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The President's interim waste disposal strategy offers three 

 important advantages: 



(1) it provides maximum redundancy and conservatism so 

 that no single or small number of setbacks would 

 undermine the entire program, or even cause great 

 delay; 



(2) sites can be selected by comparing several loca- 

 tions among themselves thus providing greater 

 confidence that the wastes will be disposed of 

 safely; 



(3) time will be available to put in place a good 

 scientific program, to build procedures for 

 licensing, public review and interaction, and to 

 establish decisionmaking processes with State and 

 local governments. 



The Department of Energy is taking the following actions to 

 implement this strategy: 



• Regional, area and site investigations are being 

 planned on a national basis to identify suitable high 

 level waste repository sites. A variety of geologic 

 environments and potential host rock types are being 

 examined and this program will be expanded to ensure 

 that the necessary sites will be available from which 

 to select the first repository site. 



• Research and development in laboratories and at test 

 sites has been increased. Greater attention is now 

 being given to a variety of possible waste forms, 

 including spent fuel, to waste packaging and to waste- 

 rock interactions under repository conditions. 



• Three test facilities are planned: a granite facility 

 in Nevada, a basalt facility in Washington State, and a 

 salt facility at a site yet to be chosen. 



The President has decided that the Waste Isolation pilot Plant 

 (WIPP) project as currently authorized will be cancelled. This 

 project, for which construction has not yet commenced, is cur- 

 rently authorized for the unlicensed disposal of transuranic 

 waste from our National defense program and for R&D using high 

 level waste. Reasons for the cancellation are: 



• Proceeding now on the basis of a single site is 

 inconsistent with the strategy to compare sites with 

 differing geologic characteristics prior to selection. 



• An unlicensed facility is contrary to the President's 

 policy. 



