ABSTRACT
In any discussion of the National Environmental Policy Act process, the chief aim of which being to preserve, protect, and improve the quality of the human environment, the subject of nuclear waste disposal cannot be ignored because it is an issue of major concern to the public. Nuclear wastes have been safely stored in a temporary manner for decades with no discernible adverse effects on the health and safety of the public. However, some part of them will remain radioactive for thousands of years, and hence the wastes need to be safely disposed. In 1984, 86 domestic nuclear power plants generated more than 13% of the electricity produced in the US, making nuclear power the second leading energy source of electricity generation in the US, following coal. National programs for nuclear waste management that had operated under very general guidelines from Congress became focused in the 1970s and early 1980s.
