From rags to riches in the world of NEPA: The Hanford Site experience in applying the Department of Energy`s NEPA program
- Dames & Moore, Richland, WA (United States)
The Department of Energy`s procedures for implementing the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) have undergone significant changes since February 5, 1990 when the then Secretary of Energy, Admiral James Watkins, issued Secretary of Energy Notice 15 (SEN-15). This notice directed all DOE elements to integrate NEPA into their decision making processes and temporarily centralized NEPA decision making for all level of NEPA documents (categorical exclusions, environmental assessments (EA), and environmental impact statements) at DOE Headquarters. Since 1990 most of the responsibilities for NEPA have been returned to DOE field elements. However, in the intervening five years, there have been significant changes at all levels of DOE regarding the role NEPA will play in DOE decision making. DOE`s new NEPA regulations were published on April 24, 1992 and required greater state and Native American involvement in the preparation of EAs. Delegation of EA authority to the DOE field offices followed the current Secretary of Energy`s letter of June 13, 1994. In order for delegation to take place each DOE field element provided a plan that included internal scoping and public participation in the EA process. Since the Manhattan Project the Hanford Site has been a crucial component of the nation`s nuclear weapons program. Since the late 1980s Hanford`s mission has changed from the production of defense nuclear materials to environmental clean-up. This paper will provide an overview of NEPA at the Hanford Site since 1990 and how the application of NEPA has changed in the five years since SEN-15. Of particular interest will be the EA process at Hanford. This EA process strongly parallels the procedural requirements for an EIS. It includes notification of states, Native Americans, and the public, internal scoping, preparation and circulation of a draft EA, and creation of a panel for making recommendations regarding the significance of the proposed action.
- Research Organization:
- National Association of Environmental Professionals, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 126000
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9506115-; TRN: 96:004603
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 20. National Association of Environmental Professionals annual conference and exposition: environmental challenges - the next twenty years, Washington, DC (United States), 10-13 Jun 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Environmental challenges: The next 20 years. Proceedings; PB: 932 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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