Year
1985
Abstract
The transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) to a Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility or geologic repository under the Nuclear Haste Policy Act (NWPA) is the primary link between the wastemanagement system and the public. The operation of the repository or MRS facility will affect parties in the vicinity of the facility, but the transportation of waste will affect a greater number of parties along the routes to such facilities. Transportation of radioactive material continues to be of concern to many parties despite the excellent safety record and the regulatory system currently in place. The successful development and operation of a national HLW/spent fuel transportation system can best be accomplished through an open process based on the common sense approach of taking all reasonable measures to minimize public risk and perforning whatever actions are reasonably required to promote public acceptance. The best way to achieve these objectives is for the federal government to develop a systematic, comprehensive and integrated plan that addresses the many facets of transportation issues in a timely manner. It is important that affected parties be wellinformed participants in the decisions incorporated into such a plan.