NRC Issues Yucca Mountain EIA Supplement

14 Aug (NucNet): The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a supplement to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the planned spent nuclear fuel repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, the NRC said. The supplement describes the environmental impacts which could occur from a potential radioactive contaminant release from the repository into aquifers in the surrounding area. The document also analyses the potential radiological and non-radiological impacts of such an event on the environment, soils, ecology, and public health, as well as the potential for disproportionate impacts on minority or low-income populations over a one million year period. The supplement concludes that all of the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts would be “small”. The supplement is online: http://1.usa.gov/1HKx8xM.