The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to evaluate the environmental effects of proposed actions. The NEPA process provides public officials with the information they need to make better decisions.
DOE prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Moab Project to assess potential environmental impacts of actions in remediating tailings, groundwater, and contaminated soils at the Moab Project site and vicinity properties. The final EIS, issued in July 2005, included the preferred alternatives for remediation of the Moab Project site.
In September 2005, DOE issued the Record of Decision, which details the selected alternatives of active groundwater remediation at the Moab site and off-site disposal of the tailings pile and other contaminated materials at the Crescent Junction, Utah, disposal site using predominantly rail transportation. An Amended Record of Decision was issued in February 2008 to allow transport of the residual radioactive materials either by truck or rail.
NEPA reviews have been conducted periodically to ensure proposed project activities are within the original bounds of the EIS. A review was conducted to evaluate the project activities to be conducted under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and an adequacy review was performed in 2012 for the proposed Moab site General Access Area. DOE prepared a Supplement Analysis in 2013 to document that the existing EIS remains adequate to address project activities and in 2015 to address rockfall hazards.
Chapter 3
Table of Contents