Perspectives of the U.S. Nuclear Industry on Transportation of Radioactive Materials and Related Storage Issues

We are all here today because, ultimately, we must transport radioactive materials if we are to continue to reap the enormous benefits society gains from their use. I want to share with you today the U.S. nuclear industry's perspective on the importance of transporting radioactive materials and the role technical developments should play in decisions to revise the IAEA Safety Series for transporting radioactive materials. But first, I would like to establish some fundamental points. The public honestly fears radiation. Even though we may believe those fears are out of perspective with regard to the amounts of radiation involved, we must respect these honestly held fears. However, we have a social problem when fears are out of proportion to risk and result in enormous benefits being forfeited. Antinuclear groups take advantage of the public's fears. Now you have a political problem-substantial societal benefits foregone for no improvement in public health and safety. Admiral Rickover once said, \"There are many valid reasons for decisions, and those can be technical, economic, or political, but don't forget (or mix up) the reasons for a decision.\" This means don't continue to try to address social and political problems with technical solutions. Number one, it won't work, and, number two, it's very costly.