Part E—Redirection of Nuclear Waste Program
§10172. Selection of Yucca Mountain site
(a) In general
(1) The Secretary shall provide for an orderly phase-out of site specific activities at all candidate sites other than the Yucca Mountain site.
(2) The Secretary shall terminate all site specific activities (other than reclamation activities) at all candidate sites, other than the Yucca Mountain site, within 90 days after December 22, 1987.
(b) Eligibility to enter into benefits agreement
Effective on December 22, 1987, the State of Nevada shall be eligible to enter into a benefits agreement with the Secretary under
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Editorial Notes
Codification
§10172a. Siting a second repository
(a) Congressional action required
The Secretary may not conduct site-specific activities with respect to a second repository unless Congress has specifically authorized and appropriated funds for such activities.
(b) Report
The Secretary shall report to the President and to Congress on or after January 1, 2007, but not later than January 1, 2010, on the need for a second repository.
(c) Termination of granite research
Not later than 6 months after December 22, 1987, the Secretary shall phase out in an orderly manner funding for all research programs in existence on December 22, 1987, designed to evaluate the suitability of crystalline rock as a potential repository host medium.
(d) Additional siting criteria
In the event that the Secretary at any time after December 22, 1987, considers any sites in crystalline rock for characterization or selection as a repository, the Secretary shall consider (as a supplement to the siting guidelines under
(1) seasonal increases in population;
(2) proximity to public drinking water supplies, including those of metropolitan areas; and
(3) the impact that characterization or siting decisions would have on lands owned or placed in trust by the United States for Indian tribes.
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