Valar's Utah reactor cleared federal environmental review with a categorical exclusion, so no EA or EIS was required

recordconfirmed

2026-04-22 · csite-020 · U.S. Department of Energy, DOE Idaho Operations Office, Valar Atomics

DOE's NEPA determination DOE-ID-26-005, digitally signed on 22 April 2026 by a DOE NEPA compliance officer (the PDF's web address places its upload in June 2026), categorically excluded 'Valar Ward250 Research Reactor' at the Utah San Rafael Energy Research Center from further NEPA review under category B5.26. DOE created B5.26 by a Federal Register notice effective 2 February 2026 (comments were taken afterwards, to 4 March), under Executive Order 14301; it covers 'Authorization, siting, construction, operation, reauthorization, and decommissioning of advanced nuclear reactors' if DOE finds the risk of offsite release is sufficiently reduced and wastes can be managed, and says a project 'may include multiple reactors'. The notice states that reactors 'developed for additional purposes, such as power production and industrial applications' are also appropriate for it. DOE's B5.26 listing showed five determinations in late September 2026. No DOE NEPA document for a Carbon County site was found in the records read as of late September 2026.

In plain termsFederal law (NEPA) makes agencies study environmental effects before approving projects, for larger actions in a public environmental assessment or impact statement. A 'categorical exclusion' is a category for actions the agency has decided are normally minor: no environmental assessment or impact statement, and no comment period on the project. It is an environmental-review decision under NEPA, separate from DOE's nuclear-safety approval of the reactor (safety analysis, operating limits, readiness review, startup approval; dir-031). DOE created one for advanced reactors in February 2026 and used it for Valar's Emery County reactor in April. It is written broadly enough to cover power reactors and multi-reactor sites. If a Carbon County reactor goes the DOE route, neighbors may get no federal environmental report to comment on at all; if it goes through the NRC, a public review would be expected.

NEPA Determination DOE-ID-26-005: Valar Ward250 Research Reactor (categorical exclusion B5.26) (U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, 2026-04-22) primary government “the proposed action is hereby categorically excluded from further NEPA review”
Categorical Exclusion for Advanced Nuclear Reactors, 91 FR 4550 (FR Doc. 2026-02071), DOE's posted copy (U.S. Department of Energy (Federal Register notice), 2026-02-02) primary government “For the purposes of this category, a project may include multiple reactors”
Categorical Exclusion Determinations: B5.26 (U.S. Department of Energy, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance) primary government

verified 2026-10-02: Holds. Re-read in late September 2026: CX-271015 (7 pages; signature dated 2026.04.22); Federal Register 2026-02071 (91 FR 4550; effective 2 Feb 2026, comments to 4 Mar) full text; DOE's B5.26 listing (Groves-1, SPARC, Ward250, Deployable Energy, Aalo-X). Quotes exact. 'Idaho Operations' removed: the document gives only the DOE-ID number. Second check, late September 2026: the notice is now cited from DOE's own posted copy, read in full: effective 2 Feb 2026, comments due 4 Mar 2026, B5.26 text, 'multiple reactors within a nuclear facility', 'additional purposes, such as power production and industrial applications'. Revised before publication (2026-09-30): reworded the plain-language text. Revised before publication (2026-10-01): wording made more exact against the cited records.

In tabs: Carbon County Site, Connections to Government, Safety Related Issues, Public Process