This Second Amended Determination follows the approval of additional funding, period of performance, and new project milestones to support the project team's small-scale research and development activities to further advance their artificial intelligence and physics-based simulation methods to enable secure immobilization of salt waste from molten salt reactors under the Optimizing Nuclear Waste and Advanced Reactor Disposal Systems (ONWARDS) program.
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
March 3, 2026
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This Amended Determination follows ARPA-E's receipt of required information and certifications from four (4) Prime Recipients that were not covered under the original Determination. These projects fit within the class of actions identified under the DOE Categorical Exclusion(s) identified below and do not involve any extraordinary circumstances that may affect the significance of the environmental effects of the project. This assessment was based on a review of the proposed scope of work and the potential environmental impact of the projects. All project tasks will be conducted in accordance with established safety and materials/waste management protocols and pursuant to applicable Federal, State, and local regulatory requirements.
The ONWARDS Program is composed of 11 small-scale research and development projects that will be conducted by universities, non-profit entities, for-profit entities, and federal laboratories. This Amended Determination and the original Programmatic Determination cover all 11 projects.