Nuclear Waste Policy Act (Section 112) - Environmental Assessment, Overview, Deaf Smith County Site, Texas

In February 1983, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) identified a<br/>location in Deaf Smith County, Texas, as one of nine potentially acceptable<br/>sites for a mined geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level<br/>radioactive waste. The potentially acceptable site was subsequently narrowed<br/>to an area of 9 square miles. To determine their suitability, the Deaf Smith<br/>County site and the eight other potentially acceptable sites have been<br/>evaluated in accordance with the DOE&#39;s General Guidelines for the<br/>Recommendation of Sites for the Nuclear Waste Repositories. These evaluations<br/>were reported in draft environmental assessments (EAs), which were issued for<br/>public review and comment. After considering the comments received on the<br/>draft EAs, the DOE prepared the final EAs.<br/>The Deaf Smith County site is in the Permian Basin, which is one of five<br/>distinct geohydrologic settings considered for the first repository. This<br/>setting contains one other potentially acceptable site—the Swisher County<br/>site. Although the Swisher County site is suitable for site characterization,<br/>the DOE has concluded that the Deaf Smith County site is the preferred site in<br/>the Permian Basin. On the basis of the evaluations reported in this EA, the<br/>DOE has found that the Deaf Smith County site is not disqualified under the<br/>guidelines.<br/>Furthermore, the DOE has found that the site is suitable for site<br/>characterization because the evidence does not support a conclusion that the<br/>site will not be able to meet each of the qualifying conditions specified in<br/>the guidelines. On the basis of these findings, the DOE is nominating the<br/>Deaf Smith County site as one of five sites suitable for characterization.