The results of the environmental analysis show that some sites are more sensitive than others to certain waste characteristics and types of treatment or disposal technologies . Site-specific environmental factors would be considered prior to construction of waste management facilities at particular locations at DOE sites. In the future, other treatment options may pose less risk. Transporting certain wastes to only a few facilities for treatment and disposal is generally less expensive than building facilities at many DOE sites . However, increased air emissions and traffic fatalities could potentially result.
Costs tend to decrease as the number of treatment and disposal sites decrease.
Nationwide, more jobs would result from decentralized alternatives and generally less jobs would result as alternatives become more centralized . Potential impacts can be reduced or eliminated by carefully choosing the technology, facility location, or method of transporting wastes . In its analysis, DOE used a typical facility to represent the type of treatment, storage, or disposal to be conducted at any location. When alternatives are chosen, DOE will reduce or eliminate these impacts by using alternative transportation, changing the technology used, or using operational controls to lessen the impact. These mitigation measures are discussed in more detail in the next section.