SECTION MENU :: Cooperative Agreements :: 2007 Public Comments on Funding for Emergency Responders (Section 180c) :: Prior Public Comments on Section 180c :: 2006 Public Scoping Comments on the Rail Alignment EIS :: 2004 Public Scoping Comments on the Rail Alignment EIS :: Transportation External Coordination Working Group   RELATED CONTENT :: Supplemental Rail Corridor and Rail Alignment Environmental Impact Statements

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected the Caliente Rail Corridor as the future rail route for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste traveling within Nevada to reach a repository at Yucca Mountain (see the Record of Decision and the Federal Register notice). If the repository is licensed, shipments could begin as early as 2017. This opening date of 2017 is a "best-achievable schedule" and is predicated upon enactment of new legislation.

The 319-mile corridor travels northwest from Caliente for 200 miles, skirting the northern and western edges of the Nevada Test Site before turning south toward Lathrop Wells to reach Yucca Mountain (see map). The one-mile wide corridor will eventually be narrowed to approximately 200 feet. The initial added width provides flexibility for addressing environmental impacts and engineering specifics.

Beginning in 2004, the Department began developing an Environmental Impact Statement on the specific railway alignment within the corridor. This EIS, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, will consider alternative alignments within the Caliente corridor for construction of a rail line. No actual construction of a rail line within the selected corridor can take place until completion of the EIS process, which is expected to take several years.

The first step in the EIS process was to obtain public comments on the scope of the EIS (called scoping). Scoping provides the public with the opportunity to identify specific issues and resources to be considered when developing an EIS. In this case, specific comments will help determine the exact alignment of the rail line within the mile-wide Caliente corridor.

The department sought public input about the cultural resources, land uses, natural resources, paleontology, plants, animals, and other environmental considerations within the Caliente corridor region. In addition the department invited comments on such items as whether additional alternatives should be considered, whether additional natural and human resources should be considered, and whether the department should allow private entities to ship commercial commodities on its rail line.

The public was invited to either submit comments to a court reporter at one of three public workshops, complete an online form at this web site, or send comments by mail or fax. The public comment period ended June 1, 2004.

Additional Information

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 - (HTML) (PDF )