280 



In its role as lead agency for the management and disposal of 

 radioactive wastes and with cooperation of the other relevant 

 Federal agencies, the Department of Energy is preparing a detailed 

 National Plan for Nuclear Waste Management to implement these 

 policy guidelines and the other recommendations of the IRG, This 

 Plan will provide a clear road map ifor all parties and will give 

 the public an opportunity to review the entirety of our program. 

 It will include specific program goals and milestones for all 

 aspects of nuclear waste management. A draft of the comprehensive 

 National Plan will be distributed by the Secretary of Energy later 

 this year for public and Congressional review. The State Planning 

 Council will be directly involved in the development of l^is plan. 



The Nuclear Regulatory Commission now has underway an important 

 proceeding to provide the Nation with its judgment on whether or not 

 it has confidence that radioactive wastes produced by nuclear power 

 reactors can and will be disposed of safely. I urge that the Nuclear 

 Regulatory Commission do so in a thorough and timely manner and that 

 it provide a full opportunity for public, technical and government 

 agency participation. 



Over the past two years as I have reviewed various aspects of 

 the radioactive waste problem, the complexities and difficulties of 

 the issues have become evident — both from a technical and, more 

 Importantly, from an institutional and political perspective. How- 

 ever, based on the technical conclusions reached by the IRG, I am 

 persuaded that the capability now exists to characterize and evaluate 

 a number of geologic environments for use as repositories built with 

 conventional mining technology. We have already made substantial 

 progress and changes in our programs. With this comprehensive policy 

 and its implementation through the FY 1981 budget and other actions, 

 we will complete the task of reorienting our efforts in the right 

 direction. Many citizens know and all must understand that this 

 problem will be with us for many years. We must proceed steadily 

 and with determination to resolve the remaining technical issues 

 while ensuring full public participation and maintaining the full 

 cooperation of all levels of government. We will act surely and 

 without delay, but we will not compromise our technical or scien- 

 tific standards out of haste. I look forward to working with the 

 Congress and the states to implement this policy and build public 

 confidence in the ability of the government to do what is required 

 in this area to protect the health and safety of our citizens. 



JIMMY CARTER 



THE WHITE HOUSE 



