Yucca Mountain Project Document Suspension, OAS-M-08-07

The Department or Energy's Office of Civilian Radioaztivc Waste Management (OCRWM) is preparing to obtain a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to construct a permanent repository at Yucca Mountain for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. In December 2005, OCRWM identified design process inadequacies and suspended the appro\lal of new7 documents 'important to waste isolation' or safety analysis that were subject to quality assurance procedures. Waste isolation refers to limiting radioactive exposure to the public after the waste is placed in the repository; while safety refers to limiting exposure prior to emplacement. OCRWM lifted the suspension in October 2006 after its contractor, Bechtel SAIC Company, LLC (BSC), revised its quality assurance procedures. Subsequentlq, the Office of Inspector General and OCRWM received allegations concerning the effectiveness of the suspension. The objective of our inquiry was to determine whether quality assurance procedures were followed - specifically, whether quality affecting documents that were important to waste isolation and safety were issued during the suspension or reclassified so that they would not be subject to the established quality assurance process.