DOE INITIATIVE TO IDENTIFY ROUTES FOR SHIPPING SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL AND HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE TO YUCCA MOUNTAIN

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is working to identify preliminary national suites of highway and rail routes for shipping spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) from commercial and DOE sites to the Yucca Mountain repository. This initiative is meant to help develop and begin implementing a comprehensive national spent fuel transportation plan. The OCRWM national transportation plan will address state, local and Tribal concerns as well as the interests of railroads and other affected stakeholders. OCRWM is responsible for developing and implementing a safe and secure transportation system to the repository. OCRWM’s Office of Logistics Management (OLM) encourages and supports participation of program stakeholders in a process to identify suites of national rail and highway routes. The principal objective in the routing process is to identify preliminary suites of national highway and rail routes that reflect responsible consideration of the interests of a broad cross-section of stakeholders. This will facilitate transportation planning activities to help meet program goals, including providing an advanced planning framework for State and Tribal authorities; supporting a pilot program for providing funding under Section 180(c) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to eligible States and Tribes through whose jurisdictions DOE plans to transport SNF and HLW; allowing sufficient time for railroads to conduct security and operational reviews in advance of shipments to Yucca Mountain; and ensuring routes for shipments are identified sufficiently in advance to support utility planning and readiness for transportation operations. Concepts for routing and routing criteria have been considered by several state regional groups supported by cooperative agreements with OLM. OCRWM is also working with 2 transportation service providers to ensure the criteria are consistent with operating practices. Specifically, OCRWM will coordinate with rail and truck carriers, the Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Association of American Railroads, and others involved in the transportation industry. These coordination efforts will ensure the experience, knowledge, and expertise of the transportation industry, regulatory agencies, affected sites and communities, and current shippers are considered in the process to identify the preliminary national suites of routes.