Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140On behalf of WM Symposia, Inc., I am pleased and honored to welcome you to the 43RD Annual Waste Management Conference, WM2017. The WM Conference is the premier international conference for the management of radioactive materials and related topics. WM2017 will convene at the Phoenix Convention Center (PCC) March 5 – 9, 2017. We have made it our goal to build a conference that promotes innovation and collaboration around the world. We have accomplished that again this year with nearly 30 countries represented and over 2,000 engineers, scientists, managers and students. Our comprehensive technical program will deliver over 450 papers and 137 technical sessions and panels and is complemented by an extensive exhibition. This year, we are especially proud to have Japan as our featured country to detail recent developments and ambitious plans for the future. Please be sure to visit the Japan Pavilion located inside the Exhibit Hall to learn more about these developments. On Thursday, March 9, WMS is proud to present a topical session entitled “International Management of Used Nuclear Fuel: Present and Future” followed by a closing reception that evening. This panel will address the international management of used nuclear fuel focusing upon the various policy, regulatory and technical issues associated with interim storage, deep geologic disposal and/or reprocessing of nuclear fuel. The various applications and plans for management of used nuclear fuel will be addressed considering the actions taking place in the United States and other countries, as well as stakeholder perspectives and the potential for the Yucca Mountain application to be active again in the near term. New storage and transportation cask designs will be addressed including their implications for consolidated interim storage. Senior Executives were selected as panelists representing world views and giving the audience insights into likely actions in the future from their vast experience. In addition, there will be featured panel and paper sessions focusing on special topics from our featured sites, the US DOE Hanford Site in Richland, Washington, and the US DOE site in West Valley, New York. There will also be special reserved sessions on Used Fuel, D&D, Procurement and Contracting, Safety, Clean-up of Legacy Sites Worldwide, Robotics and IAEA topics. Our goal is to continuously improve the conference. If you have ideas on how to improve the technical content or the logistics of the conference, please let us know. I would like to thank the WMS team for their tireless efforts before and during the conference. Thanks to our sponsors and exhibitors for their contributions that enhance what we can accomplish. We appreciate the WMS attendees whose involvement, collaboration, and insights make the conference exciting and meaningful. We are a non-profit organization with the mission of supporting education. With your support and participation, we are able to provide numerous scholarships each year to promising young people studying in the waste management field. I hope you enjoy your time at WM2017. James Fiore President - WM Symposia 43Y E A R S of building global trust in decommissioning & radioactive waste management W M S Y M P O S I A 2 0 1 7 • P H O E N I X C O N V E N T I O N C E N T E R • M A R C H 5 - 9 • W W W . W M S Y M . O R G 1