Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

2.10
2.3 OTHER DECISIONS CONCERNING DISPOSAL OF COMMERCIAL WASTES(a)
The decisions that the DOE now faces and for which the analysis in this Statement will
provide environmental input will not automatically lead to the placement of radioactive
wastes in any specific location. As the program of research and development and examination
of specific candidate locations proceeds, further decisions will be required relative to
potential environmental impacts.
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA 1969), as implemented by the regu-
lations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ 1978) and the DOE guidelines (DOE
1980b), requires that environmental consequences be considered in Department planning and
decisionmaking. In adopting a strategy for disposal of high-level radioactive wastes, the
DOE will undertake actions having potential environmental consequences. The potential envi-
ronmental effects of these actions and their significance vary. Actions range from the
decision adopting the overall strategy for waste disposal (involving a major resource com-
mitment which ultimately may have a spectrum of potential environmental effects specific to
that strategy) to the selection of specific sites and facilities for waste disposal pur-
poses. Other actions include the conduct of research (data gathering and analysis) which
may have little environmental effect but which may have important technological, cost, and
time implications on long-term waste disposal.
Using the CEQ regulations and the DOE guidelines, a NEPA implementation plan, which is
integrated with overall DOE planning and decisionmaking, has been developed for the deep
mined geologic disposal strategy. Figure 2.3.1 graphically demonstrates the various steps
associated with integration of the NEPA plan and the overall decisionmaking process.
The DOE's NEPA implementation plan is based on the "tiered" approach, which is designed
to eliminate repetitive discussions of the same issues and to focus on the actual issues
ripe for decision at each level of environmental review. This approach allows coverage of
general matters in broad environmental impact statements (EISs) with subsequent narrower
EISs or environmental assessments (EAs) incorporating by reference the general discussions
and concentrating solely on the issues specific to the subsequent decision.
The NEPA implementation plan identifies the major decision points in the program to
assure that appropriate environmental documentation is completed prior to each such decision
and prior to the conduct of activities that may cause an adverse environmental impact or
limit the choice of reasonable alternatives. The first major decision process is selection
of a program strategy for disposal of nuclear waste. This Statement serves as the NEPA
input for this first decision.
(a) Much of the material in this section was taken from the recent DOE Statement of
Position in the NRC rulemaking proceedings on nuclear waste storage and disposal
(DOE 1980c). The Statement of Position described in DOE's proposed research and
development program and was prepared pursuant to the initiation of the rulemaking
proceedings. The present Statement, upon issuance as a final impact statement,
will become part of the record of the rulemaking proceedings.