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Under the National Environmental Policy Act, the U. S. Department of Energy
(DOE) at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP, the Project) must consider
the potential environmental impacts of proposed actions. In 1996, DOE issued the
"Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Completion of the West
Valley Demonstration Project and Closure or Long-Term Management of Facilities
at the Western New York Nuclear Service Center."
In 2001, DOE decided to rescope the 1996 Draft EIS
into two separate EISs: the Decommissioning EIS, which is still under
development, and the Decontamination and Waste Management EIS, now known as the
Waste Management EIS.
Waste
Management EIS
In the
Final Waste Management EIS DOE considered alternatives for the management of WVDP low-level wastes (LLW),
mixed LLW, Transuranic (TRU), and high-level waste (HLW). To make progress
toward fulfilling its responsibilities under the WVDP Act, DOE needs to
disposition the wastes that are either currently in storage at the site or that
will be generated at the site over the next 10 years.
Three alternatives were
evaluated:
1. No Action Alternative – Continuation of on-going
waste management activities.
2. Alternative A (preferred alternative) – Off-site
shipment and disposal of LLW, MLLW, TRU, and HLW
3. Alternative B – Off-site shipment and disposal of LLW
and MLLW, and shipment of HLW and TRU waste to interim storage.
On June 16, 2005, the
Record of Decision
for the Waste Management EIS was published in the
Federal Register. The
ROD states DOE’s decision to implement Alternative A, the preferred alternative,
for the management of WVDP LLW and MLLW that are either currently in storage at
the site or that will be generated at the site over the next ten years. A
decision on TRU wastes is deferred contingent upon a determination by DOE that
the waste meets all statutory and regulatory requirements for disposal at the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The HLW canisters will
remain in storage on site until they can be shipped directly to a repository.
Inquiries? Contact:
Sonja Allen
West Valley Demonstration Project
10282 Rock Springs Road
West Valley, NY 14171-9799
Phone: (716) 942-2152
Fax: (716) 942-4199
Sonja.Allen@wvnsco.com
Information is also available in the
WVDP Public Reading Rooms.
Click Here For A Complete Document List
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