Publications:

December 2011 - Baseline update2011 The Churchill County Nuclear Waste oversight program has updated the baseline report for 2011. This report provides baseline description of existing conditions in Churchill County as of 2011. The report provides information on social, economic, public services and facilities, and natural resources available in Churchill County and its communities. The report will be used to measure potential changes to Churchill County as a result of a potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain and associated transportation activities.

September 2010 - YUCCA MOUNTAIN: NUCLEAR FUEL LOCATONS AND ASSOCIATED RAIL FACILITIES (large file 14 MB- The Union Pacific Railroad main line  passes through Churchill County on a route between Reno and Salt Lake City. The main line is a single track and is maintained in strict accordance with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) guidelines. The FRA has established guidelines and standards which set the requirements for maintenance based on track speed. This section of main line track is  aintained to FRA standards allowing 79 miles per hour for passenger trains and 60 miles per hour for freight trains. Track vertical grades are typically less than one percent along the route through Churchill County due to the flatness of the topography. The railroad’s right-of-way width is typically 100 feet with some sections that may have a 200 foot width. No public agency or private access in the right-of-way or across the tracks is allowed without written permission from the railroad. Since the mid-1990s, Union Pacific has been required by the Surface Transportation Board to allow Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company trackage rights over this segment of the UP main line. This was a condition of approval for allowing UP to purchase the former Southern Pacific Railroad. This condition of purchase provided for the continuation of competition within this corridor. There are a number of existing sidings along the main line. The sidings are used by the railroad to allow space for trains to meet and pass and also allow for temporary and periodic rail car storage.

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Appendices
Bibliography

July 2010 - Churchill County Baseline Report update 2010 - The Churchill County Nuclear Waste oversight program has updated the baseline report for 2010. This report provides baseline description of existing conditions in Churchill County as of 2010. The report provides information on social, economic, public services and facilities, and natural resources available in Churchill County and its communities. The report will be used to measure potential changes to Churchill County as a result of a potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain and associated transportation activities. Additionally, material presented in the chapters represents a compilation of previous investigations by Churchill County for Yucca Mountain oversight activities such as the Transportation Baseline Report. The baseline report contains information about population, labor force, employment, wages, fiscal conditions, natural resources, and land uses. The Yucca Mountain draft and final environmental impact statement contained very little information about Churchill County. This report will help supplement the lack of information developed by DOE. The baseline report will be updated periodically as part of Churchill County’s on-going efforts to assess potential impacts associated with the Yucca Mountain Project.

December 2009- Churchill County Baseline Report - Update 2009 This report provides an update to the 2009 Baseline Report and is updated annualy to provide on-going efforts to assess potential impacts to Churchill County associated with the Yucca Mountain Project.

Febuary 2009 - Measures to Improve the safety of transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level radiaoactive waste by truck on alternative routes through Churchill, Esmeralda, Lander and Mineral Counties, Nevada to the proposed Yucca Mountain Geologic repository.

June 2008
Churchill County Baseline Report—Update 2008 This report provides an update to the 2007 Churchill County Baseline Report. The baseline report is updated periodically as part of Churchill County’s on-going efforts to assess potential impacts associated with the Yucca Mountain Project.

January, 2008
Churchill County’s Comments to the Notice of Revised Proposed Policy for Implementation of Section 180(c)

January, 2008
Comments For: Draft Supplemental EIS for A Geologic Repository for the Disposal Of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada And Draft EIS for a Rail Alignment for the Construction and Operation of a Railroad At Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

August, 2007
Churchill County Rail Impact Evaluation—2007

The Department of Energy considered the suitability of the Yucca Mountain, Nevada site as a repository under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Transportation of materials for disposal at the site via rail has been studied as one consideration in evaluating the use of the Yucca Mountain site. Use of the Caliente Route for rail transport has been considered in the past. Along the Caliente Route, the track passes near Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Subsequently, use of the Mina Route has been considered as an option for rail transport. Through Churchill County, the proposed Mina Route makes use of existing Union Pacific Railroad track from Pershing County near Toulon; running south past the west side of the Stillwater Wildlife Management area; toward Hazen; south along the west side of the Lahontan Reservoir into Lyon County; then heads southeast to Mineral County east of Walker Lake toward Hawthorne. The southern portion of the route, in the southern part of Churchill County and through Mineral County, runs along the west edge of the Walker River Indian Reservation. If the Mina Route were used, the majority of shipments passing through Churchill County would follow this route. Additional shipments would originate west of Churchill County and be transported via Fernley to Hazen, then continue to the south on the aforementioned route.

