NCAI

NCAI Nuclear Waste Policy Committee Convenes; Meets With DOE
Intergovernmental Deputy Assistant Secretary

The NCAI National Indian Nuclear Waste Policy Committee (NINWPC) met June 15-17 in San Diego, California. The NINWPC members received updates about federal programs regarding high-level radioactive waste storage, transportation and disposal issues, and a tribal economic development initiative to store spent nuclear fuel. The NINWPC meeting was coordinated by the NCAI Nuclear Waste Program and funded through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management.

NINWPC members presented tribal concerns on limited allocation and funding issues; inadequate cleanup efforts at contaminated sites impacting tribal lands and ceded areas; lack of tribal emergency preparedness infrastructure to respond to radiological transportation accidents of DOE shipments; tribal risk assessment issues; and the need for increased direct DOE programmatic consultation and outreach to tribal governments.

NINWPC members and tribal issues presenters at the session were, NINWPC Chairman Russell Jim (Yakama Nation); Chairman Eugene Tom and EPA/GAP Program Director Calvin Meyers (Moapa Paiute Tribe); Heather Westra (Prairie Island Indian Community); Allen Wayne Bill and Dallas Smales (South Fork Band of Te-Moak Western Shoshone); Jeanette Wolfley and Diana Yupe (Shoshone/Bannock Tribes, Fort Hall Indian Reservation); Helen Dave (Elko Band of Western Shoshone); Tim Sanders (Gila River Indian Community); Lloyd Jackson (Salish/Kootenai Tribes, Flathead Indian Reservation); Lewis George and Dean Canty (Catawba Nation); Daniel King (Oneida Nation); Richard Arnold (Yucca Mountain Impacted Tribes) and, Fred Cowie (Montana State Disaster Emergency Services).

DOE-OCRWM/Yucca Mount Site Characterization Office representatives Jozette Booth and Allen Benson talked about the pending release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel geologic repository at the Nevada Test Site. Shoshone and Paiute Tribal representatives are concerned about the cultural and socioeconomic impacts of the site which is within their indigenous territory. Although the DOE has studied the site for almost 20 years, the proposed 90-day comment period for the Draft EIS is inadequate according to tribal representatives who expressed the need for an extended comment period. The Draft EIS is scheduled for release this summer according to DOE officials.

Judith Holm, DOE National Transportation Program (NTP) Manager, gave a briefing on NTP activities. The NTP is to consult with tribal government officials about various initiatives including protocols, and consolidated grants to tribes and states for radiological transportation accident emergency preparedness. The NCAI Nuclear Waste Program has entered into a cooperative agreement with the DOE-NTP to identify tribes on proposed shipping routes, and assist in related information dissemination to tribes impacted by DOE radioactive materials shipping campaigns.

Skull Valley Goshute Tribal Chairman Leon Bear spoke about the tribe's contract with a consortium of nuclear utilities to construct a spent nuclear fuel storage facility on tribal lands until a federal repository or storage facility is available. Tribal opposition has come from the state of Utah and its congressional delegation. An attempt to prohibit federal licensing of the proposed facility failed during a committee markup of a bill to amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 et seq. The project license application is under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Other federal agency program updates were provided by Brand Petrasek, Tribal Liaison, DOE Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Program; Greg Sahd, Public Affairs Specialist, DOE Waste Isolation Pilot Plant; William Wark, Deputy Director Chemical & Radiological Programs and Peggy Stahl, Emergency Management Specialist, Preparedness, Training & Exercise Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency; and, Stephanie Martz, Office of the General Counsel, Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

During an NINWPC executive session, committee members discussed program and policy issues with DOE Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, Linda Lingle. The NINWPC tribes and NCAI plan to send follow-up letters to Secretary Richardson on several tribal issue items presented to Deputy Assistant Secretary Lingle. The NINWPC executive session with Deputy Assistant Secretary Lingle's was viewed by members as significant improvement towards increased interaction and consultation with Indian country. Attendees also were guests of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians and given a tour and briefing on the tribe's economic development efforts.