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FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT 

WASTE DISPOSITION ACTIVITIES AT THE 

PADUCAH SITE 

PADUCAH, KENTUCKY 

AGENCY: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

ACTION: FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has completed an environmental assessment 

addendum (DOE/EA-1339-A), which is incorporated herein by reference, for proposed disposition of 

17,600 m3

 of waste from the Paducah Site in Paducah, Kentucky. It is anticipated that most of the waste 

would be transported for disposal at various locations in the United States. Based on the results of the 

impact analysis reported in the EA, DOE has determined that the proposed action is not a major federal 

action that would significantly affect the quality of the human environment within the context of the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Therefore, preparation of an environmental impact 

statement is not necessary, and DOE is issuing this Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). 

PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF EA AND FONSI: The EA and FONSI may be reviewed at and copies 

of the document obtained from: 

Gary Bodenstein, NEPA Document Manager 

U.S. Department of Energy 

5600 Hobbs Road 

West Paducah, KY 42001 

(270) 441-6831 

Paducah Public Library 

555 Washington Street 

Paducah, KY 42001 

FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE NEPA PROCESS: For further information on the NEPA 

process, contact 

Gary Hartman, Acting NEPA Compliance Officer 

U.S. Department of Energy 

200 Administration Road 

Oak Ridge, TN 37831 

(865) 576-0273 

BACKGROUND: DOE completed the Environmental Assessment for Waste Disposition Activities at 

the Paducah Site, Paducah Kentucky DOE/EA-1339 and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact on 

November 5, 2002. Since that time, DOE has identified an additional 17,600 m3

 of material currently 

stored at the Paducah Site that should be dispositioned. DOE must continue to manage and control its 

material and wastes safely, efficiently, and cost effectively in compliance with applicable federal and state 

laws while protecting public health and the environment. The wastes considered in the assessment are 

limited to DOE’s ongoing and legacy non-CERCLA waste management operations at the Paducah Site. 

This additional material is primarily stored in DOE Material Storage Area (DMSAs). Material not 

covered in this EA are those associated with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 
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and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) activities, including decontamination and decommissioning 

activities, and disposition of wastes associated with USEC operational activities. The cumulative impacts 

section of the EA does take these wastes into consideration. The assessment is intended to supplement 

and update the previous Environmental Assessment for Waste Disposition Activities at the Paducah Site, 

Paducah, Kentucky (DOE/EA-1339) completed November 2002. This assessment expands the scope of 

previous analyses to include the additional material. 

The material will be characterized before it is dispositioned. DOE anticipates most of the material is nonhazardous waste but a portion of the material may contain residual radionuclide contamination at high 

enough concentrations to be classified as low-level waste. Low-level waste would be disposed off-site at 

the DOE Nevada Test Site, the DOE Hanford Site, or a commercial facility. 

If the characterization shows the residual radioactivity is low enough to meet the waste acceptance 

criteria, then it may be disposed in the on-site landfill. On-site disposal of waste, which may include 

residual radioactive material, is evaluated in the Environmental Assessment for the Construction, 

Operation, and Closure of the Solid Waste Landfill at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Paducah, 

Kentucky (DOE/EA-1046) and The Environmental Assessment on the Implementation of the Authorized 

Limits Process for Waste Acceptance at the C-746-U Landfill Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, 

Paducah, Kentucky (DOE/EA-1414) and is not further evaluated in this EA Addendum. 

The impact analysis in the EA Addendum addressed the potential effects of storing, packaging, and 

transporting the additional material that is waste from Paducah to destinations representative of other 

DOE sites and licensed commercial treatment/disposal facilities. The potential effects of transport over 

both highway and rail routes were evaluated. 

ALTERNATIVES: In addition to the proposed action, impacts were also evaluated for two alternatives 

1) no action alternative and 2) enhanced storage. 

