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122 Fuel Cycle to Nowhere ever, be a major challenge to develop the degree of political consensus needed to adopt a new general waste classification framework and process. Conclusion Any nuclear waste regulatory system must classify wastes according to the hazards they present and seek to match regulatory requirements with the classifications in order to appropriately protect the public health and the environment. Because of institutional and other practical considerations, no regulatory system can achieve a perfect fit. The current U.S. system of classification and regulation was not developed according to a single plan or consistent set of principles. It is patchwork in character. Nonetheless, it does a fairly good job of matching regulation and risk in the cases of HLW, SNF, TRU, and much LLW. However, it fails to provide clear direction or, in some cases, adequate legal authority for dealing with certain low-activity reprocessing wastes that do not require repository disposal; GTCC wastes that present significant hazards; very low activity wastes that do not require disposal in LLW facilities; and highly hazardous radioactive sources that have been used in civilian applications. The Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future should address and recommend measures to meet these problems. Congress should step forward to solve them through appropriate legislation that promotes a more rational and consistent risk-based nuclear waste classification and regulation system. ...

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