APPENDIX B ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT METHODOLOGIESAPPENDIX B ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT METHODOLOGIES

This appendix briefly describes the methods used to assess the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of the alternatives in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Consolidation of Nuclear Operations Related to Production of Radioisotope Power Systems (Consolidation EIS). Included are impact assessment methodologies for land resources, air quality, noise, geology and soils, water resources, ecological resources, cultural resources, socioeconomics, environmental justice, waste management, cumulative impacts, infrastructure, public and occupational health and safety, and transportation. Each section includes a description of the affected resources, region of influence (ROI), and the impact assessment method. Detailed descriptions of the methods for the evaluation of human health effects of normal operations, facility accidents, and transportation are presented in Appendix C of this environmental impact statement (EIS). Methods for assessing environmental impacts vary for each resource area. For air quality, for example, pollutant emissions from operations related to production of radioisotope power systems (RPS) were evaluated for their effect on ambient concentrations and their compliance with ambient standards. Comparison with regulatory standards is a commonly used method for benchmarking environmental impacts, and appropriate comparisons have been made in a number of resource analyses to provide perspective on the magnitude of identified impacts. For waste management, waste generation rates were compared with site waste generation rates and with the capacities of waste management facilities. Impacts in all resource areas were analyzed consistently; that is, the impact values were estimated using a consistent set of input variables and computations. Moreover, efforts were made to ensure that calculations in all areas used accepted protocols and up-to-date models