Churchill County is located in west central Nevada and encompasses close to 4,900 square miles.

Fallon, the county seat, is located in the west central part of the county at the junction of Highways 50 and 95.

Interstate 80 traverses Churchill County along its northern edge.

Just over 90 percent of the Churchill County population is located in the Fallon urban area.

One of the primary agricultural regions in the state, the Fallon

area is also home to Fallon Naval Air Station (NAS Fallon).

NAS Fallon is the primary training facility for the U.S. Navy's Advanced Fighter Weapons School.

Located in the Carson desert, mountainous areas are present to the east, northwest, and southwest.

Stillwater range

Several lakes and sensitive wetland areas are scattered throughout the county near Fallon.

About us:

In 1982, the U.S. Congress enacted a law called the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. The Act established a comprehensive national program for the safe, permanent disposal of highly radioactive wastes.

This law is based on the principle that our society is responsible for safely disposing of the nuclear wastes we create.

The Act directed the U.S. Department of Energy to study suitable sites for a geologic repository. The geologic repository envisioned by the Act is an engineered disposal facility located deep underground. After more than two decades of scientific study, in 2002, Congress and the President approved the development of a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

Churchill County is considered a "Affected Unit of Government" by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. The term "affected unit of local government" means the unit of local government with jurisdiction over the site of a repository or a monitored retrievable storage facility. Such term may, at the discretion of the Secretary, include units of local government that are contiguous with such unit. ([31]Nuclear Waste Policy Act)

The Commissioners of Churchll County establised the Yucca Mountain Oversight Program's who's primary goal is to focus the limited resources funded to the affected units of government on:

Conducting adequate program oversight and monitoring.
Identifying potential impacts affecting the local community areas.
Providing appropriate levels of public information.
Understanding key geotechnical issues facing the repository program.

On-going Socioeconomic Monitoring and Impact Assessment

Churchill County has investigated potential social and economic impacts associated with the repository program. Potential fiscal impacts including impacts to local government revenue sources, and property values have been identified and analyzed for each year. The curent update can be accessed here (2007). The County will continue to monitor risk related behavior, its affects on tourism, and the associated economic and fiscal impacts.

Yucca Mountain

Aerial photo of the Yucca Mountain ridge line 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

High School Group Tours San Onofre

Map of the US showing the location of Yucca Mountain

Yucca Mountain and the Nuclear Renaissance: Assessing the Safety and Viability of a Vital National Asset, March 07, 2008
Approx. 1 1/5 hours

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