Radioactive waste management
Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) 34th session
The 34th plenary session of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) was held in Paris on 7-9 March 2001. A half-day policy debate on radiological protection of the environment, held with the NEA Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health, preceeded the meeting. The latter reviewed national and international initiatives in this area. Amongst the initiatives mentioned were the EC Fasset initiative, various initiatives within the IAEA, and national studies such as those by Nirex in the UK, and SSI in Sweden.
The main objectives of the RWMC meeting were to review the programme of work of its specialised working parties: the Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC), the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC), the Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD), and to discuss the status of specific activities under way. These are:
The RWMC is preparing the publication of booklets on the following themes:
Ms. Margaret Federline, US NRC, was elected as Chair of the RWMC, replacing Mr. Soeren Norrby, SKI.
Fourth meeting of the RWMC Regulator's Forum
Thirteen regulators representing eleven countries attended the RWMC Regulators' Forum on 6 March 2001. The Forum's open and informal format is intended to promote discussions on a range of regulatory issues. It is a unique opportunity for waste management regulators to exchange practical national experiences. Participants in the Forum are also members of the RWMC.
The Regulators' Forum is completing its first product, a summary of waste management regulatory control systems in NEA Member countries. The plan is to maintain it as a living document, with revisions prior to each meeting of the Forum. The document will be finalised in late summer 2001, and will be used by the Regulators' Forum to understand differences in regulatory processes and to guide its future work. It will also be made available to the public.
Mr. Clive Williams, from the UK Environment Agency, was elected as the next Chair of the Regulators' Forum and Mr. Carl-Magnus Larsson, SSI, as Vice-chair.
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