GLOBAL TRANSPORTATION COST MODELING FOR LONG-RANGE PLANNING

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing to pcrfonn significant remediation activities ofthe sitesforwhichitisresjxlnsible. Toaccomplishthis,itispreparingacorporateglobalplanfocusedon activities over the next dcc:ade. Significant in these planned activities is the transportation ofthe waste arising from the remediation. The costs ofthis transportation arc expected to be lalge. To support the initial assessment ofthe plan, a cost-estimating model was developed, peer-reviewed against other available packaging and transportation cost data, and applied to a significant number ofshipping campaigns ofradioactive waste. This cost-estimating model, known as the TEn-year Plan TRAnsportation cost Model (TEPTRAM), can be used to model radioactive material shipments between DOE sites or from DOE sites to ooo-DOE destinations. The model considers the costs for (a) recovering andprocessingofthewastes,(b)packagingthewastesfortransport,and(c)thecarriageofthewaste. It also provides a rough order-of-magnitude estimate oflabor costs associated with preparing and undertaJc:ingtheshipments. Attheuser'sdirection,themodelcanalsoconsiderthecostofDOE's interactions with its external stakcbolders (e.g., state and local govern.rncuts and tribal entities) and the costassociatedwithtrackingandconununicatingwiththeshipments. Byconsideringallofthesesources ofcosts, it provides a mechanism for assessing and comparing the costs ofvarious waste processing and shippingcampaignalternativestohelpguidedecision-making. Recentanalysesofspecificplanned shipments oftransuranic (TRU) waste which consider alternative packaging options arc described. These analyses show that options arc available for significantly reducing total costs while still satisfying reguJat.ory requirements.