academies’ recommendations • DOE should continue to ensure effective involvement of states and tribal governments in its decisions on routing • DOE should identify suite of preferred rail and highway routes as soon as practicable to support state, tribal, and local planning

14. Approach to Routing Process • Department of Transportation guidelines for selecting highway routes and standard railroad practices will be the starting point • OCRWM will concentrate exercises and demonstration projects along identified potential routes • Goal is to increase public understanding of the relative risk these shipments pose • Conduct pilot project to ensure the success of Section 180(c) implementation • OCRWM will provide opportunities for stakeholders to address local concerns within this framework

15. Benchmarking Effort • Initial study produced a best practices report • Consolidated experience and recommendations from past DOE shipping campaigns • Partners included • Waste Isolation Pilot Program • Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program • Foreign Research Reactor Program • Findings identified best practices and recommendations that were common across partner organizations • Later phases will evaluate integrated domestic and international commercial radioactive operations

16. Industry Interactions • Requested comments from potential vendors on approaches to design, construction and operation of a railroad in Nevada • Responses were sent to DOE in August and meetings were held September 17-20, 2007 • Issued Request for Proposals for TADs in July and received proposals from potential vendors in August • Responses are currently being evaluated by DOE • Before moving forward with other transportation procurements, OCRWM plans to engage the industry

17. Summary • The Department is committed to the development of Yucca Mountain as a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste • Developing a comprehensive national spent fuel transportation plan is an OCRWM Program strategic objective • A collaborative process with stakeholders will be integral to implementing a transportation system that is safe and secure and merits public confidence