Radioactive waste materials are produced as by-products of research, nuclear power generation, and nuclear weapons manufacture. Radioactive waste is classified by the U.S. government into five groups: high-level, transuranic (chemical elements heavier than uranium), spent fuel, uranium mill tailings, and low-level radioactive waste.

The management and disposal of radioactive waste receives attention at all levels of state and local governments, but the regulations sometimes conflict or are confusing. The U.S. Congress passes relevant legislation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets applicable environmental standards, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) develops regulations to implement the standards. For high-level radioactive waste, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for the design, construction and operation of suitable disposal facilities. And courts have recently gotten into the act, ordering states to arrange to have necessary disposal facilities designed, constructed and operated for management of...