Lander County comments to theNotice of Revised Proposed Policy for Implementation of Section 180(c)

Comments For: Draft Supplemental EISfor A Geologic Repository for the Disposal
Of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye
County, Nevada And Draft EIS for a Rail Alignment for the Construction and Operation of a Railroad At Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada Submitted by Lander County, Nevada

Lander County Baseline Report - Update 2007

This report provides a baseline description of existing conditions in Lander County as of 2007. The report provides information on social, economic, public services and facilities, and natural resources available in Lander County and its communities. The report will be used to measure potential changes to Lander County as a result of the high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain and associated transportation activities. Additionally, material presented in this reports chapters represents a compilation of previous impact investigations undertaken for the repository program.

Emergency Response Assessment and Impact Analysis of Local Capatibilities

Lander County has completed an initial review of the likely impacts associated with highlevel waste and spent nuclear fuel shipments to Yucca Mountain. The initial assessment was largely focused on the additional costs and fiscal impacts to be incurred by Lander County to prepare for waste shipments. The initial emergency management assessment was part of the Lander County Lander County Impact Report: A Preliminary Assessment of The Proposed Yucca Mountain Project and the Transportation and Socioeconomic Impacts to Lander County, Nevada July 2001.

Risk Assessment - 2007

Lander County Community Survey Results—2007

The characterization of Yucca Mountain as a potential site for the first high-level nuclear repository is opposed by the State of Nevada.  Responses to surveys conducted by the State of Nevada suggest that roughly 70 percent of Nevadans oppose the development of the repository at Yucca Mountain. The State survey results primarily reflect the opinions of Clark County, Nevada due to the population distribution in the State and the survey methodology.  Over the last several years, Lander County has monitored local public opinion through a variety of survey efforts. 

Figure 3-1 from section 3 of the survey:

As compared to national survey results, Lander County survey respondents have a slightly less favorable view of nuclear energy as a source of electricity in the United States. Overall, there is an increasing favorable view of nuclear energy.

Lander County Survey Results - 2007

The characterization of Yucca Mountain as a potential site for the first high-level nuclear repository is opposed by the State of Nevada.  Responses to surveys conducted by the State of Nevada suggest that roughly 70 percent of Nevadans oppose the development of the repository at Yucca Mountain. The State survey results primarily reflect the opinions of Clark County, Nevada due to the population distribution in the State and the survey methodology.  Over the last several years, Lander County has monitored local public opinion through a variety of survey efforts. 

Lander County Impact Report—2006 Update

Lander County is located in the north central portion of the state of Nevada. It is a rugged area dominated by vast, sweeping valleys of sage, and bordered by majestic pine-covered mountain ranges. There is a great deal of wild land offering unique opportunities for outdoor recreation. Adjoining counties include Churchill, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Mineral, Nye and Pershing. Lander County was created on December 19, 1862 and named in honor of General Fredrick W. Lander who was a prominent road builder for the Department of the Interior. Lander is the ninth largest of Nevada’s seventeen counties, covering approximately 5,621 square miles (14,558 square kilometers) and accounting for nearly 5.1 percent of Nevada’s total surface area of 110,540 square

miles (286,297 square kilometers). Lander County’s population was 5,794 or 0.3% of Nevada’s total of 1,998,257 people in 2000. Leading employers based on 2005 average employment include Government with 29 percent; Natural Resources and Mining with 32 percent; and leisure and hospitality at 10 percent.

(Note) Due to the large size of this document it has been broken up into sections as follows:

Pages 1-15 (Adobe PDF file 327 KB)
Pages 16-30 (Adobe PDF file 822 KB)
Figure a1 Land Ownership (Adobe PDF file 243 KB)
Figure a2 Zoning of Battle Mountain (Adobe PDF file 425 KB)
Figure a3 Battle Mountain Surrounding (Adobe PDF file 966 KB)
Figure a4 Battle Mountain (Adobe PDF file 361 KB)
Figure a5 Battle Mountain Surrounding (Adobe PDF file 1,220 KB)
Figure a6 Austin (Adobe PDF file 328 KB)
Figure a7 Kingston (Adobe PDF file 649 KB)
Figure a8 Austin Surrounding (Adobe PDF file 294 KB)
Figure a9 Kingston Surrounding (Adobe PDF file 263 KB)

