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Title: Surplus Plutonium Disposition Final Environmental Impact Statement

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/823358· OSTI ID:823358

In December 1996, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published the ''Storage and Disposition of Weapons-Usable Fissile Materials Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Storage and Disposition PEIS)'' (DOE 1996a). That PEIS analyzes the potential environmental consequences of alternative strategies for the long-term storage of weapons-usable plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU) and the disposition of weapons-usable plutonium that has been or may be declared surplus to national security needs. The Record of Decision (ROD) for the ''Storage and Disposition PEIS'', issued on January 14, 1997 (DOE 1997a), outlines DOE's decision to pursue an approach to plutonium disposition that would make surplus weapons-usable plutonium inaccessible and unattractive for weapons use. DOE's disposition strategy, consistent with the Preferred Alternative analyzed in the ''Storage and Disposition PEIS'', allows for both the immobilization of some (and potentially all) of the surplus plutonium and use of some of the surplus plutonium as mixed oxide (MOX) fuel in existing domestic, commercial reactors. The disposition of surplus plutonium would also involve disposal of both the immobilized plutonium and the MOX fuel (as spent nuclear fuel) in a potential geologic repository.

Research Organization:
United States Department of Energy, Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42) (US)
OSTI ID:
823358
Report Number(s):
DOE/EIS-0283; TRN: US0407265
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 19 Nov 1999
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English