Yucca Mountain: History In
Brief
Core Mission
The core mission of the Clark County Monitoring Program is to create and
maintain a database of economic, fiscal, environmental, public health and safety
and demographic information for the southern Nevada region. These data are
collected and analyzed to establish a baseline from which the impacts of the
proposed Yucca Mountain Nuclear High-Level Nuclear Waste Repository can be
measured over time.
During the third quarter of 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy (the "DOE")
completed several milestones towards their objective of submitting a license to
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by June 30, 2008. Specifically, this would
license the nation’s first spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste
repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.
Section 180(c) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act requires DOE to provide funds and
technical assistance to train firefighters, law enforcement officers, and other
emergency responders and public safety officials in preparation for repository
shipments through their jurisdictions. On July 23, 2007 the DOE published their
proposal to provide technical and financial assistance to states and Indian
Tribes to train public safety officials along routes over which DOE will
transport spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste. The DOE proposes a
two-pronged grant program that includes planning and training. The proposed
training will cover both routine transportation and emergency response
procedures. Proposed planning grant levels are not to exceed $200,000 annually
and training grants will not exceed $100,000 annually and both will be subject
to congressional appropriations. In contrast, studies of all local public safety
agencies within Clark County indicate that the cost associated to just prepare
for these shipments are likely to exceed $385 million. Funding is proposed to be
made available to eligible states and tribes but not local governments up to
four years prior to actual waste transportation shipments and each year
thereafter.
On October 12, 2007, the DOE issued for public comment two Draft National
Environmental Policy Act documents related to the Yucca Mountain Project. The
first document, the Draft Repository Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
(the "SEIS"), is a supplement to the Yucca Mountain Final Environmental Impact
Statement that DOE issued in 2002. The Draft Repository SEIS evaluates the
potential environmental impacts of constructing and operating the Yucca Mountain
repository under the repository design and operational plans that have been
developed since the Yucca Mountain Final Environmental Impact Statement (the "EIS"),
was issued. These plans include dramatically expanding the amount of spent
nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste that would be stored at Yucca
Mountain.
The second document relates to the transportation of spent nuclear fuel and
high-level radioactive waste in Nevada and contains two parts. The first part,
the Draft Nevada Rail Corridor SEIS, considers the potential environmental
impacts of transport along the Mina corridor, which was analyzed in response to
public comments. It also updates the information and analysis for other Nevada
rail corridors evaluated in the EIS. The second part, the Draft Rail Alignment
Environmental Impact State, evaluates the potential environmental impacts of
constructing and operating a railroad along specific alignments for both the
Mina and Caliente corridors, although Caliente is the DOE’s preferred corridor.
Clark County Comprehensive Planning: Nuclear Waste Program
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