DOE Borehole Project Draws Skepticism in N.D.

The estimated five-year, $35 million project, proposed across 20 acres of state land near the city of Rugby, would deliver data on whether 16,000-foot boreholes in crystalline rock formations are appropriate for DOE-managed waste. Pierce County Commission Chairman Dave Migler said Wednesday that the moratorium handed down this week will allow DOE, the commission, and residents to slow the process and exchange information.

“There’s a lot of concerned residents,” Migler said, adding that he learned of the borehole project via a newspaper article in January. “We just feel that we need to let the public know what’s going on, what the undertaking’s going to be, what could possibly happen if everything moves forward.”

Lead contractor Battelle Memorial Institute has partnered with the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center in Grand Forks for the project. DOE spokesman Bart Jackson said via email that the project request for proposals dictates that communication with state and local officials is the responsibility of the individual contract bid teams. He stated that upon selection of the Battelle team, DOE issued standard notifications of contract award prior to a Jan. 5 announcement, followed by a public news release announcing the selection.

EERC Vice President for Strategic Partnerships John Harju will meet with the commission on Feb. 16 to discuss the project and is scheduled to meet with the county planning and zoning board on Feb. 25 to discuss its application for an unconditional use permit. Harju could not be reached for comment.

The borehole project would be a dry run, as the testing will not involve any nuclear waste. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has said the drilling method could serve as an option for storing about 2,000 cesium and strontium capsules from the Hanford Site in Washington state.