Battle Mountain Impact Report, Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel to the Proposed Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada—2006

If a high-level waste repository opens at Yucca Mountain, a number of rail and truck shipments of nuclear waste are expected to pass through Lander County and the Town of Battle Mountain. These shipments of nuclear waste through Lander County would lead to a radiation dose to the public even if the transport is incident-free, because no shielding material can reduce direct gamma radiation by 100%. As a result, residents, drivers, pedestrians and workers will get a radiation dose, which depends on the recipient’s proximity and duration to the passing radiation source. Depending on the population estimate, the population dose due to incident-free transportation of the entire waste that is planned to pass Battle Mountain is as high as 3.16 person-rem. This number will be much higher if shipments stop (gas, lodging, etc.) in Battle Mountain. Even though this dose and the resulting population risk are relatively small, it nevertheless increases the risk to develop cancer.

Lander County Rail Alignment—November 2006

There are two Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) lines traversing northern Lander County. The westbound track, referred to as Track No. 1, is generally parallel to Interstate 80 (I-80) and goes through Battle Mountain. Track No. 2 is located north of Track No. 1 and carries eastbound trains. This study assesses utilization of the rail corridor, the condition of points where railroad tracks cross roadways, and safety issues. It also maps zoning and physical characteristics of the corridor.

Both rail lines have a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) classification of Class 4, which allows for heavy haul trains with speeds over 50 miles per hour(mph). Typical speeds on the westbound track are 49 mph for freight and 59mph for passenger trains, both are slowed to 45 mph though Battle Mountain.Speeds on the eastbound track are 70 mph for freight and 79 mph for passenger trains. There are approximately 15 eastbound and westbound freight trains per day. There is also a limited amount of local service, typically five trains per day, and daily AMTRAK service. The tracks have closely spaced timber ties and appear to be in good condition. Under normal operating conditions all eastbound trains use Track No. 2 and all westbound trains use Track No. 1. However, due to local traffic serving industrial uses in the area, trains could occasionally travel in either direction on either track.

(Note) Due to the large size of this document it has been broken up into sections as follows:

Pages 1– 11 (Adobe PDF File 582 kb)
Pages 12-23 (Adobe PDF file 544 kb)
Pages 24-36 (Adobe PDF File 409 kb)
Pages 37-49 (Adobe PDF File 2,412 kb)
Pages 50-63 (Adobe PDF File 3,501 kb)
Lander County Rail Alignment Study—Alternative Battle Mountain Rail Bypass Routes Map - DRAFT [large file—5.89 mb—be patient]

Lander County Rail Impact Assessment 2006

There are two Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) lines traversing northern Lander County. The westbound track, referred to as Track No. 1, is generally parallel to Interstate 80 (I-80) and goes through Battle Mountain. Track No. 2 is located north of Track No. 1 and carries eastbound trains. This study assesses utilization of the rail corridor, the condition of points where railroad tracks cross roadways, and safety issues. It also maps zoning and physical characteristics of the corridor.

(Note) Due to the large size of this document it has been broken up into 4 sections as follows:

Section 1—Pages 1-15 (Adobe PDF File 2,104 kb)
Section 2—Pages 8—23 (Adobe PDF File 456 kb)
Section 3—pages 24-43 (Adobe PDF File 4,955 kb)

Lander County Community Survey Results—2006

Lander County High School students in Battle Mountain and Austin conducted approximately 355 face to face surveys in order to ascertain the views and knowledge of the repository program.  The Lander County Community survey focused on questions and issues that have been the subject of national survey efforts related nuclear energy and Yucca Mountain.  

The purpose for using these questions is to compare Lander County survey responses with responses from national survey efforts. (Adobe PDF File 228KB - 16 Pages)

Carlin Corridor Impact Assessment—2005

This report provides an analysis of potential impacts associated with construction of the Carlin Alignment, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) secondary preferred alternative for rail service to the nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. DOE produced the Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada (DOE FIES) in 2002. This report evaluated a mostly-truck transportation scenario and five rail transportation corridors in Nevada that could potentially provide access to the repository site. In December 2003 DOE published the Notice of Preferred Nevada Rail Corridor, which identified the Caliente corridor as the preferred alternative and the Carlin corridor as the secondary preference. (Adobe PDF File 3.89MB - 33Pages)

