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THE NEVADA TEST SITE

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) coordinates and administers the energy functions of the federal government, including the nuclear weapons program, research and development of energy technologies, and basic science research. The Nevada Test Site (NTS) has been the continental location of the U.S. nuclear weapons testing program for over 40 years, because following World War II, a suitable site was needed to conduct nuclear weapons tests. The NTS occupies 3,496 square kilometers (1,350 square miles) in southern Nevada and is located approximately 105 kilometers (65 miles) northwest of Las Vegas.

The DOE also manages several other sites located in central Nevada. The sites include the Tonopah Test Range, Central Nevada Test Area, and Project Shoal Area located southeast of Fallon, Nevada. The Central Nevada Test Area and Project Shoal Area were nuclear underground test sites in the 1970s. The Tonopah Test Range is an active research facility managed by the DOE and operated by Sandia National Laboratories. This facility is jointly used by the DOE and U.S. Air Force.

Most work on the NTS has been and continues to be related to national defense; however, there is growing emphasis on environmental restoration and waste management programs. Current NTS missions are:

• Support the Threshold Test Ban Treaty and the Peaceful Nuclear Explosives Treaty verification mission, and support the ongoing Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty negotiations
• Provide the capability to respond to nuclear emergencies, such as lost or stolen nuclear weapons and special nuclear materials, nuclear bomb threats, and radiation dispersal threats
• Demonstrate the capability to provide alternate energy sources, including solar energy, to meet power needs for the southwestern United States
• Maintain a state of readiness to conduct underground nuclear testing through the conduct of treaty compliance and permitted experiments and activities
• Maintain the nation's stockpile of nuclear weapons in a safe and secure manner, and fulfill other nonproliferation and national security related missions
• Manage wastes generated on the NTS and at other DOE-approved facilities across the United States

• Perform site characterization and environmental restoration activities required to minimize or eliminate the impacts of past operations
• Supervise operations of non-DOE entities performing research and development related to the safety aspects of hazardous chemicals and liquefied gaseous fuels
• Serve as an outdoor laboratory where scientists and students can conduct research on environmental issues as part of the DOE - National Environmental Research Park Network.