Who Will Prepare the EIS

The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management (DOE EM), will prepare the Greater-Than-Class C LLW EIS.

The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management (DOE EM), will prepare the Greater-Than-Class C LLW EIS. DOE EM will be assisted by Argonne National Laboratory in the preparation of the EIS. Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) is providing assistance in the preparation of baseline documents to support the EIS analysis.

About DOE EM

The Office of Environmental Management within DOE is responsible for the risk reduction and cleanup of the environmental legacy of the Nation's nuclear weapons program, one of the largest, most diverse, and technically complex environmental programs in the world. In addition to its emphasis on site cleanup and closures, EM is also focusing on longer-term activities required for the completion of the cleanup program. These include:

• Constructing and operating facilities to treat radioactive liquid tank waste into a safe, stable form to enable ultimate disposition.
• Securing and storing nuclear material in a stable, safe configuration in secure locations to protect national security.
• Transporting and disposing of transuranic and low-level wastes in a safe and cost-effective manner to reduce risk.

DOE was assigned responsibility to develop disposal capability for GTCC LLW, and EM is the DOE office implementing this task.

About the Office of Regulatory Compliance (EM-10)

The mission of the Office of Regulatory Compliance is to develop policy and guidance on regulatory compliance. It is also responsible for conducting analysis and evaluation of compliance with requirements of regulatory and compliance agreements including achievement of milestones. It is responsible for interaction with all external regulators. EM-10 is the lead office for preparing the GTCC LLW EIS.

About Argonne

Argonne National Laboratory is one of the U.S. Department of Energy's largest research centers. It is also the nation's first national laboratory, chartered in 1946.

The Environmental Science Division of Argonne National Laboratory conducts applied research, assessment, and technology development in such areas as risk and waste management, natural resources, integrated assessments, restoration, pollution prevention, environmental policy analysis and planning, and environmental management.

About Sandia

Sandia National Laboratories was established in 1949 and is a U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration facility. Sandia's mission is to develop science-based technologies to support national security in five key areas: nuclear weapons, energy and infrastructure assurance, nonproliferation, defense systems and assessments, and homeland security.

The EIS Team

DOE EM-10 will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the EIS in order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns identified. Specialists with expertise in the following disciplines will be involved in the planning process: nuclear engineering, health physics, waste management, chemistry, geology, hydrology, ecology, air quality, archeology, soils, sociology, and economics.

DOE, NRC, and EPA Roles in the Preparation of the EIS

DOE has the responsibility for developing appropriate disposal capability for GTCC LLW, and is the lead agency for preparation of the EIS. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is responsible for licensing commercial disposal facilities for low-level radioactive waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will participate in the EIS process as a cooperating agency. The NRC will participate in the EIS as a commenting agency