1) No Action Alternative - In the No Action alternative (i.e., long-term storage), DOE would not perform 

disposition activities for the additional material, except for those needed for waste management 

and maintenance. The material would be stored until the facilities enter the Decontamination and 

& Decommissioning Program. 

2) Enhanced Storage Alternative – The Enhanced Storage alternative is identical to the No Action 

alternative with the exception that storage facilities for the additional material would be 

constructed for resistance to disasters (such as earthquakes and fires). No disposal of the existing 

additional waste would occur. Because existing storage space does not meet enhanced storage 

definitions, new facilities would have to be constructed on-site to store material. 

PROPOSED ACTION 

1) Land Use 

Removal of the additional material could result in modification of the existing lease to the United 

States Enrichment Corporation to include some of the emptied areas. 

2) Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice 

The proposed action employment increase of less than a 3% change from 1997 employment in 

McCracken County does not represent a notable impact. Minority and Low-Income Populations 

would not be disproportionately exposed to transportation impacts. These groups would be 

subject to the same negligible impacts as the general population. 
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3) Transportation Impacts 

 a) Air Quality 

Air emissions from transport through non-attainment areas along shipment routes are well below 

the Environmental Protection Agency threshold emission levels. Therefore no formal conformity 

analysis is required. 

 b) Risk Associated with Truck Transport 

Radiological Impacts from normal Truck Transportation - The potential effects of transporting 

waste by highway from Paducah to each of the potential final destination sites were evaluated. 

Truck shipments to receiving facilities were evaluated for the probability of a latent cancer 

fatality (LCF) to the truck crew, the general population, and the maximum exposed individual 

(MEI). The worst-case results for the truck crew, general population, and MEI all occur during 

the shipment to Mercury, Nevada. However, all values were calculated to be less than 1 (largest 

value being 2.4 × 10-2 for the crew), so risks to these receptors are considered negligible. The 

population dose resulting from the proposed action is estimated to be 5.5 person-rem, resulting in 

estimated 0.0028 latent cancer fatalities. This would result in no anticipated latent cancer 

fatalities from the proposed action. 

Vehicle-Related Impacts – Potential vehicle-related impacts, including expected accidents, 

expected fatalities from accidents, and impacts from vehicle emissions were evaluated. All 

accident fatalities are less than one, therefore no fatalities resulting from the proposed action are 

anticipated. 

 c) Risk Associated with Rail Transport 

Radiological Impacts from normal Rail Transportation – The potential radiological effects of 

routinely transporting LLW, MLLW, and TRU waste by rail from Paducah to each of the 

potential final destination sites were evaluated. Rail shipments were evaluated for the probability 

of an LCF to the train crew, the general population, and the MEI. All values were calculated to be 

less than 1 (largest value being 0.046 for the population), so risks to these receptors are 

considered negligible. The population dose resulting from the proposed action is estimated to be 

6.2 person-rem, resulting in estimated 0.0032 latent cancer fatalities. This would result in no 

anticipated latent cancer fatalities from the proposed action. 

Rail-Related Impacts – Potential rail-related impacts, including expected accidents and expected 

fatalities from accidents were evaluated. All fatalities are less than one, therefore no fatalities 

resulting from the proposed action are anticipated. 

Ecological Resources 

Impacts to ecological resources were compared to the analysis in the Waste Disposition EA 

(DOE/EA-1339. A biological assessment of impacts to threatened and endangered species was 

completed for the proposed action. The biological assessment concludes that the proposed action 

would be unlikely to adversely affect the Indiana Bat or any mussel species of concern. No 

significant impacts would be expected to ecological resources. 

Cumulative Effects 

Potential environmental cumulative impacts that could result from the proposed disposition of 

waste were compared with the impacts identified in the Waste Disposition EA. The disposition 

of all of the waste was included in the Waste Disposition EA analysis of cumulative impacts and 

found not to be significant. Therefore the cumulative impacts have not changed from those 

described in the Waste Disposition EA and were not addressed any further.