The Department is currently on schedule to complete the scientific and environmental studies necessary to decide whether to recommend the site for development to the President by the summer of 2001. The United States is also engaged in research and development to improve and develop different technologies to deal with waste and spent fuel in order to ensure public health and safety. For example, we are working on transmutation technologies that may make waste materials less toxic. We stand ready and willing to share what we learn, to share our expertise, and to share our technology with all of you. We want to do our part to find common solutions to our common problems.
Geologic repositories address only one element of the nuclear waste puzzle.
In September, at the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference in Vienna, I called for progress on managing another part of this challenge, the back-end of the civil nuclear fuel cycle. I also announced that the United States would host a meeting next year to review the state of international research and development of plutonium immobilization technology. This is another example of the kind of international collaboration that is essential to ensure the sound management of the nuclear materials entrusted to our care. As you know, the United States is also collaborating with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Energy Agency on a wide range of waste management issues. In addition, we are expanding our extensive nuclear cooperation with Russia in to these areas, with a special emphasis on geologic repositories.