Community Survey Results, Yucca Mountain Project  - 2005

As part of the impact assessment and oversight program, Lander County Board of Commissioners decided to initiate a new public survey targeted at business owners in Lander County. Survey questions were directly related to the Yucca Mountain project and associated transportation elements of the repository. Please see Appendix A in the PDF file for survey questions and results. (Adobe PDF File 331KB - 16 Pages)

Lander County Rail Impact Assessment 2004

In February of 2002, the Department of Energy issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the construction and operation of a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The repository is designed to store high level nuclear waste  underground for a period of 10,000 years. It is a product of a lengthy legislative, administrative, and engineering process that culminated when President George W. Bush signed House Joint Resolution 87, authorizing the Department of Energy to apply for a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to proceed with construction of the repository. As a result of the direct impacts Lander County may incur from the project, the county has been designated an Affected Unit of Local Government (AULG) under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. As an AULG, Lander County has been provided  federal funding to pursue additional studies of the local impact of the Yucca Mountain project. Through this program, Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas (PB) was retained by Lander County to analyze the potential impacts that may arise from the construction and operation of the Carlin rail line through Lander County.

(Note) Due to the large size of this document it has been broken up into 4 sections as follows:

Section 1—pages 1–17 (Adobe PDF File 1,479 kb)
Section 2– pages 17—37 (Adobe PDF File 1,553 kb)
Section 3—pages 37 - 57 (Adobe PDF File 3,687 kb)
Section 4—pages  57 - 64 and Appendix A  (Adobe PDF File 3,978 kb)

Final Report—Lander County Mineral Impact Assessment, Crescent Valley Area, Update October 2004

The Department of Energy (DOE), Yucca Mountain Project, has proposed several rail corridors through Nevada, to facilitate the movement of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel from the currently defined seventy-seven civilian and defense sites. As part of an impact analysis, a mineral impact assessment was conducted along and adjacent to the proposed Lander County rail routes, and summarized in a previous report dated December 2003. The Carlin-Yucca Mountain route has been identified as a secondary preferred rail alignment, to the Yucca Mountain Project. As such, the route would be considered in the event problems arise with the preferred Caliente Rail Route.

(Note) Due to the large size of this document it has been broken up into 4 sections as follows:

Section 1—pages 1–15 (Adobe PDF File 3,318 kb)
Section 2– pages 16—34 (Adobe PDF File 8,811 kb)

Lander County Mineral Assessment —December 2003

The Department of Energy (DOE), Yucca Mountain Project, has proposed several rail corridors through Nevada, to facilitate the movement of high- level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel from seventy-seven civilian and defense sites. As part of an impact analysis, a mineral assessment study was conducted along and adjacent to the proposed Lander County rail routes. The evaluations and research associated with this report were limited, where possible, to this area – T14N-33N and R42E-48E. This study offers some preliminary impacts – positive and adverse – that the proposed DOE rail corridors will have on mineral resource development in Lander County.

(Note) Due to the large size of this document it has been broken up into 4 sections as follows:

Section 1—pages 1–17 (Adobe PDF File 1,980 kb)
Section 2– pages 18—36 (Adobe PDF File 13,082 kb)
Section 3—pages 37 - 51 (Adobe PDF File 10,447 kb)
Section Appendix A (Adobe PDF File 10,447 kb)

August 2001—Socioeconomic Impact Analysis of the Proposed Repository at Yucca Mountain:

This report is a preliminary investigation into the potential social, economic impact, and transportation impacts that could occur in Lander County as a result of the Yucca Mountain Repository program and related transportation activities.  The analysis considers direct, indirect and risk induced impacts associated with the repository program and more specifically the transportation program. Impacts discussed in this report are primarily related to transportation impacts.  (Adobe PDF File 157KB - 44 Pages)

October 2000—Life Cycle Cost Analysis -- Lander Emergency Response

The total number of radioactive waste shipments to Yucca Mountain (mostly rail scenario) could range from 10,000 to 20,000 shipments. Accordingly, local emergency response personnel in Lander County need to be adequately trained and equipped to handle potential accident situations. This analysis focuses on emergency response capabilities of local agencies in Lander County and the financial resources required to develop and maintain adequate capabilities throughout the life-time of the Yucca mountain shipping campaign. It identifies the type of equipment, personnel needs, and planning and coordination requirements for Lander County. Currently, Lander County is not adequately equipped or trained to respond to incidents involving radioactive materials.

