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Environmental Impact Statement

Summary: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), along with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, and Surface Transportation Board, evaluated compliance of the Private Fuel Storage, LLC (PFS) facility plan with all applicable environmental laws and regulations and issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in June 2000, and a final EIS in January 2002.

The EIS found that the proposed facility would have small or small to moderate environmental impacts, and that the overall benefits of the proposed facility outweigh the disadvantages and costs, based upon consideration of

  • the need for an alternative to at-reactor spent nuclear fuel storage that provides consolidated and economical storage capacity;
  • the minimal radiological impacts and risks from transporting, transferring, and storing the proposed quantities of spent fuel canisters and casks;
  • the economic benefits that would accrue to the Skull Valley Band during the life of the project; and
  • the absence of significant conflicts with existing resource management plans or land use within Skull Valley.

It also found that after the facility is no longer needed, or the NRC license expires, the PFS closure and decommissioning plan would make the area available to other uses.

The public was invited to provide oral comments on the DEIS at public meetings held in Salt Lake City and Grantsville, Utah in July and August, 2000. In addition, the NRC accepted written comments for a 90-day period. These comments were considered in the NRC's final EIS.

Background: Part of the PFS application to the NRC was an "environmental report" in which PFS analyzed the environmental impacts associated with constructing and operating the facility, evaluated the possible alternatives to it, and included a cost-benefit analysis on the project. The regulations require the NRC to make an independent assessment of the potential environmental impacts, which is published as a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. After the public comment period, the NRC responds to the comments received and takes those comments into consideration as it develops the final EIS.

The DEIS considered such issues as:

  • How the facility will interface with ecology, geography and land use of the area; socioeconomics of the area; noise and traffic; historic, scenic, cultural and natural features.
  • External appearance of the facility.
  • How waste products will be handled during construction and operation.
  • Environmental effects of construction and operation, including decommissioning the site and returning it to its original condition.
  • Environmental effects of credible accidents at the site or during transportation.
  • Environmental measurement and monitoring programs.
  • Economic and social effects of the facility during construction and operation.
  • Facility siting and design alternatives.

View of Project from Road An artist's rendering shows what the facility would look like from the nearest public road, 2.5 miles away.

The NRC's Web site, www.nrc.gov, contains a link, as well as directions for obtaining, the EIS and other documents related to the PFS application.

Safety Evaluation Report
Seismic Study
Aircraft Crash Hazards Study


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