576 



- 12 



These international activities of the SWG, and in which we are 

 a participant, are governed by the awareness that even though 

 current understanding of sedimentary geologic formations 

 indicates they may be candidates for future high-level waste 

 disposal facilities, much additional specific research and 

 engineering is needed before a final determination can be made 

 of the feasibility of the seabed disposal concept. 



While technical and environmental feasibility studies are well 

 underway, institutional feasibility is just beginning to be 

 addressed and legal issues remain. 



Institutional and Legal Issues 



The concept of subseabed disposal of high-level wastes (HLW) 

 raises interrelated regulatory and institutional issues. 

 Although the Subseabed Disposal Program is a U.S. program, it 

 is within an international context. For example, results of 

 the Program's site assessment activities indicate that a 

 subseabed repository would probably be located outside U.S. 

 territorial waters and would thus be subject to the authority 

 of multilateral treaties and international agencies. 



At present, while the precise legal status of subseabed 

 disposal under U.S. law is clear, the status under 

 international is unclear. The Program currently assumes that 

 if the concept proves feasible, and if a decision were 



