Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110
§10134 Site Approval and Construction Authorization
Title 42 › CHAPTER 108 — NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY › SUBCHAPTER I — DISPOSAL AND STORAGE OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, AND LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE › Part A — Repositories for Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel › § 10134
Summary
The Secretary must hold public hearings near Yucca Mountain and collect local comments. After finishing the site studies, if the Secretary wants to recommend the site, the Secretary must tell Nevada’s governor and legislature, wait at least 30 days, and then send a recommendation to the President. That recommendation must include a full written statement that describes the planned repository and its engineering, the waste packaging and how it fits the geology, safety data from site work, a final environmental impact statement under NEPA with agency comments, preliminary Nuclear Regulatory Commission comments, views from the State and affected tribes and the Secretary’s replies, Nevada’s impact report, and any other relevant information the Secretary thinks is needed. The President can only send the site recommendation to Congress if the Secretary already recommended it and provided that statement. If Congress lets the site designation take effect, the Secretary must apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for construction authorization within 90 days and give Nevada a copy. The NRC must report to Congress one year after the application and every year after until it decides. The NRC must approve or deny the application within 3 years, but it can extend once for up to 12 months if it files the required report at least 30 days before the deadline. The first approved repository may not accept more than 70,000 metric tons of heavy metal (or the equivalent reprocessed waste) until a second repository is operating; the same cap applies combined with a nearby monitored retrievable storage facility within 50 miles. The Secretary must keep a project schedule with deadlines; agencies that miss deadlines must report why, and the Secretary must reply within 30 days. The Secretary’s recommendation is treated as a major federal action under NEPA and must include a final environmental impact statement; the Secretary and the NRC do not have to consider alternate sites, the need for a repository, or nongeologic alternatives when preparing those NEPA documents.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §10134
The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Hearings and Presidential recommendation
(1)The Secretary shall hold public hearings in the vicinity of the Yucca Mountain site, for the purposes of informing the residents of the area of such consideration and receiving their comments regarding the possible recommendation of such site. If, upon completion of such hearings and completion of site characterization activities at the Yucca Mountain site, under section 10133 of this title, the Secretary decides to recommend approval of such site to the President, the Secretary shall notify the Governor and legislature of the State of Nevada, of such decision. No sooner than the expiration of the 30-day period following such notification, the Secretary shall submit to the President a recommendation that the President approve such site for the development of a repository. Any such recommendation by the Secretary shall be based on the record of information developed by the Secretary under section 10133 of this title and this section, including the information described in subparagraph (A) through subparagraph (G). Together with any recommendation of a site under this paragraph, the Secretary shall make available to the public, and submit to the President, a comprehensive statement of the basis of such recommendation, including the following:
(A)a description of the proposed repository, including preliminary engineering specifications for the facility;
(B)a description of the waste form or packaging proposed for use at such repository, and an explanation of the relationship between such waste form or packaging and the geologic medium of such site;
(C)a discussion of data, obtained in site characterization activities, relating to the safety of such site;
(D)a final environmental impact statement prepared for the Yucca Mountain site pursuant to subsection (f) and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), together with comments made concerning such environmental impact statement by the Secretary of the Interior, the Council on Environmental Quality, the Administrator, and the Commission, except that the Secretary shall not be required in any such environmental impact statement to consider the need for a repository, the alternatives to geological disposal, or alternative sites to the Yucca Mountain site;
(E)preliminary comments of the Commission concerning the extent to which the at-depth site characterization analysis and the waste form proposal for such site seem to be sufficient for inclusion in any application to be submitted by the Secretary for licensing of such site as a repository;
(F)the views and comments of the Governor and legislature of any State, or the governing body of any affected Indian tribe, as determined by the Secretary, together with the response of the Secretary to such views;
(G)such other information as the Secretary considers appropriate; and
(H)any impact report submitted under section 10136(c)(2)(B) of this title by the State of Nevada.
(2)(A)If, after recommendation by the Secretary, the President considers the Yucca Mountain site qualified for application for a construction authorization for a repository, the President shall submit a recommendation of such site to Congress.
(B)The President shall submit with such recommendation a copy of the statement for such site prepared by the Secretary under paragraph (1).
(3)(A)The President may not recommend the approval of the Yucca Mountain site unless the Secretary has recommended to the President under paragraph (1) approval of such site and has submitted to the President a statement for such site as required under such paragraph.
(B)No recommendation of a site by the President under this subsection shall require the preparation of an environmental impact statement under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), or to require any environmental review under subparagraph (E) or (F) of section 102(2) of such Act.
(b)Submission of application
If the President recommends to the Congress the Yucca Mountain site under subsection (a) and the site designation is permitted to take effect under section 10135 of this title, the Secretary shall submit to the Commission an application for a construction authorization for a repository at such site not later than 90 days after the date on which the recommendation of the site designation is effective under such section and shall provide to the Governor and legislature of the State of Nevada a copy of such application.
