NUCLEAR WASTE TRANSPORTATION TERRORISM AND SABOTAGE: CRITICAL ISSUES

State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects (NANP) staff and contractors have been studying the potential risks of terrorism and sabotage against spent nuclear fuel and highlevel radioactive waste shipments since the 1980s. NANP studies have been the basis for Nevada's petition for NRC rulemaking and for Nevada's review of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Yucca Mountain. Based on review of the extensive literature on domestic and international terrorism, including recent DOE-sponsored studies and analyses, NANP staff and contractors have identified five critical issues for continued study: 1. Does a successful attack on a shipping cask utilizing a single high-energy explosive device constitute the maximum credible attack scenario for release of radioactive materials? 2. Can the health effects consequences of a successful attack on a shipping cask be accurately estimated without full-scale testing? 3. What methodology should be used for assessing the social and economic consequences of a successful attack resulting in release of radioactive materials? 4. Are potential adversaries likely to consider an attack resulting in massive economic impacts to have greater symbolic value than an attack resulting in many deaths? 5. Are potential adversaries likely to consider DOE shipments, or shipments to a DOE facility, to have greater symbolic value than past or current shipments? The authors report preliminary findings and discuss research plans for these five topics.