(Note) This is a Large Adobe PDF File 3.9MB - 84 Page Image file

August 2001 -- Final Draft, Battle Mountain Master Plan  

This report is a final draft Battle Mountain Master Plan (2). In 1997, a countywide Master Plan was prepared to address issues pertinent to the long-term economic growth and physical development of Lander County in general, and Battle Mountain, among other communities in particular. The Lander County Master Plan set forth policy objectives and specific action plans to ensure the health, safety and welfare and an improved quality of life for residents of Lander County.

Anticipated growth due to scheduled expansion of mining operations in the area has prompted the town to consider a more thorough, long range approach to new development that will avoid the mistakes of the past. Under direction of the Lander Economic Development Authority (LEDA) and based on the stated goal of improving economic conditions and the quality of life within the town, it was decided to prepare a Battle Mountain Master Plan Land Use Element to be included as an update to the Lander County Master Plan. This new Master Plan will, in an attempt to carry out the desired vision for the town, address the urban form of Battle Mountain with the specific objective of guiding development toward retention of the town’s historically compact form and character, while providing housing, services and amenities needed to attract new and retain existing residents. Creation of design guidelines to establish standards for the physical appearance of distinctive neighborhoods/districts within the town has been included in this Master Plan. These guidelines are intended to provide a mechanism for implementation of improvements and enforcement of regulations designed to identify and correct blighted conditions contributing to the negative image of the town. This is a draft document. Figures can be accessed below.

Fig 1 Vicinity Map  
Fig 2 Street Map  
Fig 3 Photographic Inventory  
Fig 4 Land Use and Urban Form  
Fig 5 Proposed Land Use Map  
Fig 6 Battle Mountain Current Zoning Map  
Fig 7 Current Land Use Map  
Fig 8 Future Land Use Map  
Fig 9 NDOT Right-of-way Map  
Fig 10 Roadway Enhancement Map  
Fig 11 Intersection Enhancement Map  
Fig 12 Community Information Turnout Map  
Fig 13 Battle Mountain Transportation Plan Map  

January 2000—Hydrology Along the Proposed Rail Spur Through Lander County

Among the Transportation options being considered for Yucca Mountain is a rail access spur through north central Nevada. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is currently considering a rail alignment that leaves the Union Pacific Mainline at Beowawe, Nevada and heads south past Crescent Valley into eastern Lander County. The proposed rail spur could carry as many as 19,000 rail shipments of spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste to a repository over a period of 24 to 38 years.

Troublesome sections of the rail route through Lander County include the heavy agricultural use area at the south end of Grass Valley, and the 20 miles of difficult terrain from there through the Rye Patch Canyon areas.

(Note) Due to the large size of this document it has been broken up into 4 sections as follows:

Pages 1—21 Large Adobe Image File 5.7 MB File
Pages 2—22 Large Adobe Image File 5.9 MB   File
Pages 3—28 Large Adobe Image File 6.6 MB

November 1994—Lander County Mineral Resources Inventory

A request was made by Lander County officials to summarize the mineral resources within its boundaries as part of an evaluation of proposed rail routes to the Yucca mountain high level nuclear west repository site. The work completed includes literature research, field and courthouse examinations of active mining and exploration ventures, and record reviews in the BLM and U.S. Forest Service field offices.

This review serves as a preliminary summary of the mineral exploration and mining projects in Lander County, as part of an effort to quantify the mineral resources.

(Note) This is a Large Adobe PDF Image File 8.3MB - 20 Pages

November 1994—Alternative Rail Corridor Study Lander County, Nevada

Lander County is one of ten affected units of local government in Nevada participating in the Yucca Mountain Repository Program. The County is particularly concerned about potential shipments of high-level radioactive waste passing through Lander County enroute to the Yucca mountain site. Major transportation facilities which could be used as routes include Interstate 80, U.S. Highway 50 and two mainline railroads which pass through northern Lander County. All of these existing routes could be used for the transportation of waste to Yucca Mountain.  (See Figure 1 - 100KB gif file) (Note) This is a Large Adobe PDF Image File 5.6 MB - 20 Pages