The scoping and preliminary comment period on the Multi-Purpose Canister (MPC) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) formally ended January 6, and work on an implementation plan to disclose preparation plans on the EIS will be available sometime in June, says Jerry Parker, MPC EIS director for the DOE.

The MPC is a system of overpacks for spent fuel rods assemblies that allows for storage, transport, and possibly emplacement in an underground facility. The MPC EIS does not include impacts linked to geologic disposal because to date, no decision has been made on the suitability of the proposed geologic repository site at Yucca Mountain. Also, it is not yet known whether the MPC would be acceptable as a waste container for burial at Yucca Mountain.

Parker said a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) would probably be out this fall, and said he expected public hearings on the MPC to occur early next year.

Since the close of the scoping period, it has been learned that use of the MPC for storage and transport of Naval submarine and ship reactor fuel will also be considered in the EIS. The U.S. Navy is a cooperating agency in the development of the MPC EIS and will provide information on the characteristics of the Naval nuclear reactor fuel.