(c)Status report on application
Not later than 1 year after the date on which an application for a construction authorization is submitted under subsection (b), and annually thereafter until the date on which such authorization is granted, the Commission shall submit a report to the Congress describing the proceedings undertaken through the date of such report with regard to such application, including a description of— (1)
(2)any matters of contention regarding such application; and
(3)any Commission actions regarding the granting or denial of such authorization.
(d)Commission action
The Commission shall consider an application for a construction authorization for all or part of a repository in accordance with the laws applicable to such applications, except that the Commission shall issue a final decision approving or disapproving the issuance of a construction authorization not later than the expiration of 3 years after the date of the submission of such application, except that the Commission may extend such deadline by not more than 12 months if, not less than 30 days before such deadline, the Commission complies with the reporting requirements established in subsection (e)(2). The Commission decision approving the first such application shall prohibit the emplacement in the first repository of a quantity of spent fuel containing in excess of 70,000 metric tons of heavy metal or a quantity of solidified high-level radioactive waste resulting from the reprocessing of such a quantity of spent fuel until such time as a second repository is in operation. In the event that a monitored retrievable storage facility, approved pursuant to part C of this subchapter, shall be located, or is planned to be located, within 50 miles of the first repository, then the Commission decision approving the first such application shall prohibit the emplacement of a quantity of spent fuel containing in excess of 70,000 metric tons of heavy metal or a quantity of solidified high-level radioactive waste resulting from the reprocessing of spent fuel in both the repository and monitored retrievable storage facility until such time as a second repository is in operation.
(e)Project decision schedule
(1)The Secretary shall prepare and update, as appropriate, in cooperation with all affected Federal agencies, a project decision schedule that portrays the optimum way to attain the operation of the repository, within the time periods specified in this part. Such schedule shall include a description of objectives and a sequence of deadlines for all Federal agencies required to take action, including an identification of the activities in which a delay in the start, or completion, of such activities will cause a delay in beginning repository operation.
(2)Any Federal agency that determines that it cannot comply with any deadline in the project decision schedule, or fails to so comply, shall submit to the Secretary and to the Congress a written report explaining the reason for its failure or expected failure to meet such deadline, the reason why such agency could not reach an agreement with the Secretary, the estimated time for completion of the activity or activities involved, the associated effect on its other deadlines in the project decision schedule, and any recommendations it may have or actions it intends to take regarding any improvements in its operation or organization, or changes to its statutory directives or authority, so that it will be able to mitigate the delay involved. The Secretary, within 30 days after receiving any such report, shall file with the Congress his response to such report, including the reasons why the Secretary could not amend the project decision schedule to accommodate the Federal agency involved.
(f)Environmental impact statement
(1)Any recommendation made by the Secretary under this section shall be considered a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment for purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). A final environmental impact statement prepared by the Secretary under such Act shall accompany any recommendation to the President to approve a site for a repository.
(2)With respect to the requirements imposed by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), compliance with the procedures and requirements of this chapter shall be deemed adequate consideration of the need for a repository, the time of the initial availability of a repository, and all alternatives to the isolation of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel in a repository.
(3)For purposes of complying with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and this section, the Secretary need not consider alternate sites to the Yucca Mountain site for the repository to be developed under this part.
(4)Any environmental impact statement prepared in connection with a repository proposed to be constructed by the Secretary under this part shall, to the extent practicable, be adopted by the Commission in connection with the issuance by the Commission of a construction authorization and license for such repository. To the extent such statement is adopted by the Commission, such adoption shall be deemed to also satisfy the responsibilities of the Commission under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and no further consideration shall be required, except that nothing in this subsection shall affect any independent responsibilities of the Commission to protect the public health and safety under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).
(5)Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to amend or otherwise detract from the licensing requirements of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission established in title II of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5841 et seq.).
(6)In any such statement prepared with respect to the repository to be constructed under this part, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission need not consider the need for a repository, the time of initial availability of a repository, alternate sites to the Yucca Mountain site, or nongeologic alternatives to such site.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, referred to in subsecs. (a)(1)(D) and (f), is Pub. L. 91–190, Jan. 1, 1970, 83 Stat. 852, which is classified generally to chapter 55 (§ 4321 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 4321 of this title and Tables. The Atomic Energy Act of 1954, referred to in subsec. (f)(4), is act Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724, as added by act Aug. 30, 1954, ch. 1073, § 1, 68 Stat. 919, which is classified principally to chapter 23 (§ 2011 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 2011 of this title and Tables. The Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, referred to in subsec. (f)(5), is Pub. L. 93–438, Oct. 11, 1974, 88 Stat. 1233. Title II of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 is classified generally to subchapter II (§ 5841 et seq.) of chapter 73 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 5801 of this title and Tables.
