When the Cold War abruptly ended, DOE halted most nuclear materials production. In 1995, Congress chartered DOE's Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP) to bring the nation's scientific infrastructure to bear on EM's most difficult, long-term cleanup challenges. The EMSP provides grants to investigators in industry, national laboratories, and universities to undertake research that may help address these cleanup challenges. On several occasions the EMSP has asked the National Academies for advice on developing its research agenda. This report resulted from a 15-month study by an Academies committee on long-term research needs for deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) at DOE sites.

Taking into consideration the work done to date on research reactor decommissioning, it is timely to provide an up to date basis for ongoing and intended activities in this field. This report reviews, from a historical perspective, decommissioning projects completed in recent years or under way, and assesses progress as well as open and new issues. It is meant to facilitate timely, safe and efficient completion of decommissioning projects for research reactors by highlighting technologies, and planning or management methodologies, and suggesting ways to overcome expected issues. The report includes a CD-ROM providing details of several hundred research reactor decommissioning projects.

When the Cold War abruptly ended, DOE halted most nuclear materials production. In 1995, Congress chartered DOE's Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP) to bring the nation's scientific infrastructure to bear on EM's most difficult, long-term cleanup challenges. The EMSP provides grants to investigators in industry, national laboratories, and universities to undertake research that may help address these cleanup challenges. On several occasions the EMSP has asked the National Academies for advice on developing its research agenda. This report resulted from a 15-month study by an Academies committee on long-term research needs for deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) at DOE sites.

This symposium series book presents leading-edge research in the area of nuclear waste management conducted through the EMSP.

Every 3rd issue is a quarterly cumulation.