Idaho National Laboratory Stand-Off Experiment Range draft environmental assessment available for public review and comment

Idaho Falls, ID � The U.S. Department of Energy today published a draft environmental assessment for a proposed Stand-Off Experiment Range at Idaho National Laboratory.

�This range would represent an expansion of capability and programmatic work already present at INL, and would directly support a key U.S. national security objective of promoting nuclear security,� said Vic Pearson, DOE�s document manager for the environmental assessment. �The public is invited to comment on the document through January 28, 2011.�

At the range, INL experts would use high energy linear accelerators to research and develop detection systems for nuclear and non-nuclear materials of interest, in support of United States national and homeland security missions. When directed at an object, the high-energy x-rays produced by these accelerators results in the generation of identifiable signatures characteristic of the specific materials of interest. Generation and detection of these signatures at a distance from the target object would be the focus of work at the Stand-Off Experiment Range.

Written comments can be sent to: Vic Pearson, U.S. Department of Energy, Idaho Operations Office, 1955 Fremont Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-1170, or emailed to: SOX.EA@id.doe.gov.

Editorial Date December 22, 2010
By Tim Jackson