Beginning in 1949, the US Department of Energy (DOE) designed, built, and tested experimental nuclear reactors at an 890 square-mile area located in southeastern Idaho now known as the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The INL is also home to the Naval Reactor Facility where the US Navy transports spent nuclear fuel from submarines and aircraft carriers for examination and temporary storage. The site has also been used to store nuclear waste from out-of-state operations.
INL Oversight Program
The Idaho Legislature established a comprehensive state oversight program in 1989 to independently assess environmental and public health impacts from the INL. In 1990, Idaho became the first state in the nation to negotiate an agreement with DOE to provide funding for the independent monitoring and oversight of a DOE facility. This work is now carried out by DEQ’s INL Oversight Program.
DEQ’s Idaho National Laboratory Oversight Program (INL OP) evaluates the actual or potential environmental and public health impacts of US Department of Energy (DOE) activities at the INL. Members of our staff conduct monitoring at the INL site, review and comment on DOE planning and decision-making documents, and stay up-to-date on how facilities are managed.
Our INL OP also tracks inventories and handling of nuclear waste at INL. This information helps guide the monitoring and emergency planning efforts.
The INL OP staff serve on the Western Governors’ Association Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Transportation Technical Advisory Group and represent the State of Idaho. This group works collaboratively with DOE to maintain a comprehensive transportation safety program to ensure the safe shipment of transuranic radioactive wastes within the western states.