Nuclear Waste Law and Policy Seminar**

Description:

This two-hour seminar will present a concise overview of United States law and policy relating to the disposition of commercial, high-level nuclear waste since the Atomic Energy Act was passed in 1954. It will focus on the cornerstone of American nuclear waste law and policy, the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), as amended in 1987.

The seminar will examine and frame for discussion five major issues of law and policy posed by the ongoing Department of Energy (DOE) effort to license and construct the world’s first permanent repository for high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: (1) Permanent Disposal v. Monitored Retrievable Storage; (2) Repository Location and Development; (3) Interim Storage and Related Transportation; (4) Public Health and Safety Standards, and (5) Financing.

Each student will prepare a research paper on a topic of his or her choice but subject to discussion with and approval by the instructor. A student will also be responsible for leading a class presentation and discussion on his/her topic. In addition, each student will be expected to do the assigned reading and be prepared to participate in each class discussion.

The paper may be submitted to satisfy a student’s “B” Writing Requirement. With the prior approval of the Instructor and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, a student may submit and rewrite the paper on an agreed schedule to meet his/her “A” Writing Requirement.

Meets B Writing Requirement.

**Not offered on a consistent basis