b'C H A P T E R 24T H E U RA N I U M T RA I L F A D E Ssidering a site at Yucca Mountain,Nevada, as a potential place to storespent reactor fuel. But the technical andultimate political viability of this ideawas far from certain. 19This turn of events brought Navy fuelinto the continuing swarm of litigation,court orders, and political spotlights.Previously, Andrus had not sought tointerfere with Navy fuel shipments intoIdaho, partly because he considered theNavys business a matter of nationalsecurity and partly because the fuel hadtraditionally been reprocessed at theChem Plant. However, he saw storagewithout reprocessing as an entirely newkind of mission. He soon concludedthat the Navy saw Idaho as a weakstate, a remote place where it coulddump its spent nuclear fuel. He want-ed such activity placed under the scruti-ny of the nations environmental laws. 20Meanwhile, the IDO had embarked onthe preparation of an EnvironmentalImpact Statement (EIS) on waste man-agement at the INEL, a study thatwould include waste burial practices INEEL 85-267-1-8and environmental restoration at the nuclear fuel operations across the entire The Fluorinel and Storage Facility at the Chem PlantSite. (DOE Headquarters was to do a national DOE complexas well as a in 1985. Fuel stored at the Chem Plants 1950s-builtparallel study on its national waste very large percentage of the work done storage basin was to move into this new facility.management program.) Upon a finding at the INEL. It was a huge undertaking.by the U.S. District judge that DOES The forces in conflictthe state ofnational program for the disposition of Idaho, the U.S. Navy, and DOEnow The nations environmental laws, whichits spent fuel also should be subject to relied on an EIS to fulfill their conflict- had been conferring on the states newan EIS, DOE decided to add this item, ing hopes. The Navy wanted to send its powers of participation, intervention,national in scope, to the EIS already fuel to Idaho. Idaho wanted a scientific and comment on federal activities everunderway. Later, the study also document to demonstrate that storing since the beginning of the environmentalembraced the Navys spent fuel. 21 TRU waste and spent fuel above the movement, had given Idaho standing toaquifer was environmentally unaccept- discuss and influence the Sites internalThe expensive project placed the bur- able. DOE wanted to manage its nation- af fairs. In the old debate between theden of effort on the IDO staff in Idaho al responsibilities and use its resources Site and Idaho about statesrights, theFalls to prepare and coordinate a docu- at the INEL in the most optimal way, environmental movement had swung thement affecting Navy and DOE spent hopefully welcomed by its host state. pendulum decidedly in favor of Idaho.22 2 4 1'