Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here.
I want to thank you for the opportunity to participate in this panel on nuclear waste governance in Canada. I'll try to be brief.
My name in Tom Isaacs and I am a citizen of the United States living in sunny California. I worked on the program for the management of used nuclear fuel in the U.S. Department of Energy for many years and have had the opportunity to work with and advise similar programs in other countries, including the Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization.
Almost 20 years ago, I was a member of the original team assembled by the NWMO to identify and evaluate options for Canada’s plans to manage used nuclear fuel, and I've advised NWMO on a number of other occasions. I've also visited a number of the communities that have expressed interest in having Canada potentially host a nuclear waste repository, largely to inform them about my experiences in similar programs in other countries. I currently chair the NWMO site selection review group to provide oversight and advice on the appropriateness and fairness of their ultimate repository site selection process.
In 2010, the U.S. stopped its nuclear waste management program and created the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future to make recommendations on how to restart a U.S. program that had better chances of success. I was the lead advisor for that Blue Ribbon Commission report, and many of its recommendations reflected what we saw as best practices being carried out in places like Canada, as well as Finland and Sweden.
I believe strongly that all countries that rely on nuclear power for part of their energy mix have a responsibility to begin preparations for the ultimate disposition of the resulting used fuel. This generation has an obligation to provide solutions for this used fuel, not to simply pass it on to future generations as their burden. I am pleased that NWMO plays an active role in meeting this obligation for Canada.
Thank you very much. I'm happy to respond to any questions.