Public Health and Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Yucca Mountain, NV

We, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are promulgating public health and safety standards for radioactive material stored or disposed of in the potential repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Section 801 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EnPA, Pub. L. 102-486) directs us to develop these standards. Section 801 of the EnPA also requires us to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a study to provide findings and recommendations on reasonable standards for protection of the public health and safety. The health and safety standards promulgated by EPA are to be "based upon and consistent with" the findings and recommendations of NAS. On August 1, 1995, NAS released its report (the NAS Report), titled "Technical Bases for Yucca Mountain Standards." We have taken the NAS Report into consideration as the EnPA directs. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will incorporate these final standards into its licensing regulations. The Department of Energy (DOE) must demonstrate compliance with these standards. The NRC will use its licensing regulations to determine whether DOE has demonstrated compliance with our standards prior to receiving the necessary licenses to store or dispose of radioactive material in Yucca Mountain.