Section 236.102. Summary and purpose

(a) The site selection process for the low-level radioactive waste disposal facility addresses a wide range of public health, safety, environmental, social and economic factors. Considerations such as public health and safety, flooding, tectonics, protection of lands in the public trust, protection and exploitation of natural resources, demographics, transportation, wildlife, air quality, ecology, topography and hydrogeology are addressed in the siting requirements. The primary goal of the siting process is to identify a site that is capable of protecting public health, safety and the environment and to identify a site that is licensable.

(b) Application of the site selection process eliminates land in this Commonwealth that is unsuitable for use as a disposal site. From the remaining land, a site is to be selected by the applicant which will be submitted in the license application for the construction of the low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. At the initiation of the site selection process, all of the land in this Commonwealth is considered suitable for siting the facility. Through application of Phase I screening requirements, the applicant shall evaluate multiple areas and determine whether the areas are qualified or unqualified until the applicant has identified and submitted three sites, of approximately 500 acres each, to the EQB as the preferred potentially suitable sites. Through application of Phase I and Phase II site suitability requirements, the preferred potentially suitable sites will be studied in detail—characterized—and compared to identify the proposed site to be submitted for licensing.