Amendments
1987—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 100–202 and Pub. L. 100–203, § 5011(h)(1)(A)–(E), amended par. (1) identically, in introductory provisions substituting “vicinity of the Yucca Mountain site” for “vicinity of each site under consideration for recommendation to the President under this paragraph as a site for the development of a repository”, striking out “in which such site is located” after “residents of the area”, substituting “activities at the Yucca Mountain site” for “activities at not less than 3 candidate sites for the first proposed repository, or from all of the characterized sites for the development of subsequent respositories” [sic] and “of Nevada” for “in which such site is located, or the governing body of the affected Indian tribe where such site is located, as the case may be”, and struck out before last sentence “In making site recommendations and approvals subsequent to the first site recommendation, the Secretary and the President, respectively, shall also consider the need for regional distribution of repositories and the need to minimize, to the extent practicable, the impacts and cost of transporting spent fuel and solidified high-level radioactive waste.” Subsec. (a)(1)(D). Pub. L. 100–202 and Pub. L. 100–203, § 5011(h)(1)(F), generally amended subpar. (D) identically. Prior to amendment, subpar. (D) read as follows: “a final environmental impact statement prepared pursuant to subsection (f) of this section and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), including an analysis of the consideration given by the Secretary to not less than 3 candidate sites for the first proposed respository [sic] or to all of the characterized sites for the development of subsequent repositories, with respect to which site characterization is completed under section 10133 of this title, together with comments made concerning such environmental impact statement by the Secretary of the Interior, the Council on Environmental Quality, the Administrator, and the Commission, except that any such environmental impact statement concerning the first repository to be developed under this chapter shall not be required to consider the need for a repository or the alternatives to geologic disposal;”. Subsec. (a)(1)(H). Pub. L. 100–202 and Pub. L. 100–203, § 5011(h)(1)(G), amended subpar. (H) identically, substituting “the State of Nevada” for “the State in which such site is located, or under section 10138(b)(3)(B) of this title by the affected Indian tribe where such site is located, as the case may be”. Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 100–202 and Pub. L. 100–203, § 5011(h)(2), amended subsec. (a) identically, adding par. (2) and striking out former par. (2) which required submission of recommendation of one site for repository not later than Mar. 31, 1987, and recommendation of second site not later than Mar. 31, 1990, and permitted subsequent recommendations for other sites and extension of deadlines. Subsec. (a)(3), (4). Pub. L. 100–202 and Pub. L. 100–203, § 5011(h)(2), (3), amended subsec. (a) identically, redesignating par. (4) as (3), in subpar. (A), substituting “the Yucca Mountain site” for “any site under this subsection” and “statement” for “report”, and striking out former par. (3) which read as follows: “If approval of any such site recommendation does not take effect as a result of a disapproval by the Governor or legislature of a State under section 10136 of this title or the governing body of an affected Indian tribe under section 10138 of this title, the President shall submit to the Congress, not later than 1 year after the disapproval of such recommendation, a recommendation of another site for the first or subsequent repository.” Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–202 and Pub. L. 100–203, § 5011(i), amended subsec. (b) identically, substituting “the Yucca Mountain site” for “a site for a repository” and “State of Nevada” for “State in which such site is located, or the governing body of the affected Indian tribe where such site is located, as the case may be,”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–202 and Pub. L. 100–203, § 5011(j), amended subsec. (d) identically, substituting “than the expiration” for “than— (1)
January 1, 1989, for the first such application, and
January 1, 1992 for the second such application; or (2) the expiration” and “subsection (e)(2)” for “subsection (e)(2); whichever occurs later”. Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 100–202 and Pub. L. 100–203, § 5011(k), amended par. (1) identically, substituting “operation of the repository” for “operation of the repository involved”. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 100–202 and Pub. L. 100–203, § 5011(l), generally amended subsec. (f) identically, substituting provisions consisting of pars. (1) to (6) for former provisions consisting of single unnumbered par.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Termination of Reporting RequirementsFor termination, effective
May 15, 2000, of provisions of law requiring submittal to Congress of any annual, semiannual, or other regular periodic report listed in House Document No. 103–7 (in which a report required under subsec. (c) of this section is listed as the 17th item on page 186), see section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66, as amended, set out as a note under section 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance. Viability Assessment of Yucca Mountain Site Pub. L. 104–206, title III, Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 2995, provided in part: “That no later than
September 30, 1998, the Secretary shall provide to the President and to the Congress a viability assessment of the Yucca Mountain site. The viability assessment shall include: “(1) the preliminary design concept for the critical elements for the repository and waste package; “(2) a total system performance assessment, based upon the design concept and the scientific data and analysis available by
September 30, 1998, describing the probable behavior of the repository in the Yucca Mountain geological setting relative to the overall system performance standards; “(3) a plan and cost estimate for the remaining work required to complete a license application; and “(4) an estimate of the costs to construct and operate the repository in accordance with the design concept.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 10134
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110