One advantage in the Department of Energy’s consideration of the Mina Route is that it requires less new track construction at the south end of the line near Yucca Mountain. Additionally, the Mina Route allows freight to be transported on an alignment that is not proximate to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

The following files are separated for your convenience from the complete report due to the large size:

Appendix B:
Crossing 1
Crossing 2
Crossing 3
Crossing 4
Crossing 5
Crossing 6
Crossing 7

Figures:
Figure 1 State and County map
Figure 2 Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor
Figure 3 Sidings
Figure 3-1 Hazen Siding
Figure 4 Crossings
Figure 5 Map of Lahontan
Figure 6 US Radioactive Waste Site Locations
Figure 7 Maps of the Walker Reservation
Figure 8 Transportation Casks
Figure 9 Other Industrial Projects
Figure 10 Roads
Figure 11 Land Status
Figure 12 Parcels
Figure 13 Zoning
Figure 14 Planning Boundaries
Figure 15 Contours
Figure 16 Water
Figure 17 Flood Zones
Figure 18 Soils
Figure 19 Grazing Allotments
Figure 20 Census Block
Figure 21 Age
Figure 22 Gender
Figure 23 Ethnicity

March 2007
Fallon Impact Report - Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel by Highway to Yucca Mountain—Update 2007 If a high-level waste repository opens at Yucca Mountain, south of Fallon on US 95, a large number of truck shipments of nuclear waste are expected on US 95.  Truck shipments of nuclear waste through Fallon would lead to a radiation dose to the public even if the transport is incident-free, because no shielding material can reduce direct gamma radiation by 100 %.  As a result, residents, drivers, pedestrians and workers will get a radiation dose, which depends on the recipient’s exposure proximity and duration.  Depending on the population estimate, the population dose due to incident-free transportation of the entire waste that is planned to pass Fallon is as high as 9.45 person-rem.  Even though this dose and the resulting population risk are relatively small, it nevertheless increases the risk to develop cancer. 

January 17, 2007
Churchill County Commissioners Comment— on DOE’s Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplement to the Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada and Rail Alignment Environmental Impact Statement.

September 2007
Churchill County Baseline Report—Update 2007

September 2006
Churchill County Baseline Report—Update 2006

September 2005
Churchill County Baseline Report - Update 2005—This report provides an update to the 2004 Churchill County Baseline Report. The baseline report is updated periodically as part of Churchill County’s on-going efforts to assess potential impacts associated with the Yucca Mountain Project.

September 2004
Churchill County Baseline Report Update 2004—This report provides a baseline description of existing conditions in Churchill County as of 2004. The report provides information on social, economic, public services and facilities, and natural resources available in Churchill County and its communities. The report will be used to measure potential changes to Churchill County as a result of the high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain and associated transportation activities. Additionally, material presented in the following chapters represents a compilation of previous investigations by Churchill County for Yucca Mountain oversight activities such as the Transportation Baseline Report, 2004. The baseline report contains information about population, labor force, employment, wages, fiscal conditions, natural resources, and land uses. The Yucca Mountain draft and final environmental impact statement contained very little information about Churchill County. This report will help supplement the lack of information developed by DOE. The baseline report will be updated periodically as part of Churchill County’s on-going efforts to assess potential impacts associated with the Yucca Mountain Project.

Update—September 2002
Fallon Impact Report - Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel by Highway to Yucca Mountain

If a high-level waste repository opens at Yucca Mountain, south of Fallon on US 95, a large number of truck shipments of nuclear waste are expected on US 95.  Truck shipments of nuclear waste through Fallon would lead to a radiation dose to the public even if the transport is incident-free, because no shielding material can reduce direct gamma radiation by 100 %.  As a result, residents, drivers, pedestrians and workers will get a radiation dose, which depends on the recipient’s exposure proximity and duration.  Depending on the population estimate, the population dose due to incident-free transportation of the entire waste that is planned to pass Fallon is as high as 9.45 person-rem.  Even though this dose and the resulting population risk are relatively small, it nevertheless increases the risk to develop cancer. 

These are smaller (PDF’s) for your convenience

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Pages 17—26
Page 27—Figure 1
Page 28—Figure 2
Page 29—Figure 3
Page 30—Figure 4
Pages 31-52

Appendix A

Churchill County Impact Report 2001

This report is a preliminary investigation into the potential social, economic impact, and transportation impacts that could occur in Churchill County as a result of the Yucca Mountain Repository program and related transportation activities. The analysis considers direct, indirect and risk induced impacts associated wit the repository program and more specifically the transportation program. Impacts discussed in this report are primarily related to transportation impacts. Although U.S. 95 is not currently a preferred route to Yucca Mountain, states have the ability to select alternative routes that could place waste shipments to Yucca Mountain on a host of alternative routes other than U.S. DOT preferred transportation routes (interstate System).

October 5, 2001 - Churchill County comment at Fallon public meeting

September 1991 - Letter directing the designation of Churchill County as affected