The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987 directed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to characterize the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada to determine its suitability as the location as a permanent repository for disposing of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). The Act also authorized the Secretary of Energy to designate Nye County and contiguous counties thereto as "affected" by the Yucca Mountain repository program. Lincoln and White Pine counties were subsequently designated by the Secretary of Energy as affected units of local government.

In 2002, the President and the Congress approved Yucca Mountain, Nevada as the site for the nation's first repository for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). In the interest of national security, SNF and HLW will be transferred from 129 sites in 39 states and consolidated in one area. The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) plans to begin operating the repository under a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 2010.

Presently, the Department of Energy (DOE), the lead agency, is developing plans for a railroad corridor to transport the waste through the United States. In Nevada, much of the proposed corridor would be constructed on public land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The DOE will work cooperatively with states, federally recognized Tribes, local governments, including the BLM, utilities, the transportation industry, and other interested parties to refine the transportation system as it is developed. The mission of the DOE is to manage and dispose of SNF and HLW in a manner that protects public health, safety and the environment, enhances national and energy security, and merits public confidence.

The preceding information is abridged from the Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Strategic Plan for the Safe Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste to Yucca Mountain: A Guide to Stakeholder Interactions, dated November 18, 2003.

The BLM's Role

The BLM received an application in December 2003, from DOE to withdraw public lands along a 319-mile route from Caliente to the proposed Yucca Mountain repository site in Nevada from surface entry and mining. Land use plan amendments may be necessary in four BLM land use plans whether the BLM grants a withdrawal or an alternative, such as granting a right-of-way for the rail line. The four plans are the Caliente and Schell Management Framework Plans and the Tonopah and Las Vegas Resource Management Plans.

Upon the request of DOE the BLM will act as a cooperating agency in accordance with CEQ 1501.1(b) and 1501.6. As a cooperating agency it is the responsibility of the BLM to:

1. Participate in the NEPA process at the earliest possible time.
2. Participate in the scoping process
3. Assume on request of the lead agency responsibility for developing information and preparing environmental analyses including portions of the environmental impact statement concerning which the cooperating agency has special expertise.
4. Make available staff support at the lead agency's request to enhance the latter's interdisciplinary capability.

Five scoping meetings were held by the DOE in May in Amargosa Valley, Goldfield, Caliente, Reno and Las Vegas. On June 22 and 23, 2004 BLM held additional meetings in Tonopah and Pioche. Information obtained at the June meetings will assist the BLM as it works on a land use planning amendment and associated environmental impact statement. All comments will be considered as input to the proposed withdrawal and the associated environmental impact statement.

In response to comments received at those meetings BLM has posted the following maps.

Horse Management Area and Allotment Boundary maps

These are maps in pdf format showing the Horse Management Area and Allotment boundaries in the vicinity of the DOE Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor:

• Horse Management Area Boundaries
• Allotment Boundaries

Click on one of the above links to open the pdf map in a new browser window. Each map is approximately 8mb, and may take as long as 40-60 minutes to download over a dial-up connection. Alternately, you may right-click on the link and select "Save Target As..." from the popup menu to download the map to your computer as a file that you can view or print.

Links for More Information

The following links may provide additional information on the DOE Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor:

• DOE Yucca Mountain Project main page
• Mode and Corridor Decision Information